It’s more than three months till Halloween, but that does not mean I can’t indulge in a little of the dark and the twisted.

Because after all, as my long time readers already know, I am a big fan of the macabre.

So, hide under your blankets, pull out a flashlight, and fear for your life, because this is a smattering of my favorite horror novels!

“The Devouring” by Simon Holt

• Why I Love It: Honestly, the premise alone was enough to get me. A race of creatures that fill up a person, and banish them to fear dreams? Symbolic fear dreams no less? Sold. Bring me that book now. Throughout, there’s just this feeling that the author threw every dark thing he had into the story, creating imagery that seems like a mix between Alice In Wonderland and A Nightmare On Elm Street.  
• Favorite Quote: “…No one can see it, the life they stole, your body’s here but not your soul….”
• Read This If You Like: Disturbing imagery, and creative monsters.

“Carrie” by Stephen King

• Why I Love It: If I think about it logically, I can’t actually come up with a good reason why I like this book so much. Almost all of the characters are truly awful people, and the premise is fairly standard. But I suppose that’s a testament to how good Stephen King is as a writer. The story is like watching a train barrel towards a car. You know what’s going to happen, but still you sit and wait for the spectacle. The bloody, explosive spectacle.
• Favorite Quote:  “What none of them knew, of course, was that Carrie White was telekinetic.”
• Read This If You Like: One of the most famous endings in pop culture.

“One Day At Horrorland” by R.L. Stine

• Why I Love It: Not so much scary as it is fun. Horrorland is essentially what you’d get if you gave a 10-year-old child who likes scary movies free rein to create a theme park. All of the Goosebumps books are child friendly fear fests (try saying that five times fast) and this is my favorite one of the bunch. It gave a young me exactly what I wanted, without scarring me for life. And even now, I still look at it with nostalgia glasses, and give an evil smirk.
• Favorite Quote: “As we entered the gates of HorrorLand we had no idea that, in less than an hour, we would all be lying in our coffins.”
• Read This If You Like: Spooky fun, and a trip down nostalgia lane.

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Special thanks to: Collin Pearman, Dylan Alexander, Jerry Banfield, Michael The Comic Nerd, Pulsatilla Pratensis, and Zeony.

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