Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly blog meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish
giving bloggers a chance to create their own Top Ten Lists based on a certain subject. This week it’s the books with the scariest covers. This one was a lot of fun for me to do.

These aren’t in any particular order, and most of them are from my childhood that really messed with my head.

1. MPD-Pscho by Eiji Otsuka- This is a manga that is extremely disturbing and violent and twisted, one that I really love. The covers are all rather disturbing. If you’re into something that can really play mind games and you’re not squeamish, check this series out.

2. It by Stephen King. This book messed me up as a teenager, and I knew I shouldn’t have read it as I have a thing with clowns, but I did. And I regret it, and this cover still freaks me out.

3. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. I think this book and the sequels are going to show up on a lot of lists. These stories really scared me, and the illustrations/covers that went along with them are downright terrifying.

4. Night Shift by Stephen King. This cover was one that drew me in constantly. It was on my parent’s bookshelf and I wanted to read it so bad. I think I made the biggest mistake in my reading life by reading this at night. For me Stephan King’s shorts are scarier than his full length novels.

5. Hex and the City by Simon R. Green. While the story itself isn’t scary, this cover freaks me out. I’m not sure what it is about it, but I don’t like it. It gives me a very eerie feeling.

6. Fear Street: Cheerleaders the Second Evil by R.L. Stine. I think there are going to be a few of his books on here too. I think it’s the way the center cheerleader is staring straight at the reader. This series freaked me out content wise too.

7. Night of the Living Dummy by R.L. Stine. I think this one is pretty self explanatory. Plus I made the mistake to read this in the middle of the night, with a doll staring at me from across the room. Nine year old Shelly was a reading dare-devil.

8. A Wind in the Door by Madeline L’Engle. This cover just makes me feel so uncomfortable.

9. Night by Elie Wiesel.

10. DayWatch by Sergei Lukyaneko. I love this series, but this cover really scares me. I don’t like the negative image, and the screaming open mouth is not something I really like.

What makes a book cover scary? Is it the imagery or things that you’re uncomfortable with? In the spirit of Halloween, let’s talk about more scary books. If you also did a top ten post, go ahead and link it here.

I love movies set in small towns, and the setting of the Chesapeake Bay books would be amazing cinematographic scenery. Plus I’m madly in love with the Quinn brothers and it would be lovely to see their relationships play out on the big screen. (Nora Roberts)

I think Tent City is a fresh take on a pre-apocalyptic world with great characters and again sweeping visual interest. I can think of a couple scenes in particular–and the ending/cliffhanger would leave people scrambling for the sequel. (Kelly Van Hull)

This would be an epic fantasy series. I can almost see Peter Jackson directing it, simply because of the world descriptors and I think it would fit with his director’s aesthetic. There are beautiful scenes and some really amazing creatures that I’d love to see brought to life on the main screen. Plus, there’s not enough witches/fey in theaters at the moment. (Anne Bishop)

Considering how descriptive heavy this book is, I think it would make a brilliant movie. I think it would be fun in black and white with splotches of color–kind of how Sleepy Hollow was done. I can see this as a Tim Burton movie, and the little added quirks would just send me over the edge. (Erin Morgenstern)

Again, I can see this Tim Burton-esque in style. I just think it would be fun to have a well written/well filmed Steampunk genre movie. I love the characters, even though I fell out of love with the series, I’d certainly watch them on the big screen. (Gail Carriger)

This would be tons of fun to see on the big screen. A great introduction to high fantasy that would translate well onto screen. New creatures, great story line, and I personally think Adrian Brody would make a great Numair. But that’s just my love for Brody and wanting to project him into anything I read/watch. (Tamora Pierce)

Demons, vampires, werewolves, and a whole lot of trouble. This would be a great summer series, probably sandwiched comfortably between Marvel releases. I think it would satisfy the cravings of the fans of Supernatural, the tv show, but at the same time stand alone and give a really great movie experience. (Rob Thurman)

I’ve really got a thing for Apocalyptic movies right now, and this book would be a great start to the movie trilogy. I can see it shot on a gritty hand-camera set up, muted tones, and an amazing soundtrack. I just want this to happen. (Ben Winters)

I think this would be a great guys-guys movie series. I love these types of movies, lots of action, and magic with a touch of fantasy and some sexy things going on. The soundtrack would be epic to this. Frankly, I just want to see it on the big screen. (Kevin Hearne)

I’ve come up with my own fantasy cast for this series, and I was over the freaking moon when I found out that Simon R. Green had a work turned into a movie. Unfortunately it’s of a series I’m not particularly fond of. But this series, I can see either as a massive movie franchise or something that would actually work really well as a television show. I’d love to see this happen. There’s tons of great aspects to this series, great action, great dialogue and amazing world building. (Simon R. Green.)

This is my Top Ten for the week. I’ve actually thought about this a lot, and I’m such a visual person I had a hard time just narrowing my list down. Tell me what books you’d love to see as movies…or even your dream cast! Thanks for stopping by, comment and feel free to link your TTT below.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by: The Broke and the Bookish

The Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish

by Sue Monk Kidd. I played mental tug of war with the inclusion of this book on my list. Frankly, I hated it. If I was presented it in school, I probably wouldn’t have read it–simply gone to the cliffs notes and gone from there. However, it’s a coming of age book set in the South that’s beginning to break segregation. It’s an interesting culture clash read and it features not one, but four strong female lead characters. Those characters are what put this on my list.

by Paula McLain. I originally read this as part of a library reading program, and I fell in love with it. I dislike Hemingway (trust me, it’s a known fact. Don’t get me started on Steinbeck either). This story though makes him human, and it’s really interesting to see the devolution of this powerful young man into the bitter,  whining, overly descriptive author that all high school English teachers salivate over. [I warned you. I really dislike Hemingway]. What’s really fun for me as a reader is to see other influential authors of the era come to life in the pages of this story.

by C.S. Lewis. While religious in context and tones, so a lot of schools would out right not teach it, I think it’s an interesting take on Man V. Man, Man V. Nature themes in literature. The setting itself lends to both the temptation and salvation of the man that’s the focus of this story. Plus, I really love C.S. Lewis’ work and I think The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe overshadow some really amazing books. The Screwtape Letters being one of them.

by William Golding I didn’t read this in school. One of my friends in school told me to read it, and I immediately fell in love with it. It’s a great story and a great classic piece of literature.

by Aldous Huxley. This book was taught in my high school. The 11th grade English classes, both honors and standard classes, were told to read this. This is one of the required books that I simply fell in love with. It’s a dystopian universe and there’s just so much going on. I wish this was taught to more schools, because when I mention it I tend to get blank stares.

by Kay Redfield Jamison. I read this as extra credit for my Abnormal Psychology course when I was in college, and I adored it. I’ve heard it compared to Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, and while I haven’t read that in completion (yet), I can see the similarities between that and An Unquiet Mind. This book is an incredible piece of non fiction describing in detail the episodic nature of manic-depressive illness. It’s at times really hard to read, but I think it’s something that would lead really interesting discussions in class.

by Koushun Takami. This book, this book, this book. This mammoth piece of literature. All I can say is read it. It is visceral and beautiful and has a strange poetic grace amongst all of the death and horrible things that go on within this book. You go into this knowing the out come, knowing that only one person survives and it manages to surprise you. It is not an easy book to read- in any sense of the word.I think books that we’re assigned to read for school should challenge us on some level, and this book certainly does that.

by C.S. Lewis. Frankly this is on here because I love C.S. Lewis and I think that the other novels of the Chronicles of Narnia are overlooked.

by Madeleine L’Engle. Again, this is on here really just because I wanted to put it on here. I have reasons for the other books, but I think that A Wrinkle In Time is such a great blend of genres and an amazing story that everyone should read it. It’s got great themes and I really love it.

by Laurie Halse.  I read this on my own, after wandering through a book store. It’s the story of a girl who survived a sexual assault by one of the most popular boys in school, and the backlash from the community and her schoolmates. This book is a must read for me. I’ll gladly toss it at anyone with while shrieking, “READ THIS”. It’s a coming of age story that feels real and one worth reading.

This was a really fun one for me to do. Some of these books are taught in schools, and a couple of them I read while I was in high school/college–but when I mention them to friends who didn’t go to school with me I get blank looks. So this is my Top Ten Books I wish they taught in school. Let me know your thoughts on my list, and go ahead and link your Top Ten post in the comments below.