It is October. And I am all for a slightly more spooky read. I don’t do horror but I love a good mystery. A ghost story. Struggles with death, depression and serving crimes. Some vampires, witches and werewolves (which I will not include here as this would be too extensive). Give me all these morbid stories during the month of October. After I have shared my Christmas Book Collection and Fairy Tale Reading List I think it is high time for a Spooky Reading List. What you think?
Carrion by Betsy Reavley
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Horror
Content blurb: After surviving a fatal accident Monica is left wondering what happened to her life. Why did the car crash and why is she being haunted by a crow?
Name of Main Characters: Monica, Crow
Have I read: Yes, ★★★★★ Review on the blog
My two cents: It moved me deeply and thinking about it still makes may hair stand.
Noteworthy: The author has numerous books published but I have only read this one.
Anatomy Duology by Dana Schwarz
Genre: Gothic Romance, Historic Fiction,
Content blurb: Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry. Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die.
Name of Main Characters: Hazel Sinnett, Jack Currer
Have I read: Yes, ★★★★
My two cents: I think labeling as a love story is a bit far fetched unless you refer to the love of being a surgeon.
Noteworthy: book one “Anatomy”, book two “Immortality”
Starling House by Axie E. Harrow
Genre: Gothic Fantasy, Light Horror (?)
Content blurb: I should be scared, but in the dream I don’t hesitate. Opal has been obsessed with The Underland since she was a child. When she gets the chance to step inside Starling House — and make some extra cash for her brother’s escape fund — she can’t resist.
Name of Main Characters: Opal – girl trying to survive and provide life to brother, Jasper – brother to Opal, Arthur – Warden of Starling House
Have I read: Yes, ★★★★ ★
My two cents: Love the house as a character and whole creepiness.
Noteworthy: The author also does fairy tale retellings.
After You’ve Gone by Lisa Tremayne
Genre: Romance, Paranormal
Content blurb: An unconventional love story set in a magical city (London) filled with hope and love, After You’ve Gone is about two people, alone in the world, who find each other despite all obstacles in their way. I am just saying one thing… ghosts appear.
Name of Main Characters: Captain Miles McBride, Kate Gray
Have I read: Yes, ★★★★ Review on the blog
My two cents: Loved it, different kind of romance, slow, fun surprise characters.
Noteworthy: Currently not available anywhere as it seems.
House of Cry by Linda Bleser
Genre: Mystery
Content blurb: A secret room in a new house transports a woman to alternate realities of her life—spiritual voyages of discovery that offer unexpected answers about her family, herself, and her true destiny.
Name of Main Characters: Jenna Hall, Cassie Hall, mother (deceased)
Have I read: Yes, ★★★★ Review on the blog
My two scents: An interesting intriguing combination, something I haven’t come across often.
Noteworthy: Suicide is a main topic here. Also depression. But more so love and hope.
Ghost Detective by Scott William Carter
Genre: Mystery, Paranormal
Content blurb: After narrowly surviving a near-fatal shooting, Portland detective Myron Vale wakes with a bullet still lodged in his brain, a headache to end all headaches, and a terrible side effect that radically transforms his world for the worse: He sees ghosts. Lots of them.
Name of Main Characters: Myron Vale – detective
Have I read: Yes, ★★★★ no review written
My two cents: Loved the setting and the main character. Hope to read more.
Noteworthy: Book #1 in the Myron Vale Investigations Series
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Genre: Paranormal, Gothic, Classic
Content blurb:
Name of Main Characters:
Have I read: Yes, ★★★★★ no review on the blog
Noteworthy:
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Genre: Gothic, Classic Science Fiction
Content blurb: At the edge of the icy Arctic Ocean, Captain Walton discovers the exhausted Victor Frankenstein, who tells him a story of ambition, science and creation that pushes the limits of human possibility. At a time of scientific progress, when the impossible seems possible, Frankenstein creates a living being through experimentation.
Name of Main Characters: Victor Frankenstein – scientist
Have I read: Yes, ★★★ Review on the blog
Noteworthy: Originally published anonymously in 1818. As a joke of all things too.
The Little Ghost by Otfried Preußler
Genre: Children’s book, Ghost Story, German Classic
Content blurb: Every night for the witching hour the little ghost wakes up and haunts his castle and the town. Until he wakes up during a day. Hit by the sunlight, the white night ghost turns into a black day ghost, causing all kinds of mischief and confusion in the town of Eulenberg.
Name of Main Characters: Little Ghost, Owl Schuhu
Have I read: Yes, ★★★★★ no review on the blog
Noteworthy: The author is a German classic in children’s literature.
The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde
Genre: Ghost Story, Paranormal, Gothic, Classic
Content blurb: This is Oscar Wilde’s tale of the American family moved into a British mansion, Canterville Chase, much to the annoyance its tired ghost. The family — which refuses to believe in him — is in Wilde’s way a commentary on the British nobility of the day — and on the Americans, too.
Name of Main Characters:
Have I read: Yes.
My two cents: Fun little classic to read. Interesting to see what was funny back then.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Genre: Ghost Story, Gothic, Classic
Content blurb: In a hotel on the Côte d’Azur, Maxim de Winter meets a young woman from a modest background. The two fall in love, and after a short time she accepts his proposal of marriage and follows the widower to Cornwall to his magnificent country estate, Manderley. But the newlyweds’ happiness does not last long: the ghost of Maxim’s dead wife Rebecca is omnipresent,
Name of Main Characters: Maxim de Winter – widower, Rebecca – late wife of Maxim, ghost, young woman – new wife to Maxim, Mrs. Danvers – housekeeper
Have I read: Not yet.
I loved compiling this spooky reading list and as always it is highly incomplete but at least a start.
Your turn: Which books have you read? What is missing on this list? Are you a seasonal reader? Do you like horror? Who can explain the difference between paranormal and mystery?
8 comments
I don’t do horror either, but I love an eerie mystery. Some of my favorite eerie mystery books are by Australian author Kate Morton, who wrote The Forgotten Garden, The Clockmaker’s Daughter, The Distant Hours, and others. From your list, I’ve only read Dracula and Frankenstein. I guess I’d say that paranormal involves ghosts and imaginary creatures, while mystery alone does not. Yes, I do enjoy seasonal reading! A creepy book is perfect right now, and I love Christmas stories in December.
Oh I have not read anything by Kate Morton but I have seen the name. I will check out those books. Do you have a suggestion with which one to start?
I think you would love the Starling House. The house has such a cute but eerie personality and it’s not scary really. I loved it.
And yes for all the Christmas books I am going to read. I can not wait.
Each of Kate Morton’s books stands alone, so I think you can start anywhere. I put Starling House on my wish list!
Thank you. Enjoy reading.
I read a ton of horror, but I’ve only read Dracula and Frankenstein out of these. I have a weird relationship with Alix E Harrow, where I love her books when I make myself finish them, but I have trouble getting into them – I should take another crack at Starling House. I am reading Stephen King’s latest short story book right now, and recently read Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle, Dead Water by C.A. Fletcher, The Drowning House by Cherie Priest and a couple of YA horrors. I’m adding most of these to my TBR pile.
I am not familiar with any of your mentioned books but I have a look if I dare to read them. Ha.
I loved Starling House but it’s probably not very creepy for you.
Isn’t it funny that some authors are really hard to read but once you did you wonder why. For me that is Naomi Novik.
I don’t read a ton of horror – I’m no Allison – but I enjoy T. Kingfisher’s brand of horror. It’s sort of funny and quirky.
I haven’t read any of those books you’ve reviewed. I feel terrible – Dracula and Frankenstein are classics! – so maybe I should set myself a mini-goal to read those soon.
I had the same feeling… knowing about the classics but haven’t read them so I set out a couple of years back to catch up on those. I liked Dracula much more than Frankenstein. Dracula is much different from what we think to know. But the same is true for Frankenstein. Very different and much deeper.
I only read one T Kingfisher book last year but Thornhedge is on my library hold and should be available any minute now.