Top Ten Tuesday- Best Books for Halloween

 Hosted by Broke and Bookish

I'm not generally a fan of horror. I don't like being scared and experiencing things jumping out at me, ghosts, or stories of serial killers is not my idea of a good time. But I have no problem with gore (that's a whole different conversation though) and I love a good thriller. Especially one that has supernatural elements. Give me a supernatural thriller any day. Something mysterious that makes you ask a bunch of questions like "what's going on here?" and "what is that mysterious thing for?" I also really really love Gothic literature. With all that in mind, these are my top ten Halloween reads broken into three categories...

Gothic Classics

1.) Dracula by Bram Stoker- No explanation required. The original vampire novel and my personal pick for Halloween. 

2.) Frankenstein by Mary Shelley- Another classic monster tale. Very creepy and mysterious but also a bit of a satire and critique on society (I had to read it for a class in college).

3.) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte- One of my favorite books. Ghosts, murder, intrigue, creepy old houses, failed romance. If this doesn't scream Halloween, I don't know what does!

4.) The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde. A guy sells his soul to the devil to stay beautiful forever but his portrait turns old and ugly with every bad deed. A gothic masterpiece!

Supernatural (and Gory) Take on Classics

5.) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Graham-Smith (and Jane Austen). What if the Bennett sisters were not only searching for husbands but also zombies. There's lots of monsters, fight scenes, and gore. Plus a twist ending! I also love that they take the original text and modify it to include the supernatural elements.

6.) Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Ben H. Winters (and Jane Austen)- The Dashwood sisters are exiled to a mysterious island where sea monsters are killing everyone. Sense and Sensibility is my favorite Austen novel and I wish they had kept more of the original text but it's really creepy and creative (spoiler alert: Colonel Brandon is a sea monster).

7.) Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith- I know it's not a reimagined classic but it feels that way. This is a "true story" of why Lincoln wanted to free the slaves and fight the Civil War. It also totally makes him a badass even though he was arguably kind of a wuss (though a great
president).

And just so everyone knows there are SO MANY of these types of books. Pick your favorite romantic classic and there is probably a supernatural version. Wuthering Bites, Android Karenina, Jane Slayre to name a few. Next on my list is Little Women and Werewolves because I love me some March girls.

Young Adult Supernatural Novels (In case you're looking for something slightly lighter)

8.) Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl: A young adult Southern Gothic novel that has magic, doomed romances, and a creepy town shut-in that's basically a vampire. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how well it is written and really liked the story.

9.) A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray- Another young adult gothic novel. This one involving girls mixed up with magic they don't understand, a creepy mysterious school, supernatural visions, and a scary villain who always remains on the periphery. Also extremely well-written and fully of surprises.

10.) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. Not particularly scary but full of mystery,thrills, and classic supernatural elements like witches, magic, ghosts, and people dying. It had to be on the list!

Many of these books are actually on my list of October "spooky" reads. By Friday I will have a full wrap up post with my thoughts on them. So stay tuned, and of course HAPPY READING!