Besides the scary costumes and huge amounts of candy, Halloween is not complete without curling up and reading a spooky story. And you can’t go wrong with these selections, especially since they are free. Enjoy a good scare with these haunting classics:
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
Rediscover (or discover for the first time) why this “legend” is such a popular favorite during Halloween time.
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
Considered to be on the scariest Sherlock Holmes stories, The Hound of the Baskervilles will have you reaching for your nearest bed spread.
Lot No. 249 by Arthur Conan Doyle
With or without Holmes, Doyle knows how to bring the “creepy” factor and he doesn’t disappoint with this short story.
The Old Nurse’s Story by Elizabeth Gaskell
Think Gaskell was only known for industrial fiction, like North and South and Cranford? Gaskell also became very popular for her ghost stories, which were published in Charles Dickens’ magazine, Household Words. This story will spook you and entertain you at the same time!
The Dream Woman by Wilkie Collins
I fell in love with Collins’ writing when I read The Woman in White. If you haven’t gone mad for Collins, why not start with this short novella? Let the spookiness and its mysterious nature watch over you.
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
Even years after my first reading of this short story, it still both spooks and astounds me at the same time. There are not enough words to describe how great this is! A terrific read for this Halloween.
The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
No list is complete without a pick from the literary prince of darkness. Besides The Raven, this is one of my favorite works from Poe.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Read the book that started the science fiction genre! The power of this book does not get old on the first, the second or even on the third read.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The duplicitous side of the human mind make this classic book a perfect tale for Halloween.
The Doom of the Griffiths by Elizabeth Gaskell
This was a nice spin on an old Welsh legend. Gaskell is just such a great writer of moral stories. It just goes to show how deep the thirst for revenge can lead to a society’s destruction.
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