The Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series by Alvin Schwartz (I recommend the books with the original illustrations).The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories, edited by James D.Classic Ghost Stories (Vintage Classics) ( Please note, this book says Christmas Ghost Stories on Amazon, but that’s not true.).October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween, edited by Richard Chizmar & Robert Morrish.The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women, edited by Marie O’Regan.Joshi (“The Events of Poroth Farm” by T.E.D. American Supernatural Tales (Penguin Classics), edited by S.American Gothic Tales, edited by Joyce Carol Oates.(That aren’t already in the Free Section) We’ll be using the hashtag #31SpookyStories! Follow me ( for reading templates, my daily reads, available anthologies from some of my favorite online sellers, and more! Some challenge readers (me included) will be sharing on social media. I look forward to seeing what you do with it and what stories you recommend! □ Join the Fun on Instagram You might choose to participate with your children (I sprinkled in some children’s books below).You might not have time for 31 stories, so let’s swap the numbers around and make it 13.You might choose to read fiction and/or nonfiction spooky stories.I find I read most my stories on the weekend. Heck, you could read 31 stories in one week. You might double, triple, or quadtrouple stories on slow days or makeup days.You might read from one anthology/story collection or multiple anthologies/story collections.Your reading style, interests, and availability may be different than mine, so I gave the challenge additional options: I usually read fiction pieces and I never go a challenge without reading M.R. When choosing the next story for this challenge, I usually grab one of my favorite short story anthologies and randomly pick a story. There’s not wrong or right way to complete this challenge. They are an easy and fun way to keep track of your stories, whether you are doing 13 or 31 stories this October. I find this tradition an excellent way to introduce yourself to new writers, folklore, genres, and more.Īrtist Sian Ellis was kind enough to design spooky progress sheets. This challenge is not only doable, but it is accessible as I provide free resources.
I’ll continue to update this post when I come across more free and/or recommended readings.įor the past few years many committed to reading 13 or 31 spooky short stories during the month of October.