Books to Read this Halloween

Looking for the perfect books to read this Halloween? Look no further… I’ve compiled a list of my Top Ten Halloween books to get you in the mood for spooky season! Whether you love or hate the holiday, authors have been theming books around Halloween for centuries. And no matter your preferred genre – be it horror, cozy mystery, dark fantasy, or even the classics, there is something for everyone to read this October.

What are Great Halloween books?

The best Halloween books contain at least one spooky element but do not need to frighten you half to death in the process. Even a love story can take a dark turn, for example. I cannot read horror (mostly because I am an absolute scaredy cat) but a spine-tingly thriller will keep me on the edge of my seat and have me switching the lights on in no time. You don’t need to read Horror to enjoy some quality Halloween reading. A cozy mystery including a healthy dose of pumpkin spice can be just as entertaining as a brutal beheading, as far as I am concerned. 

Before we get to our personalized list, let’s take a look at some of the most popular Halloween books ever written:

Famous Halloween Books

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is the original, classic monster story. Written in 1818, this horror masterpiece will always be synonymous with Halloween because of the intense terror factor and its dark theme.
• The Shining by Stephen King is a gothic horror rife with haunting evil forces.
• Coraline by Neil Gaiman is a spooky, smart, dark fantasy written for children between the ages of eight and twelve. If your kids like something a little creepier for bedtime reading, this is a goodie.  
• The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury which, as the title suggests is the most strongly themed. It delves into the history of both Samhain and Halloween.  
• Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. Before Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt mesmerized us on the big screen movie adaptation, there was the book. Equal parts spicy and spine-chilling, this hypnotic debut has sold over eight million copies.

This list holds few surprises. Halloween is, after all, a scare fest centered around things that go bump in the night. Books, merch, movies, and more, Halloween today is a billion-dollar industry. And like most things, every year needs to be bigger and better than the last. Readers are quick to buy into the Halloween hype. Today, the spookier, the better – ghosts, witches, and pumpkins galore. Our obsession with this holiday has ramped up significantly in recent decades, but where did it all start?

When Halloween was Invented

Halloween is rooted in pagan religion. Around two thousand years ago, the ancient Celts celebrated the start of a new year and the end of the harvest with the festival of Samhain, which has evolved in the two centuries since to become the commercial, pumpkin-centric, candy-and-costume fiasco it is today. 

My Top Ten Halloween Books List

In the interest of inclusivity, and ensuring there is something for everyone, I believe every book list should be varied enough that any reader can find something to suit their taste. Our recommended Halloween reads include everything from fright fests to romcoms.

1. Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman. Anyone who grew up in the nineties and watched Sandra Bullock frantically lifting floorboards as she hunted the deathwatch beetle will know that Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic is a story worth reading. Over two decades later, Hoffman released the prequel: Magic Lessons, which tells the full story of Maria Owens – the original witch referred to in Practical Magic who cast the spell that cursed all Owens women.
2. Lock Every Door by Riley Sager. This also made my Top Ten Thrillers You Should be Reading list. Written by Todd Ritter under a pen name, this book will chill the marrow of your bones and keep you up late at night. Set in one of New York’s oldest apartment blocks, Jules Larson, who has just moved in, soon discovers that the building has a very dark past and that deadly secrets are hidden behind the glamorous walls. Is it a harmless ghost story, or something more sinister?
3. Dracula by Bram Stoker. Famous for its epistolary structure, this story of the Transylvanian Count is told through letters, articles, and diary entries. As one of the forerunners of vampire fiction, Dracula is most definitely worth a read, and what better time to sink your teeth into it than at Halloween?
4. The Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. Secret societies and dark magic abound in this dark fantasy thriller by the author who brought us the Grishaverse.In true Bardugostyle, this book will have you clamoring for more and the Yale equivalent setting is a stroke of genius.
5. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley. Another sinister building, but this time it’s a locked room mystery story. Containing all the Hitchcockian elements of a good suspense story, this crime drama is one you don’t want to miss.
6. The Hazel Wood by Melissa Alberts. A young adult fantasy, this modern-day fairy-tale blends colorful world-building with new-aged tech. The main character, Alice journeys bravely into the world of her grandmother’s imagination to rescue her mother.
7. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. This dark fantasy classic is suspense at its finest. Though the protagonists are 13-year-old boys, I wouldn’t recommend this for younger readers. A carnivalesque horror, it does include occult themes so if you are sensitive to that, it’s probably safer to avoid this one.  
8. The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling. If, like me, you find Halloween a bit overwhelming, this romantic comedy is the perfect escapism. If a book can be light and steamy at the same time, this book is that. A wonderful little romp about curses gone wrong and second-chance romance. 
9. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. No Halloween book list would be complete without the rich imagination of Mr. Gaiman. With so many brilliant books to choose from, it was difficult to narrow our selection down, but in the end, we chose The Graveyard Book for its wonderful yet creepy storytelling. The boyhood book has sold over a million copies, and while it was written for a middle-grade audience, it can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.
10. Weyward by Emilia Hart. This debut novel was an instant New York Times bestseller and winner of a bunch of awards. No surprise, considering its originality. The story follows three remarkable women over five centuries and is a rich tapestry of history, witchcraft, and modern realism.

With Halloween around the corner, I wish you all the pumpkin spice, holiday cheer, and books that you deserve! Regardless of the type of Halloween stories you prefer, our list has something for everyone, so let us know if you find anything you like.

And if you have any recommendations, I’d love to hear them!

Until next time, read hard!

MD

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