As the rare fall chill descends on Florida, so do the haunted houses, boo baskets, and spooky costumes. We all know the classic scary movies to get you in the Halloween mood: Scream, Final Destination, The Shining—I could go on. But I thought I’d switch it up and give you some spooky literature instead. It might seem less thrilling, but I promise it’s just as chilling. Here are some of the best mystery, sci-fi, and paranormal books to indulge in for the spooky season.
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
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Okay, full disclaimer—I am only on the second chapter. But I’m already feeling the sinister vibes. The story is set at a liberal arts college in a small Vermont town. The narrative follows Richard Papen, who’s desperate to study Greek taught by a very odd and reclusive professor. However, the story opens in the future, with Richard already narrating the mysterious death of a friend. How did it all unravel so quickly? I’ll be the first to let you know once I finish the book.
- Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
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I had the pleasure of discovering Blake Crouch earlier this spring, when I was deep in my time-travel novel era (this was a journey). Although I find that Crouch’s books can open up incredibly profound thoughts about fate and destiny, my eyes were darting all around the pages because I was too anxious to wait to see what would happen next.
Dark Matter follows Jason Desson, a physics professor at the University of Chicago. One day, a mysterious figure kidnaps him and sends him to another reality. Except this mysterious figure is closer to him than you think. Nefarious.
- Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
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Some of us are familiar with the tale from AMC’s production of Interview with the Vampire. I know we’re all sick of adaptations, but here’s another one. I haven’t had the pleasure of sitting down with one of Anne Rice’s books, and it almost feels like cheating that I’ve watched it first.
Interview with the Interview presents the confessions of a vampire who tells the story of how he was turned. Love, fangs, and the 18th century. Oh, the horror!
- Recursion by Blake Crouch
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Here’s another one by Crouch. He’s just really good at these. Recursion follows Barry Sutton, a NYPD officer investigating a strange disease called False Memory Syndrome (FMS). As he begins his investigation, he starts to experience FMS himself. All of a sudden, memories of a life that isn’t his start to resurface. But what is the true origin of this disease, if it’s even a disease at all?
- Frankenstein by Mary Wollenstonecraft Shelly
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I thought I’d close this list with a classic: Frankenstein. We all know the general tale, and some of us have watched the movie starring Jacob Elordi, but Shelly takes us down the road of a dark experiment gone wrong. As one of the most famous pieces of literature in horror fiction, it leaves us wondering what it means to be human without connection.
I hope you enjoy some of my recommendations for some frightening books this fall. My Goodreads TBR seems endless, so I thought I’d tack on a few to yours as well (we’re all in this together). Speaking of together… who’s that right behind you?