It’s Halloween and what better way to spend the evening then cozying up with a book that is guaranteed to send shivers down your spine and make you leave the light on when you go to bed!

With the help of some of our favourite bloggers, we’ve complied a list of books sure to give you chills!

Alix’s Pick:

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Synopsis: The year is 1954. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his new -partner, Chuck Aule, have come to Shutter Island, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to investigate the disappearance of a patient. Multiple-murderess Rachel Solando is loose somewhere on this barren island, despite having been kept in a locked cell under constant surveillance. As a killer hurricane bears relentlessly down on them, a strange case takes on even darker, more sinister shades–with hints of radical experimentation, horrifying surgeries, and lethal countermoves made in the cause of a covert shadow war. No one is going to escape Shutter Island unscathed, because nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is remotely what it seems. (from Goodreads)

What makes it go bump in the night: This is books is CREEPY. Shutter Island is a noir thriller and leads you down one heck of a mind trip. The movie was popular and creep but let me tell you, the book is EVEN MORE SO! Lehane’s descriptions of the island is of a dark, rainy and gothic place. The characters all have something extra about them but what really made this book go “bump in the night” to me is the unreliable narrator as he plunges into the mysterious murder. Reality and isn’t become harder and harder to distinguish, there are twists and turns around every page. The deeper you get into the story, the more haunting the traumas of the main character get and affect you. More then once I had to set this book down. This is you usually “jumps at you” kind of creepy but rather the slow building one that haunt you when you turn off the lights and try to sleep.

Paola’s Pick:

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Synopsis: “A masterpiece of modern Gothic literature, Something Wicked This Way Comes is the memorable story of two boys, James Nightshade and William Halloway, and the evil that grips their small Midwestern town with the arrival of a “dark carnival” one Autumn midnight. How these two innocents, both age 13, save the souls of the town (as well as their own), makes for compelling reading on timeless themes. What would you do if your secret wishes could be granted by the mysterious ringmaster Mr. Dark? Bradbury excels in revealing the dark side that exists in us all, teaching us ultimately to celebrate the shadows rather than fear them. In many ways, this is a companion piece to his joyful, nostalgia-drenched Dandelion Wine, in which Bradbury presented us with one perfect summer as seen through the eyes of a 12-year-old. In Something Wicked This Way Comes, he deftly explores the fearsome delights of one perfectly terrifying, unforgettable autumn.” (from Goodreads).

Asti @ A Bookish Heart

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Synopsis:  Coraline is a story about a little girl who enters this alternative world where everything is similar to her regular life, but twisted in a very sinister way.  The most disturbing change is Coraline’s Other Mother and Other Father, who are copies of her real parents with one small change… They have buttons for their eyes.  And they want Coraline to stay in their world forever by sewing buttons into her own eyes.  Yikes!

What makes it go bump in the night: I definitely think this is the perfect book for Halloween.  Neil Gaiman is a terrific writer and this other twisted world he has created is so spooky and disturbing.  Combined with the illustrations, I do not know how anyone can read this book and feel slightly terrified!  Even better, it’s a short read being only 162 pages long.  You should have no problem reading it all during one frightful Halloween night!

Rinn @ Rinn Reads

Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin

Synopsis: When struggling riverboat captain Abner Marsh receives an offer of partnership from a wealthy aristocrat, he suspects something’s amiss. But when he meets the hauntingly pale, steely-eyed Joshua York, he is certain. For York doesn’t care that the icy winter of 1857 has wiped out all but one of Marsh’s dilapidated fleet. Nor does he care that he won’t earn back his investment in a decade. York has his own reasons for wanting to traverse the powerful Mississippi. And they are to be none of Marsh’s concern—no matter how bizarre, arbitrary, or capricious his actions may prove.

Marsh meant to turn down York’s offer. It was too full of secrets that spelled danger. But the promise of both gold and a grand new boat that could make history crushed his resolve—coupled with the terrible force of York’s mesmerizing gaze. Not until the maiden voyage of his new sidewheeler Fevre Dream would Marsh realize he had joined a mission both more sinister, and perhaps more noble, than his most fantastic nightmare…and mankind’s most impossible dream. Here is the spellbinding tale of a vampire’s quest to unite his race with humanity, of a garrulous riverman’s dream of immortality, and of the undying legends of the steamboat era and a majestic, ancient river. (From Goodreads)

What makes it go bump in the night: George R. R. Martin is a fantastic author, and his talent is not only limited to fantasy. This brilliant vampire novel, set on the Mississippi, chills and surprises, shocks and fascinates. He definitely has a talent for creating a diverse cast of well-rounded characters and keeping up the tension; the reader is never quite sure which turn Martin is going to take. So many vampire books these days have such similar plots and characters, but this one is something completely different, starting with the setting, steamboat-era Old Man River. If you’re looking for something a little more unusual this Halloween, then this dark novel of a steamboat captain and his mysterious new business partner is a perfect read. It’s also brilliant if you’re keen to sample some of George R. R. Martin’s writing without delving into the rather daunting series that is A Song of Ice and Fire.

Charlotte @ Gypsy Reviews

Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Synopsis: It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

What makes it go bump in the night: Ten is a fantastic Halloween read, it’s creepy, spooky and it has suspense. It will definitely give you the chills when you read it and try to figure out who is the killer. McNeil builds up the atmosphere so well and did a good job making the killer unpredictable because I definitely did not see it coming! If you’re looking for something that is mysterious and has a lot of suspense but not a lot of gore and blood, Ten is definitely what I would recommend.

Charlene @ Bookish Whimsy

The Monk by Matthew Lewis

Synopsis: ‘Few could sustain the glance of his eye, at once fiery and penetrating’
Savaged by critics for its supposed profanity and obscenity, and bought in large numbers by readers eager to see whether it lived up to its lurid reputation, The Monk became a succès de scandale when it was published in 1796 – not least because its author was a member of parliament and only twenty years old. It recounts the diabolical decline of Ambrosio, a Capuchin superior, who succumbs first to temptations offered by a young girl who has entered his monastery disguised as a boy, and continues his descent with increasingly depraved acts of sorcery, murder, incest and torture. Combining sensationalism with acute psychological insight, this masterpiece of Gothic fiction is a powerful exploration of how violent and erotic impulses can break through the barriers of social and moral restraint. (from Goodreads)

What makes it go bump in the night: This is one of the early Gothic novels and it pretty much has everything bad that can happen to anyone ever.  It’s a pretty shocking read actually when you think that this was written in 1796 (although it was written by a 19 year old boy, so maybe it makes sense?).  There is a wide cast of characters and many different plot threads that come together in the end which all involve a Monk’s downfall, murder, heresy, incest, rape, torture, and demons.  It’s just a crazy story with incredibly shocking twists that I couldn’t put down, but the main reason I submit this book as a spooky read is because of the ending.  I was totally creeped out by it, and I remember needing to find a friendly face after I finished to remind me that there is goodness in the world.  This book is addictive, but it has some of the most horrible things I have ever read.  It’s so good!  It should make you feel better to know that this is packaged as a morality tale, so remember that when you get to the end.  In fact, I dare anyone not to remember that when they get to the end!