1. Pet Sematary by Stephen King – I read Pet Sematary one fall when I was living in a small town in Arkansas. My apartment was at the bottom of a hill next to a dense and dark forest. I lived alone and stayed up late into the night reading about the Creed family and their discovery of a mystical burial ground that brings dead animals back to life. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep much during and after reading this truly chilling exploration of death and grief. A very scary book.
2. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters – This gothic novel set in post-war Britain is not really meant to be a traditional horror novel, but it is very spooky nonetheless. Dr. Faraday meets the Ayres family when he goes to their crumbling estate to attend Rodney, who suffers from PTSD. Something is haunting the Ayres family – is it supernatural or can it be explained by their poverty and vanished status in society?
3. The Dead Path by Stephen M. Irwin – Nicholas Close gains the second sight after a motorcycle crash. Unable to mentally cope with his new abilities he returns to his native Australia to live with his mother. Living in his family home, he begins to ponder the disappearance of his best friend from childhood and discovers that other children went missing too. What happened to them? Evil forests, pagan rites and witches make this novel a dark thriller.
4. The House of Dead Maids by Clare B. Dunkle – Have you ever wondered about where Heathcliff lived before he arrived at Wuthering Heights? Clare Dunkle’s prequel to Emily Bronte’s famous tale is narrated by Tabby Ackroyd, the Bronte’s actual maid, who is employed to watch over Heathcliff at the brooding Seldom House. Lonely, bored and hostile, Tabby and Heathcliff begin to investigate their reason for being in the damp and isolated mansion devoid of adults. What they discover is a corrupt plan that puts their lives at stake. Gloomy, brooding and eerie, The House of Dead Maids is a fascinating vision of Heathcliff’s origins.
What are your favorite spooky novels?
I apologize that your names aren’t being hyperlinked to your blogs in the comments section! I’m not sure why this is happening. I’ve tried to change the settings in WordPress, but no luck so far.
A Certain Fondness 
Ammie, Come Home by Barbara Michaels would be on my list. It’s about ghosts & possession in a historic Georgetown house. It’s set in the 1970s, so it does feel a bit dated, but then once the story kicks in you don’t even notice.
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I so love a good ghost story! I just checked and my library has a copy of Ammie Come Home. Sounds like a great Halloween night read.
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Oh, and E.F. Benson’s ghost stories – some are creepy, some are terrifying. All of them perfect Halloween reading!
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I am reading an E.F. Benson story right now -The Confession of Charles Linkworth- I’ve never read her before so am excited to see if I enjoy it.
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My favorite scary reads are ANY of the collected stories of M.R. James. His stories are so creepy. Also, Midnight by Dean Koontz. I remember driving from Akron to Pueblo with just Sarah after reading Midnight. I was pregnant with Jane and had to pee so bad, but we were in the middle of nowhere and it was foggy. I kept imagining the horrible creatures from Midnight coming out of the fog if I were to try and pee on the side of the road. I just about burst my bladder waiting to get to Colorado Springs!
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You know it’s a good story when you get creeped out by it long after you’ve read it! There is no way I would have stopped either.
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A prequel about Heathcliff is something I never would have thought of being written, but having one makes a whole lot of sense. I like the sound of the book, though not sure how it would work. I’ll have to have a read of the reviews!
Regarding the URLS, it looks like the field for typing in the address has gone. If you can access the html yourself you might be able to add it back in, I’m not sure it’s something you can change from the admin panel.
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The House of Dead Maids isn’t perfect, but I really enjoyed it. It was a good effort.
I think I know what the problem is with the URLs, but the plug-in I used can’t be currently deleted 😦
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Stephen King has written some pretty scary stuff! Pet Sematary, Salem’s Lot… I haven’t read him in years. My favorite spooky book is The Woman in Black by Susan Hill.
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I love The Woman in Black! It is a great story – I should have included it!
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