Top Ten Tuesday (TTT) brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish.

Welcome back to another Top Ten Tuesday!

This week is pretty open…

October 25: Halloween related freebie: ten scary books, favorite horror novels, non-scary books to get you in the Halloween/fall mood, bookish halloween costumes, scariest covers), scary books on my TBR, etc.

Honestly? I’m not that into Halloween. I love handing out candy and seeing kids come to my door dressed in costume. But really? That’s about it. I know some people just love this holiday and go all out. It’s just not me.

Which makes this week’s topic a little eh for me. I do love books with witches, but I used that as my Halloween freebie last year. However, I don’t want to skip another week either. I missed the last two TTT (I didn’t have a lot of time to work on them, and couldn’t think of a full post off the top of my head), and I don’t want to make it three in a row and strike out.

I thought it would be fun to have a little Halloween Awards show here at Hidden Staircase. I’ve got ten Halloween-ish categories for you. So without further ado,

The (Halloween) Winner Is…

Best Poltergeist

Peeves, Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Truly, the Harry Potter series could fit many of my Halloween Awards. Since I don’t want one book to dominate, Harry Potter gets to take home best poltergeist. Because who beats Peeves? Nobody.

Best Witch

Diana Bishop, A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I loved, loved, loved this first outing with Diana Bishop.

Best Wizard

Gandalf, The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. This may be the only time that you will ever see a Lord of the Rings book in my Top Ten. I’m really not a huge fan. (I know! I know! Most people love the series.) But Gandalf is pretty awesome.

Best Vampire

Lestat, The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice. Technically, this is the second in the series (you really start with Interview with the Vampire), but this is the first from Lestat’s point of view. After I read this book, Lestat became my favorite vampire, hands down. And here, 20 years later, he still is.

Scariest Book

It by Stephen King. Truly, this is the scariest book I have ever read. My Dad started reading It when I was in high school, and was scared to turn the light out or go downstairs to take the dogs out late a night. I told him there was no way a book could be that scary, and he challenged me to read it. He was right.

Favorite Halloween TV Special

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. I love this classic. Poor Charlie Brown gets rocks every year, and Linus misses all the trick-or-treating fun waiting in the pumpkin patch for The Great Pumpkin to appear.

Best non-fiction Ghost Story

Graves End: A True Ghost Story by Elaine Mercado. I read this book about five years ago, and for me it was pretty unsettling. I should note that I have not read (and probably never will read) The Amnityville Horror. I’ve heard the basics, and if that is a true story, holy cow. I would give myself nightmares reading about it.

Favorite Haunted City

Charleston, South Carolina. The first time we visited, my husband and I went on an evening walking Ghost Tour, where we were treated to many ghost stories. You know in a town with this much history, there’s got to be a few specters hanging about. I’m still waiting to have a brush with the dog Poogan, we eat at Poogan’s Porch every time we visit.

Creepiest Haunted Building

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Hands down, the creepiest. This one does have a book tie-in – Stephen King was inspired to write The Shining after a stay at The Stanley. I’ve been inside the hotel a few times, and honestly I don’t know how people stay there. Just the public areas downstairs give me the creeps.

Favorite Haunted Restaurant

The Melting Pot in Littleton, Colorado. The Melting Pot building has quite a history, having been both a library (book tie-in!) and then a police station. Locals swear it’s haunted and it’s fun to get a chatty waiter who will share some of the after hours experiences he has had. Supposedly there is a ghost in the women’s bathroom but I’ve always been okay. We’ve had some girls nights out at the Melting Pot, and a few of my girlfriends who won’t go in the bathroom by themselves. Good thing women always go in a pack. There’s safety in numbers.

As I was writing,  I realized my list moved from fiction to non-fiction. I started thinking about locally haunted places after I put in the non-fiction ghost story. These places always fascinate me. In the daytime, of course.

What did you pick this week for your open-ended Halloween list? Do you have a favorite local spot that has rumors of hauntings? Sound off in the comments below and link up to your own TTT if you’ve got one.

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