4 Recommended Reads for October

With Halloween fast approaching, I thought I'd share four appropriately themed reads for those of you who might want to spend October feeling suitably unsettled.

1. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

I first saw The a Woman in Black as a play when I was a teenager. I found it really scary so I didn't read the book until many years later. The book is about a young solicitor who is sent to wind up the affairs of a client who lived in Eel Marsh House, unaware of the tragic event which took place there. Before long, he begins to see a wasted young woman, dressed completely in black and soon learns why the locals are so reluctant to speak of her presence.  This book isn't about blood, guts or gore.  It's a proper ghost story; eerie and unsettling.  A perfect read for the autumn and winter nights ahead. 

2.  Prey by Graham Masterton

This one is definitely not for the faint hearted. I actually read this book over 10 years ago now but it's always stayed with me. A recently divorced man takes a job restoring an old 19th century orphanage. He begins hearing scratching noises in the attic and what ensues is the most terrifying story I've ever read. Masterton has a knack for being able to completely immerse the reader in the story. I couldn't put this book down when I read it but it still makes me shudder thinking of it. 

3.  The Small Hand by Susan Hill

No one tells a good old-fashioned ghost story like Susan Hill.  This one is about a bookseller who takes a wrong turn when returning from visiting a client.  He stumbles upon a old derelict house and is so curious he decides to explore.  Just as he starts to explore the house, he is aware of the sensation of a small, cold hand slipping into his hand (*shudders*).  This one isn't as scary as the two above but it's a bit creepy and also a nice short book which won't take up much time to read.  

4.  Blood Harvest by S J Bolton

S J Bolton is really a crime writer but the three books of hers that I've read so far have all had a sort of supernatural undertone to them which I really enjoy.  This one is about strange happenings in a village with various different things going on at the same time.  A psychologist is worried about one of her patients who believes her daughter is alive despite having died years earlier, the new vicar is made to feel very unwelcome and a young boy keeps seeing a girl playing alone in the churchyard.  Anything with churchyards is usually a bit spooky, in my opinion.  I would highly recommend this book or Sacrifice and Awakening by her also.  

Have you read any of these books? Do you intend to read any of them now?  I would love to know what you thought of them.