Five Unexpectedly Haunting Books You Should Read - Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten ( or however many I can come up with ; ) Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week there is a new theme, and this week the theme is spooky books.




I don't read very many "scary" books, so this one was tough for me! However, I think that there are definitely elements in books that are terrifying to me, just because they play into my own, sometimes ( almost all of the time ) irrational, fears. Here are five books that scared me - whether they were meant to be haunting or not! Click on the cover of the books to view the book on Amazon, or visit your local library to check these books out!

Behind Closed Doors
B.A. Paris 



This book seriously gave me the chills SO MANY TIMES. I was totally freaked out reading this. It feels so scary and real. Jack, a lawyer, and Grace, his doting wife, appear to be the perfect couple - but behind closed doors they are anything but. Grace, her neighbors and friends come to realize, is never alone. At every turn Jack is by her side, seemingly the perfect partner- but the reader comes to suspect fairly quickly that there is more to the story. "Behind Closed Doors" is terrifying in its possibilities- their story is all too real for many women. Beyond their abusive relationship, Jack's character just really gave me the creeps, so I think it would make a great Halloween read! Read my review here.

Feel like being spooked right now? Read a sample of the book here!

The Age of Miracles

Karen Walker

I'm not even sure that this book is meant to be scary, but it really freaked me out. "The Age of Miracles" follows 11-year-old Julia and her family who wake up one morning to discover that the rotation of the earth has unexpectedly begun to slow. This slowing causes days and nights to grow longer, gravity is also affected, and the environment becomes apocalyptic. Julia faces the struggles and confusion that come with getting older, and the new conditions make those discoveries that much more important and difficult. Books about this stage of an apocalypse freak me out because they feel so real and connected to our day to day life. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more books from this author.

Defending Jacob
William Landay


"Defending Jacob" follows the story of the Barber family after a tragedy strikes their community, a young boy is murdered in the park. Andy Barber, is an upstanding attorney who is shocked when his son, Jacob, is accused of the crime. While Andy believes in Jacob's innocence, as an parent would, the reader is left to wonder if perhaps the evidence suggests otherwise. This book is such a great thrill ride! nd for as many thrills as this book has, it had many creepy moments. It is unsettling to imagine anyone close to you might be capable of committing a terrible crime. I loved this book! Such a page turner!

Brain on Fire
 Susannah Cahalan

I was haunted for weeks after reading this terrifying and true story! "Bran on Fire" follows the story of Susannah Callahan, a young and talented journalist who is inexplicably incapacitated, seemingly overnight as she becomes violent and psychotic. Callahan and her family are in a race against time and medicine as they try to determine why this has happened to Susannah, and how to keep it from happening to someone else. This amazing book will also be a movie soon staring Chloe Grace Moretz and I can't wait!



What books have haunted you? Have you found a book particularly scary, even though it might not have intentionally been written to be haunting? Give me some recommendations below or let me know if you were scared by any of these books, too!