It’s that time of year again. The weather starts to get colder, the days get shorter and the nights get longer.

As the landscape changes around you, you begin to wonder what horrors lie in the dark, in the unexplored depths no man has ever dared to venture.

A chill runs down your spine, and your spirit quivers at the possibility.

It’s Halloween time.

Halloween started many centuries ago with the ancient festivals of Samhain. People would light large bonfires and dress in costumes in hopes of warding off spirits.

Nowadays, Halloween is quite different, but we can still enjoy a good scare here and there in the spirit of things.

Personally, I love Halloween. If I had things my way, it would be Halloween every day. That’s why it was so hard to come up with my Halloween reading list for this year.

I’ve never actually done a Halloween reading list before, and I wanted to change that. So I spent the last few weeks accumulating books from my TBR and adding them to my Halloween Goodreads shelf for my consideration.

Halloween Reads Rules

Here are the rules I decided on abiding by:

1. No repeat authors. It’s okay if I’ve read something by them earlier this year, but no repeat author works during this 8-week stint.

2. Books must have an apparent spook or scare factor.

3. Books can technically be in any genre. I have a special preference for horror, hauntings, and apocalyptic stories, so I went in that direction.

Halloween Reads Picks

So what did I come up with?

Wellll, it’s not a perfect list. In fact, a lot of books I want to read simply won’t get read, but I want to keep my options somewhat open in case I’m not feeling a read and want to switch to something else.

Shelf Reads

First and foremost I will be reading some books on my shelves at home that are horror that I haven’t gotten to.

Those three are Pet Semetary by Stephen King, Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, and Sarah by Teri Polen.

I love all of these authors’ previous works I’ve read, so I have high hopes for these.

The Rest of my Reading List

The rest of my reading list is basically whatever I feel like getting into, but there are certain authors who have captured my attention in the past year that I simply must read.

Jonathan Janz

Anything by this guy. He shares my first name, and he’s received stellar reviews for pretty much all of his horror works. No copies of anything at my library, so I’ll have to chance a buy, which I’m pretty confident in.

Darcey Coates

Anything by this lady, though I’m kinda set between Craven Manor or The Carrow Haunt. Who doesn’t love a good haunted house story? No copies at my library of this either.

Victoria Schwab

I’ve heard a ton about her middle grade series City of Ghosts, and I simply must, must, MUST read it! I’ve read a work of hers before and enjoyed it, so my expectations are high. There’s a copy at my library!

Joe Hill

I am super excited to read either The Fireman or Horns, preferably The Fireman. Both are available at my library!

M.R. Carey

The Girl with All the Gifts has been on my TBR for far too long for me not to give it a try. There’s a copy at my library, and besides, who doesn’t love a good zombie book? I haven’t read many to be honest, and I’m curious how I’ll like it.

Shirley Jackson

The Haunting of Hill House is a classic in the realm of horror. Who would I be to not enjoy at least one classic horror novel for Halloween time?

Honorable Mentions

All right, so that is my main reading list, but there are some honorable mentions that I may switch out with my reading list in case I’m not feeling a certain book.

Those are:

Partials #1 by Dan Wells (Apocalyptic)

The Final Cut/ Stuck on You by Jasper Bark (Horror)

The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King) (Horror)

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Horror)

That’s a Wrap!

Okay folks, that’s my official Halloween reading list for this year.

What does your reading pile look like? Have you read any of the books on my list? Do you have any opinions or feedback on the books I chose? Feel free to share in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe or follow my bookish journeys!

Happy Reading Everyone!

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