40+ Halloween Reads That Will Transport You to Scarytown This Spooky Season

40+ Halloween Reads That Will Transport You to Scarytown This Spooky Season

Tuesday, 12 October, 2021

It’s the spookiest season of the year. The time to go all-in on dim passage ways, mysterious noises in the night, and a wind that scratches at the windows with chilly fingers.

Here in Prague, the light is particularly moody this time of year, alternating between a hard, bright, cloudless blue and a grayscale mix of bright light hidden behind silvery clouds. Shadows bob and weave, creating pockets of gloom in the narrow alleys and casting the Gothic spires in stark relief against the sky.

If you’re also eager to welcome shivery tingles up the back of your neck, we’ve got you covered with lots of bookish Halloween treats.

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Halloween: Costumed Revelry, Voices From Beyond, and YAY, Candy!

In episode 17 of our podcast, we got curious about Halloween traditions and explored the lore that swirls around classic creepy creatures. Then we recommended books we love that celebrate the spirit (and spirits) of Halloween, including stories for self-proclaimed scaredy-cats, titles that should come with a ‘don’t read this at night’ warning label, and a few in-between. Trick or treat!

Be sure to visit our show notes page for photos of terrifying vintage Halloween costumes, links to more info on the fun facts David shared in Two Truths and a Lie (including the US government’s plan in case of a zombie attack), interviews with authors of our recommended books, and a video tour of Sleepy Hollow.

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Destination: Halloween

This page has everything you need for a bookish Halloween, including…

  • 40+ book recommendations (for brave souls and scaredy-cats alike)
  • eerie and emotional Halloween poems
  • recipes for Vampire-Fighting Pork Stew, Pumpkin Cake Roll, and Pumpkin-Spiced Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
  • Edward Gorey goodness
  • 6 spooky short story collections
  • 6 literary vampires
  • a Halloween playlist (Monster Mash free!)
  • 7 eerie audiobooks

Treat yourself to the full-size candy bar of Halloween awesomeness.

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Top image courtesy of Tandem X Visuals/Unsplash.

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In this episode, we revel in that delicious tingle up the back of the neck, courtesy of the undead, that reminds us we're alive. Plus, candy, bonfires, costumes, and books. SO MANY BOOKS that celebrate Halloween.
We've selected our favorite literary vampires according to a very sharply honed list of criteria. They're all remarkable versions of this ancient creature, and they populate stories worthy of their dangerous charms.
The only thing better than reading a scary story is when someone TELLS you a scary story. Light a candle, grab someone you trust to share the terror, and let these stories creep you out in the very best way.

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