In the Stacks: Spooky reading suggestions for scaredy cats like me

It’s spooky season – do you need some reading suggestions to fit the mood?

I try to read broadly, but I confess that horror is not my favorite. I will listen to a horror audiobook every now and then during my commute because nothing is as scary as Boston traffic. Which begs the point, what scares you?

It’s personal and subjective, isn’t it? I feel peaceful in a cemetery. Real life is more terrifying than ghosts. And a book doesn’t need to be full of gore to be scary; an author’s subtle descriptive writing can be the most terrifying of all.

Of course, there are the classic authors of horror and the supernatural, such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Alice Hoffman. These are probably the most well-known and frequently recommended at Halloween. But you can get your read on with a host of different fall vibes. 

With that in mind, here are some other authors to consider. 

If you like true crime, look for Maureen Callahan’s “American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st century.” I was surprised to not have heard the subject’s name before I read this book. Be warned; this one is intense and deeply disturbing.

If that’s too much, try a Gothic novel, featuring an overshadowing sense of foreboding. One of my favorites is “Rebecca” by Daphne Du Maurier. The more recently published “Mexican Gothic” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia features a main character who is smart, feisty, and funny. The novel is creepy in a way that makes you want to keep turning pages to find out what in the world is going on.

“Cackle” by Rachel Harrison is the story of a woman who leaves NYC to relocate to the country after a breakup. Strange, inexplicable things start happening after she meets the mysterious and beguiling neighbor named Sophie. Ralph steals the show in this one.

“Marion: A Novel” by Leah Rowan is a retelling of “Psycho,” the film by Alfred Hitchcock, based on the 1959 novel by Robert Bloch. In Rowan’s version, the woman in the shower fights back. It’s quirky, but with a healthy dose of feminist rage.

“Dèy: A Novel” by Edwidge Danticat is a brilliant and beautifully written story of daily life under the specter of violence. Magnolia is a real estate agent working in Miami. While going about a normal day of errands, she gets caught in the orbit of a violent act. The story unfolds as she tries to process her fear about the traumatic experience while carrying on as a mother, daughter, friend, and American. A finalist for the National Book Award, “Dèy” would make an excellent choice for a book group as it touches on a wide range of themes for discussion such as violence, safety, home, immigration, assimilation, gentrification, family, motherhood, mental illness, PTSD, gun control, and politics. The title is the Haitian Kreyòl word for mourning.

“Prophet Song” is the powerful Booker Prize winning novel by Paul Lynch. This one gave me vivid nightmares. Set in present day Ireland, the story describes a woman’s experience as she tries to protect her family while society around her descends into fascism.

Why do we love scary stories? Is it because we have the opportunity to face what frightens us safely, as an observer, witnessing a character struggle while keeping our fears at arm’s length and learning how the characters cope and persevere? In episode 431 of the “Professional Book Nerd’s” podcast, author Rachel Harrison says that as a person with anxiety she believes that reading horror stories or watching scary movies was a way to alleviate shame that she felt for being afraid of regular everyday things. It allowed her to inhabit worlds where monsters do exist. You can access that podcast and other author interviews from the Overdrive digital library on the WPL website.

Whether you like your seasonal reading dark or light, spooky or silly, no need to go all the way to Transylvania. Come to the library for a range of options. And our digital library is always open. Have a safe and happy Halloween!