Spooky (and some not-so-spooky) Stories For Halloween

With Halloween being today, it’s time to get in the spirit. Here is a short list of some Halloween-themed books to read if you want a quiet Halloween night. From spooky to sweet, this list has stories for everyone! While I have not read all these books myself, they all come highly recommended by Booktok or Goodreads.  

Classics- 

Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu - While lesser-known, Carmilla is the origin of all vampire novels from Dracula to The Vampire Diaries. This is a book where if it were real life, historians would call them “close friends.” I love the dark academia vibes that this book gives off and plan to read it Monday afternoon to set the perfect ambiance for my Halloween. The original is usually better than the sequels so why not give it a try? Overview - “... Laura has been haunted since her youth when she was visited at night by a beautiful, spectral woman. When a girl named Carmilla is brought to the castle under strange circumstances, Laura fears that the past has come full circle. But she soon overcomes her mournful state, growing close to Carmilla. But the girl’s behavior soon proves unsettling. Her father intervenes, taking her to a local village. It becomes clear that Carmilla, whoever she is, is far from the innocent young girl she claims to be.”- Barnes and Noble 

The Complete Tales of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe— Edgar Allan Poe is the quintessential horror short story writer and an iconic American poet. If you are in the mood for some spine-chilling shorts, this book is for you.  Overview - “One of the most original American writers, Edgar Allan Poe shaped the development of both the detective story and the science-fiction story. Some of his poems—"The Raven," "The Bells," and "Annabel Lee"—remain among the most popular in American literature. Poe's tales of the macabre still thrill readers of all ages. Here are familiar favorites like "The Purloined Letter," "The Fall of the House of Usher," and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," together with less-known masterpieces like "The Imp of the Perverse," "The Narrative of A. Gordon Pym," and "Ligeia," which is now recognized as one of the first science-fiction stories, a total of seventy-three tales in all, plus fifty-three poems and a generous sampling of Poe's essays, criticism and journalistic writings.” - Barnes and Noble

Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Shelley— With commentary and introductions by Charlotte Gordon and Charles E. Robinson —Frankenstein is most likely one of the first books you think of when you hear the words “Halloween books,” but this version gives context to Mary Shelley’s upbringing, which is essential to understand the nature of Frankenstein truly. If you are interested in learning about early feminist voices and classical literature then this is a good place to start, especially during October.  Overview - “ For the first time, Penguin Classics will publish the original 1818 text, which preserves the hard-hitting and politically-charged aspects of Shelley’s original writing, as well as her unflinching wit and strong female voice. This edition also emphasizes Shelley’s relationship with her mother—trailblazing feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, who penned A Vindication of the Rights of Woman—and demonstrates her commitment to carrying forward her mother’s ideals, placing her in the context of a feminist legacy rather than the sole female in the company of male poets, ...” - Barnes and Noble 

Romance- 

This Blood that Binds Us by S. L. Cokeley - Have you ever wondered what vampires would be like if they went to a state college in the present day? Well, wonder no more! This Blood that Binds Us seamlessly weaves the reader into an immersive modern story of college vampires and mystery.  Overview - “Kimberly Burns- a self-sufficient, nineteen-year-old- expects her customary camping trip to be a calming escape from the non-stop demands of college life but the attack from a recently turned vampire changes everything. Aaron Calem has been trying to resist the blood lust raging through his new body, but the unfamiliar voice in his head won't let him pass up an easy meal. When he's left with a girl barely clinging to life, he must choose between loyalty to his brothers or his morality. Aaron and Kimberly both want to return to their normal lives, but their problems are just beginning when they both realize they are going to the same university. When Kimberly is bitten a second time, by an unknown attacker, they must team up to navigate the vampire world together and find the assailant.” - Barnes and Noble

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas - Cemetery Boys is a heartwarming tale of love, acceptance, and tradition. I read this book a few years ago and loved how it blended the story with real-world problems like police brutality, transphobia, and homophobia. This quick read is a must-add to your autumnal TBR (To be read) and is sure to combat those chilly fall breezes with warm fuzzies. Overview - “When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, the ghost he summons is Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death… Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.” - Barnes and Noble 

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston- A spellbinding combination of mystery and romance, One Last Stop is an LGBTQ+ rom-com novel about navigating the hardships of early adulthood, but there’s a twist – Time travel/ Ghosts! This book holds an important place in modern literature because lesbian relationships are often not depicted in popular media. One Last Stop marks what is hopefully the first of many, outright lesbian relationships in romance novels and I for one, cannot wait to read it. Overview - “For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone…But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train… Jane with her rough edges swoopy hair and soft smile, showed up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old-school punk rocker. She’s displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her past to help her.” - Barnes and Noble

Modern Macabre- 

Bunny by Mona Awad - In a mish-mosh of Mean Girls,  Scream Queens, The Secret History, and Frankenstein, Bunny is a delightfully grotesque take on modern horror. Bunny takes the reader down the rabbit hole that is the complexity of female friendships following the protagonist, Samantha Heather Mackey. I have been dying to get my hands on this book. It has been all over my FYP (For you page) for almost a year now, but it has been a little hard to find. Overview - “ But everything changes when Samantha receives an invitation to the Bunnies' exclusive monthly Salon and finds herself drawn as if by magic to their front door--ditching her only friend, Ava, an audacious art school dropout, in the process. As Samantha plunges deeper and deeper into Bunny world and starts to take part in the off-campus "Workshop" where they devise their monstrous creations, the edges of reality begin to blur, and her friendships with Ava and the Bunnies are brought into deadly collision.”- Barnes and Noble 

Slewfoot by Brom - A chilling take based on the Salem witch trials, Slewfoot spins a tale of defiance in the face of societal norms in a world of patriarchy and colonialism. This book is definitely for you if you are interested in the 1818 version of Frankenstein mentioned above. Historical fantasy is one of my favorite genres, especially when it includes a strong female main character. So Slewfoot has been on my radar for quite some time.  Overview - “Connecticut, 1666: An ancient spirit awakens in a dark wood. The colonists call him Slewfoot, demon, devil. To Abitha, a recently widowed outcast, alone and vulnerable in her pious village, he is the only one she can turn to for help. Together, they ignite a battle between pagans and Puritans. This terrifying tale of bewitchery features more than two dozen of Brom’s haunting full-color paintings and brilliant endpapers, fully immersing readers in this wild and unforgiving world.” - Barnes and Noble 

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica- Tender is the Flesh is a dystopian novel that grips readers. The main character suffers through a  midlife crisis, and on top of that, humans can no longer eat “normal” meat. It eventually becomes a story of hope and resistance. Overview - “His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the “Transition.” Now, eating human meat—“special meat”—is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, and processing. Then one day he’s given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being.” - Barnes and Noble

By Leah Medeiros