One of my favorite authors started a new tradition last year. On Halloween in addition to all the normal festivities we can celebrate All Hallow's Read. As most of you know I love Halloween, I love scary stories and I love to read. All Hallow's Read is my new favorite holiday! I decided to include a list of some of my favorites that should be shared this holiday season. I cannot tell you how hard it was to limit to ten books. I know I cannot give everyone a book so I am posting a link to one of my favorite short stories the The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs. Enjoy and have a terrifying All Hallow's Read.

1. Gashleycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey

This is the quintessential primer for macabre. It follows the demise of little children alphabetically. Pair this with Gorey’s dreary drawings and you have a masterpiece!

2. Last Apprentice - Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

I downloaded this audiobook this summer from the Audiobook Community. I really enjoyed this creepy tale. Tom is the seventh son of a seventh son and is sent to apprentice with the Spook. His job is to contain the witches, ghouls beasties and boggarts. I actually held my breath a couple times. A great introduction to scary stories.

3. Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I absolutely loved this book. It is a story about a young boy named Nobody Owens, they call him Bod for short. Bod’s family is murdered and he alone escapes to the safety of a nearby graveyard where the resident ghosts decide to raise and protect the infant themselves. This book was not as scary as I assumed it would be given the story line. You can listen to the complete audiobook here, read by Neil Gaiman.

4. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

This book truly freaked me out! It scared me much more than it scared my daughter. As a child I loved the Narnia series, I was always searching for a “portal” to some fantastic magical world. Gaiman totally twists this! The world Coraline finds is far more sinister. My imagination was on overload. The Beldam totally made my hair stand on end.

5. Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Seriously, what can be creepier than a traveling carnival! When I first read this I slept with the lights on for a while. The Dust Witch still scares me, and Mr, Dark is just plain eerie.

6. Dracula by Bram Stoker

You cannot have a Halloween list with out Dracula. I think that everyone should read Dracula. Bram Stoker introduced us to the modern Vampire. Dracula does not sparkle and you most certainly will not find friendly vampires on these pages. I read this first when I was in 7^th grade and have re-read it many times it gets better each time.

7. Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

This book is downright spooky. People are disappearing in the small town of Cryer's Cross. I was not sure where this was going and was totally surprised when I got there. Freaky!

8. Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Hello! Zombies! Unconsecrated moaning at the fence reaching for you! This book had me hooked immediately I literally did not put this down until I finished! Read it!

9. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

This is a classic tale of Gothic Horror. A book you must read! This is a cautionary tale of the dangers of science. In today’s world with genetic research and the wonders that can be accomplished in a lab this book scares me more each time I read it and I think that also makes it timeless!. This is the granddaddy of monster stories and definitely a must at Halloween.