Our Favorite Ghost Stories

There is nothing quite so fine as a tried and true ghost story -- one that sends shivers down the spine while you hide under the covers. It's especially fitting that Neil Gaiman, master of gothic horror, fantasy and fiction, will be at the Library's beautiful Stephen A. Schwarzman Building this Halloween, and although the event is sold out, you can catch it live online on October 31. Mr. Gaiman is the creator of All Hallow's Read, where people give each other scary books on Halloween. Here at the Library, we are great fans of this plan. So much so, that our librarians have shared their favorite scary tales below, an All Hallows Read book guide, if you will. There are recommendations for all genres: classics like Henry James' Turn of the Screw, the popular Salem's Lot by Stephen King, the dramatized The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, even non-fiction titles (yes, about ghosts!), plus a little ear candy courtesy from Little Orphant Annie, which is surprisingly frightening.