Sunday, October 24, 2010

Halloween Books-What makes your list?

The lightening streaks across the sky over Lake Michigan, chased quickly by the growl of thunder. My favorite weather is thunder storms, and as Halloween approaches, it seems fitting that the weather tonight matches the creepy mood of the holiday. As a bibliophile with eyes too big for my wallet, I have always dreamed of owning a bookstore. And in said imaginary bookstore, I have already planned the Halloween "must reads table".

A couple of titles are obvious to any person who knows the basic literary canon, but some might be new to you:
  1. Edgar Allen Poe's short stories. Seriously, who can read A Tell Tale Heart and not love Poe?
  2. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Read it, even if only to finally understand how off all of the movie adaptations are (Sorry James).
  3. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. Not scary per say, but murder mysteries are definitely in season this time of year.
  4. Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Am I the only one who found Ichabod Crane kind of good looking?
  5. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, even if only to ask yourself if he should be filed as an American author, or a British author.
  6. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. Recommended to me by the fantastic Liz, this book will always be a favorite of mine.
  7. Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire. Horrible Brad Pitt adaptation aside, the book is a classic.
  8. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. While the entire book isn't scary, the end definitely scared the crap out of me. Who knew that a dandy like Wilde could write like that?
  9. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Not scary at all, seeing as it's a children's book, but it definitely makes the list for sheer, awesome, Gaiman-ness.
  10. And last but not least in my top ten, Stephen King's The Shining. Save a spot in the freezer, this one will scare you.
Any other suggestions of books I should check out this Halloween season? I'd love something new to read!

1 comment:

  1. I heard Jonathan Franzen's FREEDOM! its a really good novel. I hear its about America.

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