Halloween season is upon us and what better way to celebrate than to curl up in the dark with a good horror novel in your hands? I bet the shadowy figure in your room agrees …

If you ask anyone who knows me at all, they’ll tell you horror is my favorite genre. I love everything horror. Dreadful, slow burn horror. Campy, slasher, bloody horror. I love it all.

According to Joseph, a frequent library patron, “I use horror as a sort of a healthy release for those areas of my psyche that need it. I think horror is an incredible outlet for a great deal of people. For us, it scratches an itch that needs scratching. Definitely not for everyone, but it is something I love to have in common with someone. Most of us horror fans love to talk about it … endlessly.”

Here are a few of my favorites for all ages.

Adult
“Motherthing” by Ainslie Hogarth presents darkly comedic horror novel about Abby Lamb being haunted by her toxic mother-in-law’s ghost while trying to save her crumbling family.

“But Not Too Bold” by Hache Pueyo is a gothic, sapphic novella where Dália, a keykeeper, must survive her mistress’s deadly affection while unraveling the mystery of the Capricious House. Oh! And her mistress is an enormous humanoid spider. (I read this one for the Fraser Valley Library’s new Horror Book Club!)

Young Adult
“You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight” by Kalynn Bayron reads like a modern 80s slasher where a horror roleplay summer camp turns deadly, forcing Charity, our final girl, to survive Camp Mirror Lake and discover its dark past.

“Old Wounds” by Logan – Ashley Kisner is a queer horror thriller where two trans teens must survive a night of sacrifice, monsters, and buried emotional wounds in rural Kentucky.

Middle Grade
“Another” by Paul Trembley tells a terrifying story of a lonely boy’s eerie sleepover guest slowly replacing him, forcing a fight for family and self-worth.

“Hungry Bones” by Louise Hung is the story of a ghost trapped for 100 years and a girl who can see her. Together they must solve the mystery of the ghost’s life before hunger consumes them both.

Elementary
“Los Gatos Black on Halloween” by Marisa Montes concerns monsters who party on Halloween night until trick-or-treaters scare them away!

“The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt” by Reil Nason is about a quilted ghost who feels different; he’s not a sheet like every other ghost, but he discovers warmth and self-worth on Halloween night.

We live in a scarier world than a decade or two ago. While many may want to avoid horror, especially for their kids, there is plenty of research into why children (and adults) may enjoy leaning into the fear of a horror book.

Why? Reasons include lessons about facing your fears, giving kids “agency” to root for the hero, empowering children to handle difficult situations, and it can be fun. If it’s too much, you can always close the book.

Want to know more? Check out “5 Reasons Middle Grade Readers Want (And Deserve) Horror” by Highlights Foundation author Ally Malinenko.

Of course, if none of these titles scream at you or you’re an overachiever and have read them all, I encourage you to head over to our website or one of our branches for more horror recommendations. Happy Halloween!

Grand County library associate Rylee Bogert can be reached at rbogert@gcld.org