We are coming into October now and thus we are coming up on my all-time favorite holiday, Halloween. Because of that I have decided to share three books that I have read in the last year that should help you get in the mood for the holiday. Now I know that not everyone is as big of a fan of Halloween as me and my family are so I made sure to include a variety here that should still help set the mood without being over the top, so to speak. Hopefully you will find something to read that will help get you in the right frame of mind for this holiday.
The first book I want to suggest for this season is actually one that I only just recently read myself though I have also read it several times in the past as well. Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman is probably not something you would think would be a good book for this season but in many ways it really is. The book is technically women’s fiction but it also contains some pretty spooky elements at times and has that overall minorly spooky feel to it, especially in the later parts of the novel. It also deals with witches and ghosts which are also things typically associated with the spooky season and with Halloween. In my opinion this makes it perfectly suited for this time of year though I know that not everyone will agree with me. Another reason I suggested this particular book is that it is a great choice for this theme but it is also not overly spooky or outright horror like my other two choices are. That means it will be a potentially good choice for readers who don’t actually enjoy the horror genre, like myself. It has just the right blend of theme and content that make it suitable for this time of year without being so over the top that people won’t enjoy it. As a bonus there is also a pretty good movie based off of the book that you can also watch to help you get in the right mood for Halloween.
My second choice is an unusual one as it is part horror and part fictional biography. Dracul by Dacre Stoker and J. D. Barker is the fictional story of how Bram Stoker came into contact with vampires in general and Dracula in particular and how those events led him to later write Dracula. I know I could have suggested Dracula and it would have been a pretty good choice I decided to pick this one instead as it contains many of the same elements such as the vampires, death, and the general all around spookiness and gothic feel of the original. At the same time it mixes in historical fiction and memoir as it clearly tells the life story of Bram Stoker even if it adds fictional elements to it. It would definitely help enhance the general spookiness of the season without necessarily going overboard. This book does have a slightly more horror vibe to it than the previous book on my list but it also is not necessarily outright horror as it comes closer to the terror or suspense side of the spectrum. It is more intense than the previous book in many ways but not so intense that it will put readers off. Again a good book for the season and a great book to help celebrate Halloween.
My final book is probably the most intense of my three recommendations and definitely the one that comes closest to outright horror. How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold is basically exactly what the title implies. It is about a group of authors who are all trying to survive being placed into a scenario from a real-life horror story. While this story would help set the right spooky mood for Halloween with how intense it is it may not be the right choice for everyone which is also why I suggested other options as well. This particular story is both creepy and spooky, which are not necessarily the same thing, as well as being extremely intense in terms of horror at times. Because of this fact, this book is a great choice for readers who enjoy the horror genre and are looking for something to really help set the mood for the lead up to Halloween. At the same time I would recommend being careful about choosing it if you are not a fan of the horror genre due to how intense certain portions of it can be. Now I know I cannot say that I have recommended something for everyone but I think I have a pretty good blend of books here that should have something for almost everyone to help create a good spooky mood to help fit the season. Let me know what your favorite books are for Halloween and I hope everyone has a good holiday.