Halloween is filled with the spooky and terrifying, but there are some people who’d rather not watch a scary flick or read a horror novel! Because of this, I decided that we should compile a list of some great Halloween reads that aren’t scary, but have just the right amount of morbid and macabre to make your Halloween reading list a wonderful one. Take a seat, get your favorite cup of tea, and find a great new book!
1. Something Wicked This Way Comes – Ray Bradbury
This is one of my absolutely favorite books. I’ve read it several times. Something Wicked This Way Comes is the perfect October read, and it is perfect to read for either Halloween or as the temps start chilling towards autumn. Honestly, Bradbury is just a good read for Halloween or Fall. You should give him a try! A quick synopsis: It is October, and the cold winds start blowing. In the dead of night, an odd circus with an interesting carousel comes into town. The adventures that follow are quite intriguing and very fun. Since it is Ray Bradbury, you best believe there is a life lesson in this novel that everyone in the story learns.
Courtesy of Abe Books
2. Coraline – Neil Gaiman
I feel like everyone knows this book, but I keep finding new people who’ve never read it. Maybe you saw the film? Anywho, Coraline is a perfect Halloween read because it is wildly morbid and has Neil’s incredible and dark imagination woven throughout. It is a novella, so if you don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to reading, you might give this a shot! I really enjoyed it and want to read it again. It is definitely a book that will be on my kid’s shelf if I ever have a kid. 😛
Courtesy of Wikipedia
3. The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman
Again, NEIL GAIMAN. Seriously. If you haven’t read something by him, I might cry. He is my favorite living author. Well, The Graveyard Book is yet another morbid tale, but it isn’t near as scary as some of my favorite Halloween reads. It is a “parody” of The Jungle Book and is set in, well, a graveyard. It is a fun and easy book to read, which makes it the perfect book for a crisp Saturday afternoon. Silas is my favorite; ah Silas
Courtesy AbeBooks
4. The Forest of Hands and Teeth – Carrie Ryan
This YA series is one I heard of while working as a teen librarian, and it is one of the few zombie books I enjoy. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a pretty desolate read, with some Giver like qualities about it, which only adds to the zombie apocalypse theme. It isn’t a terrifying read, however, which makes it perfect for this list. I found it to be fun, adding enough suspense to my reads without making me stress out. It is an interesting take on the zombie trend, and it was just a fun read overall. The series is done similarly to The Giver series where the books in the series all showcase a different lead character going through the zombie apocalypse at roughly the same time.
Courtesy of AbeBooks
5. The Diviners – Libba Bray
This one falls more into slightly terrifying slightly not. It can be pretty creepy in parts but not quite to, let’s say, a Stephen King level. If you’ve never read anything by Libba Bray, you’re missing out! She writes some incredible books, my favorite being the Gemma Doyle series. The Diviners is a supernatural thriller set in 1920s New York City. The instant I saw that, I grabbed it up. I had a great time reading this, and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a great, non-scary Halloween read. Remember, it is a little more terrifying than some of the others I’m listing, but it isn’t an insanely scary horror book.
Courtesy of AbeBooks
6. Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children – Ransom Riggs
I just finished this! I feel like I might be the only one who hadn’t read it, but there might be others who haven’t given this book a shot yet. Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is a great book with just enough spookiness to be a perfect October and Halloween read, but not so much where you have to leave every light in your house on. What really made this book stand out from others is how Ransom Riggs blends his storytelling with old photographs. I really liked that, and it added quite a lot to the story. Plus, old photographs are always helpful when attempting to add a bit of the creepy factor to things.
Courtesy of AbeBooks
7. Witch Child – Celia Rees
Now, this Witch Child a fantasy read per se. It is more of a historical fiction novel, but I loved it and think the subject material goes well with Halloween and October. If you’ve never read any of Celia Rees’ historical fiction, you should. One of her most popular (and amazing) books is called Pirates! and it is definitely a fun read. Anywho, this particular novel is set in a small settlement outside of Salem, Mass. A young girl who has the gift of “healing” travels to the New World with a group of Puritans. Her gift is finally noticed, and it turns into a crazy storyline with several similarities to the Salem Witch Trials. It was a great read for any occasion, but it might just do well as an October read!
Courtesy of Fantastic Fiction
BONUS! Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
Who doesn’t like a bonus added to a blog?? Those are pretty nifty. So, here is my bonus book: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. This is another circus book, and I think those generally go well with Halloween and October, especially if they have a fantasy element. This story definitely has that, and it is a fun, gorgeous read. Everything is dark, mysterious, and has a Tim Burton feel to it, which I will always love. It takes place in what is known as the night circus, but it is really just a game ground for two competing magicians. It has an interesting flow, with a pretty great storyline. I highly suggest this for those looking for a semi-dark read as the days get shorter and the air turns colder.
Courtesy of AbeBooks
Welp! That’s that! I hope you enjoyed this list. Did you find any books that you plan on reading? Or have you read any of these? I’d love to hear! Psalso. What books would you add to this list?
I hope you all have a splendid Halloween and enjoy the best Halloween party ever here at the IGGPPC!
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I had been meaning to, but because of this post, I have finally added Something Wicked This Way Comes and Coraline to my to read list.
Books that I may add to this list are: Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice.
Frankenstein is on my classics post! That goes live Nov. 1 🙂
I’ve never read Let The Right One In. Is that more creepy read or one that doesn’t give a person the heebie-jeebies? My focus was more on non-scary for this post!
I’ve never read anything by Anne Rice. Might have to add her to my list. But Something Wicked This Way Comes is one of my favorite Bradbury stories. It was the first one I ever read by him, and I love it.
Hm… now that I think about it, Let the Right One In may not be suited to this list. Some of the scenes/themes are unsettling. The reason why I suggested it was because the main focus of the story is the relationship between Oskar and Eli, so it breaks up the more creepy moments. However, I completely forgot about a part in the novel that could be upsetting to some people. Whoops-a-daisy! Sorry about that.
Anyway, I look forward to reading your classics post!
The Graveyard Book is one of my favorites, particularly the Dance Macabre chapter!
Yes! Such a great book. I suggest it to so many people. Actually encouraged my mother-in-law to read it and she really enjoyed it. 🙂
I’m reading The Graveyard Book for the first time this month and am loving it so far! Gaiman for the win!
Oh! And The Diviner’s is delightful. What I enjoyed about The Diviners is that I wasn’t expecting it to be scary AT ALL but it had some definite creep factor in its favor.
Two that I read this month as part of my October reading challenge were The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo and In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters. Both were good chilling but not horror-ific material.
And anything by Daphne Du Maurier goes on my creepy but not too scary list (Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel especially) though they might be considered classics??
Yay! I’m glad you’re enjoying The Graveyard Book.
I’ll have to add those books to my “to-read” list. Thanks! And I recently bought Rebecca and am hoping to read it soon. Though, I might need to take a break from too many heavy books! 😛
Both The Graveyard Book and The Night Circus are books that I never would have picked out for myself to read. Had it not been for the IGGPPC Book Club and a Book Swap I probably wouldn’t have read them. However, I’m super glad that I did because I loved The Graveyard Book and The Night Circus. It’s awesome to see that they made your list.
As for some of your other nominations, thanks for making my “to read” list grow.
That’s great! I always enjoy adding to people’s “to-read” lists. 🙂
My sixth graders found Something Wicked This Way Comes to be kind of disturbing (or the movie at least). LOVE Ray Bradbury! 🙂
It’s been forever since I watched the film version! I saw it in high school, but haven’t been able to find a copy or anywhere on Netflix. The book might be a bit disturbing, though! Not anywhere near something like Lovecraft or King, however.
I still haven’t technically read The Graveyard Book, but I listened to it while driving to a fieldwork project and it was so so good. Especially since it was narrated by Neil Gaiman himself. And The Night Circus was amazing. Loved it.
I really wanted to like Miss Peregrine’s. I certainly didn’t hate it, but I wanted so much more from it.
It’s been a really really long time since I read it, but I remember really liking Witch of Blackbird Pond. And now that I have thought about it, I think it’ll be next on my to read list. 🙂
I count listening to audio books as reading a book. Audio books are great. I’ll have to check out The Graveyard Book in audio format! Very cool that Gaiman narrated it.
I’ve never read Witch of Blackbird Pond! I keep meaning to, but never do.
I haven’t read The Graveyard Book or The Night Circus yet but I have both and I am very excited to start them. Miss Peregrine’s is one of those books that I’ve picked up a million times and never got. I might just have to give it a try.
They are so great! I hope you enjoy them. 🙂
I can always support interesting, non-terrifying books! I have added a few to my list of must reads 🙂
Hurrah!
I would really love to read ALL of these books. I’ve seen the movie of Coraline though. The Forest of Hands and Teeth books gave me the heebie-jeebies though, lol. Zombies just plain terrify me though, so.. I guess I’m of the few who would probably die of fright if zombies were ever to really and truly manifest in real life…. O.O
I just finished the graveyard book! It was wonderful, but Gaiman has never disappointed me!
I picked up the Night Circus a few years ago at an airport, and finished it before my 4 hour flight was over. It is the most delightful and and enchanting book I have ever read!! I reread it all the time and always feel something new and my imagination conjures up new images every time!! It is my favorite book, ever.
The majority of these books I have read or I owned and are waiting to be read.
Night Circus is my absolute favorite.
I have picked up Something Wicked this Way Comes sooo many times and have yet to read pass the first few pages and I’m not sure why. Should I read Dandelion Wine first?
I actually haven’t read Dandelion Wine, so I don’t think you need to. If you already know what is in the first few pages, I’d suggest maybe skipping past those and trying again? 🙂