Every year when October rolls around, I have the urge to dig into a cozy thriller with a mug of hot coffee during a dark and ominous thunderstorm. Whether you celebrate Halloween, Día de Muertos, or Samhain—or whether the darker nights and dying leaves simply bring out your inner goth—check out these frightful finds from the Perkins stacks.
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Spooky science
I would be remiss as a science librarian if I didn’t begin this collection of scary reads with some spooky science. From parasites to pathogens to cryptids, check out these books from our collection.
All the Living and the Dead takes readers behind the scenes of the jobs most of us rarely think about: those centered around death. Through conversations with embalmers, funeral directors, crime scene cleaners, and others, Campbell offers a thoughtful and surprisingly engaging look at the people who help us navigate life’s final chapter.
People, Parasites, and Plowshares turns some of nature’s creepiest creatures into fascinating subjects. Blending science, history, and storytelling, this book explores how parasites survive, how they shape human health, and why studying them may hold the key to future medical breakthroughs.
Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues offers a fresh look at world history by putting disease—not people—at the center of the story. From the fall of empires to the rise of religions and modern societies, Kennedy shows how a handful of devastating outbreaks changed the course of history in ways that are both surprising and fascinating.
The Demon in the Freezer is a gripping true story that explores the lingering threat of smallpox and the rise of bioterrorism in the wake of the 2001 anthrax attacks. Blending science, history, and suspense, Preston shows how one of humanity’s deadliest diseases continues to shape global security, making for a fascinating read that feels more like a thriller than nonfiction.
Black Death at the Golden Gate brings to life the little-known story of San Francisco’s bubonic plague outbreak in the early 1900s and the determined scientists who fought to stop it. This book explores how politics, racism, and public health collided during a pivotal moment in American history, creating a compelling read that’s as relevant today as it is fascinating.
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers takes a funny, fascinating, and surprisingly heartfelt look at what happens to our bodies after we die. With her signature blend of curiosity and humor, Roach explores the many ways cadavers have advanced medicine, science, and even public safety, turning a topic that might seem unsettling into an entertaining and eye-opening read.
Morbidly Curious: A Scientist Explains Why We Can’t Look Away dives into the psychology behind our fascination with horror, true crime, disasters, and all things macabre. Drawing on research from psychology, evolution, and anthropology, Scrivner explores why our attraction to the darker side of life may actually be a useful survival instinct.
Rise of the Zombie Bugs: The Surprising Science of Parasitic Mind-Control explores one of nature’s strangest phenomena: parasites that can hijack the minds of their hosts. From fungi that turn ants into “zombies” to wasps and worms that manipulate insects for their own survival, Weisberger combines cutting-edge science with fascinating storytelling to reveal the bizarre world of parasitic mind control.
Spine-chilling stories
If you prefer imaginary scary scenarios, check out this assortment of short stories, film and literary criticism, and scary anecdotes.
American Scary: A History of Horror, from Salem to Stephen King and Beyond provides an evolution of American horror from the Salem witch trials to today’s bestselling novels and blockbuster films. Along the way, Dauber explores how horror reflects the country’s deepest fears, anxieties, and cultural shifts, making a compelling case that scary stories can tell us just as much about America as any history book.
Dark Scenes from Damaged Earth: The Gothic Anthropocene explores how horror and Gothic storytelling can help us make sense of climate change, environmental destruction, and life in the Anthropocene. Through a collection of engaging essays, the book examines everything from monsters and haunted landscapes to popular culture, revealing how the Gothic offers a powerful way to understand our changing world…and the fears that come with it.
Somebody is Walking on Your Grave: My Cemetery Journeys is part travel memoir, part meditation on death, and a love letter to cemeteries around the world. Visiting famous graveyards and hidden burial grounds across multiple continents, Enriquez weaves together history, folklore, architecture, and personal reflection to show why these places are far more than resting places.
V Is for Venom: Agatha Christie’s Chemicals of Death uncovers the deadly science behind the poisons in Agatha Christie’s most famous mysteries. Blending chemistry, forensic science, and literary history, Harkup explains how Christie used her pharmaceutical knowledge to craft unforgettable crimes (and why her fictional murders were often grounded in real science).
There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her Neighbor’s Baby: Scary Fairy Tales is a collection of dark, unsettling fairy tales where the ordinary slips effortlessly into the strange and supernatural. Blending folklore, horror, and sharp observations about family, grief, and survival, these stories are eerie, imaginative, and often surprisingly funny.
The United States of Cryptids is a fun cross-country tour of America’s most famous (and most mysterious!) legendary creatures. From Bigfoot and Mothman to lesser-known local monsters, Ocker blends folklore, history, and travel writing to explore the stories behind these fascinating cryptids and what they reveal about the places that keep their legends alive.
Tantalizing true crime
If your idea of a fun night is curling up on the couch with takeout and the latest true crime documentary, these reads are for you.
Raised by a Serial Killer: Discovering the Truth About My Father is a powerful memoir about growing up in a family shaped by fear, abuse, and long-buried secrets. As an adult, Balascio began to suspect that her father was responsible for a string of unsolved murders, a realization that ultimately helped lead to his arrest.
Savage Appetites: Four True Stories of Women, Crime, and Obsession takes a thoughtful look at why so many people—especially women—are drawn to true crime. Through the stories of four women whose lives were shaped by murder and its aftermath, Monroe explores the line between curiosity, empathy, fear, and obsession.
The Haunting of Alma Fielding tells the strange true story of a London housewife whose home became the center of a sensational poltergeist investigation in 1938. Summerscale explores the mystery through the eyes of a pioneering ghost hunter while uncovering a deeper story about trauma, belief, and the world on the brink of war.
Horrifying history
If you’re a history buff who prefers the macabre, here are some horrifying history selections.
13: The Story of the World’s Most Popular Superstition explores the long, strange history behind one of the world’s most infamous numbers. Lachenmeyer traces how the fear of 13 took hold across centuries and why it continues to influence everything from architecture to everyday decisions.
The Secret History of the Jersey Devil takes a fresh look at one of America’s oldest and most enduring monster legends. Rather than hunting for the creature itself, the authors trace the Jersey Devil’s surprising origins through colonial politics, religious feuds, media hype, and folklore, revealing how a local legend became a cultural icon.
The post Getting into the Spooky Spirit: Frightful Finds appeared first on Duke University Libraries Blogs.
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