Spooky Reads

It’s that time of year again. The leaves have mostly fallen, and Floridians are beginning to freeze to death in the 50-degree weather. Scented candles are multiplying by the thousands. Pumpkins, in various forms, have invaded even the most private corners of your life. And, most importantly, Halloween is right around the corner.

To celebrate the one holiday that never gives you a break from school, FM went to some local book stores and asked employees for extra-spooky reading recommendations. So, this year, take a break from the leather corsets at Heaven and Hell and plop yourself down under your coziest blanket with a cup of hot apple cider and a nice page-turner from the list below.

From Grolier’s Poetry:

“The Book of Nightmares” by Galway Kinell - A poet. Some bad dreams. A lot of really great reviews. ‘Nuff said.

“Spells” by Annie Finch - The author is a witch. Literally.

“The Book of Ephraim” by James Merrill - This poet is so good it’s like he’s channeling the spirit world. (If only I could do that for my Government paper.)

From the Million Year Picnic:

“Magic Trixie and the Dragon” by Jill Thompson - A sassy witch accidentally turns her little sister into a dragon and then loses her. As the Amazon Prime synopsis says, Trixie is “in quite a scaly situation!”

“Mary Scary” by Andrew Cosby and Troy Nixey - What do you do when you’re a kid with a spider permanently stuck to the top of your head? Read and find out!

“The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe - Not your standard comic book suggestion but a poem worth reading nonetheless.

From The Harvard Bookstore:

“A Delusion of Satan” by Frances Hill - An unflinchingly close look at the Salem Witch Trials: disturbing, creepy, and perfect for Halloween.

“The Caged Graves” by Dianne Salerni - Some graves are in a cage. Read it to find out more.

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving - You should probably know what this one is about by now. Still, it’s always a good read.

From the Coop:

“Something Wicked This Way Comes” by Ray Bradbury - As if circuses weren’t already messed up enough.

“The Unrest Cure and Other Short Stories” by Saki - Dig into these short horror stories that also satirize upper class sociey.

“Teatro Grottesco” by Thomas Ligotti- Twisted people, nasty demons, and small-town culture thrown into a blender and served up in some seriously colorful language.