My five favorite creepy books, just in time for Halloween:
We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson
The author of “The Lottery” brings her full powers to this book, in which an apparently innocuous beginning — two sisters living together — gradually gets terrifying. Also worth scaring yourself silly with is her book The Haunting of Hill House, particularly if you live in a large house with a staircase.
Witchlight, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
It’s not subtle, but Bradley’s story of a woman being haunted by herself is…well, is something Michele should never read. Animals get hurt. But it’s a skin-crawling page-turner.
Lily Dale, the True Story of the Town That Talks to the Dead, by Christine Wicker
Non-fiction exploration of an American town full of self-professed mediums and psychics. Also includes a history of the spiritual movement.
Coraline, by Neil Gaiman
Ever had that brief moment of panic, as a kid, when you thought maybe your parents had been replaced by something else? Live that moment for several chapters. You’d think Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book would be on this list, but actually I found Coraline much creepier.
An Enemy at Green Knowe, by L.M. Boston
Witchcraft and a drafty old house. This one is scary for little readers, but not too scary.
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