'TIS THE SEASON FOR A SPOOKY? What do you mean that's not how the song goes? Are you sure?



Last week was SUCH a rubbish week for me. Not only did I get locked out of posting on Instagram (and liking, following and commenting???) I was battling a wicked cold (which you guys know) AND just generally a grumpy Gus. THE GOOD NEWS IS, IT IS HALLOWEEN WEEK! And this week's TTT topic was a Halloween Freebie. 

Halloween Freebie had SO much potential. I found myself sipping pumpkin spice coffee (which, yes, is basically just coffee with cinnamon and nutmeg, and what about it?) and debating what classic kid Halloween film I wanted to watch tonight (it is between my holy trinity: Halloweentown, Teen Witch and Hocus Pocus; yesterday was Sabrina the Teenage Witch, the original film/backdoor pilot to the sitcom) and was SUPER CLOSE to being mildly creative.

Then, my brain hung up its ever-present "gone fishing" sign and peaced out on me. Which is totally normal but VERY annoying. So, I decided to just go with the classic approach: talk creepy novels. Bring out the spooky. Some of these novels I loved, some of these novels I felt differently towards. Some of these will be more apparently creepy than others, some will be merely chilling and spooky and atmospheric.

Which really needs no further explanation, right?

Happy Spooky Tuesday, kiddos. Mind the ghosts. 


Somewhere around my first year as an almost reader, my friend and I were at the local library when she suggested one of her favourite novels: Daddy's Little Girl. At the time, I was still only just getting into YA books, and I was a bit of a scaredy cat, so reading an adult thriller wasn't something I was initially keen on. Then, a few days after she recommended it, I started to dive into YA thrillers by Lois Duncan, and I developed a taste for a good scare/mystery. This novel DEFINITELY made an impression on me when I finished reading it. Next up is Horns, which I recommended last year and will continue to recommend it for various reasons.

Well, you had to know that Lois Duncan was going to pop up! I had a hard time deciding. Granted, this isn't my favourite by hers (Killing Mr. Griffin, Third Eyes, Locked in Time) but it's one that I actually experienced reading on Halloween so many years ago. Stranger With My Face is a lighter creep-fest, but creepy nonetheless. Last year I included the comic series it is based upon, this year I'm including the prequel to the television adaptation of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Season of the Witch. Because, uh, duh.

Although I had mixed feelings on Heartwood Box, I liked it and I didn't, it still felt like a crime not to include. It's still fresh on my mind, I suppose! Plus, it just fits the theme. The same thing can be said for what follows: Sawkill Girls. To be fair, they both DEFINITELY fit the bill when it comes to spooky reads.

Continuing my hop around, let's get to a couple of classics! Shirley Jackson did psychological horror and thrillers SO brilliantly and The Haunting of Hill House is proof of that. (I do think that We Have Always Lived in the Castle is my favourite by Jackson but this is a close second.) My dad is a HUGE reader. Even moreso, he has a collection of Stephen King novels and is the reason I recently started to read more by him. Carrie is definitely one of King's more iconic novels and reading it is TRULY an experience.

This one may be more subjective to the person but Baby Teeth gave me the creeps. Not blatantly so, but the kind that builds and burrows and takes you as a home. I gave it a lower rating (for me, anyways) but I still think it's a fantastic read for this time of year. As soon as I read it, I was like, okay, yeah, no, I'm never having children. Lastly, I recently read Our Kind of Cruelty and it was a really solid thriller. If you like You by Caroline Kepnes, you'll enjoy this one.