Happy Halloween my dears! Halloween is by far one of the most celebrated and awaited times of the year and what better way to get into the spooky feelings than by reading some classic horror and mystery literary pieces? If you’re looking to have a good scare, as well as enjoy some of the best authors’ works of all time, below you can find the ultimate list of 5 Halloween books you should definitely read.
Title: Dracula
Author: Editor's Version & Bram Stoker
We can’t begin the list without some classics, but what better way to spice things up a bit than by reading the editor's version? Bram Stoker’s work is presented by editors Nina Auerbach and David J. Skal, in an impressive selection of background and source materials that include probable inspirations for the character in the early works of Malcolm Rymer and Emily Gerad, as well as Stoker's writing-process notes on the first original open chapter to the novel, “Dracula’s Guest”.
The world-famous novel has Count Dracula's castle as the main scene, where night is day, pleasure is pain, and the blood of the innocent prized above all. When young Jonathan Harker approaches the gloomy gates with no idea what he is about to face, back in England, mysterious puncture marks appear on a young woman’s neck while frightening incidents are occurring.
This reading goes far and beyond Dracula itself and provides spooky fans with never-seen insights of the novel, as well as exclusive notes and the original opening pages. Reader’s most favorite quote goes as follows:
“There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.”
Title: The Shining
Author: Stephen King
The King of terror can’t be passed by on Halloween, and The Shining surely will make you jump out of your seat. This story follows Jack Torrance’s life as his new job as an off-season caretaker at the Overlook Hotel begins as a perfect chance for a fresh start, in which he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family. But the environment grows sinister by the second and the only one noticing the strange behaviors and terrible forces gathering around the hotel is uniquely gifted five-year-old Danny Torrance.
A modern classic that can be enjoyed with a visual and funny representation in a special episode of The Simpson after the reading. One of the most remarkable quotes readers absolutely love is this one:
“Wendy? Darling? Light of my life. I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm just going to bash your brains in.”
Title: The Haunting Of Hill House
Author: Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson’s novel tells the story of four seekers who arrive at an unfriendly pile called Hill House. An occult scholar named Dr. Montague who’s 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. The house is beginning to awaken some powers, and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.
Best-selling author Shirley Jackson created a true Halloween-worthy piece that will scare more than one reader. The reading community’s favorite line of this book goes as follows:
“No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality.”
Title: The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow
Author: Washington Irving
School Teacher Ichabod Crane to educate young minds in Tarry Tone, in the glen of Sleepy Hollow. Often scared of local tales of ghosts he starts wondering if they could be true. What is that dark, menacing figure riding behind him on a horse? And what does it have in its hands? And why wasn't schoolteacher Crane ever seen in Sleepy Hollow again?
Irving’s piece is another true spooky gem that doesn’t get old with the passing years, and that anyone who reads it will begin double looking when walking home. A great quote from this book is the following:
“I profess not to know how women's hearts are wooed and won. To me they have always been matters of riddle and admiration.”
Title: The Tell-Tale Heart
Author: Edgar Allan Poe
A murderer is convinced that the loud beating of his victim's heart will give him away to the police. Poe’s writings are absolutely —and quite literally— to die for, featuring authentic plots and unexpected turns, with characters that take readers’ hearts.
Edgar Allan Poe’s writing is one of the best the world has ever had the pleasure of knowing, and this story doesn’t leave anything to desire. One of the most talked-about quotes of this book is this one:
“And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense?”
Five of the most read and acclaimed-by-the-critic books ever that surely will leave you trembling. Halloween is a special celebration around the world that along with movies and the exciting spooky spirit, books make a fun time out of this day.
Make sure to get comfy, eat loads of candy, and lock your doors before you begin the journey of any of the books mentioned above. You might get scared, you might scream, but you will absolutely never forget about this night. Ever. Happy Halloween my dears!