Shannon Turlington

I usually like to get in the Halloween spirit by reading a scary book or two. This year, my top pick is NOS4A2 by Joe Hill. If you like Stephen King, you’ll love this book by his son. Not only does it read like King, but it reads like King at his absolute best–one of those great big books that takes you by the throat and forces you to race through the pages just to find out what happens. NOS4A2 has a Christmas theme, so this one will keep you chilled all through the holidays.

Alternatively, you may go for a classic read this Halloween. I just finished The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson, a short surreal piece that inspired Lovecraft. It’s got pig-people in it. Dracula, Frankenstein, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Edgar Allan Poe are also favorites this time of year. (Here’s my essay on Frankenstein as the first science fiction novel.)

For more Halloween reading ideas, here are my picks for the top 10 scariest books of all time:

1. The Shining by Stephen King
2. It by Stephen King
3. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
4. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
5. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
6. The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
7. Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
8. Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
9. World War Z by Max Brooks
10. The Ruins by Scott Smith

What is the scariest book you’ve read?