Fall brings with it many things, including: colder weather, sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes and Halloween.
When I think about Halloween, I think about candy, costumes and things that go bump in the night. I enjoy a book that scares the daylights out of me and today I’ll share with you some of my favourite creepy, spooky, freaky books.
• Bird Box by Josh Malerman: Something awful has wiped out most of the Earth’s population. No one knows for sure what it is but one glimpse at it and it can drive you violence. Malorie and her two children are survivors who, for the last five years, have taken refuge in an abandoned house on a river. But now, it is becoming too dangerous to stay so Malorie and the children decide to flee to a safer place. In order to survive the journey, she must make the 20-mile trip going down the river, blindfolded, surrounded by a danger she cannot see. It is a fantastic suspense thriller that reminds us that the scariest things are often unseen.
• The Three by Sara Lotz: The Three is one of the most interesting written books I have ever read. It is a fiction “non-fiction” book and incredibly captivating. The story revolves around the events of a single day. There are four simultaneous plane crashes, with only a total of three survivors, all of them children. The kids are named “The Three” by international press and, over time, they begin to exhibit disturbing behavioural problems for reasons that can’t be explained. The event causes massive upheaval and conjecture around the world; many even dub it the beginning of the apocalypse. As things spiral out of control, there is speculation about the children’s survival and whether or not it was miraculous. It is a stunning book that every step of the way will leave you questioning what the real truth is.
• The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey: Zombie stories are incredibly popular these days but The Girl With All The Gifts is the most unconventional zombie story you will ever read. Melanie loves school. She loves to learn and read and hear stories about the outside world. She even has a favourite teacher whom she looks up to and tells about all the things she wants to do and be when she grows up. But Melanie is not like other children. She is a zombie — an emotional and intelligent zombie who can learn and grow and feel. She lives in a government facility that houses all of the children who have been inflicted with the zombie disease. The story follows Melanie’s journey as she searches for love and acceptance and a greater understanding of who she is. It is a sensational thriller that is not to be missed.
• The Shining by Stephen King: This is one of my all-time favourite classics. Danny is a little boy with a very special psychic gift. His family moves to Colorado so his father can become the caretaker for the Overlook Hotel. The only problem is that the hotel is haunted and Danny’s gift is causing havoc. The Shining has stood the test of time and it has even been made into a movie that is considered one of the classic horror movies of all time. This is not a story for the faint of heart but it is one with many rewards.
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Mikaela Martens works at Port Coquitlam’s Terry Fox Library.
