Tuesday 27 October 2015

Top 10 Ghost Stories

Top Ten Tuesdays is an original feature created by The Broke and The Bookish and you can find their page here. Since this week was a Halloween Freebie we decided to go for ghost stories. For some reason when I think of Halloween, ghosts are the first things that come to mind. They're the supernatural creature I'm most afraid of and the books I gravitate towards most often. So here are our choices.

The Turn of the Screw
1) The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Clare: Ann has chosen this as her next Classic to read. I believe this was the second Henry James story I ever read (the first being Daisy Miller) and it was the one that really convinced me to keep reading him. I didn't sleep at all after finishing this because I was convinced there were ghosts everywhere!

Haunting Violet
2) Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey
Clare: I read her Drake chronicles first and enjoyed them but I think she is far better at Historical fiction - particularly that involving ghosts! I wasn't especially scared by this but there was a definite atmosphere to the book.

The Haunting of Maddy Clare
3) The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James
Clare: Simone St. James is a recent discovery for me and I would include all of her books if I could but that seems like cheating. This is her first book so I chose this since they all scared me. I also love the historical details and the romances in these books.

The Uninvited
4) The Uninvited by Cat Winters
Clare: Another new discovery for me. This was less creepy (at least on the ghost side - the historical side is terrifying) but I really loved the atmosphere and the writing.

The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall
5) The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender
Clare: I didn't love the ending of this one but I did love the ghostly elements, especially at the beginning. 

Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, #1)
6) Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Clare: I never got around to reading the sequel because my local library didn't have a copy but I really liked this first book. I loved how dangerous the ghosts were.

The Name of the Star (Shades of London, #1)
7) The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Clare: I love this series and I can hardly wait for the next book. The ghosts in this are great but it's the ghost hunters who are really what I love about this series.

The Diviners (The Diviners, #1)
8) The Diviners by Libba Bray
Clare: Definitely on the side of the creepy. This was the first "scary" book I really read, I am an easily scared person so I tend to avoid them but I love this series. The books are really long but I always read them so fast because they are exciting. It kills me how long the wait for the next book will be!

The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co., #1)
9) The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Ann: This was an amazing book, I read the first chapter in school and asked by teacher if I could borrow the book so I could read the rest because I loved it. 

Texas Gothic (Goodnight Family #1)
10) Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Ann: Recently read this and really liked it. The ghosts were just the right amount of spooky without being too scary.


You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading 

12 comments:

  1. Great list! My mom used to read nothing but gothics, so I bet she could add a little to this list.

    Here's mine: Spoo-ooky Books!

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    1. I love gothics! Your mum clearly has good taste, although I don't know that I could ever stick to one genre! Thanks for visiting

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  2. The Uninvited was made into a movie right? Because I remember watching it.
    ADVANCE HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

    Here's mine I hope you check it out :) MY TOP TEN TUESDAY

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    1. The Uninvited was a movie I believe although not a movie adaptation of this book! I would love to see one though and I just looked up the Uninvited movie and it looks distinctly creepy! Thanks for visiting and Happy Halloween!!

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  3. Really looking forward to The Uninvited!

    Check out my TTT and my Halloween Giveaway.

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    1. It's definitely one of my favourite books this year, I hope you enjoy it as well! Thanks for visiting

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  4. I loved Texas Gothic when I read it. I just got The Name of the Star from my library's Overdrive system this past weekend. Great list and thanks for sharing!

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    1. I really enjoyed Texas Gothic! The main characters relationship with Ben was so funny. They did not stop arguing with each other. Thanks for visiting!

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  5. I'm gonna have to check out The Haunting of Maddy Clare - looks great! My TTT

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    1. It was! I definitely recommend all her books! Can hardly wait for her next one in April! Thanks for visiting!

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  6. Anna Dressed in Blood was really good. And I have found 3 new books to add to my tbr :) Maybe for next year. Happy Reading!

    Jamie @ Vailia’s Page Turner .

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    1. I am glad you added new books to your TBR! And Yes it was, so good. I really wish I could get around to reading book 2 some time!

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