5 Spooky Books to Read to Get Into the Halloween Spirit

Yesterday I talked about my favorite family-friendly Halloween movies. Today, I wanted to talk about a different sort of media, books. If you didn’t know already, I am a huge reader. In fact, I have an entire blog dedicated to it, which you can see here! So when it comes time for spooky season, I want to fill my entire month with spooky books.

I start planning my October TBR (to be read) list very early. I spend the entire year figuring out which books will be perfect for fall and I save them. There is nothing quite like sitting down on a cool October evening and opening up a book, cup of warm tea in the other hand. It is so easy to fall into the story, and end up in some magical or even horrifying places.

This list is full of haunted stories, murder-y horrors, and mysteries.

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The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

October is the best time of year to read horror, and what’s more classic horror than ghosts haunting a creepy motel? This story follows Viv Delany, who works the graveyard shift of the check-in desk at a motel. She soon realizes that something sinister is happening.

This book is great. If you want something filled with both ghosts and murder, this is the story for you. The Sun Down Motel definitely gave me goosebumps, I wouldn’t read it too late into the night.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

Lock Evey Door by Riley Sager is one of my favorite horror novels out there. I had no idea where the ending was going and was actually surprised by it. When Jules is offered a job to house-sit at a prestigious apartment building in New York, she jumped at the chance. She only had to follow three simple rules, no talking to the other residents, no guests, and she had to spend each night in the apartment. Easy enough. However, when Jules started hearing weird noises and seeing disturbing things, she starts to think she is in danger.

This book was fantastic and is such a great read for this time of year. I love when a book can actually surprise me. I definitely recommend this book alongside any of Riley Sager’s other works.

Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica

If you are looking for something a little more… gruesome, then Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica is the book for you. This book is a dystopian novella, in a world where animal meat is no longer edible. So instead, humans start to eat other humans. In this dystopia, humans are raised for slaughter, just as animals are in our modern society.

Definitely check the content warnings of this book before reading, here. It’s a rough book to read, there were multiple times throughout the story where my jaw was on the ground, I was so appalled by what I was reading. So, read this book if you are looking for something truly horrifying and grotesque. Just be ready for some disgusting content.

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole is a new thriller, released in 2020. In this story, the main Sydney Green is watching as her beloved neighborhood in Brooklyn is being sold off for hip coffee shops and yoga studios. But Sydney begins to think there is something more sinister happening.

This is a fast-paced thriller that includes themes and subjects that are relevant to today. Although the ending was not surprising, the build-up and tension throughout the book kept me on my toes. This was a dark and tense book, perfect for Halloween.

The Haunting of Hillhouse by Shirly Jackson

If you love haunted house stories, The Haunting of Hillhouse by Shirly Jackson is a classic. If you have seen the Netflix series, you might have some idea of the spooky vibes of this story, but the book is very different in plot and characters. I wrote a post all about the comparisons between the series and the novel, which you can read here.

This book is perfect for Halloween. Everything about it is your classic haunted house story. I felt like I was watching a scary movie. This book will definitely put you in the mood for Halloween.

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Hopefully, you can find something you will enjoy from this list of spooky books. I love anything that can make my skin crawl this time of year. Anything that makes me scared of a bump in the night, and these 5 spooky books certainly did that for me.

For more Autumn book recommendations, check out this post from Dating Bitch!

Give me some spooky book recommendations in the comments below! I am always looking for more books to add to my list!