Happy—almost—Halloween! So far this month I’ve managed to read a handful of season-themed books—I’m currently reading A Trick of the Light by Ellie Thomas ♥️—watched a few horror movies, and made many Halloween-themed treats with my kids.
Sadly, with the entire house still recovering from Covid as of the time I’m typing this—it was a good run 😩—I’m not sure trick or treating will be on our list of activities this year.
This month, Read Around the Rainbow has decided to talk spooky stories! Personally, I’m glad we chose to phrase it that way because I haven’t really found a book scary since I was thirteen and was reading The Exorcist. LOL Spooky? Atmospheric? Even creepy? Sure! Scary? Not really.
Much like my taste in horror films, while I am open to about anything, the spooky books I gravitate toward are mostly old-school stuff, with only the occasional appearance of something modern.
So, if you are looking for a bit of a spooky read, here are a few suggestions.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
I won’t bore you with this. You’ve heard me say it a million times—I’m sure I sound like a broken record—but honestly, I love his book.
Blurb:
It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, the lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Rebecca is an absolute gothic gem. If you’ve not read it, I’m not going to spoil it here. But, if you’re in the mood for some beautifully written gothic suspense, this is the book for you.
Blurb:
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again..."
Ancient, beautiful Manderley, between the rose garden and the sea, is the county's showpiece. Rebecca made it so - even a year after her death, Rebecca's influence still rules there. How can Maxim de Winter's shy new bride ever fill her place or escape her vital shadow?
A shadow that grows longer and darker as the brief summer fades, until, in a moment of climatic revelations, it threatens to eclipse Manderley and its inhabitants completely...
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
A new governess, two unnerving children, a haunted house? What is not to love?
Blurb:
After the unfortunate deaths of their parents, young Miles and Flora are left to live with their uncle. Unable to care for the children himself, the uncle hires an unnamed governess as caretaker for the children. Absorbed in his own affairs, the uncle grants the governess full authority over the supervision of the children at his country estate named Bly Manor — but Bly Manor has its own secrets, and the governess begins to see supernatural beings. The line between sanity and insanity blur with each passing day.
Henry James took a different approach to the traditional ghost story commonly found in the late 19th century, and his gothic horror novella The Turn of the Screw has inspired many notable horror and psychological thrillers since its publication.
Hell House by Richard Matheson
Being that I love a good haunted house story and that Hell House is well known for being influenced by The Haunting of Hill House, surprisingly, I only read it for the first time a few weeks back.
I was torn about whether to include this. It… well, it takes the plot of The Haunting of Hill House, dials it up to eleven, and pervs it up a bit. In fact, there were points in the book that I felt like I was only pushing through to be finished with it, but that was also part of the genius of it. The characters were doing much the same thing.
In the end, I decided I really had enjoyed it—I hadn’t been able to put it down after all—and though it took a long time, I found myself rooting for at least one of the characters. One that had survived Hell House as a fifteen-year-old psychic, and thirty years later was back to face the house as a grown man.
While I didn’t find it scary, I do think my thirteen-year-old self might have. But she was an easier target. LOL
Blurb:
Can any soul survive?
Regarded as the Mount Everest of haunted houses, Belasco House has witnessed scenes of almost unimaginable horror and depravity. Two previous expeditions to investigate its secrets met with disaster, the participants destroyed by murder, suicide or insanity. Now a new investigation has been mounted - four strangers, each with his or her own reason for daring the unknown torments and temptations of the mansion...
Deadly Sugar by Ofelia Gränd
What can I say, I LOVE Ofelia Gränd’s Deadly Sugar. It’s creepy and horrible and has a great sense of humor about it.
Originally written as part of Buried Desires (Book 1), a horror/romance double feature we wrote together, it is still one of my favorite of her stories, and that says something because Ofelia has written a lot of great stuff in the years since.
While Buried Desires is no longer available in print or as an ebook, you can still pick this story up individually.
Blurb:
After six years of a relationship going nowhere, Jett Thompson has moved away to start over. Maybe his new neighbour David can help distract him from the ache left by his ex's absence. To get closer to David, Jett invites himself for a cup of tea, but things don’t go as planned. David is standoffish and secretive, and when Jett asks about the strange noises coming from the back of his garden, he gets no answers.
David’s life is good. He has a whole root cellar full of lovers, and he doesn’t need a nosy neighbour meddling in his business. He doesn't need a friend, but maybe he can make room for another lover. Jett might make beautiful cakes, but David knows nothing tastes as good as thin feels.
or from JMS Books
There you have it! A few of my spooky read recommendations. Have some recommendations of your own? Let me know! I’m always looking for more spooky books to read!
You can check out the other Read Around the Rainbow authors by clicking their names below!
Addison Albright • Holly Day • Lillian Francis • Fiona Glass • Ofelia Gränd • A.L. Lester
