Top Ten Tuesday: Halloween Edition

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic: 
Scary Books I Read

The week is a Halloween freebie but even having it open to interpretation kind of stumped me. I'm not a Halloween person. I don't dress up, I don't watch scary movies, don't care for candy. So there's that. And I can't remember the last time I read a scary book. 

But... there was a time when I did read the occasional scary book. Whether it was one from childhood that spooked me (no matter how mild) or something years later that truly freaked me out, there have been a few. I couldn't even come up with ten, but here are eight scary picks that made an impression.


A Haunting Air, The Voice of the Dolls, Down a Dark Hall
As a kid, all three of these spooked me quite well.

Helter Skelter
Probably the only book to ever give me nightmares.

The Shining, It, Bag of Bones
Stephen King is the go-to for scary and I went through a period in the 80's/90's when I read a lot by him. 

Intensity
I read a lot by Koontz back in the 90's but it is Intensity that has always stayed with me. I almost had a heart attack reading this one.


Have you read any of these books?

48 comments

  1. Stephen King has written some great stuff, but I'm too scared of clowns to read It. :)

    My TTT.

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  2. I've watched all of the movies based on Stephen King's books and yet I've never read them. I don't even remember if I've read one by him (the size of the books always intimidate me) but I really do wanna read both The Shining and IT. Also high-five for the "don't care for candy" 😂

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    1. His books are definitely chunkers. I think It was about 1,100 pages. That's a real commitment to pick that one up!

      Yeah, I'm one of those weirdos born without a sweet tooth. LOL

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  3. I don't do anything too fancy for Halloween either, but I do love how very involved and excited people get about it! I've read a few of those King books, and those were super spooky!

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    1. It seems like King has switched more to speculative fiction in the last few year instead of horror, but the ones I read years ago were super scary!

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  4. I've seen adaptations of Stephen King's book, but I've never actually read them (maybe I gotta change that)

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    1. There have been some really good adaptations of his books. I thought The Shining and Misery were really well done. I still haven't seen the movie version of It, though.

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  5. I don't do Halloween either, but I do like scary movies if they have a good plot. Not just gore and killings. I do think real life stories can be scarier than fiction, because they actually happened! So I'm not surprised Helter Skelter gave you nightmares.

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    1. Real life can definitely be scarier! Reading Helter Skelter, knowing these people actually existed and the events really happened was absolutely chilling.

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  6. Great list! I'm not a fan of Stephen King's writing, but one of these days I need to at least watch The Shining. It's such a classic and I know barely anything about it.

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    1. It's been many, many years since I read anything by Stephen King but he had some that I really liked. The Stand, for example, was excellent. I've seen both the movie of The Shining and the tv adaptation and both were good but very, very different.

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  7. I have not. I used to get really freaked out by scary books but I've grown to like more of them. One of my favorites is Horns by Joe King.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. I feel like my husband read that one (Horns) but I've yet to read anything by Joe King.

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  8. I used to love Lois Duncan books! I used to read creepier books as a teenager, too.

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    1. Lois Duncan was one of my favorites when I was 12-14 (or thereabouts).

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  9. Helter Skelter didn't scare me so much and made me realize how crimes were solved and then prosecuted. https://pmprescott.blogspot.com/

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  10. Yeah, IT definitely made an impression on me too... It's one of the reasons I hate clowns and had nightmares for quite a while! I love halloween but I'll stick to the non-terrifying reads/movies.

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    1. I'm with you, Nicci. I guess I enjoyed those books at the time but now I have no desire to read/watch anything scary!

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  11. I can't read anything scary or by Stephen King lol

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    1. I don't anymore! I guess my tastes have changed over the years.

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  12. I can't say I've read any of these Tanya but love the retro covers, they always remind me of my childhood as well. We don't celebrate halloween, you would be hard pressed to find anyone who does in Australia really. I don't mind a thriller or even horror as long as it's young adult. I find them less gruesome and milder in terms of horror. I prefer to sleep at night 😂

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    1. I didn't realize that Halloween wasn't recognized/celebrated in Australia. I learned something new today!

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  13. You've got me beat with the number of scary books you've read, turns out I'm not really one for scary books. I don't mind a good mystery or thriller which builds tension but actual horror not really my jam. I do feel bad I've not read any Stephen King, though. I feel like I probably should just to say I've tried his books but there are so many other books to read!

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    1. It's been years and years since I read anything truly scary. All the ones I shared today were from 20+ years ago. Nowadays I'm all about the romance with an occasional mystery/thriller thrown in. :)

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  14. I have not read any Stephen King, but I have seen many of the adaptations, and those were scary. I remember reading a Lois Duncan book back in the day, and she wrote some really tense books too.

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    1. I went through quite the Stephen King phase many years ago and now I can't even contemplate reading something so scary! Lois Duncan was a total go-to author for me when I was a pre-teen/teen.

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  15. OMG Helter Skelter. My mother wouldn't let me read it but I did anyway and a kid REALLY should not read that book! lol I had nightmares for the longest time.

    As an adult, not much scares me but I remember reading Pet Semetary when I was around 18 and it creeped me out.

    Karen @ For What It's worth

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    1. I was probably in my early 20's when I read Helter Skelter and it scared me senseless. I can't imagine reading it as a kid!

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  16. I have never read King and I probably won't, I think his stuff would freak me out even though I have watched movies based on his books.

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    1. I think the books are always creepier/scarier than the movies. Your imagination runs wild with the book!

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  17. I read a LOT of Stephen King as a teenager - in recent years, not so much!

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    1. Same here, Angela. I was probably in my early/mid 20's when I went thru a big Stephen King phase. These days... no desire. :)

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  18. I’ve read those King books! Helter Skelter is high on my priority list. Manson was a creepy dude. I want to know more about him.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. He was creepy for sure. And fascinating in a bizarre way.

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  19. I used to enjoy scary books in my teens and early twenties, but now not so much. I enjoy paranormal, but when they step into full blown horror, I'm out. I'm a chicken!

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    1. Same here, Ali. I guess I used to enjoy the scare but not anymore. Paranormal is fun but nothing beyond that for me!

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  20. I always list Intensity as a really freaky book. I read it almost 20 years ago but it just sticks with you. I also almost lost my freaking heart in that one lol

    www.tbrandbeyond.com

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    1. Oh my gosh, yes! I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest reading Intensity!

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  21. I used to read Stephen King when I was very young and wild and fearless Tanya!!! LOL

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    1. You and me both, Sophie! I have no desire to do that to myself now. LOL

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  22. The only book on this list that I have read is It. I like horror but I can't say that I have ever been scared by a book. I think Helter Skelter would be scary though because it really happened. Great list!

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    1. Helter Skelter really shook me up. The fact that is was a recounting of the real events, and the trial, made 10X scarier than fiction.

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  23. Down a Dark Hall is SUCH an underrated book these days. I used to be so obsessed with Lois Duncan. Also, The Voice of Dolls' cover used to captivate me so much when I worked at my hometown's antique shop. We'd get all kinds of books in, any age, and I remember seeing that one at some point after my boss bought a lot of paperbacks at an estate sale. I was always curious by it, but those paperbacks sold quickly. Also, ah, Helter Skelter gave me nightmares too!

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    1. Yes it is! The book is so atmospheric. I haven't read it in many years but I'd be willing to bet it holds up pretty well. I read The Voice of The Dolls because at that time my mother and grandmother were reading tons of gothic-style romances, and Dorothy Eden had a lot of them back in the day. :)

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  24. I've not read any of these but my mom loves scary books and the Koontz and King books are some of her favorites.

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    1. It's been many years since I read anything by King or Koontz but I used to be so hooked on them.

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