Top Ten Books to Get into the Halloween Spirit (Top Ten Tuesday)

Top Ten Tuesday is an event hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish. This is my first time participating, but I hope to keep doing it for a while! So this week it's Top Ten Books to Get into the Halloween Spirit. For me, the Halloween Spirit means a lot of different things, so my picks aren't all on the same note, but hey-- nothing wrong with a little diversity, am I right?

  #10 Dune by Frank Herbert

I'm going to be honest here; I haven't read this book. To quote Howard Taylor, "Dune broke my brain." I know this book to be of the Halloween spirit, though, because there is honestly nothing scarier than a giant, heavy, daunting book screaming "Read me! Read me!" Because a) Oh my god stress! and b) I'm pretty sure books aren't supposed to talk...

#9 Ogre, Ogre by Piers Anthony
Halloween makes me think monsters, and when I think monsters, I think Piers Anthony. Now, Ogre, Ogre isn't a scary book by any means (unless you find an overusage of puns scary-- hey, it's a legit fear!) But there is a plethora of awesome monsters (who sometimes rhyme) that screams Halloween-lite to me.

#8 Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Pirates. Need I say more?

#7 The Shadow War of the Night Dragons, Book One: The Dead City. Prologue by John Scalzi
This is a great story. It's hilariously dark, not to mention it's a reader's worst nightmare: unfinished, and not likely to be finished. See, it was written as a joke, which turned into an award winning prologue with no book attached to it. 

#6 I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells
Creepier than a creepy thing on creepy tablets, this book is. It's about a boy who has serial killer tendencies and is trying to avoid becoming one, but then he's faced with fighting a real serial killer-- who turns out to be a demon! Totally Halloween worthy!

#5 Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts
Another creepy read-- very dark-- with zombies galore!

#4 Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
This novella was written to emulate the gothic style literature that became popular during Jane Austen's time and to satirize it. Lots of creeking doors and spooky mysteries in this one! Plus, a Jane Austen romance to boot.

#3 Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
ZOOOOOOOMBIES!!!!

#2 Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Halloween just wouldn't be complete without witches! And this one has plenty, plus some faeries, shapeshifters, warewolves, and vampires! Not to mention, an evil demon-ghost!

#1 The Adventure of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed by Patrick Rothfuss
The scariest children's book ever written. This is gloriously dry and witty, creepily upbeat, with a shocking twist ending that's perfect for halloween!


Hope you enjoyed that. I'd recommend all of these books (with the obvious exception of Dune). I'd love to hear some of your favorite spooky reads so I can add them to my list!