Scary But So Interesting: a Selection of the Best Books to Read on Halloween
Halloween is that holiday, the atmosphere of which cannot be confused with anything. If you have time in between decorating your place in all its canons and applying the appropriate “spooky” makeup, do not waste it and start reading books with fantastic and frighteningly realistic characters. Dashingly twisted plots and mystical things happening in them will set exactly the mood with which you can spend Halloween. Well, if you are not a big fan of noisy parties, this is generally the best way to spend a mysterious Halloween evening.
So the first book that makes the heart beat faster and feel goosebumps is Tales by Edgar Allan Poe. More precisely, this is a collection of detective stories, where from the first to the last line, there is a veil of gothic gloom so beloved by many readers. Some of the titles are The Fall of the House of Usher, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Truth About What Happened to Mr. Waldemar, and The Mask of the Red Death. As you know, many of Poe’s stories were filmed, but only reading books written by the author’s hand will allow you to enjoy his unique style of writing, unexpected clues, and cold-blooded deeds.
Despite the fact that the plot of The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury is about the children’s adventure on “that night”, and many reviews say that this is a sort of Halloween tale, let it not prevent you from choosing this particular book to read.
The Halloween Tree will appeal to adults who will be hooked by the strong friendship between the boys who went on the usual trick-or-treating spree and entered the wrong house.
In order to save their friend, they will have to follow bizarre Mr. Moundshroud, who will bring the guys to different times, showing them the events that contributed to the emergence of All Hallows Eve. The story contains many colorful characters, mystics and is very exciting and educational to a large extent!
It would be a crime not to pick up something to read for yourself on such a great evening from the Master of Horror, Stephen King. This writer never ceases to delight his fans not only with atmospheric works but also with the frequency of their release. So, for example, why don’t you check out his new collection of novellas called If It Bleeds. In addition to the scary story of the same name, it includes works titled Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, The Life of Chuck, and Rat. Each of the works is mystical, intriguing in its own way, and has many memorable quotes.
The American writer Howard Lovecraft deservedly got his place among the aforementioned Poe and King. And The Mountains of Madness is a great sci-fi piece to kickstart your exploration of his work. The book is narrated in the form of a note; there is not a single dialogue here, but nevertheless, primitive fears and imaginations immediately awaken in the reader. The story of a member of a scientific expedition to the North Pole in an ancient abandoned city keeps you in light tension throughout the book. In the course of their research, they were suddenly confronted with the existence of life, with something that plays with their imagination. The cherry on the cake of this piece is its ending – it’s impossible to predict until the very last words.
If you are too scared to spend Halloween alone, it might be a good idea to go visit your friends and bring a collection of horror stories with you to read it out loud. For example, such masterpieces by Robert Lawrence Stine as Tales to Give You Goosebumps, More Tales to Give You Goosebumps, Even More Tales to Give You Goosebumps (well, you get the idea that the list doesn’t end there), Fear Street, Rotten School, etc. In general, with good books in your arsenal, you will definitely have an unforgettable All Hallows’ Eve experience. Happy Halloween!
