10 alternative books to horror to read this Halloween
If you're anything like me, reading or watching anything horror related is not the thing you want to do on Halloween.
It's not that I can't appreciate that horror is a good genre - because it's a fantastic genre (there's a reason why Stephen King is as successful as he is), but it's just really not my cup of tea.
Don't get me wrong, I have read and watched my fair share of horror, but spending my free time cringing and hiding behind my hands when I've paid £8 to either read or watch the thing is not my idea of something enjoyable.
Because of this, and because everywhere seems to have Halloween themed listicles around this Halloween, here is my top 10 books to read this Halloween that may be just as scary as horror books but in their own non-traditionally horrible way...
10. The Liar's Chair by Rebecca Whitney
I picked this book up in a WH Smiths travel store last year and I'm glad that I did. It's an honest and rather brutal book following a woman's descent into a dark marriage. If you like Gone Girl and the Girl on the Train and the Loving Husband then you will like this book!
9. You by Caroline Kepnes
In all fairness, this book may actually be on some of the Top 10 Horror Books to Read list because this is genuinely scary. It follows Joe, a bookseller with a dark hobby: stalking. This book is every young woman's fear. I think the fact that Caroline has dealt with such an important topic and in such an interesting way is amazing and this book should be on the school curriculum because stalking and sexual abuse is definitely not talked about enough at schools. The twist and the scariest part of this book though is that it is told from the stalker's perspective. If that isn't frightening and making you curious I don't know what is.
8. Maestra by L. S. Hilton
I literally just put this book down yesterday and all I can say is: fucking hell. What. A. Book. Word of warning: do not read this on the tube. This is one of the raunchiest books I've read since Fifty Shades (this makes Fifty Shades look like Twilight-level sexual detail) and it is quite embarrassing having to pretend not to be embarrassed and trying not to turn a deep beetroot colour without anybody noticing. This is on my list of alternative books to horror as the character Judith Rashleigh really is a rather horrible person and the twists and turns the book takes are rather horrible in their essence. I would thoroughly recommend this book though as it's one of the most beautiful (and slightly pretentious) books of our age - and one which talks about things we all really want to talk about. Also hats off to L. S. Hilton for writing such enchanting sex scenes - thank you for actually calling stuff what it is. I'm fed up of reading 'and then she put her hand on him'!
7. The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey
This book originally came out in 2014, but with a new film fast approaching this is definitely set to make a comeback. This book is a horror in my eyes though it's marketed as a dystopian thriller. There are zombies, which are described as hungries in the book and a group of people have to try and make it across England to the Beacon without getting bitten by them. But the twist at the end was the most horrible bit of all and TURN AWAY NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS......... it was so abrupt and brutal and was my favourite part of the novel. Unlike most zombie or apocalypse films which end with a sense of hope for the human race, this book ended without hope for the human race. It was a shocking stab to the gut, but it felt hopeful in its own sense because it didn't conform to what was usually expected of a book in its genre.
6. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Again, the word Jodi Picoult is not someone you would automatically associate with the horror genre. But this book turned my world around. It follows multiple perspectives after a young student goes into his American high school and shoots numerous people. It's frightening, not because this is not an unusual occurence in American society (though this is sickeningly terrifying in its own way). It's frightening because you see the persepective of the book who did it and why he was driven to do it - you sympathise with him and that is frightening because you don't want to feel that way for someone that has deliberately done something so horrific. This is an older book of Jodi's but the message still resonates today and so I would highly recommend adding this to your reading pile.
5. Gone by Michael Grant
You may be wondering why I have put a young adult novel on here... But Gone is quite a scary novel to read even when you're an adult. It begins in a Californian town from the perspective of Sam who is sitting in a class one day when his teacher just disappears. It transpires that everyone over the age of sixteen has disappeared and the children, in a very Lord of the Flies-esque way, are left to figure everything out for themselves. The concept was terrific and I became so enthralled in the series. But Cain, the aptly named villain of the books, was a rather terrifying part to the books, particularly when he grew a giant tentacle arm and adopted a number of people to join his posse. The concept of all adults disappearing and children left to fend for themselves is also rather frightening particular when you consider how the Lord of the Flies ended up...
4. The Grown Up by Gillian Flynn
I read this novella last summer and I absolutely adored it. It was creepy and melancholic and beautifully written, but it was weird man. And it was this weirdness that made it so rich and good. It follows a young woman who has based her career on being a fake-psychic and she is employed by a wife who fears that her stepson may hurt her. It's spooky and strange and unnerving and delicious.
3. I See You by Clare Mackintosh
After I read Clare Mackintosh's debut I Let You Go, I was already a massive fan. This book tipped me over the edge into being an even bigger fan than I thought possible. This book is everything you want from a female thriller. It's pacy and quick and full of twists. Zoe Walker, the main character, is relatable and you genuinely fear for her. The story follows her after she finds herself in the classified section of the newspaper. This changes to a different woman each day and a pattern begins to emerge when bad things begin happening to each woman. It kind of reminded me of You by Caroline Kepnes mixed with Final Destination (only A LOT better). I couldn't put this down and the horror not only stemmed from what the men connected to these photographs were willing to do but also SPOILER ALERT the fact that the master behind the plan to hurt these women was in fact a woman herself.
2. The Lovely Bones
This is my favourite book of ALL TIME. And don't get me started on Peter Jackson's embarrassment that was the film (that is a horror story in its own right). The reason that this book is on my list is because of the fragility of the family and the reality of the situation: a young girl being raped and murdered and her family have no idea where she is. The reaction and scattering of the family broke my heart and breaks my heart every time I read this book. I would implore you to read it if you haven't, but bring sellotape along to tape your heart back together.
1. Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
This HAD to make an appearance. Oh this book. THIS BOOK. It features more of J.Ks brilliance (and also my hometown which I was very pleased about). This is the third book in Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike series and for me it's the best book. It combines relationship led subplots with the main whodunnit plot taking the two main characters (Cormoran and Robin) on a chase around the entire country: from Melrose in Scotland to Market Harborough and Corby. It's addictive and bloody and unexpected and just pure brilliant. The horror lies in the number of girls that are dismembered and the fact that we have to wait so long for the next book WAAAAAA. But this is a truly excellent alternative to horror if you are looking for something to read this Halloween (though maybe read the first two before this one - they are just as enjoyable).