The time has come for a chill breeze to rustle turning leaves and the smell of pumpkin spice and cinnamon to permeate the air. Fall is quickly approaching, and so is our excitement for Halloween and all things spooky! If you’re looking for a creepy read to kick off the season without giving you whiplash, we’ve got you covered. These ten books have the perfect balance between cost and eerie vibes, making for a smooth transition into the spooky season!
Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of triggering topics, such as grief, murder, and parental death. Additionally, the books in this article may contain triggering topics. Please read the warnings before purchasing.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Trigger Warning: This book contains mentions of triggering topics such as mental illness and abuse. Please read the full list of trigger warnings before purchasing.
In The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Mika, a witch who has taken great care to hide her magic, breaks all of her rules to help young witches harness their magic in a mysterious place called Nowehere House. At the house, she is instantly submerged in the life of its inhabitants. As Mika finds her place within the people of Nowhere House, a dangerous threat forces her to reconsider her priorities. This found-family tale is full of diverse, quirky characters, gorgeous representations of magic, and a swoon-worthy romance between Mika and Nowhere House’s brooding librarian. This book makes for a whimsical transition into the spooky season!
“SO cute!!! Imagine The House in the Cerulean Sea, but make it a bit witchy. Found family, grumpy/sunshine, misfits that become the perfect fit. Loved loved loved. Highly recommend listening to it, the audiobook was perfection!”
— Goodreads Review
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Trigger Warning: This book contains mentions of triggering topics such as grief and parental death. Please read the full list of trigger warnings before purchasing.
Grady Hendrix’s How to Sell a Haunted House follows siblings Louise and Mark as they figure out what they should do with their deceased parents’ house, which is full of creepy dolls, puppets, and taxidermied animals. Louise decides they must get it cleaned up for sale, but they soon discover a dark force is giving life to the haunted house. This novel combines spooky elements with humor and absurdity, making it a fun, campy read. If you’re the type to giggle at over-the-top creepiness, this book is a great pick to lead you into more horror reads. However, if you have a fear of puppets and dolls, we recommend you save this one for later in the season!
“How is this scary AND funny AND moving AND interesting at the same time? I have no idea. I devoured this. I laughed out loud, sometimes at the scariest parts. I rooted for these characters, even Mark. When I thought it couldn’t get more unhinged, it always did, and yet everything made a crazy kind of sense. I loved it.”
— Goodreads Review
A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
Trigger Warning: This book contains mentions of triggering topics such as racism, body horror, and anxiety. Please read the full list of trigger warnings before purchasing.
In A House with Good Bones, Samantha Montgomery, an archaeoentomologist, returns to her family home in North Carolina and finds her mother in a nervous state while the house looks completely different. As the strange happenings escalate, Samantha must discover her family’s dark past that lingers in the walls of the house. This Southern Gothic novel has the ideal amount of humor to keep the novel entertaining while still containing plenty of horror elements. This book is sure to send you down a horror book rabbit hole this fall!
“I loved this, it was so much fun! Fun isn’t something I usually expect from a horror book, so I want to be clear that this was also very creepy & spooky, but something about T. Kingfisher’s writing is just always such a pleasure to read, I can’t help but describing the experience as “fun” every time I finish one of their books (of any genre).”
— Goodreads Review
Cackle by Rachel Harrison
Trigger Warning: This book contains mentions of triggering topics such as alcoholism, toxic relationships, and body horror. Please exercise personal care while reading.
After getting broken up with, Annie moves to upstate New York in hopes of a fresh start. There she meets Sophie, a fierce, gorgeous woman who seems to have a bad reputation within the town. As she gets closer to Sophie, Annie begins to realize there’s so much more to her than she thought. This mysterious tale about a magical friendship features powerful feminist messages and life lessons that will resonate with many readers. This book is a great pick to settle into the season with, especially if you’re a fan of witchy horrors and women’s literature.
“Every single part of my soul came alive at the hands of this book… if you’re like me and you like stories about isolated mansions that may or may not be haunted, small towns with magical secrets, spiders that are actually cute (somehow?) and morally grey witches, then Cackle might be the perfect read for you to start off spooky season early with!”
— Goodreads Review
Vera Wong series by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Trigger Warning: This series contains mentions of abuse (recounted) in Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Please research trigger warnings in the series before purchasing.
In Jesse Q. Sutanto’s series, Vera Wong is a meddling 60-year-old woman and the owner of a teashop. The series follows as she solves murders, confident that she can do it better than the police. Vera makes for a bold, determined, and utterly hilarious main character who brings a special charm to the unpredictable plot. This book, paired with a cup of tea, makes for a delightful experience that is fit for the fall season!
“Saying that I’m obsessed with this book might be an understatement. I simply loved everything about it! Just a couple of pages in and I was howling with laughter, and less than 24 hours later, I was sad to reach the last page. It was such an enjoyable and flawless read that I never wanted it to end.”
— Goodreads Review
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston
Trigger Warning: This book contains mentions of triggering topics such as parental death, death of a child, and emotional manipulation. Please exercise personal care while reading.
The Dead Romantics centers around Florence Day, a ghostwriter struggling to finish a romance novel, much to her handsome editor’s dismay, as she returns to the town she ran away from ten years ago due to her father’s unexpected death. As she faces her traumatizing past and navigates tense relationships, she is confronted by the ghost of her editor, who is just as confused as she is. Florence agrees to help him resolve his unfinished business, and as she does so, she finds herself reconsidering her stance on love. The books’ gothic aesthetic and paranormal aspects, mixed with the sweet romance and Florence’s humorous quips, make it a swoon-worthy transition into the spooky season!
“The Dead Romantics was an absolute and unexpected delight. Voicy and quirky and fun; the pages will probably sparkle (but with black glitter).”
— Goodreads Review
A Salem B&B series by Traci Wilton
Trigger Warning: This series contains triggering topics, including grief in Mrs. Morris and the Ghost. Please research trigger warnings for the series before purchasing.
Traci Wilson’s mystery series centers around Charlene Morris’ Bed and Breakfast and its spooky guests. In the first book, Mrs. Morris and the Ghost, Mrs. Morris is a grieving widow who buys a B&B only to find that it’s being haunted by a man who died there. To get the B&B open and the ghost out, she must figure out the mystery of his death. This cozy book features tons of twists and turns, funny moments, and likable characters. This is a sweet, light read that is sure to get you in the Halloween spirit!
“I truly loved this story and found that I quickly fell in love with Charlene and Jack. Not only was I invested in their mission, but I was also invested in their goals. Author Traci Wilton does an amazing job at weaving a tangled web that will keep readers guessing throughout the entire story, and shocked at the end!”
— Goodreads Review
Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant by Darci Hannah
Murder at the Pumpkin Pageant is the fourth book in Darci Hannah’s Beacon Bakeshop series but can be read as a standalone. It follows Lindsey, a baker, and her influencer friend as they do a live-streamed ghost hunt in Lindsey’s home. While searching the inside of the house proved to be uneventful, outside, they find a corpse in a clown costume hanging from a tree. Lindsey and her friends must solve the mystery before the murderer strikes again. This is a really cute book that will keep you guessing, making it a great book to transition into the horror genre with.
“It was entertaining, full of twists and turns, and I didn’t completely guess whodunnit until Lindsey did. Plus, all the descriptions of the pumpkin baked goods made my mouth water. (recipes included in back of book)”
— Goodreads Review
The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson
Trigger Warning: This book contains mentions of death and medical content. Please read the full list of trigger warnings before purchasing.
The Saturday Night Ghost Club is about a group of tweens who spend a summer in the ‘90s investigating ghost stories in their town. However, there is so much more to this book than its paranormal aspects. It explores nostalgia, coming-of-age, and relationship bonds on a deep level. If you enjoy hauntingly tragic tales with a side of paranormal activity, you’ll adore this pick. Its nostalgic, whimsical, and creepy vibes automatically grant it a place on this list!
“Just beautiful. One of the best coming-of-age stories I’ve ever read. It’s at times creepy, thrilling, and melancholy, but very sweet and whimsical throughout. It also had a slight cosmic aspect that I really, really loved.”
— Goodreads Review
Mountain Lodge Mystery series by Diane Kelly
The Mountain Lodge Mystery series is set in a lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains that is full of secrets. The first book, Getaway with Murder, is about a recently divorced woman who buys a lodge in the mountains. When guests on a yoga retreat fill the lodge on opening night, all is well and zen until the yoga instructor is found dead. This cozy book series and the mysteries it holds will transition you smoothly into the creepy Halloween season!
“What an absolutely charming cozy! I ate this book up with a spoon, it was so good. I loved that it was set in the mountains and that it was cozy, but it was a different kind of cozy. Diane Kelly did a fabulous job with her new series. I loved the romantic angle, and I cannot wait until the next book to see what happens.”
— Goodreads Review
Fall is the best time to curl up with a cozy blanket and lose yourself in a good book. We hope these books will set the tone for the spooky season and get you excited for Halloween. Happy reading!
Check out this article for tips on how to transform your reading space into a cozy spot fit for the fall season!
Once you’re ready to dive into spooky reads, check out our horror collection on Bookshop for recommendations!
