Every Halloween I see the same lists pop up on what to read. Sure, classics are classics for a reason. Every horror newbie deserves to see the beginner’s list of horror. Where to start when it comes to entering a genre can be intimidating, and lists for new fans are great.
However, I am trying something new this year. Rather than give you a list of tried and true classics that will undoubtedly include a Stephen King, Frankenstein and/or Dracula, and The Haunting of Hill House, I thought I’d mix it up a bit. This year, I am picking some books that I have been meaning to read but have just not gotten to yet. That way, I can not only review them for you, but hopefully have some discussion with you guys!
Behold! My list of books that I plan to read this October! I am a busy girl writing away – between running a horror blog in October, writing contests, and daily work on my first novel I make time to read. I think it’s an unspoken rule of thumb that writers are readers; we love the written word, so it only make sense that we’d be book junkies.
I think four is a reasonable number to get through in a month given my current work load. I will be posting some discussion starters on my social media pages before, during and after each book if anyone would care to join me in a little Halloween book club right here at viewfromthemorg.com! Be sure to follow me @MorgBlog on Facebook to get in on the discussion!
1. We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix (October 1 – October 6): for anyone who loves their horror deep and dark with a side of humour
Book Description from Quirk Books
In this hard-rocking, spine-tingling supernatural thriller, the washed-up guitarist of a ‘90s heavy metal band embarks on an epic road-trip across America and deep into the web of a sinister conspiracy.
2. Apocalypse Now Now by Charlie Human (October 7 – 13): for Dexter devotees
Book Description from Titan Books
Baxter Zevcenko – kingpin of a smut-peddling schoolyard syndicate and possible serial killer – would have preferred not be to chased by monsters, nightmares and the growing spectre of insanity, but when his girlfriend is kidnapped the conscience he didn’t know he had leaves him little choice.
3. The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone (October 14 – 20): for creature-feature aficionados
Book Description from Simon & Schuster
Deep in the jungle of Peru, where so much remains unknown, a black, skittering mass devours an American tourist whole. Thousands of miles away, an FBI agent investigates a fatal plane crash in Minneapolis and makes a gruesome discovery. Unusual seismic patterns register in a Kanpur, India earthquake lab, confounding the scientists there. During the same week, the Chinese government “accidentally” drops a nuclear bomb in an isolated region of its own country. As these incidents begin to sweep the globe, a mysterious package from South America arrives at a Washington, D.C. laboratory. Something wants out.
4. All Day Breakfast by Adam Lewis Schroeder (October 20 – 27): for lovers of fun and goopy zombie tales
Book Description from Douglas & MacIntyre
When widowed father and substitute teacher Peter Giller leads an eleventh-grade class on a field trip to a plastics factory, he thinks the worst that could happen is that the parent volunteers won’t show up (they don’t), the kids will be rude (they are) or the free lunch will be terrible (it is).
Then a leaking pipe sprays Peter and the students with a mysterious pink goo and “the worst that could happen” spikes from inconvenient to catastrophic. At first, the goo’s side effects are mild: short-temperedness, sawdust-scented B.O. and an unquenchable craving for bacon. Then things get spooky: Peter’s fingers start falling off, his students forget how to read, no one has to pee—ever—and empathy for human suffering plummets, especially if anyone gets between them and their bacon.
5. Free for all! Tell me all about your favourite Halloween reads! (October 27 – 31)
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View From the Morg 
Yes, I read Haunting of Hill house. It was simply extraordinary. I’m pretty new to horror book ventures, but I recently came across a book that was truly scary–for me anyways. It’s not written in the expected flowery language, but if you want to be scared, I think it’s worth the read: The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson. 😀 ( it’s a really short read)
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I loved The Amityville Horror! Very 70s 🙂 The classics are amazing…Shirley Jackson is one of my faves. I find revisiting the classics is great and am hoping that in the last week of discussion people will talk about those Halloween favorites. Classics are classics for a reason, I just find that they are revisited a lot this time of year. Trying something new, hopefully people will read along! If not, I’ll still have new book reviews to tackle after a book a week for October 🙂 Thanks for reading!
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