It’s almost Halloween! We begin planning costume ideas with our roommates, we break out the sweaters and boots, and we even change our Twitter display name so it’s Halloween themed! What better way to get into the spirit of Halloween than by picking up a spooky book? Here are five recommendations to pick up next time you go to the bookstore or library! (Don’t worry, most of these are not nightmare-inducing in case you’re sensitive to horror!)
- The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
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This is an interesting recommendation because it isn’t exactly “Halloween” themed! However, it does feature faeries so this automatically puts me in the fall spirit! The Darkest Part of the Forest follows a sibling duo, Hazel and Ben, living in a small town where faeries are co-existing with humans. However, this town has an anomaly: there is a boy asleep in a glass coffin. Everyone claims he’s been there for as long as they can remember and has never woken up. But one day, he does. The Darkest Part of the Forest is available on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or your favorite bookstore.
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
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GHOSTS! GHOSTS! GHOSTS! Nothing screams “Halloween” quite like a paranormal story. The Graveyard Book follows a young boy left an orphan after the murder of his family. He is left to be raised by the supernatural residents of a nearby graveyard. The man who committed the murders is still out there, so to keep safe, he is confined to this graveyard. If that description alone doesn’t convince you to pick this book up, I don’t know what will. The Graveyard Book is available on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or your favorite bookstore.
- A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
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This is one of my FAVORITE books of all time. It’s a rather quick read, which is perfect if you are facing midterms right now. A Monster Calls follows a boy named Conor with a recurring nightmare since his mother’s cancer treatments haven’t been successful. I don’t want to say a whole lot more because I don’t want to spoil it, but I can’t reiterate this enough: READ THIS BOOK! A Monster Calls is available on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or your favorite bookstore.
- There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins
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This is actually one that’s on my TBR (to be read) for the fall! I have only read Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins which is a SUPER flowery romance book. I’m really excited to see how her writing differs between writing a romance book and horror. There’s Someone Inside Your House focuses on a girl named Makani as she is relocated from Hawaii to Nebraska to live with her grandma. As her peers slowly get killed off, she is forced to confront the past she so desperately tried to escape. Talk about the perfect book for a fan of horror movies! There’s Someone Inside Your House is available on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or your favorite bookstore.
- House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
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Much like the previous recommendation, here’s a spookier one for you! Annaleigh lived a pretty average life with her family. However, each one of her four sisters die in freak accidents. As time goes on, apparitions began appearing making it abundantly clear that these deaths were not accidents. Y’all. This sounds like such a perfect Halloween book; I want to read it so bad. House of Salt and Sorrows is available on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or your favorite bookstore.