Scream for Halloween!
“As Halloween has transformed, spread and integrated through the centuries and around the globe, it has become a significant part of every culture that has accepted it.” —Lise Morton, Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween
It's beginning to look a lot like spooky season! This is the season for snuggling up under a cozy blanket and a cup of coffee or tea (pick your poison,) and have the fuzzy socks scared off with some fantastic horror reads! We've got some chilling Halloween themed reads here to add to your reading lists.
Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween by Lisa Morton: If you're interested in the history of the great and hallowed holiday of Halloween itself, you should read this fantastic book! How did the (extremely different) holidays like the Celtic Samhain and Catholic All Souls' Day blend together to make the costume-and-candy-filled holiday we know and love today? This book is a real treat to read!
The Art of Horror Movies: An Illustrated History by Steven Jones: In this beautiful and eye-popping guide, horror movie lovers everywhere will have a great coffee table book as well a movie checklist all in one!
Carmilla, Deluxe Edition: The Cult Classic That Inspired Dracula by Sheridan Le Fanu: This is the original vampire story--predating Dracula by more than 25 years! For fans of horror classics: this is a must read!
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: Gaiman's creepy retelling of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book has spooked all ages from the moment of its publications. With its charming found-family and ghoulish denizens, Gaiman shows us that even a graveyard in the middle of the night can be home.
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas by Shea Ernshaw: Everyone knows The Nightmare Before Christmas is a not to be missed during the months between September and December. If you've ever been curious about what happens to our beloved Sally and Jack after the 'til-death-do-we-not-depart part, then you'll enjoy this YA read!
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle: In this horror debut, Tingle gives us classic horror vibes by taking us back to camp. Welcome to Camp Damascus: the "most effective" gay conversion camp in the country. There's more than just sins and demons here, but that might just be enough to straighten some out.
An Illustrated History of Ghosts by Adam Allsuch Boardman: Trace the history of hauntings and ghostly apparitions through these cute illustrations. Boardman covers seances, exorcisms, and paranormal occurrences, as well as alternative explanations for all the boo-hooing!
The Horror Movie Night Cookbook: 60 Deliciously Deadly Recipes Inspired by Iconic Slashers, Zombie Films, Psychological Thrillers Sci-Fi Spooks & More by Richard S. Sargent: Having a horror movie marathon? Well here's the perfect book to keep the creepies crawling; this cookbook has 60 recipes inspired the classics. There's the "Crawling Steak" from the Poltergeist, "Bloody Floaties" from, you guessed it, Jaws, and of course, "Campfire Sour" from The Blair Witch Project!
Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey: Old houses, hotels, abandoned prisons, empty hospitals, oh my! Colin Dickey takes readers on a journey through some of the spookiest locations across the continental United States! A great read for those who might want to take the scariest road trip of their lives.
The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher: Cleaning out the house of her deceased, hoarder grandmother, Mouse finds her step-grandfather's journal that looks to be filled with mindless rants--until she sees the horrifying things described in the journal for herself. *Spoiler: the dog does not die!*