Hello fellow readers,

With us being over halfway through the month of October, I wanted to share some spooky classic books with you all! Classics are a genre I feel like I have not been reading a lot of lately, but I will always appreciate the classics and their contribution to literature. So without further ado, here is a list of spooky classics you can read during the rest of October/Fall:

1. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: This is a great classic read! It revolves around a young woman who marries a mysterious man she meets in Italy, and then when she returns back to England to his estate, something does not seem right. It seems that his previous wife still has a hold on the estate and the staff, even though she is dead. I really liked the spooky element to this novel, and it was very fast paced and gripping!
2. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins: This is another creepy novel with a gothic feel to it. This novel has a sinister villain who is intent on stealing a young woman’s fortune by imprisoning her in an insane asylum. This addition of insanity into the novel was a fun twist, and I could picture myself immersed in this society.
3. The Lovecraft Compendium by H.P Lovecraft: this is a neat collection of short stories that are super sinister and creepy! Lovecraft is considered to be one of the contributing authors to the horror genre, which in itself is fascinating! I am not a huge fan of short stories, so for me personally this is one of my least favourites, but the writing is amazing and the stories are definitely spooky!
4. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: the concept of this novel is intriguing in the sense that it is about a young man who’s portrait is painted, and he sees the portrait age with all the evils he has committed, while he himself remains youthful. I thought that this book represented an interesting conversation about being vain, and the things people are willing to do to try to remain young. Wilde is a fantastic writer, and he created an iconic character!
5. The Hound of Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: this is one of the Sherlock Holmes novels and it was a really fun read. Holmes and Watson have a fun banter between the two, and it was cool to read an older mystery novel, especially one with a character that is as famous as Sherlock Holmes. The book is about a mystery on the moors of England, where there is a mysterious death! If you love mystery novels, then this is a classic novel you should pick up!
6. The Monk by Matthew Lewis: this book is full of superstition and eerie characters. The book takes place in a sinister monastery in Madrid where a nun has taken the habit thinking that her true love is dead, but then finds out he is alive! Another character is convinced to consort with the devil! I really liked all the creepy aspects to this book, and it does a good job of immersing you within the context of the story!
7. H.G. Wells Collection of Work: the edition that I have includes 5 of his novels. My favourite ones were the War of the Worlds and the Island of Doctor Moreau. Wells does a good job of setting up his stories and immersing the reader in the stories he sets up, especially since the novels are relatively short compared to your standard novel length.

What are some of your Spooky Classic Recommendations?

Happy Reading!