It’s almost that time of year again!
Join us for the third annual #AScareADay challenge to read a creepy short story or poem every day through the month of October. Last year, I did a blog every day which almost finished me off so this year I’m going to put up some discussion questions each day so you all can join in! I’d love to hear what people are enjoying and thinking about the stories even if you’re not keeping up with every single one.
I’ve tried to include lots of new authors as well as old favourites. I’ve also included a few well-known classics along side new reads and older stories which are less well-known. Hopefully, there’s at least one new thing for everyone!
If you missed the previous ones and would like to catch up on our spooky reads (or try to do three challenges at once!), here are the 2022 and 2023 challenges.
Without further ado… here is this year’s list!
October 1st – Matthew Lewis – ‘A Night at Baptiste’s’ (an extract from The Monk) – Read it here
October 2nd – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – The Erl King – Read it here
October 3rd – Charlotte Dacre – The Murderer – Read it here
October 4th – Sarah Scudgell Wilkinson – Albert of Werdendorff, or, The Midnight Embrace – Read it here
October 5th – Lord Byron – Oscar of Alva – Read it here
October 6th – Richard Thomson – The Wehr-Wolf: A Legend of the Limousin – Read it here
October 7th – Nicolai Gogol – The Overcoat – Read it here
October 8th – Robert Browning – Porphyria’s Lover – Read it here
October 9th – Rose Terry Cooke – My Visitation – Read it here
October 10th – Charles Dawson Shanly – The Walker of the Snow – Read it here
October 11th –Frances Hodgson Burnett – In the Closed Room – Read it here
October 12th – Lucy Hooper – Carnivorine – Read it here
October 13th – Edith Nesbit – From the Dead – Read it here
October 14th –Bram Stoker – Dracula’s Guest – Read it here
October 15th – Mary Wilkins Freeman – Luella Miller – Read it here
October 16th – William Hope Hodgson – A Tropical Horror – Read it here
October 17th –Lord Dunsany – Where the Tide Ebbs and Flows – Read it here
October 18th – Mary Roberts Rinehart – Locked Doors – Read it here
October 19th – Eleanor Scott – The Tree – Read it here
October 20th – Daphne Du Maurier – The Doll – Read it here
October 21st –Robert Service – The Cremation of Sam McGee – Read it here
October 22nd – Hugh Walpole – The Snow – Read it here
October 23rd – A M Burrage – Smee – Read it here
October 24th – Satyajit Ray – Vicious Vampire – Read it here
October 25th – Sylvia Plath – The Snowman on the Moor – Read it here
October 26th –Joan Aiken – The Cold Flame – Read it here
October 27th – Qurat Dar – Inheritance – Read it here
October 28th – E M Carroll – Face All Red – Read it here
October 29th –M S Dean – Drowning Songs – Read it here
October 30th – Carmen Maria Machado – Haunt – Read it here. If you are having trouble accessing it, you can read it here.
October 31st – Selfies – Lavie Tidhar – Read it here
Romancing the Gothic 
Love this so much! I’ll plug it
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I hope you enjoy!
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Awesome list, Sam! Can’t wait for October!As a German, I’m super happy you included the Erlkönig. But honestly, it’s only
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I think I lost the last part of your comment unfortunately!
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Thanks so much for this and the past two years.
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My pleasure!
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Sam is it OK to post link on What We Are Reading Guardian page. They’re a good lot and might be interested too. This is really excellent. Shall look forward to this. Claire
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Hi Claire, yes, do feel free 🙂 I’m always happy for more people to find these stories!
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What a wonderful way to spend some October time. I will participate with glee. Thank ye!
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