Halloween Guest Blog: Savita Kalhan picks her scariest reads and you could win a copy of The Long Weekend!

Product details:
Publisher: Andersen Press Ltd.
Release date: October 2nd 2008.
Ages: 12+

Sam knows that he and his friend Lloyd made a colossal mistake when they accepted the ride home. They have ended up in a dark mansion in the middle of nowhere with man who means to harm them. But Sam doesn't know how to get them out. They were trapped, then separated. Now they are alone. Will either of them get out alive? This gripping and hypnotic thriller will have you reading late into the night.

Happy Halloween! It’s great to be here!

My Top 5 Scariest Books

Okay, I’m going to be really honest and tell you that I am a big scaredy cat when it comes to reading horror. I’ve got worse as I’ve got older, I think, but I don’t know why! When I was in my teens I read a lot of horror. It used to scare me to death and I couldn’t sleep afterwards, but I read it anyway. I read Stephen King’s Carrie, and then everything else that Stephen King had written. I read Dennis Wheatley’s The Devil Rides Out and his other occult stories. I read William Blatty’s The Exorcist, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

I’m not sure how many of those I would re-read now! Not all scary books are horror books, or vampire books, books about the occult or other dark magics. When I was in my teens, I read The Collector by John Fowles, and the main character seriously creeped me out. Before that, I read Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews, which me and my younger sisters found really scary – but none of us could put it down! We had to read the whole series.

My present list of top scary books (in no particular order) –

The Silence of the Lambs – Thomas Harris

There is something about the cannibalism of Hannibal Lecter that makes me feel physically sick and to never want to leave the house.

The Exorcist – William Blatty

The ultimate story of possession in all its macabre, violent ugliness. Scary!

The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson

This has got to be one of the best ‘haunted house’ stories ever written. Not gory or bloody, but scary.

The Amityville Horror – Jay Anson

This is a very different ‘haunted house’ story to Shirley Jackson’s, but I found it really frightening. All the more so because it’s supposedly based on the experiences of a real family!

The Road – Cormac MacCarthy

I’ve just read Richard Matheson’s I am Legend, and almost put it as the fifth book in this list. But there was something about The Road that was very, very frightening. The book is so well written, so evocative of the bleak despair humanity has sunk to. There were a couple of scenes where I really felt scared. I really recommend it.

Dark Matter – Michelle Paver

Yes, I know I’m only allowed to name my top 5, but I’m sneaking this one in because I really loved it. It’s a ghost story, and if you haven’t read it then you’re in for a treat!

Here’s a link to a website run by librarians for all sorts of spooky, horror, ghost, vampire, zombie, monster books should you need ideas for Halloween reading... http://monsterlibrarian.com/horrorfictionlistya.htm

Okay, now it’s your turn – tell me your favourite scary books in the comments section. One lucky person is in line to win a copy of my book, The Long Weekend. 

Watch this trailer and see how creepy it is for yourselves!

Thanks for inviting me, Leanna. It was great fun!


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Thanks for the great guest post, Savita!

To enter to win a copy of The Long Weekend leave a comment and your email address letting Savita know your favourite scary reads! 
I will accept entries until November 3rd 2011.
Competition is open to EVERYONE!

COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED!
WINNER ANNOUNCED SOON!
You can still comment on the post, but you won't be entered into the giveaway.