Feels Like Halloween - Books for the Spooky Season

By Independent Book Review

There's something spooky in the air.

The red & orange leaves. The brisk wind like ghosts moving through you. The squawks of circling crows overhead. The [redacted] lattes.

But I'm...happy?

Every year, the time comes to celebrate the spooky, the offbeat, the fun, the blood, the ghosts, the monsters, the werewolves, the weird. It's only October 2nd, but it feels like Halloween. I don't know why I've read more horror this year (have you?), but I'm damn sure glad I have.

Feelin spooky, or want to?

Read indie (or die). This book list includes the spine-chillingest horror stories, the smartly monstrous, and even the graphically pleasing stories for younger pumpkinheads.

Here are 5 books to float you into the spooky season.

Throwing Shadows: A Dark Collection

Jerry Roth

$11.99 $11.15

Try not getting into the "spirit" when holding this classically designed pulp horror book. The cover just screams (or screeches) the same spooky Halloween fears you're craving this time of year. Short stories mean you can spread it out through October, give yourself time to breathe.

Monstrilio

Gerardo Sámano Córdova

$27.00 $25.11

What is a monster? In this case, a lung taken from a dead son, fed soup broth, until it grows. And needs more. This one leans a bit more into the literary side than horror, but you'll never think the same way about monsters--or humans--again.

The Monsters in our Shadows

Edward J. Cembal

$19.99 $18.59

In one of our most recent STARRED reviews, Jadidsa Perez raved about this "hair-raising story about the struggle to accept your monstrous side, lest it consume you...[It's] one of the most riveting books I've ever read."

Maybe There Are Witches

Jude Atwood

$14.95 $13.90

I don't know what's more Halloween than a haunted house. Witches, maybe? This middle grade novel from Fitzroy Books is "a fantastical mystery that rewards readers with delightful misdirections and surprises...highly recommended for Halloween time!"

Sheets

Brenna Thummler

$14.99 $13.94

And let's round it out for the youngins! This bestselling ghostly graphic novel from Oni Press in Portland, OR is a real pleasure to flip through for you and your 9+ year old--from the gorgeous art to the themes on loneliness.