Horror & Terror Reads for Halloween

Article Date
October 29, 2019

It's that time of the year again when busting out those spooky, terror reads just feels right. So, that calls for the all-important question: What is the scariest book that you have ever read? A really good book that scares you does not have to be a fiction book. For example, our Collections & Acquisitions Librarian, Romeo Rosales, stated, "The scariest book that I have ever read was a book titled The Road Out of Hell by Anthony Flacco. This book was truly horrifying and disturbing. And the craziest part of it all is that the book is true crime! It is not a fictional story." Sometimes, the scariest books are those that tell the real-life stories of crimes and events that have you saying, "THAT CAN'T BE REAL!" 

What is the Scariest Book That You Have Ever Read?

We asked our other librarians what the scariest book they have ever read was, and this is what they had to say:

Alena Engstrom, Youth Services Librarian: I’d have to go with Pet Sematary by Stephen King. I read this novel ten years ago and it’s stuck with me ever since. Horror isn’t my favorite genre, but the story was enthralling and the descriptions of the reanimated corpses and their raspy voices still haunt me!

Elizabeth McArthur, Digital Equity & Strategic Technologies Librarian: One of the scariest books I’ve ever read is Dracul. It’s a historical thriller, with a distinct emphasis on gothic horror and is a prequel to the 1897 novel Dracula, by Bram Stoker. It’s actually co-written by Stoker’s great-grandnephew. I don’t usually read horror, but this one pulled me in despite some extreme creepiness. 

Maybe horror and true crime are not your niche. That is okay. But if you have ever considered reading one heck of a scary book, we also recommend these titles from cloudLibrary and BiblioBoard:

We hope that each of you has a fun and safe Halloween and we hope that you enjoy our scary book recommendations! Happy reading!!