The Haunting of Hill House

A true classic. And Shirley Jackson was definitely before her time. This has been made into remake after remake of bad movies, but of course, nothing compares to the novel.

The first and only other thing I've ever read by Shirley Jackson is The Lottery. I read that in grade school and still remember it because it was so very twisted. This is a twisted book too, and I actually found myself getting creeped out.

The story is about a psychologist that gets two volunteers (and the heir to owning the house) to live in a haunted house for a few months to record any odd activity. The characters are made interesting. Even if you've heard this story before (because Hollywood can't help itself), there are still surprises in the book (some funny, some eerie) that makes this classic worth the read.