Halloween Roundup: Spooky Books to Haunt Your Reading List
Halloween Roundup: Spooky Books to Haunt Your Reading List
Though I enjoy reading suspenseful horror and psychological thrillers all year long , there’s something special about curling up with a spooky read on a crisp fall evening. Pumpkin-adorned porches and houses decorated with skeletons and gravestones set the scene perfectly for any haunting read. Check out the roundup below for a list of spooky books to add to your reading list this Halloween!
1. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager (416 pages)
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Upon her father’s death, Maggie Holt inherits Baneberry Hall, her brief childhood home that brought fortune to the family after her father wrote a memoir recanting the horrible three-week haunting that took place when the Holt family moved in 25 years ago.
As an adult, Maggie can’t recall any of the horrors her father detailed in his memoir and believes he made them up as a ploy to become rich. Intending to renovate the home to sell, Maggie moves into Baneberry Hall and soon comes face-to-face with many of the same hauntings and unexplainable events her father once shared with the world – and warned her against returning to.
In Home Before Dark, Sager excels in depicting eerie events so vividly that I often felt like I was watching a horror movie rather than reading one. In Sager’s attempt to tie up all loose threads, the ending fell flat for me, but this read still makes this Halloween roundup for its otherwise haunting plot. Complete with snakes, gravestones, haunted children, and eerie sounds, this book comes equipped with all your classic spook.
2. A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham (384 pages)
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Twenty years after her father’s conviction for murdering six teenage girls, Chloe Davis is now a successful psychiatrist. While she has carefully pieced her life back together as an adult, everything begins to unravel as local teens start going missing. Especially since Chloe believes that someone close to her is once again involved.
Full of suspense, the plot of this mystery thriller will draw in any reader. As with some thrillers, you might guess who the murderer is before the ending is officially revealed. However, the main character’s often unreliable point of view helps create an air of uncertainty that makes A Flicker in the Dark a fun read for the spooky season.
3. In the House in the Dark of the Woods by Laird Hunt (224 pages)
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My girlfriends and I have been on a witch-kick this spooky season. While we chose a much more lighthearted read for our October book club, I also decided to read a darker tale of witchery and horror.
In the House in the Dark of the Woods tells the story of a woman who goes missing in colonial New England. After losing her way in the woods, Goody stumbles upon a little cabin whose host, Eliza, welcomes her in. While there, Goody enjoys her stay despite a few oddities – like the appearance of multiple Elizas and a darkness Goody can feel and see.
Throughout this horror-filled fairy tale, you’ll read about a ship made of human bones and a well full of men’s screams. These fantastical elements bring the monsters of Halloween to life, but the true horror of this tale is found in Goody’s realizations of a life she had escaped.
4. The Spite House by Johnny Compton (272 pages)
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Eric Ross is desperate for work and a fresh start after leaving his life and wife behind in Maryland. On the run with his two daughters, Eric comes across an ad looking for someone to move into Masson House, a Texas home infamous for being haunted.
Tasked with living in Masson House and recording any paranormal activity that takes place in the home, Ross moves in with his daughters. Though a sizable payout is on the line, so is Eric and his family’s well-being.
The family’s time spent in the house is full of moments that will send chills down your spine. While the book can feel a little slow at times, you won’t be disappointed by the scares you experience between its pages.
What spooky reads are haunting your reading list this Halloween? Let us know here.
Taylor Stawecki is a 20-something Michigander with a love for the great outdoors and written word. She spends her weekdays working for a digital marketing company and as a freelance copywriter. In her free time, you can find her reading, writing poetry, running, watching a Grey’s Anatomy rerun, or spending time with her family and friends. As an old soul, she enjoys collecting salt and pepper shakers and cuddling up in oversized sweaters.
