Five Books to Get in the Spooky Spirit

It’s no secret that I absolutely love this time of year, and Halloween has long been one of my favorite holidays. I also love to be scared (within reason), and there’s nothing I’d rather do on a dark and stormy night than curl up with a creepy book. Here are some of my seasonal favorites that I turn to year after year.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness: Pagan witches, vampires, and daemons (and humans) inhabit Harkness’s world of danger, intrigue, and alchemical manuscripts. Plus, it’s a trilogy (with a recently announced companion series coming next year), so if you fall in love with Diana and Matthew, there are plenty of books to keep you happy. Bonus: the narrative of this novel starts at Mabon and ends at Samhain, so it’s perfect for this time of year.

Dracula by Bram Stoker: You can’t go wrong with this dark classic. Stoker builds suspense through multiple narrators, and the blend of mythology he offers makes his famous vampire as fascinating today as when the book was first released over a century ago. Seriously, if you’ve only ever seen the movies, read this one now: I can’t believe it took me as long as it did to finally get around to it, but now I pick it up at least once a year.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova: One of the many books that riff on Dracula, this one is deliciously dark and satisfying, blending Stoker with the tales of Vlad the Impaler to create an engaging, multi-layered quest that will give you shivers up until the last page. The plotting is complex and engrossing, and the dual narrative timelines add even more depth to the search for the real Dracula.

Ghostlight by Marion Zimmer Bradley: The first in a contemporary paranormal series by the Avalon author is filled with ghosts, dark magic, and otherworldly choices. Truth, the heroine, has spent her entire life trying to distance herself from the occult legend of her famous father, Thorne Blackburn, but, as they say, blood will out. Every time I re-read this one, I catch new details, including Bradley’s not so hidden esoteric knowledge. It’s a fun, fast read with a deliciously over-the-top climax (and another book that ends on Halloween).

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury: This gem of a novel is often forgotten by Bradbury fans, since it’s toward the paranormal end of the speculative spectrum, rather than the sci-fi, but it is well worth reading. The story follows a gang of boys and their ghoulish guide, Mr. Moundshroud, on a journey through Halloween rituals of the past in a quest to save a dying friend. Painted in Bradbury’s poetic language, the story is fast, emotional, and fun, all with a dash of creepy thrown in for good measure.

What are some of your favorite books to read when you want to get into the Halloween spirit?