Dear Reader,
I’m not necessarily a fan of Halloween (or modern-day horror) but I do like to curl up with an old-timey, classic, spine-chilling suspense story. I plucked seven books from my bookshelf that I think would make spooky (or just some good autumnal) reading for October.
Ghostly Tales: Spine-Chilling Stories of the Victorian Age is a collection of short stories by writers such as Robert Louis Stevenson, Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It’s an amazing collection of spooky Victorian short stories. Also, I love the beautiful edition.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling is not spooky in the traditional sense of the word, but it is oh so much fun to read in autumn.
The Ghost: A Cultural History by Susan Owens is nonfiction about the history of the ghost. The history begins with the first recorded ghost sighting in 1014 and ends in the 20th century. The book is geared toward British readers because the author explores how ghosts have played a role in Britain’s cultural life, but that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of reading it. The book features colourful illustrations, prints, and facsimiles of books and medieval texts. I truly enjoyed poring over each illustration. For me, the most interesting part of this book is the 19th-century section. It was lovely to be reacquainted with the ghosts of Dickens’s world and to read about how Victorians reinvented the ghost.
Eight Months on Ghazzah Street by Hilary Mantel is fiction, but based on Mantel’s real-life experience from when she joined her husband for his job in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The main character is Frances Shore. Frances quits her job to join her husband in Jeddah. Parts of the story are told through diary entries. It’s through the diary that the reader catches on that Frances is living an eery existence. Throughout the story, something terrible unfolds. It’s never blatantly stated what is happening and there is an ominous feeling hanging over the reader. I don’t want to give away the plot or ending (because the plot may give away the ending) but let’s just say that the brutal murder of Jemal Khashoggi is something that happens there over and over and over again. It’s a very spooky tale.
The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices by Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins is a hilarious account of when these two very good friends set out on a walking tour and then compiled their adventures into articles for periodicals, which is now in novella format. But I mention this book for Halloween reading because two ghost stories are embedded in their stories. And I surprised myself because the ghost stories brought a chill down my spine. (I scare easily.)
I cannot recommend The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski enough. Published in 1953, it takes place during the same year in England. The main character, Melanie, is convalescing from an illness. After she lays down on her chaise-longue for a nap, she wakes up in a different body and a different era. She feels disoriented and it takes her a while to realize she woke up as a Victorian and is imprisoned in someone else’s body. She can’t seem to figure out how to return to her body and her life. It’s terrifying and unsettling. If you’re going to read one book from this list, it should be this one.
Goblin Market and Other Poems by Christina Rossetti is spooky because reading the main poem, “Goblin Market”, reminds you of what few rights Victorian women had. Just the whisper of one word and their reputation could have been ruined. The poem is long and begins with the temptation to lure women into sin, “Morning and evening / Maids heard the goblins cry: / ‘Come buy, come buy: / Apples and quinces, / Lemons and oranges…” At least I interpret the fruit as sin, but I could be wrong. Either way, women not having any rights is spooky.
Also, every year The Bowery Boys release an episode of ghost stories. And they just released a new set of ghost stories based on true events. It’s funny how every year there are more ghost stories to share. Even the hosts were surprised that there were still new ghost stories to tell. I listened to the episode and the ghost stories are very good. All set in New York City.
Have a wonderful weekend! And a very happy (or spooky, whichever you prefer) Halloween!