AV's Halloween Countdown: 14 Days- Horror Lit 101

Usually, Halloween makes us all think of visuals: orange pumpkins, white full moons, bags of  rainbow-colored candy, masked/costumed children, images from horror movies, and the like. We don't usually think in terms of books, which is sad, because there are literally tons of books, for all ages, just for the Halloween season.


Why, there's Goosebumps books for the kids, Stephen King and Laurell K. Hamilton for the adults, and any number of books in between! Horror novels range from merely spooky to really horrifying, can be found for free in the library, or for nearly any price at the local bookstore. It's a nice change for those who want to read instead of something to watch, so it's worth a try.


Here are a few of my favorites, from several different genres and authors:

School-age kids' books:

• The Goosebumps series would be great for kids Grades 4 and up, and the stories vary from book to book. Don't like ghosts? We have werewolves! No? Try something with witches!
• "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving is a great piece of American literature that can be enjoyed by ages 8 and up. I personally have loved this story since I was little, and also own the Tim Burton movie on DVD.

Teens:

• I'm a fan of Stephen King, and I started on his novels in high school. My favorites are his older stories, including Carrie and Christine. Both are appropriate for older teens. 
• For some classic English literature, try my personal favorite, "The Portrait of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde. Nothing like a narcissist who wishes he could be young forever---and lives to regret it. It's more appropriate for high school aged teens, but if you have a REALLY REALLY mature middle schooler, it might be okay...with some parental guidance.
• It might seem like homework, but such works as Bram Stoker's "Dracula", Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" and H.G. Lovecraft's short fiction might spark the interest of some teens.

Adults-only:

• Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series is a great read, but the gratuitous sex, graphic violence, and police procedurals are adults-only. But, some of the love (?) scenes are great for a hot night in...!
• Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books are also adults-only, but the down-home feel and the romantic angles are great for even a casual romance novel reader. Basis for the "True Blood" series on HBO.
• Jemiah Jefferson's "Wounds" is a great book for a gritty turn on what Twilight and True Blood have ignored: Vampires are monsters, and sociopaths, whether they look human or not. However, humans can be the bigger monsters, by their very nature. Her other books share this grimy urban feel.
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Yeah, I know it's trendy, but it's funny to picture these English debutantes being trained by their father in zombie killing, while their mother is still trying to steer them to a socially acceptable husband.
• Here's an oldie but a goodie: "Ghost Story" by Whitley Strieber. Four old men remember the girl that got away....or did she?

Feeling like reading up on a good scare?