It’s that time again . . . it’s almost Halloween. Or for those who follow a slightly different calendar, Samhain, is nearly upon us. This is when the veil between the worlds thins and makes it easier for us to commune with the spirit world. (Are you feeling the spooky vibe yet?)

Are you looking for ghostly, eerie, witchy, creepy, spine-tingling reads this year?

Or even just a little non-frightening Halloween fun in book form?

I have some excellent book lists for all ages and fright levels. Nine lists . . . because nine is a magical number.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Through October 31 you can get Circle of Nine: Beltany for $1.99 on Kindle, Nook, iTunes, or wherever you like to shop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not-So-Scary Picture Books

I was gifted a copy of an adorable book by Wisconsin author K.M. Waldvogel. Three Little Ghosts has a fun twist with ghosts who decide not to scare trick-or-treaters on Halloween.

Add that to BookRiot’s list of “8 Halloween Picture Books for you and Your Little Goblin” and you’ll have plenty of reading to get your readers through the holiday.

Witchy Books for All Ages

From the much-loved picture book Room on the Broom to Roald Dahl’s Witches and onto titles like The Witch of Blackbird Pond and Practical Magic, my list of “13 Witchy Books for a Magical October” is still a winner.

Best Halloween Books for Kids

Also from BookRiot, for readers up to (and possibly) through middle grade, check out “26 of the Best Halloween Books for Kids (That Are Only Slightly Scary"). My favorite from this list is Miss Smith and the Haunted Library by Michael Garland.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Miss Smith's students know to expect the unexpected when she reads from her magical book. This time, Miss Smith takes her kids to the eerie library down the block and introduces them to the weird librarian, Virginia Creeper. But per usual, storytime is never ordinary when reading from Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook. And what starts out as a run-of-the-mill field trip soon becomes a full-out monster bash!

Three Lists From Goodreads:

Spooky Middle Grade Reads of 2018, Books That Gave Me Nightmares, and The Best Horror Books of the 21st Century

Goodreads is one of the best sites for book lists (curated by readers), and they don’t disappoint when it comes to all things creepy.  Spooky Middle Grade Reads of 2018 has twelve books with every variety of ghostly entity. 

I wholeheartedly concur with the Goodreads list: Books That Gave Me Nightmares

The first book on this list is Stephen King’s The Shining --- need I say more?

Goodreads also rounds up The Best Horror Books of the 21st Century with a very long list that could creep you out for a year or two, depending on how fast you read (or run) LOL.

New Books: 13 Fall 2018 Horror Novels

If you’re looking for books that are firmly in the horror genre, “Just in Time for Halloween: 13 Fall 2018 Horror Novels" has some chilling books, but the one that seems scariest to me is I am Behind You by John Ajvide Lindqvist. (Lindqvist is known as the Stephen King of Sweden, by the way.)

ABOUT THE BOOK: Four families wake up one morning in their trailer on an ordinary campsite. However, during the night something strange has happened. Everything outside the camping grounds has disappeared, and the world has been transformed into an endless expanse of grass. The sky is blue, but there is no sign of the sun; there are no trees, no flowers, no birds. And every radio plays nothing but the songs of sixties pop icon Peter Himmelstrand. As the holiday-makers try to come to terms with what has happened, they are forced to confront their deepest fears and secret desires. Past events that each of them has tried to bury rise to the surface and take on terrifying physical forms. Can any of them find a way back to reality?

Best Horror Books of 2018

(Gulp! Another Horror List.) Book Riot is back at it again with the Best Horror Books of 2018 to Read this Halloween Season

Just looking at the covers of some of these books gives me the creeps.

But there's more . . .

120 Books to Read for Halloween

And if that isn't enough, Bookbub has created “120 Books to Read for Halloween”. This list includes books with starring roles for ghosts, witches, vampires, murderers and more in the genres of true crime, thrillers, mystery, and horror. YIKES!

Have a hauntingly happy Halloween! – Valerie