Saturday, October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween, Bibliophiles!


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Happy Halloween!!

Are you reading anything spooky today?

Here are a few of my favorite scary reads, perfect for a day like today:

The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, has it all- haunted mansions, ghosts, mystery and more. Love it!

The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco, is a literary murder mystery with a strange library at its center. Fun!

The Night of Hunter, by Davis Grubb, is a fabulously suspenseful thriller, wonderful on its own and made into a super-creepy flick starring Robert Mitchum and Shelley Winters. The book was published in 1953 and adapted for the screen in 1955. The story is about a preacher convicted of murder chasing a fortune in stolen money now in the hands of two innocent children. Nobody knows his past, but it's clear that's he's trouble.

Magic for Beginners, Kelly Link's wonderful collection of short stories, has zombies, ghosts, witches and the undead. Who can ask for more?

In Cold Blood, Truman Capote's true-crime thriller, is scary in a more realistic way but rendered in such crystal-perfect prose, you don't even mind.

Complicity is Scottish writer Iain Banks' thriller about a journalist chasing a series of murders about which he may know more than he wants to admit. Banks is a cracking good writer who also does a lot of well-regarded science fiction; check him out!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a more recent novel about a spate of serial killings rife with suspense and genuine creepiness, by Swedish writer Steig Larsson. I had a great time with Dragon Tattoo and can't wait to read the sequels- and it reads fast enough that you could start it this morning and finish before trick-or-treating!

You can also go to Flashlight Worthy Books for a list of zombie books!

14 comments:

Travels of Adam said...

Shadow of the Wind is an excellent book! I just re-read it for the 2nd (or maybe it was my 3rd?) time a few weeks ago. Always glad to see it on someone's list.

Blodeuedd said...

Happy Halloween :D

Brandy said...

Hey, you'd be a good one to ask! I've been looking for good, creepy books that aren't gore-fests--something in line with Shirley Jackson's novels, but she's about the only one I've found who can do subtle creepy. I flagged Night of the Hunter; will it fit the bill of what I'm looking for?

So far nobody's really been much help--I guess Shirley Jackson wasn't just ahead of her time, but ahead of everybody's.

JoAnn said...

I'll be finishing We Have Always Lived in the Castle as I sip my coffee this morning. Was hoping to read Shadow of the Wind for the RIP challenge, but ran out of time. Happy Halloween!

Katie said...

I just about picked up In Cold Blood last night but was just too tired :) Happy Halloween!

bermudaonion said...

Happy Halloween to you. I read In Cold Blood years ago and it really scared me!

Marie Cloutier said...

Brandy- Night of the Hunter might be just thing :-) The Zafon book, too. Really good.

jlshall said...

I loved Shadow of the Wind and The Name of the Rose. In Cold Blood is one of those books I've always avoided because of the subject matter, but I do like Truman Capote's writing, so I really should try it. Maybe for next Halloween. Have a great, spooky but safe day!

Pam said...

I'm going to print this list out and save it for next October. I run a book club for the library where I work and I'm always looking for good spooky reads for October. This year we read The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived the Castle by Shirley Jackson. Both were good, but Castle was better.

Meytal Radzinski said...

I've been meaning to read "The Name of the Rose" for a while now. This summary certainly makes it sound all the more appealing. "literary murder mystery"... The perfect type of read for a wintry afternoon, I suppose...

Anonymous said...

I absolutely loved Shadow Of The Wind.

Finished The Angel's Game today, though, and was disappointed.

Happy Halloween!

rhapsodyinbooks said...

Wonderful list! I have never read anything by Iain Banks but I love sci fi and I love UK writers, so it sounds perfect! Thanks for compiling it!

Anonymous said...

Happy Halloween! I'm sliding in with less than three hours left. LOL


The Poe Shadow, by Matthew Pearl, is a good one, encompassing fright, intrigue and some gruesome details.

Anything Daniel Silva is for me. Death in Vienna is excellent.

The same for Edgar Allan Poe, creepy was his signature.

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

Love the neon ghosts. I'm reading The Haunting of Hill House (along with a few non spooky books).