As a mood reader, as soon as it gets into October, my TBR pile is abandoned. I find myself seeking out ghost stories, thrillers and classic horror novels instead! These are my top recommendations for spooky books to dive into this Halloween. I’ve combined some more modern books with my favourite witchy classics.
1. The October Country – Ray Bradbury
The October Country had to be my first recommendation – this is the classic short story collection written by the king of spooky stories, Ray Bradbury. Ray Bradbury is one of my all-time favourite authors, but I didn’t get around to reading The October Country until I found a reference to it while playing Life Is Strange! This is a Halloween classic, and if you read anything off this list, make it this one.
2. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue – V. E. Schwab
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a modern fairytale that you’ve probably heard of before – featuring curses, deals with a demon, and a star-crossed love story, this one’s the perfect modern witchy tale.
3. Rosemary’s Baby – Ira Levin
Rosemary’s Baby is another absolute classic that I love – you might have seen the film, but if you haven’t read the original book I highly recommend it. The book is dark, unsettling, and does a much better job of showing you the main character’s growing paranoia than the film does.
4. We Have Always Lived in the Castle – Shirley Jackson
It wouldn’t be a Halloween recommendation list without Shirley Jackson, the queen of the ghost story! We Have Always Lived in the Castle is the perfect horror story – featuring the classic haunted house on the edge of town and a family with dark secrets, this is my favourite work by Shirley Jackson by far.
5. Victorian Psycho – Virginia Feito
Victorian Psycho is a newer one on the list – I read it last year, and had so much fun with it! A gothic thriller featuring an unhinged Victorian governess – the less you know about this one going into it, the better.
6. The Haunting – Margaret Mahy
The Haunting is another classic by New Zealand author Margaret Mahy. A young boy begins receiving terrifying visions inherited from his family in this perfectly creepy ghost story.
7. Invite the Devil in to Dance – Katie Brunecz
Invite The Devil in to Dance is the newest item on this list – I reviewed it earlier this week and think it’s the perfect novel to pick up in October. Featuring a group of witches, a big creepy house, demons and horror elements, you couldn’t pick anything for fitting for a Halloween read!
8. House of Beth – Kerry Cullen
House of Beth is the modern-day version of the classic ‘governess-starts-working-at-a-creepy-house’ story. Gothic horror, ghosts, possession – I read this over a year ago and am still thinking about it!
If you loved any of these, or know of a spooky story that belongs on this list, please let me know! I’m still in need of new books to read this Halloween.
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