The spooky season is officially upon us and there’s no better time to pick up a hauntingly creepy book. With Halloween just around the corner, I’m giving you some spooky good book recommendations that you can add to your Halloween TBR.
If you’re like me, then you probably love Halloween. I mean, what’s not to love about a holiday where you can dress up, watch scary movies, and pig out on big bags of chocolate and candy? Well, one of the ways I get ready for October 31st is by reading a spooky book or two . . . or three or ten. Which is why I wanted to dedicate a post to some of my favorite spooky books to read at this time of year.
I’ve broken the list down into different categories so there should be a book for nearly everyone to enjoy. There are quite a few on this list so let’s get started . . .
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If you’re a fan of vampires this is the book for you. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is the original vampire story and once you start reading it, you won’t want to put it down. The plot follows a man named Jonathan Harker, an English solicitor, who visits Count Dracula at his castle deep in the mountains. While there to help Dracula buy a house near London, Harker encounters Dracula’s brides and the truth of who and what Dracula is.
While most people think Frankenstein is the monster in this book, it’s actually about the doctor who created him, Victor Frankenstein. The story begins by telling you about Dr. Frankenstein’s childhood, how he met his wife, Elizabeth, and how he became fascinated with the idea of creating life out of death. What’s really interesting about this book is that you get to see inside the mind of the doctor and the monster. The more you read it, the more you start to question who the real monster is.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
This next book holds a special place in my heart because one of my favorite English teachers, Mrs. Kyle, read it to us every day leading up to Halloween when I was in the eighth grade. Set in 1790 in the Dutch settlement of Sleepy Hollow, New York, this story follows the extremely superstitious schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane. While visiting Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod falls in love with Katrina Van Tassel, the daughter of a wealthy farmer and quickly finds himself in competition for her hand against Abraham “Brom Bones” Van Brunt, the local town hero. At a harvest party at the Van Tassel’s home, Brom tells Ichabod about Sleepy Hollow’s most notorious legend, the Headless Horseman. But the Headless Horseman isn’t real, right? You be the judge.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
They say not to judge a book by its cover and did I ever learn that lesson when I read this book. This story takes place in 1950s Mexico and it follows a young socialite named Noemi who receives a mysterious letter from her newlywed cousin, Catalina. The letter is so strange sounding that Noemi’s father sends her to Catalina’s new home in the mountains to check on her and her new husband. When Noemi arrives at the house, she quickly discovers that Catalina’s husband is not all that he appears and that maybe her cousin is in deeper trouble than she imagined. If you like atmospheric books with creepy houses this is definitely the one for you.
I’m actually reading this book right now and I can honestly say it is quickly becoming one of my favorite Fall/Spooky books. It’s about a girl named Jane and her mom, Ruth, who move back to Ruth’s hometown in Maine after her dad suddenly dies. As Jane and Ruth settle in her mom’s childhood house, North Manor, weird things begin to happen – like an unexplained handprint on the window, lights coming on in an empty room, and the sound of footsteps upstairs when Jane’s the only one home. But the longer Jane stays in North Manor, the more she realizes that her mom just might be hiding something . . . something that could change everything. Because the story takes place in a small town and there’s a mother-daughter dynamic, this book kind of reminds me of a spooky Gilmore Girls.
This is Not a Ghost Story by Andrea Portes
Ok, so this book is technically set in summer, but once you read the synopsis you’ll see why I’m including it on this list. It follows Daffodil Franklin, a girl who’s just graduated high school and scores a housesitting job for a wealthy couple. At first, Daffodil’s psyched to have the house to herself all summer, but as summer winds down she begins to realize that there’s something unusual about this house. Could it be the key to unlocking the mysteries in Daffodil’s life?
Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
If you’ve never seen this movie, I highly suggest watching it at this time of the year. It’s spooky, but not scary, and the book it’s based on is even better than the film. This book is about a boy named Jacob who was very close to his grandfather because of the stories he told him of flesh-eating monsters and a school for children with strange gifts. As Jacob gets older he stops believing in his grandfather’s stories – that is, until he sees one of the monsters face-to-face. He then encounters a mysterious girl who can conjure fire with her hands and follows her to Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children. While there, Jacob quickly realizes that his grandfather’s stories were so much more than that – they were all real.
Nightmares by Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller
This debut novel is about a boy named Charlie who has the following problems: he believes his stepmother is a witch, he has to move into a creepy, purple mansion, and he can’t stop having nightmares. But things are about to get a lot worse for Charlie because his nightmares are starting to come true and if he doesn’t figure out how to stop them, it might be lights out Charlie – for good.
The Girl in White by Lindsay Currie
If you were a fan of the Goosebumps books, you have got to pick up this book. It’s about a girl named Mallory who moves to the seaside town of Eastport, Massachusetts – the most cursed city in the US. Since arriving, she’s been having nightmares about an old woman named Sweet Molly but as time goes on, it seems Sweet Molly isn’t just haunting Mallory’s dreams. After a terrifying encounter with the old woman, Mallory makes the decision to investigate Eastport’s first recorded legend. The writing in this book is descriptive that it practically catches Fall and freezes it in time.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Nobody “Bod” Owens is forced to grow up in a graveyard. When his entire family is murdered, the ghosts in a local graveyard adopt him as a baby. Growing up there, he has some unique adventures – from running from the elusive Indigo Man to going through a gateway to the city of ghouls to encountering the strange Sleer. Bod can never leave the graveyard – for if he does he might come face-to-face with dangerous Jack – the man who murdered his family. This book will totally give you Disney Channel Original Movie vibes.
This next book is kind of like the Addams Family meets Lemony Snicket meets Harry Potter meets Nanny McPhee. That’s a lot of “meets” but trust me, the story is totally worth reading if you like a dark whimsical read. It’s about a brother and sister named Titus and Pandora whose father has been kidnapped. While their mother tries to master witchcraft in order to save their father, she hires a new nanny to watch Titus, Pandora, and their baby sister, Damp. With the help of their nanny, the kids go on an adventure to find their father and outsmart the host of gangsters who’ve turned up at their door.
Hocus Pocus: The Illustrated Novelization by Gris Grimly
This book doesn’t really need a synopsis – it’s a novelization of the iconic 90s Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus – but just in case you’ve never seen the film, it’s about a boy named Max who moves to Salem, Massachusetts and accidentally awakens the Sanderson sisters, witches who were killed hundreds of years ago. The illustrations in this book are so cute and funny and the writer stayed true to the story. If you’re a fan of the film I think you’ll love this book.
The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
This book absolutely captured my imagination so much that I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I put it down. If you’re a Hocus Pocus fan, definitely pick up this book. You won’t be disappointed. It follows a girl named Penny who lives in the cursed seaside town of Sparrow, Oregon. In the 1800s three sisters, the Swan sisters, were accused of being witches and were drowned in the town lake. From that day forward the spirits of the three sisters possess three girls every summer to drown three boys from the town. No one can stop the curse because no one can tell who’s been possessed by the sisters – no one except Penny. And with a new guy in town who Penny is falling for, she must do everything she can to break the curse. I highly, highly recommend this book – it had a twist near the end that I didn’t see coming.
Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
It wouldn’t be spooky season without including an Alice Hoffman book and for this list I chose the first book in the Practical Magic series. Set in 1600s Salem, Massachusetts the story follows Maria Owens – the great-great-great-so-many-great grandmother of the Owens sisters of Practical Magic. In this story we learn how the curse on the Owens family came to be and how Maria must deal with the consequences of evoking the curse. If you’re looking for a cozy, autumnal, witchy read – this is the book for you.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
There’s just something about reading the first book in the Harry Potter series in the Fall. It just makes the magic feel more magical for some reason. Just in case you don’t know the story of Harry – he’s an orphan who learns that he’s a wizard on his eleventh birthday. As he’s whisked away to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he also learns that he’s the only one who can defeat evil Lord Voldemort – the same wizard who killed his parents. I highly recommend reading or re-reading the first Harry Potter book at this time of year – it’ll help you remember why you fell in love with reading.
The tagline of this book is what caught my attention: Never mix vodka and witchcraft. It’s about a young witch named Vivienne who cursed her ex-boyfriend when he broke her heart. Well, nine years later, her ex comes back into town and Vivi quickly realizes that the hex she put on him might have some dire consequences for the rest of the town. This book is essentially a spooky romantic comedy, which is right up my alley.
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
If you are a fan of Twilight and you remember how it made you feel the first time you read it, then you will absolutely love this next book. It follows a witch named Diana who finds a mysterious book deep in the heart of Oxford University’s Bodleian Library. While Diana doesn’t really want anything to do with the book, her discovery opens the door to a host of witches, daemons, and vampires who come and try to steal the book. Among them is a vampire named Matthew who Diana slowly falls for and now it’s up to them to keep the book out of the wrong hands before it’s too late.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
I think it’s safe to say that Ray Bradbury is the king of spooky, autumnal reads, so it wouldn’t be right not to include one of his books. This book is perfect to read at this time of year because it follows a mysterious carnival that rolls in a small Illinois town and brings Halloween a week early. The carnival beckons people to come to it, promising them the stuff of dreams, but two boys will discover that the stuff of dreams can turn into the stuff of nightmares really quickly.
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
This next read is a historical fiction book about a young lady named Audrey Rose who longs to become a coroner – something no young lady in society should want. After her mother’s death, she begins to study cadavers under the tutelage of her uncle in order to understand death better. It’s during her studies that Jack the Ripper begins terrorizing the streets of London. So with the help of her uncle’s best student (a total know-it-all), Audrey Rose begins stalking Jack the Ripper – but she may not be prepared to see what she’ll find. This book will give you chills and the twist at the end will haunt you long after you’ve closed it.
Joan has a seemingly blissful life – she has a job she likes, a really cute guy who’s interested in her, and the whole summer to see if sparks fly between them. But when an attempt to help someone sends Joan traveling through time she realizes that she comes from a family of monsters. And to make matters worse – the cute guy is actually a legendary monster slayer who has his sights set on her. Forced to work with Aaron, the heir to a monster family that hates her own, Joan goes on adventure to protect her family – even from herself. If you like anti-hero stories, this is the book for you.
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
The next book on the list is about a girl named Ryn. She’s the village gravedigger’s daughter. When her dad goes on a long journey and doesn’t return, Ryn takes over his gravedigging position – but the problem with the dead in this village – they don’t always stay dead. There’s these creatures in the woods called bone houses that threaten the villagers. Because of magic, the bone houses (basically, zombies) are only allowed to come so close to the village until one day the magic wears off and the bone houses attack. With the help of an apprentice mapmaker named Ellis, Ryn embarks on a journey of her own to break the curse that controls the bone houses. This book was absolutely creepy and totally attention-grabbing.
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
It wouldn’t be the spooky season without a few ghost stories and the next book on this list will give you chills. It’s about a young ghost hunter named Cas who moves to a new town with his kitchen-witch mom in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood. When Cas encounters Anna he realizes that she’s unlike any ghost he’s ever met. Let’s just say this is not your quintessential boy-meets-girl story.
The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R.M. Romero
This next book is about a girl named Ilana who’s sent to stay with her aunt in Prague after her grades begin to drop. While there she discovers an abandoned Jewish cemetery behind her aunt’s cottage and meets the ghost of a kindhearted boy named Benjamin. As Ilana begins to restore Benjamin’s grave, she attracts the attention of a sinister man who doesn’t have a shadow. The more time she spends with Benjamin, the more she realizes that she has to save him from the shadowless man.
The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie
This book is about a girl named Sunshine and her mom, Kat, who move into an eerie old house in the rainy town of Ridgemont, Washington. As time passes Sunshine begins to realize that something is just not right about the house – that something sinister might be living there with them. And the more Sunshine learns about the spirits in her house, the more she realizes that they may be targeting her mom and she may be the only one who can stop them. What makes this book stand out is that it’s based on a YouTube series under the same name. You can see see the channel here.
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
The last book on the list is a spooky romance about a ghostwriter named Florence who’s in the middle of writing a book but needs an extension. When her new editor refuses to give her one, she figures her career is over. But while she’s waiting for the shoe to drop, she gets the news that her dad has died. Begrudgingly, she returns to her hometown and her family’s funeral parlor for her dad’s funeral and just as she’s about to leave, she meets her new editor – who actually turns out to be a ghost.
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What books are currently on your spooky TBR? Did any of them make the list? Let me know in the comments.
Verse of the Day: For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. – Matthew 6:14
