Yes, it’s that time of year again: time to dress up and scare children!  Well, that’s not what Halloween’s all about but for me that always seems to be the highlight of the occasion.  Especially when they’re bratty children that put on a tough act.

My personal joys aside, here are some of the best books to read this Halloween (or anytime this year):

1.  The Newsflesh Trilogy by Mira Grant

No, I will never stop recommending this series.  I can’t recommend it highly enough, especially if you love zombie fiction.  Like The Walking Dead on TV (or the comics)?  World War Z?  Any sort of zombie fiction?  Then you’ll love these genre-savvy protagonists as they poke zombies, tackle sinister government organizations and rail against how impractical female formal wear is.  Or at least Georgia does.  Shaun doesn’t really care.

2.  The Curse of Malenfer Manor by Iain McChesney

I haven’t actually reviewed this one on my blog yet, but it’s an amazing take on the whole vengeful ghost trope.  Iain McChesney’s writing style is quite old-fashioned and fits in perfectly with the sort of gothic horror tale everyone knows and loves.  You’re going to love the characters as much as I did and by the end of the story you won’t be sure who the culprit is.

3.  Sharc by Paul Rudd

Miss the good ol’ days of 90s pulp fiction/action movies?  I do too.  That’s why my nostalgia kicked in when I read Sharc by Paul Rudd.  At no point does Paul Rudd even pretend to take this mega shark story seriously and that’s what makes it so much like the trashy action movies that I dearly love.  If you loved Jaws, James Bond or any sort of B-list action flick you’ll love Sharc.

4.  Zombie, Inc. by Christine Dougherty

Want some speculative fiction mixed in with that horror?  Messages about how scary the mixture of corporate greed and zombies would be?  Then Zombie, Inc. is absolutely the book for you.  I loved it because Christine Dougherty had such an unique twist on the whole evil corporation trope and because she put so much effort into world-building.  The characters were so-so but trust me when I say this is another book that’ll keep you up reading late.

5.  The Return Man by V. M. Zito

To keep the zombie ratio over my mandatory 50% (my costume to scare kids this year is a zombie, after all) I’m going to have to go out and recommend The Return Man.  It’s gory, graphic and tells such a raw, emotional and most importantly human tale of the zombie apocalypse.  If you have a stomach for Zito’s gore you’ll absolutely love this tale of zombies that doesn’t focus entirely on the zombies.  No, the characters Marco and Wu are the main focus and considering how three dimensional and sympathetic they are that’s how it should be.