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becke_davis
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Scary Mysteries and Halloween Books

Halloween is coming - what are your favorite scary mysteries or Halloween-themed books? I'll post a few to get us started!

 

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becke_davis
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Re: Scary Mysteries and Halloween Books

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Ryan_G
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Re: Scary Mysteries and Halloween Books

Thief of Always  

Once...  

"I am half sick of shadows" The Lady of Shalott

http://wordsmithonia.blogspot.com
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dhaupt
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Re: Scary Mysteries and Halloween Books

Wow Becke that's quite the collection

 

Here's a link from author Mary Sharratt's blog (she's our featured author at the General Fiction Book club this month) about Witchy October Reads

 

 

http://marysharratt.blogspot.com/2010/10/brief-history-of-enchantment-witchy.html

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becke_davis
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Re: Scary Mysteries and Halloween Books

 


dhaupt wrote:

Wow Becke that's quite the collection

 

Here's a link from author Mary Sharratt's blog (she's our featured author at the General Fiction Book club this month) about Witchy October Reads

 

 

http://marysharratt.blogspot.com/2010/10/brief-history-of-enchantment-witchy.html


 

Thanks for the link, Deb! I know this is a lot of books, but I'm sure I missed many, many others. 

 

I hope you'll all add your favorites, too!

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dulcinea3
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Re: Scary Mysteries and Halloween Books

I think you got them all, Becke! :smileytongue:

 

This is a fun book:

The Little Big Book of Chills & Thrills 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have had a large hardcover of this one since I was a kid, and it has always given me chills! 

Ghosts in Irish Houses  .  I love the illustrations by the author, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You beat me to my favorite horror novel, The Haunting of Hill House, so here is more by Shirley Jackson:

Shirley Jackson  .  This new edition seems to be a combination of Hill House and the following three books (all of the stories from The Lottery, but perhaps just some from Just an Ordinary Day):

 

Just an Ordinary Day  

We Have Always Lived in the Castle  

The Lottery  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently not available, but here are her other novels:

 

Hangsaman is based on a true case, and The Bird's Nest is about multiple personality.

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becke_davis
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Re: Scary Mysteries and Halloween Books

I love Shirley Jackson! I included some young adult books, since I still like to read those and many are as scary as any book for adults!

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becke_davis
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dulcinea3
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Re: Scary Mysteries and Halloween Books


becke_davis wrote:

I love Shirley Jackson! I included some young adult books, since I still like to read those and many are as scary as any book for adults!


And three of those last ones are actually the same covers I have!  Except that I have The Bird's Nest (and The Lottery short story collection) as part of this:

 

Life Among the Savages and Raising Demons are Erma Bombeck-like humorous accounts of Jackson's family life, so not scary, despite the titles!

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becke_davis
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Re: Scary Mysteries and Halloween Books

 


dulcinea3 wrote:

becke_davis wrote:

I love Shirley Jackson! I included some young adult books, since I still like to read those and many are as scary as any book for adults!


And three of those last ones are actually the same covers I have!  Except that I have The Bird's Nest (and The Lottery short story collection) as part of this:

 

Life Among the Savages and Raising Demons are Erma Bombeck-like humorous accounts of Jackson's family life, so not scary, despite the titles!


Those are great stories!

 

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Fricka
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Re: Scary Mysteries and Halloween Books

A few Halloween-themed books, becke?? Looks more like a library to me! i recognize a few personal favorites, and many books that I haven't read yet, but will go on my TBR list now. Thanks for the blog link, deb. i am going to check that out in more detail shortly. dulcinea, that book on Ghosts in Irish Houses book you presented looks tempting. And now, if the little men- who- shall- not -be- mentioned don't get to me, i am going to share some of my favorite Halloween books:

 

Sorry, lost the visual for Halloween Party(nomes-Gay at it again, apparently)

 

 

Halloween Party by Agatha Christie

When a little girl claims to have witnessed a murder at a Halloween party, her news is ignored as the fanciful rambling of an imaginative child--that is, until the little girl turns up dead! Hercule Poirot must unmask a murderer amongst the things that go bump in the night

 

This is a great book to read at Halloween. it also features Ariadne Oliver, who has invited Hercule Poirot to attend a Halloween party she is giving for neighborhood children. I've never thought about bobbing for apples the same way since I read this book!

 

2.

 

Agatha Raisin and the Haunted House by M.C. Beaton

Synopsis

Things That Go Bump In The Night...
Agatha Raisin, snug and warm in her Carsley cottage, has that same old feeling-boredom-until a report of a haunted house sends her and new neighbor, handsome Paul Chatterton, to investigate. Suddenly, middle-aged Agatha is aglow with romance and excitement.

But the glow fades fast. It turns out Paul is a cad. The victim of the haunting is a universally disliked old biddy. And the ghost is most likely someone playing a dirty trick. Then an old lady is soon found murdered. But never fear! For Agatha, solving a homicide is more fun than hunting a ghost. She quickly has a theory and a risky scheme. And she is about to make a startling discovery which can be her greatest triumph...or leave her heartbroken, in trouble with the police, and in danger of losing her reputation-or her life.

 

This is one of my favorite Agatha Raisin books. Not only has Beaton named her heroine after Dame Agatha, she has made her a sort of modern, love-lorn Miss Marple. i laughed myself silly reading the scene where Agatha R. and her male friend go at night to investigate what is happening in the old lady's house. Don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't read this book already, but if you like a bit of humor and irony in your mystery stories, you should find this book entertaining. Alas for Agatha, her romantic dreams don't turn out as she had planned(again!), but Sir Charles Fraith puts in an appearance and helps console Agatha at the end.



2.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.k. Rowling

Move over, Cinderella, because Harry Potter has his own magic on his side! And the saga of this bestselling sensation has woven some real-life magic of its own. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone has touched the imaginations of hundreds of thousands of people and shows no signs of slowing down. If you haven't already read it, we can assure you that it's certain to become a classic.

 

This is the book that started the whole series. I love chapter 10, appropriately titled "Halloween," as it contains references to a wonderful Halloween feast, and of course, the incident with the troll. For those of you who have small children or grandchildren, it would make a great story to read them right around Halloween. For those readers like me who are young at heart, it's also a great read. and full of Rowling's witty writing.

 

 

 

" A murder mystery is the normal recreation of the noble mind."--Sister Carol Anne O' Marie