Celebrating Halloween is so much more than one night of costumes and partying. Let’s be real, Halloween is an entire season. Halloween is to be celebrated long before and long after the last harvest draws to a close. One of the best ways to celebrate this autumn in particular, is to kick back with some treats and bookishly good treats. Challenge yourself to indulge in as much spooky goodness as possible with our Halloween reading list.
1 – Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge
Get ready to chase an outlandish scarecrow through the fields on Halloween night. The October Boy is not quite what he appears to be…
2 – Ghosts by Lisa Morton
What could be more creepy than an exploration of folkloric and modern day beliefs in the existence of ghost? Learn which country has 85% of their inhabitants believing in ghosts.
3 – The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Does there need to be an actual reason to devour this masterpiece. All hail, the queen of gothic horror!
4 – Trick or Treat by Lisa Morton
Part history lesson and part celebration, this one will ensure you’re paying respects to the true roots of the holiday. Learn the origin of trick or treating and try your hand at some new recipes.
5 – The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
If you’re an old skeleton, you may remember The Cartoon Network movie The Halloween Tree that used to air around Halloween for Saturday morning cartoons. Join Pipkin and his pals for a trip through Halloween’s of yesteryear and learn ancient celebrations for the dead.
6 – The Better Days Books: Vintage Halloween Reader
Want to learn some fun party tricks and divination ideas? Look no further, all the classic Halloween tropes and tips lie within this beauty of a book. Bonus points: you can even learn the history of Halloween postcards and Ben Cooper masks.
7 – The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson
The ultimate “true” haunted house story. It wouldn’t be Halloween without a visit to Ocean Avenue.
8 – A Good and Happy Child by Justin Evans
Beware, this one will keep you awake long into the night. Shades of The Others and The Exorcist come to life within these pages.
9 – Halloween Rain (Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1) by Christopher Golden
In good ‘ol Sunnydale, scarecrows saturated in rain on Halloween night come to life. This cool storyline is original to this book and never aired on the TV series.
10 – The Haunted Mask by R.L. Stine
Everyone is entitled to one good scare and squeal for Halloween. Classic Goosebumps always delivers thrills and chills.
For more reading and viewing lists check out more our List articles.