Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: Books To Get You In The Halloween Spirit

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  I'm excited to participate; after all, I make lists FOR EVERYTHING!  This week's topic focuses on books that will get you in the Halloween spirit. I posted this list last year around Halloween last year and I am sharing it again this year along with a few changes.  



1.  Dracula by Bram Stoker- I remember when I first read this book many, many years ago. It completely freaked me out along with the black and white movie. It was a time before vampires had cool hair and sparkled in the sun. 


2.  The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe- I just taught this short story and it never gets old. My students love this creepy tale and it's perfect to re-read at Halloween.  An insane villain? A "vulture" eye? Poe is so spine-chilling.


3.  Nevermore by Kelly Creagh- Even though this book wasn't my favorite, I think it would be a perfect read for this time of year. I read it during the summer and I think it wasn't as effective.  The mood, the setting and the references to Poe were super eerie.


4.  The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman- This is such a fun read for this time of year. Many of my students love this one.

5.  Frankenstein by Mary Shelley- I love the fact that Shelley originally wrote this for a horror story competition amongst her writer friends (Byron being one of them!) and the idea came to her in a dream. 



6. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin- This book is awesome and so incredibly creepy and atmospheric. A must read. 



7.  The White Forest by Adam McOmber- This adult historical fiction/fantasy is an extremely spooky, unique and spine-tingling read.


8.  The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan- This book scared the bejesus out of me. Seriously. Zombies are so scary!

My next two picks are from the '80s and '90s.  Do you guys remember these books?


9.  Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz- I remember when I first encountered this book in elementary school. My friends and I would read it at sleepovers and in turn, I would sleep with a night light on for months....err... years. Some of these stories still freak me out.  Remember how horrid the illustrations were? I think they're burned into my memory.


10.  Goosebumps by R.L. Stine- I remember when these books were all the rage!  I still have a few in my classroom library.


So, what do you think? What books do you think are perfect for this time of year? Let me know!


11 comments:

  1. I definitely remember Goosebumps from my childhood, my brother loved them - I ended up including some 90s teen horror on my list too, as I think they genuinely frightened me when I was younger! I remember studying The Tell Tale Heart a few years ago, a great story. Awesome list!

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  2. Great picks, Christina. Tell-Tale Heart is so creepy and I found Mara really creepy at times too! I must check out The White Forest!

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  3. We share one so I see it as a good recommendation :)
    I haven't read Dracula at all even though it's a classic! :X I will fix that soon :)

    My TTT
    *GIVEAWAY*

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  4. I realllllllllly want to try the Unbecoming.
    Nice list! :)

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  5. I'm a Fear Street girl, myself. Never really got into Goosebumps!

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  6. The Tell Tale Heart! It's been years since I read that one!

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  7. When I was younger I loved Goosebumps by R.L. Stine! Those were my favourite books. I have a box full of those books. :)

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  8. New follower here. Great picks!Ive been meaning to read The White Forest. Feel free to come by and check out mine...
    http://asoutherngirlsbookshelf.blogspot.com/2012/10/top-ten-tuesdayhalloween-spirit.html

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  9. You betcha I remember Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Goosebumps. Actually I was more into Fear Street than Goosebumps. I've been thinking of trying a Fear Street book again to see how I feel about them now. This week's TTT has been a lot of fun :)

    Thanks for sharing :)

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  10. Great list! I still haven't read Dracula though I think about it every October :) I did read Frankenstein in college (and I liked it) and I loved Nevermore and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Poe is always perfect for this time of year. I just read Libba Bray's The Diviners last month and I think it is another good one for Halloween. Naughty John creeped me out!

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  11. I frequently ask my mother of what causes nightmares . She just answers me stop reading these horror books. But I can’t help myself from reading them, that’s why I always have nightmares when I was a kid.

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