This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
It is Halloween week. If you can't be doing with the pumpkins, knocks on the door for treats or the tat in the shops (or maybe that's just me?) lock yourself in, turn your lights off (except for a small lamp) so no-one knocks and disturbs you and read one of these books recommended by the Novelicious Team.
1. Misery by Stephen King – He really is the King of Terror. But with Misery you won't find ghosts, zombies or anything supernatural to scare. Instead you'll find Annie Wilkes. A former nurse who saves the author, Paul Sheldon, from a car crash. Only she finds out he's killed off her favourite character. And is not happy. She's deeply unhappy. And Paul is about to find out exactly what she does when she's angry. The book is far more gruesome that the film – but even so Kathy Bates, as Annie, was terrifyingly brilliant.
2. The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer by Jennifer Lynch – Laura Palmer was the young girl murdered in the very first episode of Twin Peaks. This secret diary, like a prequel, describes her secret life and shows how she wasn't the sweet prom queen people thought she was.
3. It by Stephen King – It hides. In the sewers, in the storm drains. Waiting. Then suddenly reaching up and seizing, killing. (*Shivers*)
4. Bag of Bones by Stephen King – Mike Noonan is mourning the sudden death of his wife and subsequently develops writer's block. So he sets off to their holiday home where he meets Mattie and her 3 year old daughter. A ghost story with frightening characters – both alive and dead.
5. The Babysitter by R L Stine – A Young Adult Point Horror book. There is a baby sitter attacker doing the rounds. Jenny thinks she'll be fine, then starts to receive threatening phone calls…
6. The Collector by John Fowles – Frederick is a loner and unloved. He collects butterflies and enjoys photography. And is obsessed with one woman, Miranda. When he wins money on the pools he calmly kidnaps her.
7. Dolly by Susan Hill – A novella by Susan Hill, surely the ultimate supernatural fiction writer. An anxious and polite boy, Edward, is sent to live with his ageing aunt and her cruel housekeeper. His cousin, a wilful, spoilt girl, is sent to live with him soon after. When Leonora doesn't receive a dolly she asked for, she unleashes a rage. A rage that comes back to haunt them when they revisit some years later.
8. This House is Haunted by John Boyne – It is 1867. Eliza has arrived at a train station in Norfolk to take on the position of governess at Gaudlin Hall. Then she's pushed in front of a train. A passing doctor saves her so she continues, shaken, to the hall. And finds the children alone, with no adults around…
9. The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes – A mix of genres. A thriller combined with science fiction because in this case, the killer is able to travel through time, thanks to The House.
10. The Ocean at the End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman – Forty years ago the lodger stole the family car and committed suicide. This act has stirred up dark creatures and ancient powers that are best left undisturbed.