5 Reads for Halloween...

Every year or so, I write a list of Halloween books and/or movies that would be of use to you if you're like me and you're obsessed with everything spooky. Halloween is possibly my favourite time of the year because it's all about warm drinks, big jumpers and scary films. I've chosen something slightly different this year, I want to look at books from the last couple of years. We all know the classics but perhaps these five books have disappeared under your radar. Here they are with a short explanation of each. I'll link reviews where necessary...

5 Reads for Halloween

1. Diavola by Jennifer Thorne

Possibly one of the best books I have read this year. There is something truly spooky about this book. But alongside that we have a complex story about a family who doesn't appreciate one of their members. It really is quite the narrative about being the outcast or the black sheep - and you know how much I relate to 'black sheep' narratives. If you're interested in why it is one of the best books I've read this year then definitely read my review here.

2. The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim

I have to say out of many of the books I have read satirising body horror this one has to be one of the best of the decade. Monika Kim writes a book about initially, eating fish eyes as part of a cultural deal. But it moves on to the way in which the 'eyes' of human beings are definitely the 'best part'. If you know what I'm talking about then you know. Funny, dark and just plain gruesome in part, this novel makes for such an entertaining reading experience - I did not want to come out. I mean just check out my review of it - I loved the thing.

3. The Hotel by Daisy Johnson

I read this book when I was not feeling great and it's one of those horror books that kind of makes you feel a bit better after a while. I had borrowed it from the library and it turned out to be a connected anthology where each story has something to do with another. Stories like Clean and The Monster give us undertones and extended metaphors that we can explore in depth. I would call this sub-genre 'clever horror' because it's not just about realising its scary but realising that deep down, there is a comment about the way we live our lives beneath the surface. It's like staring at yourself in the mirror in the dark until the reflection becomes distorted. Here's the review if you're interested.

4. Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis

Cult filmmaking? Yes. Folklore? Yes. A female protagonist who has been mistreated by the men in her life? Yes. There is something deeply satisfying about this book - so much so that as I'm writing this I desperately want to read the book again. But it's a library book and so of course it's not there at this time of year. This book really made me smile because it's just so deep and intricate. You don't realise what's happening until the last moment and everything is connected. It's brilliant. It gets very 'Wicker Man' in there with the whole missing girl storyline and everything is not what it seems. Anyways, read the review if you feel like - I loved this book.

5. Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson

If you've read my poem Reading on the Veranda then this was the book I was reading. Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson is just fantastic. It's quite short but I read it at a bar on a veranda opposite some old stuff. It was hot and there were flowers everywhere and so it was perfect to read this kind of horror novel. Rosemary and Ash star in this folk horror mixed with tinges of hipster culture comments. There's a lot of satire to do with organic-this and organic-that. It has this undercurrent of dark humour whilst also remaining absolutely terrifying. Just read the review and you can find out for yourself why I enjoyed it so much.

Honourable Mentions

• Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose
• Who is the Liar by Laura Lee Bahr
• You Invited It In by Sarah Jules
• Bat Eater by Kylie Lee Baker
• Carrion Crow by Heather Parry

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this list of spooky books from recent times. I understand some of these are a few years' old now but they are still different to your usual requests of horror novels. I urge you to check them out - expanding your horror network is always good and can come in handy if you want something extra frightening for the spooky season.