The Spooky Books Tag

Created by: Shelby Masako

Seen on: Pretty Purple Polka Dots

What goes bump in the night?: Name a book that has legitimately scared you while reading it.

Okay, so I’m not a horror fan, so I usually steer clear of anything creepy, which is why Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff kind of freaked me out. I won’t say what it was for spoiler reasons, but I was reading it late at night, on my own, and I ended up putting it down and walking away.

Anything remotely zombie-esque freaks me out.

Jack O’ Lanterns and Classic Costumes: A book you always reach for during Halloween time.

I don’t usually go for seasonal books, but I’ve picked up something in the The Bone Season series by Samantha Shannon now for two years in a row around Halloween.

Black Cats and Magic Mirrors: A book you love that is laced with superstition and/or magic.

The Wren Hunt by Mary Watson is based on Irish folklore and superstition. It’s easy to read, but you can see the beliefs creeping into every part of their lives.

Witch’s Brew: Favorite witch character in any book/series.

Witch is a very niche label and, although I read a lot of books with magic, a lot fewer actually have witches in them. I’m twisting the question slightly to answer with The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon because most of the magic wielders are “mages”, but Kalyba proudly takes on the label of witch. It’s not to say that she’s a good character or one that I particularly like, but I think her character and the discussion around the word witch is fascinating.

Ghouls and Ghosts: A book that still haunts you to this day (good or bad).

I don’t think about it a lot, but The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang is a book I only got through by laughing at how bad it was and yet I see people recommend to it all the time which…confuses me. Like, did I just read a different book? Because the premise does sound good, even when I think back to it, but the moments I remember are not good.

Haunted Graveyard: You’re all alone in a haunted graveyard, you get ONE book to give you comfort, which is it?

I mean, obviously Magyk by Angie Sage (or the whole Septimus Heap series if I can cheat and say that). It’s my comfort blanket book, one I can hear the audiobook being read aloud for.

The Undead: Favorite supernatural creatures to read about (i.e. vamps, zombies, werewolves, etc).

Mermaids aren’t really supernatural, are they? I don’t know if I’ve read about any other supernatural creatures (other than the Rephaim in TBS, but I’ve already mentioned those books), apart from jokingly reading Twilight and not enjoying The Beautiful.

In the dead of night: Pick a book with a black cover.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. A black cover, but also an autumnal story.

Trick or treat?

Treat, right? I mean, even in my reading, I always tend to go for books I know I’ll like.