It’s October, and that means it’s a Fright-Fest at CA Library! Haunted houses, creepy clubs, macabre mysteries and more make up some of the best horror stories the library has to offer — available as books and audiobooks! Check out these terrifying tales…
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White — The events of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein unfold from the perspective of Elizabeth Lavenza, who is adopted as a child by the Frankenstein’s as a companion for their volatile son Victor. “Fans of psychological horror will luxuriate in the familiar feel of the timeless story and thrill at its unexpected twists” (Publishers Weekly). Get the Audiobook
The Haunted by Danielle Vega — To evade her manipulative ex-boyfriend, sixteen-year-old Hendricks’ family moves to small-town New York, where she joins the popular crowd, but only her outcast neighbor, Eddie, can help chase vindictive ghosts from her new house. “A gently horrid reminder that some ghosts can be very real” (Kirkus Reviews). Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
Horrid by Katrina Leno — Following her father’s sudden death, Jane North-Robinson and her mother are forced to move to the old North house in Maine, where Jane uncovers her family’s disturbing secrets. “Leno blends Agatha Christie and Shirley Jackson for a narrative that ranges from unsettling to genuinely terrifying. A sudden ending will leave readers gasping” (Booklist). Get the Audiobook
The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky — Scholarship student Rachel keeps to herself at Manchester Prep, preferring the company of horror films to trust fund babies. When a prank puts her on the radar of a mysterious student society, The Mary Shelley Club, they subject her to a number of escalating Fear Tests which eventually puts them on the radar of a serial killer. “An atmospheric page-turner about loving scary movies, longing to belong, and uncovering the many masks people wear” (Booklist). Get the Audiobook
Our Last Echoes by Kate Alice Marshall — Sophia’s earliest memory is of drowning. She remembers the darkness of the salt water, and hands pulling her back to safety. But that memory is impossible — she’s never been to the ocean. But then Sophia gets a mysterious call about an island named Bitter Rock, and learns that she and her mother were there fifteen years ago — and her mother never returned. “Atmospheric writing and an abundance of genuine chills distinguish this spine-tingling work of existential horror” (Publishers Weekly). Get the Audiobook
Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand — Three girls’ stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires. Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight…until now. “There is a feminist message in the way the girls refuse to be manipulated by those with ulterior motives, banding together to fight the monster. If you are looking for something to scare you awake at night, this is the book for you” (Kirkus Reviews). Get the Audiobook
Seven Dirty Secrets by Natalie D. Richards — On her eighteenth birthday, Cleo is given clues for a mysterious scavenger hunt that sends her around Columbus, Ohio, and through her past relationship with Declan, who drowned on a group rafting trip the previous year. “Richards’ (Five Total Strangers) knack for blending exciting, nail-biting plots with realistic and engaging characters results in yet another riveting page-turner” (Booklist). Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass — When a murderous ghost begins to haunt sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston, high school soon becomes a different kind of survival game. “Jake’s experiences supply crucial social commentary and insight into the ways discrimination can isolate and depress teens. Spooky, atmospheric, and layered” (Kirkus Reviews). Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour — Newly graduated from high school, Mila has aged out of the foster care system. So when she’s offered a teaching job and a place to live on an isolated part of the Northern California coast, she immediately accepts. The farm is a refuge, but it’s also haunted by the past. And Mila’s own memories are starting to rise to the surface. “LaCour…maintains an eerie, otherworldly atmosphere while keeping her heroine’s journey through trauma grounded and true. A painfully compelling gem from a masterful creator” (Booklist). Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins — When two girls go backpacking deep in the woods of the Pisgah National Forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains, things go very wrong when they cross paths with a serial killer. “Perkins doesn’t linger on gratuitous gore, focusing instead on establishing tension and emotion in this rapidly paced dark thriller” (Publishers Weekly). Get the Audiobook
