At the risk of being black-listed by The Broke and the Bookish crowd, I’m admitting that I have no real interest in books about vampires. Or witches. Or anything para-normal. Yes, I did read the Twilight series (because I like a book with hype) and I did enjoy it but it hasn’t gone further than that. So I’m likely to fail miserably at this week’s top ten topic – Top Ten Books to Get in the Halloween Spirit.
So whilst there’s nothing terribly ghoulish or fitting for Halloween on my list, here’s the ten books that scared the pants off me (for all sorts of reasons) –
1. Room by Emma Donoghue – imaginative, original and terrifying.
2. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James – a real ghost story.
3. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold – I felt ill reading this book.
4. Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs – remember folks, this is a memoir, not fiction.
5. Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson – I never saw the twist coming…
6. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver – I know I include this book in lots of my top tens but it remains the most chilling and one of the most memorable books I’ve ever read.
7. The Dinner by Herman Koch – don’t read reviews that contain spoilers…
8. Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews – before everyone was getting their knickers in a twist about Twilight and The Hunger Games, there was this.
9. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer – I think it was the scariest in the series.
10. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Well Collins certainly knows how to write suspense – I read it in one sitting.
Great list! I still get a odd feeling just thinking about Flowers in the attic. feel free to check out mine…
http://asoutherngirlsbookshelf.blogspot.com/2012/10/top-ten-tuesdayhalloween-spirit.html
I read Flowers so long ago but think I will re-read to see how my feelings have changed – and to see if it is as ‘out there’ as I first thought.
Love your list. I’m also not much for the supernatural realm. So many great ones here. I’m actually too scared to read We need To Talk About Kevin though.
I read Kevin 8 or 9 years ago – still think about it ALL of the time. Haunting.
I totally forgot about The Lovely Bones, it’s a good Halloween read! Although I did pick a book with a similar theme, so I guess it counts ;). Great list!
My TTT
Lovely Bones was an amazing book but I think I’d be too scared to read it again!
Definitely agree with you there on The Lovely Bones. Awesome list! 😀
Here my Top 10
Have you seen the movie of Lovely Bones as well? Terrifying!
Ooh, the Turn of the Screw. Yep, that scared me too. And I don’t mean the book, but one of the BBC versions of it.
J’adore Happy Endings
Great list. Room is on my TBR list and The Hunger Games was one I mentioned for my top ten too.
My Top Ten Tuesday
Sabina @ Delirious About Books
great list, books that make you think are far more terrifying than supernatural beings because they get in your head and you start thinking about all the real things out there that can get you.
I agree!
Yes, The turn of the screw gave the creeps too. I had totally forgot Flowers in the attic, but it’s definitely a great book to get into Halloween spirit. It scared me a loooooooot. It’s a relief that it was ficition 😉
Awesome list! I loved Before I Go to Sleep – one of my favorite books from last year.
I read it before there was a lot of hype (and reviews with spoilers) so had no idea what would happen. It’s a book that’s begging to be made into a movie I reckon.
Running with Scissors was so disturbing – even more so as it is a memoir! I still remember the horror I felt at reading it, even though it must have been 5 or 6 years ago.
I LOVED We Need to Talk About Kevin – wow that book was an emotional rollercoaster.
Have you read any other Burroughs? ‘Dry’ was really good (his story as a recovering alcoholic).
These look great! I’m not a Twilight fan but the rest seem fun! I read THG and loved them!
My TTT
*GIVEAWAY*
Suspect I have mostly been seduced by the Twilight movies! Have only read the first in the Hunger Games series but will get to the others at some stage.
I had the same issue. I don’t read a lot in the scary “genre”. I read “We Need to Talk About Kevin” about a month ago and I will be thinking about it the rest of my life. Different kind of scary.
Different kind of scary and I reckon a ‘scarier’ kind of scary!
LOL. Great list anyway! Lovely Bones and Hunger Games are both great! 😀
Flowers in the Attic is a creepy book, for sure. Although Lovely Bones has some awful content to it, I really do love the depiction of heaven.
Thanks for posting Running with Scissors. I forgot that it’s on my to be read list.
Check out our TTT !
*New Follower
Krisha @ Inkk
When you read “Running with Scissors’, keep reminding yourself that IT’S REAL!
I loved Before I Go to Sleep and The Turn of the Screw (and would love to see Before I Go to Sleep made into a movie – I think the rights were optioned). I actually do like supernatural, but not much of what is popular today. Essentially, I like my creatures evil, not romantic. Despite my love of horror and gothic literature, I CANNOT watch horror movies – even previews – I’m too scared.
Even Stephen King books made into movies?!
Oh, I didn’t even think about ‘Kevin’! That is a horrible book – in a good way, of course.
And I think the list is great, it’s all about personal opinion after all. If it was strict, it would be all about horror books and that’s quite a specific genre =)
People often ask how I can include ‘Kevin’ as one of my favourite books – obviously it’s not an ‘enjoyable’ read but it is so powerful – I still think about it all of the time and I read it so many years ago – that’s the mark of a great book!
Oh goodness I hate scary books. The lovely bones was so good but it scared the living daylights out of me! But yay hunger games!
I read Lovely Bones as part of book group – probably wouldn’t have read it otherwise – too scary.
I love your list because I had to really stretch for some of mine (or went back to childhood or possible TBR books). I love that you included Room. It was indeed terrifying in a real sort of way.
I think the more ‘real’ the more terrifying.
Great list! I could not put Before I Go To Sleep down! Such a good book…The Lovely Bones made a frightening read, some of the detail was just…yeah, I totally hear you on the getting ill bit.
I barely ever read anything but contemporary, so I feel you. Anyway Lovely Bones was a scary book… I had it on my list for top ten books that scared the heck out of me 🙂 We Need to Talk About Kevin looks good, I’m looking into it!
Here’s My TTT