Who doesn't love a scary read on a dark and stormy autumn night, with the witching hour drawing close - wait, what's that suspicious creaking on the stairs?
Well... me, actually. Don't get me wrong; I adore the atmospheric, the dark, and the macabre. When it comes to the seriously bloodcurdling, however, quite frankly I'd prefer not to have nightmares for the next week and a half. Luckily, there are some great hair-raising reads for all levels of fear-tolerance. Whether you're looking for something mildly eerie, moderately shiver-inducing, or positively knock-your-socks-off bone-chilling, there's a spooktacular book here for you.
Read this in the dark
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
In this multi-award winning bestseller, toddler Nobody "Bod" Owens survives his family's mysterious assassination by scooting to the nearest graveyard. Happily raised by ghosts, he must someday return to the land of the living - and the dangers that still await him there. Darkly atmospheric and suspenseful, this book will make you shiver, not scream.
You may want a night light
Edgar Allan Poe's tales of death and dementia, illustrated by Gris Grimly
Poe's bone-chilling classics get an uncanny upgrade from Gris Grimly's grisly illustrations. Grimly avoids excessive gore for an experience that is deliciously unsettling without being upsetting.
Be prepared to sleep with the light on - all week!
I tried to find something not written by the horror-master himself, Stephen King. I didn't get far, however; Joe Hill is King's son. In his debut novel, he proves he inherited his father's sense of the truly terrifying. This tale of a washed-up rock star haunted by a vengeful ghost is gory, visceral, shocking - and surprisingly moving.
Submitted by Audrey @ Central
