The Westport Library Resource Guides: Spooky Reads: Adults

Classic Halloween Reads

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Four seekers arrive at the notoriously unfriendly Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. Hill House is gathering its powers--and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
When Jonathan Harker is summoned to Transylvania to finalize a property deal for the mysterious Count Dracula, he stumbles upon an ancient evil he is unprepared to face. When that evil escapes to England, the entire nation is suddenly under threat and only an aged vampire hunter, Professor Van Helsing, can put a stop to the bloodshed.
Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe
The melancholy, brilliance, passionate lyricism, and torment of Edgar Allen Poe are all well represented in this collection. Here, in one volume, are his masterpieces of mystery, terror, humor, and adventure.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Dr. Henry Jekyll is a well-known gentleman living in London. He seems perfectly normal--that is, until he wills his estate to Mr. Edward Hyde, a wicked figure who had assaulted a young girl. For a while, all is well, but then a witness sees Mr. Hyde commit a murder, and soon after Dr. Jekyll begins to act strangely.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Dr. Victor Frankenstein isolates himself from the world and spends his nights scrounging human body parts from graveyards. When he succeeds, Frankenstein is horrified by the ugly brutishness of the patchwork being he has brought to life. Rather than exult in his accomplishment, he runs from it. Now, the monster is out for revenge.

Spooky History

The In-Betweens by Mira Ptacin
They believed they would live forever. So begins Mira Ptacin's haunting account of the women of Camp Etna--a community in the woods of Maine that has, since 1876, played host to generations of Spiritualists and mediums dedicated to preserving the links between the mortal realm and the afterlife. Ptacin reveals how Spiritualism first blossomed into a national practice during the Civil War, yet continues- even thrives- to this day.
Ghostland by Colin Dickey
Dickey, piqued by a house hunt in LA that revealed derelict foreclosures and "zombie houses", embarks on a journey across the continental United States to decode and unpack the American history repressed in our most famous haunted places.
The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson
When Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally hacked to death in Fall River, Massachusetts, in August 1892, the arrest of the couple's younger daughter Lizzie turned the case into international news and her murder trial into a spectacle unparalleled in American history. Everyone had an opinion about Lizzie Borden- was she a cold-blooded murderess or an unjustly persecuted lady?
Ice Ghosts by Paul Watson
Ice Ghosts weaves together the epic story of the Lost Franklin Expedition of 1845--whose two ships and crew of 129 were lost to the Arctic ice--with the tale of the incredible discovery of the flagship's wreck in 2014.
Witchcraft by Jessica Hundley
Initiating readers in the fascinating and complex history of witchcraft, from the goddess mythologies of ancient cultures to the contemporary embrace of the craft by modern artists and activists, this expansive tome conjures up a breathtaking overview of an age-old tradition.

Foreboding Fiction

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Louise's parents have passed away, and she's returning to the small Southern town where she grew up to get their house ready to sell. It means she'll have to spend time with her younger brother-and their old grudges make that a terrifying prospect. But childhood hurts pale in comparison to the dangers posed by what still lives inside the house.
Happy Medium by Sarah Adler
A clever con woman must convince a skeptical, sexy farmer of his property's resident real-life ghost if she's to save them all from a fate worse than death.
The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias
Buried in debt due to his young daughter's illness, Mario reluctantly takes a job as a hitman, surprising himself with his proclivity for violence. After tragedy destroys the life he knew, Mario agrees to one final job: hijack a cartel's cash shipment before it reaches Mexico. But the path to reward or ruin is never as straight as it seems, and full of nighmarish encounters that defy explanation.
The London Séance Society by Sarah Penner
1873. At an abandoned château on the outskirts of Paris, a dark séance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D'Allaire. Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister's death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown. As the two team up to solve a murder, they begin to suspect that they are entangled in a crime themselves...
The Fifth Petal by Bruonia Barry
When a teenage boy dies suspiciously on Halloween night, Salem's chief of police, John Rafferty, wonders if there is a connection between his death and Salem's most notorious cold case, a triple homicide dubbed "The Goddess Murders," in which three young women, all descended from accused Salem witches, were slashed on Halloween night in 1989.

Haunted New England

Haunted Pubs of New England by Roxie J. Zwicker
The taverns of colonial New England were gathering places for Revolutionary Patriots, nerve centers for spreading vital news and sanctuaries for outlawed organizations. Perhaps inevitably, certain pubs bore witness to ghastly deeds and sorrowful tragedies. Some of them became tinged with the aura of the supernatural.
Ghost Hunters of New England by Alan Brown
New England abounds with unnerving ghost stories and spooky tales of haunted houses, hotels, and battlefields, but ghost lore is not nearly enough for the insatiably curious. Groups of ghost hunters like the members of Connecticut's "Skeleton Crew Paranormal Research Society" pack cameras, thermal scanners, tape recorders, and more in search of elusive proof of supernatural activity.
Graveyard : True Hauntings from an Old New England Cemetery by Ed and Lorraine Warren with Robert David Chase
Ghosts are always hungry, someone once said and no one knows how ravenous they really are more than Ed and Lorraine Warren, the world's most renowned paranormal investigators. For decades, Ed and Lorraine Warren hunted down the truth behind the most terrifying supernatural occurrences across the nation and brought back astonishing evidence of their encounters with the unquiet dead.
The Haunted House Diaries by William J. Hall
Nestled deep in Litchfield Hills, Connecticut, a 1790 farmhouse sits near the epicenter of a paranormal commotion. The family that resides there regularly encounters its own ancestors and strangers-human and non-human-who seemingly occupy the same physical space in our world while remaining in their own, parallel worlds.
American Ghost Stories by Michael A. Kozlowski
From séances to shiny graveyards, take a ghostly journey across the United States. Visit the highways and byways of the supernatural across the country and in each state in the union.

Legends and Lore

I Know What I Saw by Linda S. Godfrey
Monsters, folklore, and urban legend have long captured the popular imagination. While most people in America today relegate monsters to our imaginations, we continue to be fascinated by the unknown. In this well-researched book, Godfrey explores uncanny encounters with werewolves, goatmen, Bigfoot, and more.
Monster Hunters by Tea Krulos
Journalist Tea Krulos joins paranormal investigators in the field as they explore haunted houses, trek through creepy forests in search of Bigfoot, scan the skies for UFOs, and more. Along the way, he meets a diverse cast of characters--true believers, skeptics, and hoaxers--from the credible to the quirky.
Freaky Folklore by Darkness Prevails
Accompanied by illustrations of each beast, Freaky Folklore is your guide to the world’s most terrifying beings, from ancient times to today. Hosts from Eeriecast, the leading horror podcast network, present the most frightening—and entertaining—tales of these mysterious creatures, revealing everything you need to know.
The Secret History of Bigfoot by John O'Connor
Journalist and self-diagnosed skeptic John O'Connor is fascinated by Sasquatch. Curious to learn more, he embarks on a quest through the North American wilds in search of Bigfoot, its myth and meaning.
The Everything Ghost Hunting Book by Melissa Martin Ellis
Ghosthunter Melissa Martin Ellis takes readers on an exciting high-tech journey into the supernatural world of haunted sites, restless souls, and messages from beyond the grave. Readers explore technology like motion sensors and highly sensitive digital cameras, as well as the supernatural phenomena themselves.

Ghost Stories

Ghostly by Audrey Niffenegger
This is a unique and haunting anthology of some of the best ghost stories of all time. This book reveals the evolution of the ghost story genre with tales going back to the eighteenth century and into the modern era, ranging across styles from Gothic Horror to Victorian, with a particular bent toward stories about haunting--haunted children, animals, houses.
The Ghost Variations by Kevin Brockmeier
One hundred funny, poignant, scary, and thought-provoking ghost stories that explore all aspects of the afterlife. A spirit who appears in a law firm reliving the exact moment she lost her chance at love, a man haunted by the trees cut down to build his house, and more.
Echoes by Ellen Datlow
Everyone loves a good ghost story, especially Ellen Datlow--the most lauded editor in short works of supernatural suspense and dark fantasy. These twenty-nine stories span from the traditional to the eclectic, from the mainstream to the literary, from pure fantasy to the bizarrely supernatural.
Night Side of the River by Jeanette Winterson
In this collection, Jeanette Winterson turns her gaze to the realm of ghosts, interspersing her own encounters with the supernatural alongside hair-raising fictions. Lifting the veil between the living and the dead, Winterson spirits us away to locations like a haunted estate that ensnares a nomadic young couple in its own dark past and a staged immersive ghost tour gone awry.
Haunted Houses: Classic Stories of Doors That Should Never Be Opened
Classic haunted house ghost stories curated by world-renowned filmmaker and horror genre expert John Landis. This anthology features ghost stories that have enthralled, terrified and inspired readers decade after decade. Some are relatively well known; others are long-lost treasures, awaiting rediscovery.

Spooky Reads: Adults

Classic Halloween Reads

Spooky History

Foreboding Fiction

Haunted New England

Legends and Lore

Ghost Stories

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