Spooky books to read as you’re settling into the season

As the season leading up to Halloween begins, the time comes for us to immerse every aspect of our lives in preparation for scares, thrills, and chills of the spookiest time of year. From movies to food, if you’re like me, you long to make every aspect of your life for the next month live and breathe Halloween, including the books you read. So, here are a few suggestions to help you settle into the season.  

Full disclosure: I have not read a lot of the books I’m about to mention, but they are on my TBR and hopefully they’ll give you a good start. 

Novels with haunting vibes that aren’t explicitly centered around Halloween.

1. The Secret History by Donna Tartt

This is a dark academia novel that follows a group of elitist classics students who murder one of their own. I would suggest reading this later in autumn, when the season is a bit colder and there’s a possibility of snow (you’ll see why). It’s a bit slow at times, but I absolutely loved this novel, and it’s well worth the read. 

2. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

This is a gothic, atmospheric fantasy novel that takes place in the 19th-century, where two magicians try to revive old English magic. I haven’t read this one yet, but I loved Clarke’s Piranesi (highly recommend) and this is high on my TBR.  

3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

A novel famous for its haunting gothic atmosphere, where the romance that is central to the novel distorts into a haunting force. It’s incredibly atmospheric and perfectly complements the vibes of this season.  

Classic literature that just screams Halloween.

1. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

This one is best known for its musical that is loosely based on it. The novel is less focused on the romance between the Phantom and Christine and offers a more intricate horror story (and much more morbid) than the musical does. I think it would be a fun read for any music lover or former (or current, I wouldn’t leave you guys out) theatre kid.  

2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

To clarify, Frankenstein is the doctor, not his creation. The origins of Frankenstein’s creation is a very interesting novel that explores human hubris and creation in a really interesting way. The monster in this story is much much different than the ‘Frankenstein’ we’ve come to love in modern horror media.  

3. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

This is a very quick read that explores the idea of human duality and the monster within, using secret experiments and mysterious murders. Like other classics, it’s more gothic than what we would expect from modern day horror novels, but it is still well worth the read. 

Horror books that will keep you up at night (reading).

1. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I wanted to give you guys a lesser-known gothic horror novel, and I’ve heard great things about this one. It’s a contemporary novel (released in 2020) that revolves around, yet another, large estate and family secrets.  

2. The Shining by Stephen King

The most obvious horror reads come from, you guessed it, Stephen King. He’s got anything you could want in a horror novel: haunted houses, ghost stories, psychological horror, and a lot of visceral imagery. The Shining specifically is a classic horror story that is well known and a great place for new Stephen King readers to start. 

3. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

This is your iconic haunted house novel, where the house is written so vividly it is seemingly alive. The novel balances the gothic dread we all look for in a good spooky season read with psychological tension, creating a narrative that is truly horrific. 

Whether you’re looking for a chilling gothic tale or a gory monster story, these books are the perfect way to settle into the season. Brew some tea, light a candle, and let one of these stories kick off your autumn.  

• #books
• #halloween
• autumn
• gothic
• spookyseason
• TBR