# Halloween Read List



## SgtPepper (Nov 22, 2016)

A thread for your top novels to read this Halloween season.


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## SgtPepper (Nov 22, 2016)




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## SgtPepper (Nov 22, 2016)




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## WickerDeer (Aug 1, 2012)

I read Stardust one halloween and I remember it seeming perfect. There are witches and ghosts in it.

Not this illustrated version though, but I found the video just now--I might watch it later. It's pretty long, but looks kind of interesting, skipping through it.






I love the novel though, maybe I'll read it again this Halloween! (which is rare for me--very few books or films I'll read/watch twice.)

I thought this thread was about recommendations. For some reason Beowulf also seems like a good story for Halloween, though I have no idea why. (not the film) Maybe just for the monsters.










Hm. I enjoyed The Ghost Bride (I liked the book better than the series--they are different feeling, though I liked both)










I can't think of anything else right now, though I think many of Gaiman's books would be good for Halloween.

He wrote the Sandman, but Cages by Dave McKean stands out in my memory. 









And for the soundtrack--maybe Tori Amos Night of the Hunters album? IDK if it's her red hair it reminds me of the colder seasons.


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## Dreamcatcherplaceboeffect (Dec 24, 2020)

I’ve heard good things about Riley Sager, so at least one of her books is on my to-read list this fall.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)




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## Dalien (Jul 21, 2010)

I‘m not a huge fan of Steven King—he disturbs the hell out of me.
Makes me wonder about his mind.
But, I do love this book.
I‘ve it read four times and could read it again.
I still have my copy from years ago.


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## attic (May 20, 2012)

I think there are many short stories that can be good. Perhaps it is more difficult to write long ones and keep the suspension through hours and hours without it getting old? though there are some.

This is an author I have read many from, and some of the books are collections of shorts, like this one:








Let the Old Dreams Die - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org





But it feels like I have read very many short stories from various authors that feels suitable on halloween.

----
For something less scary, perhaps The night circus? it is magical and mystical and suspensful, but not that very scary.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Dalien said:


> View attachment 886245
> 
> 
> I‘m not a huge fan of Steven King—he disturbs the hell out of me.
> ...


For me, he's brilliant at setting the scene. Then he puts you in the character's place. Then he starts pulling on threads. Then you watch in vivid detail as the whole story unravels.


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## Dalien (Jul 21, 2010)

@SgtPepper 
You posted Poe—love him.


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## Dalien (Jul 21, 2010)

tanstaafl28 said:


> For me, he's brilliant at setting the scene. Then he puts you in the character's place. Then he starts pulling on threads. Then you watch in vivid detail as the whole story unravels.


Yes, why yes he does! I think he pulls on my threads!
I don’t mind going to dark places, but psychologically he’s draining—not of the fear type of draining, but depth of his psychological-ness. I end up not finishing some of his books.

Dean Koontz is another thriller writer that goes deep into the mind, but his seem to be a little more realistic.
Just as the title says…


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## Dalien (Jul 21, 2010)

@tanstaafl28 
This looks interesting…
How thick are the bones here?


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Dalien said:


> Yes, why yes he does! I think he pulls on my threads!
> I don’t mind going to dark places, but psychologically he’s draining—not of the fear type of draining, but depth of his psychological-ness. I end up not finishing some of his books.
> 
> Dean Koontz is another thriller writer that goes deep into the mind, but his seem to be a little more realistic.
> ...


He does a pretty good job with continuing the Frankenstein story:


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Dalien said:


> @tanstaafl28
> This looks interesting…
> How thick are the bones here?
> View attachment 886248


It's a twisty turny creepy set of stories about a necromancer.


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## Dalien (Jul 21, 2010)

@WickerDeer 
Ooooo—Neil Gaiman 
I have so many of his books—they have their own shelf.
This one is really good for Halloween too


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Dalien said:


> @WickerDeer
> Ooooo—Neil Gaiman
> I have so many of his books—they have their own shelf.
> This one is really good for Halloween too
> View attachment 886250


He seems to write books in several genres.


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## Dalien (Jul 21, 2010)

tanstaafl28 said:


> He seems to write books in several genres.





https://www.masterclass.com/classes/neil-gaiman-teaches-the-art-of-storytelling/chapters/genre#





> *Preview*
> I used to puzzle a lot over what genre was. I knew that I was writing sometimes genre fiction, sometimes not. I knew that I had a huge advantage in that the majority of what I was writing as a young writer was comics, was graphic novels, which is a medium, comics, that looks to the uninitiated like a genre. But because it wasn't a genre, it was just a medium, I was allowed to do whatever I wanted. I could write historical fiction. I could write fantasy fiction. I could write high fantasy and low fantasy. I could do science fiction. I could do pure horror. I could do political fiction. I could do it all. And because it was all coming out as comics, people didn't mind. But what genre was baffled me. [MUSIC PLAYING] It wasn't until I read a book by a film professor in California called Linda Williams, who wrote a book called "Hard Core." And it was a film professor's analysis of hardcore pornography. And 3/4 of the way through the book, she compared hardcore pornography films of the 1970s to the musical. And suddenly, the penny dropped for me, because musicals, like 1970s porn films, had certain things that have to happen. You need the opening song by a large chorus of people. You need the heroine singing on her own about what she thinks is going to happen. You need the song that's the first meeting of our heroine and our hero. You need the comic relief song with the three robust people behind him. You need all of those things, ending up with the final song, which the hero and the heroine sing together that indicates they've been brought together. You need the final chorus, and then we're out. And the truth is in a classic musical, the plot exists purely to stop all of the songs from happening at the same time. Just as in a '70s porn film, according to Linda Williams, the plot existed to stop all of the sex happening at the same time. Though actually, that tells me what the difference is between a cowboy novel and a novel set in cowboy times, because you can just look at it from a perspective of reader expectations. What are they coming to this for? What will they feel cheated if they do not get? They're going to expect the cattle stampede. They're going to expect the showdown at high noon. They're going to expect the fight in the saloon. They're going to expect-- you start listing the things. And you go, OK. So the plot actually needs to exist to keep all of these things from happening at the same time. Or you can do a novel set in the Old West, and none of those things need to happen. You can go after completely different things. But you need to understand, at that point, you're writing something that might look like genre, but isn't. And that people may point to it as genre, and it's not. And that if somebody picks up your novel expecting genre, they will be disappointed, just as they would be if they went to see a musical and there were no songs at all. So a lot of what you wind up doing then with genre is...


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## WickerDeer (Aug 1, 2012)

As for books I'm planning to read--I haven't thought about it much.

Dreaming the Soul Back Home by Robert Moss. I've never read him before. It looks interesting.









I think finishing Norse Mythology would be good (haven't read it since a month ago). I also STILL haven't finished Circe, but it also seems like a good fall book. Circe is the first witch in western literature, I think.










I have The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston that I haven't started (I haven't read anything by her):










Or maybe The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo 













Oh--I have already read this, but it seems like it could be a good October book, because it's about the past and sort of mysterious:










Ugh--it's hard for me to understand what makes it seem like a good book for Halloween. I think memory is a big theme for me--because I think of the holidays about remembering around that time. And so I keep thinking back to historical fiction or magical realism too.

This thread inspired me to download Amy Tan's The Valley of Amazement--I haven't read Amy Tan for so long. But I'm not sure the book is that Halloween-ish.

I agree with @attic about how there are a lot of short stories (and I think folktales) that might be good for reading now though. Anything about mythology and the blurring between time or realities (like spirit world, afterlife, or this world), since don't they say that "the veil is thin" between the worlds in fall? 🧙‍♂️🧙‍♀️🧚‍♂️🧞‍♂️🧞‍♀️🌌 👻


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## Dalien (Jul 21, 2010)

I will never attempt IT—Clowns and I don’t click, just like I’ll never finish watching ,Poltergeist—started to one evening and I got up and turned it off—all because of the clown.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Dalien said:


> I will never attempt IT—Clowns and I don’t click, just like I’ll never finish watching ,Poltergeist—started to one evening and I got up and turned it off—all because of the clown.
> 
> View attachment 886257
> 
> ...


Well IT isn't really a clown. That's just a really extensive disguise for something far worse...


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## WickerDeer (Aug 1, 2012)

Dalien said:


> @WickerDeer
> Ooooo—Neil Gaiman
> I have so many of his books—they have their own shelf.
> This one is really good for Halloween too
> View attachment 886250


Yes! Neverland was the last novel I read by Gaiman and I loved the ending, especially. I love Gaiman--so many fitting ones. I'm so glad he's so prolific. He's probably my favorite author right now.

I also like Dean Koontz even though his stories are thrilling he seems to stay in this sort of moral/ethical area that I appreciate. Kind of reminds me of Kurosawa in that way. 

I liked his Odd Thomas ones too










About a guy who sees ghosts.


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## Dalien (Jul 21, 2010)

tanstaafl28 said:


> Well IT isn't really a clown. That's just a really extensive disguise for something far worse...


Hmmm… I’ll think about it.
I‘ll look for a plot summary.
Very sinister?


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Dalien said:


> Hmmm… I’ll think about it.
> I‘ll look for a plot summary.
> Very sinister?


Oh very mindblowing. If the clown thing is too much for you, try this one. It's creepy without clowns.


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## Dalien (Jul 21, 2010)

WickerDeer said:


> Yes! Neverland was the last novel I read by Gaiman and I loved the ending, especially. I love Gaiman--so many fitting ones. I'm so glad he's so prolific. He's probably my favorite author right now.
> I’m going to be reading—The View From The Cheap Seats next.
> 
> 
> ...


I just posted a vid on one of Gaiman’s classes—is there a charge? I’ll have to look.
I‘ve read Stardust and loved it, but American Gods is my favorite and Neverwhere is right up there—oh, hell! I love them all—Good Omens, Anansi Boys too. And short stories, as @attic suggests—Fragile Things. Ok , I’ll stop. lol

Yes! I’ve read a couple of his Odd Thomas books (I can’t remember—3 or 4) and a ton of his other books. I agree his writing is on the moral/ethical area—creating more of a more human aspect of the surreal, if you will.


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## Dalien (Jul 21, 2010)

tanstaafl28 said:


> Oh very mindblowing. If the clown thing is too much for you, try this one. It's creepy without clowns.
> 
> View attachment 886264


Now you have me wanting to look at IT. 🙃
I‘ve seen the movie—Tommyknockers, but I’ll try the book.
I do like The Langoliers a lot.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Dalien said:


> Now you have me wanting to look at IT. 🙃
> I‘ve seen the movie—Tommyknockers, but I’ll try the book.
> I do like The Langoliers a lot.
> View attachment 886272


Loved it! Both the book and the mini-series.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Dalien said:


> Now you have me wanting to look at IT. 🙃
> I‘ve seen the movie—Tommyknockers, but I’ll try the book.
> I do like The Langoliers a lot.
> View attachment 886272


This one is different. It's not so much scary as strange. They wrote a sequel years later (it was a bit more scary).


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## harveyquinn (Mar 16, 2017)

My Go To, when it comes to Halloween has always been creepy pasta.


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## ESFJMouse (Oct 13, 2020)

I'm not late to this thread, I just like the plan in advance! Normally scary stuff really scares me! But for some reason I like Dracula which would be 'Halloween-y'. Love this novel because I am obsessed with the Victorian Era and it can be appreciated as just being a great piece of literature. Anyways, I like the themes, symbols, geography and language in Dracula. I like the epistolary format as well, I think it is just beautiful actually.


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## bigstupidgrin (Sep 26, 2014)

Also SCPs


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## daleks_exterminate (Jul 22, 2013)

Dalien said:


> @WickerDeer
> Ooooo—Neil Gaiman
> I have so many of his books—they have their own shelf.
> This one is really good for Halloween too
> View attachment 886250


I LOVE Neverwhere 😍


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## daleks_exterminate (Jul 22, 2013)

Dalien said:


> I just posted a vid on one of Gaiman’s classes—is there a charge? I’ll have to look.
> I‘ve read Stardust and loved it, but American Gods is my favorite and Neverwhere is right up there—oh, hell! I love them all—Good Omens, Anansi Boys too. And short stories, as @attic suggests—Fragile Things. Ok , I’ll stop. lol
> 
> Yes! I’ve read a couple of his Odd Thomas books (I can’t remember—3 or 4) and a ton of his other books. I agree his writing is on the moral/ethical area—creating more of a more human aspect of the surreal, if you will.



I wrote Neil Gaiman a ridiculous basically (but not like romantic) love letter once and sent it to him 🤣

American Gods..
Neverware. 
OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE ❤
graveyard book 
Anansi boys 
Good omens 
Norse mythology
Odd and the frost giants 

Shoggoth's Old Peculiar is my fav short story

I also love the day the saucers came 
Oh and feminine ending (creepy as it is) 

And these are just on the top of my head...
His stories have so much free rent in my head.


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## CanaryBat (5 mo ago)

The Dead Path by Stephen M. Irwin is quite spooky.

The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel, is more journalistic but also paranormal and well-thought-out. I wasn't even that interested in the mothman when I picked up this book, but it changed my mind.


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## Gamine (5 mo ago)




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## CanaryBat (5 mo ago)

Really scary YA book is Five Nights at Freddy's by Scott Cawthorn. So scary it gives me nightmares.


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## OrchidSugar (5 mo ago)

The Night Circus. It's not scary and gorey. It's magical and mystical. The book is a performance in itself, and it's highly theatrical. It's a unique sensory experience and a pleasure to read. You're in for a treat!


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## Ms. Aligned (Aug 26, 2021)

OrchidSugar said:


> The Night Circus. It's not scary and gorey. It's magical and mystical. The book is a performance in itself, and it's highly theatrical. It's a unique sensory experience and a pleasure to read. You're in for a treat!
> 
> 
> View attachment 910774


My favorite room was when you could open bottles. And it would instantly teleport you there.


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## OrchidSugar (5 mo ago)

Ms. Aligned said:


> My favorite room was when you could open bottles. And it would instantly teleport you there.


I liked the Ice Garden and the Cauldron of colorful, ever-burning flames.


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## Ms. Aligned (Aug 26, 2021)

OrchidSugar said:


> I liked the Ice Garden and the Cauldron of colorful, ever-burning flames.


The thing I hated the most was the CLOCK itself! Lol. So much opportunity, and in the end, it was just a mechanical.


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## CanaryBat (5 mo ago)

That sounds good. I will try it.


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