October. 🍂 🍁
Crunchy leaves, pumpkins, scary-tales and spooky reads all wrapped up in a snuggly blanket….
Is there a better time to settle down with some suitably spine-chilling and eerie books than as the nights draw in and all hallow’s eve is just around the corner? But why do we read choose creepy books? What is it about them that makes us return to them in the darker months.
Why do we do it?
Reading has many documented health benefits – it helps us to feel empathy with the world around us. It keeps our heart healthy because it reduces our blood pressure. It also improves memory and focus. But, what about reading horror and thrillers?
Reading scary-tales can trigger your body’s fight or flight response and whilst this may not sound like an immediate positive, it gets the blood pumping and the synapses firing. Researchers at John Hopkins University have found that reading or watching stories of a creepy nature allow us to explore darker emotions and ideas within a protective framework. You can explore this framework further here.
Autumn is my favourite time of year and ‘spooktacular’ reads have to be my favourite loosely defined genre. So, with that in mind, I asked the rest of the Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature team and the Youth Advisory Board for their best October spooktacular reads.
Nottingham City of Literature recommendations:
The full list of recommendations are:
- Weyward by Emilia Hart
- Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree
- Hiding from the Light by Barbara Erskine
- The Haunting Season edited by Bridget Collins
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
- Apple and Knife by Intan Paramaditha
From the witchy to the cosy fantasy, we recommend settling in with any or all of these books but in particular, The Nottingham Horror Collective zines which you can find here. These come specially recommended by a member of the Youth Advisory Board. With their gorgeous tarot card inspired images and sinister stories, they offer readers a visual spooktacular delight that is perfect for the darker nights.
So select a story, close the curtains and, wait, was that a noise you just heard upstairs? It was the cat. It must have been the cat….
Michelle Leonforte is the Communications Manager at Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature and an avid reader of witchy, spooky, magic and myth-filled tales.