If you're like me, you might enjoy reading spooky stories all year round. If you only like to read them along with horror and supernatural ones during the Halloween season, we've found resources for you. Halloween reading is alive and well (yes, we said it). We found a Paste article listing the best 50 horror novels of all time, a fun Halloween book club you can join from a multitude of online places, and an intriguing novel we weren't familiar with but will be ordering ASAP. If we love nothing at all, we do live for a good fairy tale!
Have you lain awake at night wondering what the 50 best horror novels of all time are? No? Well neither have we, however, we were curious since it is October. Paste made a list in 2018 written by Steve Foxe and their staff and it's pretty comprehensive. Yes, you can always find others YOU think should be included, but we had to start somewhere so this is it:
The 50 Best Horror Novels of All Time
50: The Summer Is Ended and We Are Not Yet Saved by Joey Comeau (2014)
48. Night Things by Michael Talbot (1988)
47. My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix (2016)
46. Ring by Koji Suzuki (1991)
45. A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay (2015)
44. The Damnation Game by Clive Barker (1985)
43. Audition by Ryu Murakami (1997)
41. Bird Box by Josh Malerman (2015)
40. Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco (1973)
39. John Dies at the End by David Wong (2007)
38. Savaging the Dark by Christopher Conlon (2014)
37. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (1938)
36. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn (1989)
35. Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (2007)
34. World War Z by Max Brooks (2006)
33. The Other by Thomas Tryon (1971)
32. Little Star by John Ajvide Lindqvist (2011)
31. The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes (2013)
30. Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum (1989)
28. The Ceremonies by T.E.D. Klein (1984)
27. Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice (1976)
26. A Choir of Ill Children by Tom Piccirilli (2003)
25. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (1962)
24. The Terror by Dan Simmons (2007)
23. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (1991)
22. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (1988)
21. Pet Sematary by Stephen King (1983)
20. Hell House by Richard Matheson (1971)
19. The Stand by Stephen King (1978)
18. Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon (1987)
16. Coraline by Neil Gaiman (2002)
15. Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons (1989)
14. Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes (2014)
13. The Elementals by Michael McDowell (1981)
12. Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897)
11. Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin (1967)
10. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (1898)
9. ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King (1975)
8. The Shining by Stephen King (1977)
7. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (2013)
6. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (2000)
5. Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley (1818)
4. The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (1971)
3. Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist (2004)
2. It by Stephen King (1986)
We put the ones we want on our TBR list as ads so we can easily purchase them. Surprised to see Stephen King with 5 on the list? Shouldn't be as he's the modern-day king of horror. Did you know 2 of the books are by his son, Joe Hill? Now, you do.
Sometimes you simply need to share your thoughts about a book or read one that is out of your normal range of topics. Welcome to The Halloween Book Club created by Miranda, a 365 day a year Halloween blogger. Miranda's blog SpookyLittleHalloween.com is fabulous and celebrates all things Halloween. No need to reinvent the wheel on this holiday when you can visit her blog.
Her reading club offers participants an opportunity to read 4 books a year with plenty of lead time before discussion questions. You can join via Facebook or Instagram. We're joining in the discussion threads for the first time this week. Can't wait!
Last but not least, we discovered this dark, gothic fairytale writer during our book searches. Definitely buying this one. Fairytales for the win.
Gothic Tales
by Elizabeth Gaskell
“Any discussion of Gothic horror and its genesis should include Elizabeth Gaskell. The dread-inducing collection of stories in Gothic Tales is a perfect example why. Her works are darkly surreal, blending local legends, fairy tales, and an incisive understanding of mankind’s darker inclinations into a deeply unsettling collection of eerie tales.”
Source: Horror Classics You Need to Read by Penguin Random House
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/horror-classics-you-need-to-read
Whatever novel you choose we hope it's a good one. This post has been about spooky novels, but the most important thing we like to promote here at PoeinWonderland.com is to READ. Happy Hauntings!
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