Can’t believe I didn’t think of this first. This is, after all, a blog by a writer. Why on Earth am I just now thinking of the scariest books I’ve ever read?
Now, if you know anything about me, you know I’ve been reading horror for pretty much my entire life. I just recently had to give it up because of the profound effect it has on my mood. It’s had this effect since my teens, but I was way late coming to the realization that the only way to NOT feel that way (sad, depressed, and in some cases, suicidal – not sure why it would go to that extreme but yeah…) was to cut out the things that triggered the feelings. Hence, I don’t drink (much, if at all); I don’t watch or read horror, drama, or the news. I broke my addiction to Facebook and Twitter, and pretty much cut out anyone who didn’t inspire joy or peace of mind in my life.
All of that aside, I still have the fond memories that came from having read a well written book even though it may have left me in a less than stellar frame of mind. Here are nine of my favorite horror reads (in no particular order):
- The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
- The Shinning by Stephen King (and I’ll just apologize here, this list is chock full of Stephen King books, lol)
- The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe
- It by Stephen King
- Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi (don’t know what possessed me to read this…or The Exorcist for that matter, but I was in junior high school when I attempted both. UGH!)
- Whispers by Dean Koontz
- Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
- Night Shift by Stephen King (damn near every story in that collection scared me silly)
- Ghost Story by Peter Straub
There you have it, nine reads sure to shiver up your spine and keep you awake at night. (Hmph, The Exorcist had me avoiding sleep altogether, day or night, lol.)
Your turn – what page turners had you hiding under the covers?
Dana Ellington, MAPW 
Bentley Little – The Policy; His Father’s Son
Ohhh, an author I’ve not heard of. I’ll look ’em up. As usual, thanks for introducing me to some new stuff 🙂
I don’t read or watch scary stuff. I had to read the Poe story in school, but other than that all those books on your list make me scared just reading their titles. *shudder*
Not sure what it was that drew me to the weird and the horrific. Especially given how vivid my nightmares were normally. As I wrote, aside from the occasional classic movie, I’ve given up my horror for milder fare.