I love this time of year. I love the feeling of the chilly morning air. I love the leaves slowly starting to change from their vibrant shades of green to yellows, oranges, and reds. And I love the cute porch decorations filling up the neighborhood.
It’s also a really busy time of year with all of the school and community events. Yes, they make this season so much fun, but let’s be honest – it can be a bit much sometimes. At the end of the day, or whenever I have a little bit of downtime, I love to get cozy at home with a warm cup of coffee and a book.
I put together a list of some of my favorite spooky books for you to enjoy during the Halloween season. Now, my list isn’t all ghost stories and killers – I included some books that just felt eerie but don’t have any Halloween themes. I also included links so you can order them from Amazon, but if you have the time, head over to your local bookstore and buy them there instead.
They Never Learn by Layne Fargo
I LOVE this book!! The dark, twisty novel follows two storylines: Scarlett Clark, an English professor and serial killer who targets men who have gotten away with sexual assault, and Carly Schiller, a shy college freshman.
Scarlett meticulously plans her kills to avoid detection, viewing her murders as a form of justice for the victims who never receive it. But, one of her killings draws the attention of the university administration and a nosy investigator, and that’s when things get really interesting.
Carly’s story, on the other hand, centers around her close friendship with Allison, a confident and rebellious student whose life changes after a violent event that pushes Carly to question the meaning of justice.
You’ll be treated to some Halloween vibes in this book that broke me out of a reading slump. It’s fun, it’s exciting, and you won’t want to put it down.
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
This hauntingly poetic tale is set in the mid-19th century on the borderlands between Texas and Mexico. The novel follows Nena and Néstor, childhood friends turned estranged lovers, as they confront human and supernatural threats during the Mexican-American War.
What I love most about this book is not just in the story itself but in how it is told—the poetic language and vivid imagery make this a standout read. The combination of historical fiction, romance, and Gothic horror makes Vampires of El Norte a great book to read on a chilly October night.
A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw
I just read this book and absolutely loved it. This suspenseful and eerie novel follows Travis Wren, a man with a unique ability to locate missing people by touching their belongings. He is hired to find Maggie St. James, a reclusive children’s book author who vanished five years prior. His search leads him to an off-the-grid commune hidden deep in the woods called Pastoral.
Ernshaw’s novel is full of dreamlike descriptions that are equally haunting and beautiful, I felt like I was living in the woods alongside the characters! The story is slow-moving but eventually unwinds, and the truth is revealed in a predictable yet enjoyable way.
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
If you’re looking for a fun, easy-to-read romance novel with a magical twist – come get this book! The story follows Vivienne Jones, a young witch who drunkenly casts a hex on her ex-boyfriend, Rhys Penhallow. She doesn’t think much of it until years later when Rhys returns to their small town. That’s when strange and magical mishaps start happening.
As chaos ensues, Vivienne and Rhys are forced to team up to break the curse, rekindling old feelings along the way. This book is a fun, enchanting read about second chances, love, and the unintended consequences of magic. It makes for a great Halloween book club read with your girls!
The Shining by Steven King
The Shining is on top of every single best scary book list for a reason – it’s really scary! The story follows Jack Torrance, a struggling writer and recovering alcoholic, who takes a job as the winter caretaker of the isolated Overlook Hotel. He moves there with his wife, Wendy, and his young son, Danny. Danny has psychic abilities known as “the shining,” allowing him to see the hotel’s terrifying, supernatural past. The family gets snowed in, and scary stuff starts to happen.
What makes this book great, though, is that it’s not just a scary plot. The character development is fantastic, and there are some really dark themes that will stick with you.
P.S. Like always – the book is better than the movie!
I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
I read this book years ago and I still think about it. The story follows an unnamed woman as she embarks on a road trip with her boyfriend, Jake, to meet his parents at their remote farm. Despite their seemingly normal relationship, the woman contemplates ending things with Jake, but she isn’t sure why.
They get to the farm and weird things start happening – and that’s all I’m going to say so I don’t spoil it for you. It gets so creepy and eerie and I felt like people were watching me while I was reading it. No really, there are some scenes in this book I still think about!
We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson
Another one that makes every scary story list because it’s just that good. It’s creepy, eerie, and honestly kind of weird, but this is another that will stick with you.
This dark and strange story follows Merricat Blackwood and her family, who live in an isolated estate. Merricat is fiercely protective of her sister and has developed strange rituals to keep them safe from the outside world.
All of that changes when their cousin, Charles, arrives and causes a string of events that will leave you speechless. This book is bizarre and haunting from start to finish.
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
This book made me scared, sad, and shocked! It follows Anna, an agoraphobic woman living alone in New York City. She spends her days drinking wine, watching old movies, and spying on her neighbors through her window. She witnesses what she believes is a violent crime in the house across the street, and she begins to fall apart. As Anna tries to piece together what happened, she is forced to confront her traumatic past, leading to shocking revelations about what is real and what is imagined.