nut free nerd

In this series, I recommend five classics each month that remind me of that particular time of the year. Of course, there’s one word that automatically comes to mind when thinking about the month of October: spooky! What better way to ring in the Halloween season than by reading some spooky books? Here are my picks for this month:

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

A girl who breaks out of a mental asylum? An apparent ghost? A mystery that must be solved? This book has all the elements of an ideal spooky story, complete with an eerie Victorian setting. There’s also the added bonus of narrators whom you may or may not be able to trust. Wilkie Collins definitely keeps us on our toes!

My review | Classic Couple: The Woman in White and Gone Girl

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Ah, a classic spooky classic. Everything about this novel is dark and intense: the stormy moors, brooding Heathcliff, the emotional Catherines, and death that hangs over the entire scene like a shroud. This is the perfect book to read as the autumn air chills and nights get longer in October.

My review

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Are these children being haunted by a ghost? Or is this a case of child abuse being masked as a ghost story? Either way, it’s downright terrifying. I also love how this is a sort of story in a story, a narrative told to us as though we’re sitting around a fire with a group of old friends. Although short, The Turn of the Screw definitely packs a powerfully spooky punch.

Classic Couple: The Turn of the Screw and We Were Liars

Dracula by Bram Stoker

What would an October classics list be without this infamous novel? Dracula is a perfect book to get you in a spooky mood. And it’s not just the vampires that are unsettling: just look at the sexism in this novel! Look at that symbolism of vampires feeding on the blood of “pure,” “innocent” young women! There’s lots to discuss here, folks.

My review 

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Another Halloween classic that can’t be missed. I love reading these stereotypical Halloween classics because they give you a different perspective on what has been remade and redone so many times over the years.

My review | Classic Couple: Frankenstein and Jurassic Park

I hope you’ve enjoyed this classics guide for the month of October!

With books do you associate with the month of October? What do you think of the books I’ve mentioned? Which books would you add? Let me know in the comments section below!

Yours,

HOLLY