Seasonal Reading: Spooky Stories for Halloween

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My reading habits frequently bow to the season. While not all of my book choices are based on the time of year, I do find myself gravitating towards certain types of books depending on the weather and the atmosphere that’s inspiring my mood. Some books just scream “summer read,” while others call for cooler nights and a steaming mug of something delicious. I’ve written about seasonal book inspirations before, namely summer reading ideas, and reading for Halloween, and the latter comes to mind again, now that ghouls and ghosties are only a couple of weeks away.

I don’t represent horror novels, and as a rule, don’t read many of them either. But this time of year seems to call for scary stories, things that make you reluctant to turn out the lights at night or to spend time in a quiet house alone. There are the classics, of course, including the works of Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, and Mary Shelley. More contemporary authors who love to frighten us include Stephen King, Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Ray Bradbury, Peter Straub, and Richard Matheson.

Right now I’ve a huge amount of work-related reading on my plate, but I can’t help but snatch a little personal time for a scary story or two in the run up to Halloween. This year I’m looking forward to Justin Cronin’s THE TWELVE, a follow up to his successful novel THE PASSAGE. I’ve also got a copy of Stephen King’s FULL DARK, NO STARS in the pile next to my bed.

Do you enjoy reading horror or Halloweenesque stories this time of year? What titles are you enjoying or looking forward to reading?

11 thoughts on “Seasonal Reading: Spooky Stories for Halloween

    1. I really need to read that one. I adore Gaiman but it’s so hard to keep up with all the authors I adore…

  1. I just bought a copy of Neil Gaiman’s NEVERWHERE. I haven’t started it yet, but the cover says that it is “inventively horrific.” I can’t wait to read it!

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