What sends shivers down your spine when reading? Spooky houses, possessed clowns, ghosts, vampires… October is the month when all the things that go bump in the night come to the forefront. Slasher films are the rage nowadays, but I prefer gothic tales that focus on atmosphere and imagination more. I think my love of gothic stories started with THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The eerie setting and the questions surrounding the mystery Sherlock Holmes was there to solve kept me up late reading and it’s still a frequent re-read of mine. Over the years, I’ve discovered two main themes to the gothic tales I love- usually there’s either a spooky house or a paranormal element. One exception is THE RED CARNELIAN by Phyllis Whitney, which always makes my list of best all time stories. The image of the mannequins and the smell of pine- when you can still envision scenes over 35 years after reading a book, you know it’s a fabulous one! Another favorite of mine is REBECCA – the classic tale by Daphne du Maurier. Although there are no actual ghosts – the spirit of Maxim de Winter’s late wife Rebecca permeates…

Confession time: I’m a big ol’ scaredy-cat. I’ve been to one haunted house in my life and never want to go again, and I’ve been known to sleep with the lights on after seeing a trailer for a scary movie.  But I love Halloween. Weird, right?  I have been known to dip my toe in what I’m calling “spooky” reads, though. They aren’t really scary per se, but they definitely have an atmosphere. My #romancelandia pal, BandHerBooks, and I like to say we’re “pastel goths,” which I think just means we like skulls and cozy sweaters and idolize Morticia Addams, but that’s a topic for another blog post.  I gravitate toward spooky reads around this year especially, but my supernatural-lite obsession lasts year-round–does my skull soap dispenser stay in the powder room even if it’s weeks past October 31st? Yep. Do I wear all black pretty much every day? You bet. Will this lovely typewriter with a “heartwarming” message have permanent residence in my office? MOST DEFINITELY!  Here are a few spooky reads for the rest of the pastel goths out there–enjoy them at Halloween or whenever you want to do your best Lydia Deetz impression. . . *** THE…