Kensie Kiesow
As the vibrant fall colors fade from the trees and ugly browns leaves begin settling upon the Chippewa Valley, the veil between what is real and what is nightmare grows ever thinner. Black cats and cackling witches gather in the night, preparing to raise the forgotten dead. Have you carved your pumpkins yet? Is that the devil dancing at your door?
If you’ve aged out of trick-or-treating, and now find yourself on the candy-dispensing side of the door, you’re not alone. Thankfully, there are other ways to get in the Halloween mood! I personally love immersing myself in the spooky season with a freshly carved pumpkin and a mug full of spicy hot cider. But my favorite way to celebrate is by way of a perfectly selected spooky book…
“I personally love immersing myself in the spooky season with a freshly carved pumpkin and a mug full of spicy hot cider. But my favorite way to celebrate is by way of a perfectly selected spooky book…”
Whether the book is just a bit creepy or the stuff of nightmares, I want it to leave me looking over my shoulder.
So, put the cheery, Christmas stories aside and pack up the turkey tales for a few more weeks. From now until All Hallow’s Eve, enjoy these chillers and thrillers personally curated by me. Beware, my dear readers, and prepare for a scare!
“Frankenstein,” by Mary Shelley
First up on the list is an absolute classic. Hailed as the inventor of the science fiction genre, Mary Shelley first began writing “Frankenstein” at the age of eighteen as part of a writing game between her and her friends. It follows the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist obsessed with conquering death gives birth to a monster. The modern Prometheus is consumed by loneliness and a life without meaning, without purpose. But, when he turns to his creator for help, Frankenstein turns him away, disgusted. This book will certainly keep you looking over your shoulder for the lumbering monster.
“Dracula,” by Bram Stoker
Another classic, “Dracula” is a slower read with more buildup than more popular books written in this century, but the ending is worth the wait. Written from the multiple perspectives of Mina Harker, Professor Van Helsing, and more members of this vampire-hunting party through letters, diary entries, and voice-recorded journals. Each perspective writes with a different voice with different concerns about Lucy, the beautiful young lady fallen to Count Dracula’s thrall, and nightly vampire hunting missions which dredge up old loves as well as old fears.
“House of Leaves,” by Mark Z. Danielewski
Because books written during this century are also cool and spooky, “House of Leaves” is next up on this list! This book is written in the style of “The Blair Witch Project” in that it follows the growing horrors of the world around Johnny Truant as he reads a dusty old journal he found in a dead man’s house. Whole pages are mostly blank with swirls of letters and pictures scattered across the page, and the mystery of the expanding country house in a documentary that never existed becomes clearer and clearer. The more Johnny reads, the looser his grasp on reality becomes. Be sure not to lose too much of yourself in this book.
“A Collapse of Horses,” by Brian Evenson
If you’re craving absolute nightmare fuel BUT you aren’t interested in musty classics or commit to a full-length novel, “A Collapse of Horses” offers you a taste of terror at every turn. Horrifying stories of teddy bears with baby hearts pumping in their chests, Reno, Nevada remains forever on the horizon, and the ordinary becomes a home for the extraordinary. Our worst fears come alive in the pages of each story in this collection, and I suggest you read with the lights on.