Finally, October and pumpkin spice latte (I know, I know, but it’s really good!) are here. The weather is getting a bit cold, the days are turning darker, and I don’t know about you, but college has been keeping me busy…despite that, Halloween is one of my favourite holidays and as I do every year, I have created a list of 6 books I am going to read this month.
Find yourself a comfortable place, grab your blanket and enjoy!
1. Fever Dream by Samantha Schweblin
‘’A young woman named Amanda lies dying in a rural hospital clinic. A boy named David sits beside her. She’s not his mother. He’s not her child. Together, they tell a haunting story of broken souls, toxins, and the power and desperation of family.’’
Fever dream is a surreal ghost story that is full of suspense and plot twists. Schweblin truly knows how to pull you in the story and make you question what you just read but also make your interpretations.
2. The Hunger by Alma Katsu
‘’Tamsen Donner must be a witch. That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the pioneers to the brink of madness. They cannot escape the feeling that someone–or something–is stalking them. Whether it was a curse from the beautiful Tamsen, the choice to follow a disastrous experimental route West, or just plain bad luck–the 90 men, women, and children of the Donner Party are at the brink of one of the deadliest and most disastrous western adventures in American history.’’
If you are a fan of Dracula, werewolves and vampires, you are going to love this book! It’s an enthralling story about The Donner Party disturbing tragedy, mixed with a paranormal tint, by Katsu. It’s definitely a book that will keep you up at night!
3. Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
This novel contains 23 compelling stories, ranging from hilarious to frightful to straight up gruesome.
‘’The stories are told by people who have all answered an ad headlined ‘Artists Retreat: Abandon your life for three months‘. They are led to believe that here they will leave behind all the distractions of ‘real life’ that are keeping them from creating the masterpiece that is in them. But ‘here’ turns out to be a cavernous and ornate old theater where they are utterly isolated from the outside world – and where heat and power and, most importantly, food are in increasingly short supply. And the more desperate the circumstances become, the more desperate the stories they tell – and the more devious their machinations to make themselves the hero of the inevitable play/movie/non-fiction blockbuster that will certainly be made from their plight. ‘’
A word of advice: don’t read this book while eating.
4. Sleep No More : Six Murderous Tales by P.D James
‘’It’s not always a question of “whodunit?” Sometimes there’s more mystery in the why or how. And although we usually know the unhealthy fates of both victim and perpetrator, what of those clever few who plan and carry out the perfect crime? The ones who aren’t brought down even though they’re found out? And what about those who do the finding out who witness a murder or who identify the murderer but keep the information to themselves? These are some of the mysteries that we follow through those six stories as we are drawn into the thinking, the memories, the emotional machinations, the rationalizations, the dreams and desires behind murderous cause and effect.’’
If you enjoy reading short stories and English mysteries, this is for you.
5. The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson
‘’In December 1975, the Lutz family moved into their dream home, the same home where Ronald DeFeo had murdered his parents, brothers and sisters just one year earlier.
The psychic phenomena that followed created the most terrifying experience the Lutz family had ever encountered, forcing them to flee the house in 28 days, convinced that it was possessed by evil spirits. Their fantastic story, never before disclosed in full detail, makes for an unforgettable book with all the shocks and gripping suspense of The Exorcist, The Omen or Rosemary’s Baby, but with one vital difference…the story is true.’’
Even though the authenticity of those events as supernatural, is controversial, this book is a spine-chilling read that will definitely make you uncomfortable. Bonus points: we’ve got a movie about this one!
6. Come Closer by Sara Gran
‘’If everything in Amanda’s life is so perfect, then why the mood swings, the obscene thoughts, the urge to harm the people she loves? What are those tapping sounds in the walls? And who’s that woman following her?’’
A thrilling mystery in which the horror of the book resides within the mind of the protagonist. The writer has done an amazing job unravelling Amanda’s creeping descent into madness. Is she imagining things? Or is there something else going on?
Source for quotes: Goodreads