Spooky Stuff

Normally I’m neck-deep in scary stuff all October long. This year is very different. While I still love all the spooky vibes, this particular season of life requires focus elsewhere.

That being said, I don’t have as many scary tales to recommend as in the past. I But you can check out my list of Halloween books and some great Halloween podcasts.

The September House by Carissa Orlando • 🎧 • ★★★★☆

FINALLY. A GHOST STORY WITH LOTS OF GHOSTS (AND NOT JUST THE IDEA OF GHOSTS).

This is not a spoiler. In the first chapter of The September House, you learn that each September, Margaret and Hal’s house is haunted by a coterie of noisy ghosts, regularly drips blood down the walls and absolutely rumbles with rattles and moans.

The mystery here is why does Margaret stay? Why did her husband decide to suddenly leave even though the house is perfect 11 months out of the year? Why has her daughter never bothered to visit until this September?

The September House layers on the ghosts and mysteries chapter after chapter, and then does a great job peeling them all back. I highly recommend this one—particularly in audiobook form!

Read if you like: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix, The Family Plot by Cherie Priest

The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy • ★★★★☆

This is my third Paulette Kennedy book. Every time I pick up one of her novels, I don’t recognize I’ve read her before. I think that’s because while her writing is consistently good, she doesn’t tie herself to a single genre or setting. With that in mind, The Devil and Mrs. Davenport is very different from The Witch of Tin Mountain and Parting the Veil. It also might be Kennedy’s best work yet.

The Devil and Mrs. Davenport is set in 1950s Missouri. Loretta is a stay-at-home mom to two children. Her husband teaches theology at a nearby college. After a severe fever, Loretta finds that she has a sixth sense about certain events and people—in particular a recent murder in town. Essentially, she’s discovered she’s a medium of sorts.

Her husband, being extremely religious, finds this to be blasphemous. Loretta explains that she thought her visions were a gift from God. Of course he says that’s wrong and she should repent.

This dynamic sets up the tension for the rest of the novel. I don’t want to spoil it too much because the way it builds and falls apart is really a wonder.

I will say, this book might not be a good fit for everyone. As noted in the book itself, there is mention of domestic abuse and violence. So be aware as you go in.

Read if you like: Empire of the Wild by Cherie Dimaline

Let Him In by William Friend • ★★☆☆☆

I find movies like The Babadook pretty scary. Essentially anything that has to do with imaginary friends or terrifying childhood visions creeps me out. That’s why I thought Let Him In would be a good fit when I saw it at the library. (It wasn’t.)

After the death of his wife, Alfie’s twin daughters start to play with an imaginary friend called Black Mamba. Black Mamba is sometimes a man but he can take animal form too. The twins are obsessed with their friend, so much so that Alfie consults his sister-in-law Julie (his dead wife’s twin)/psychologist to counsel them.

I was 90% through this book and debated putting it down. I wasn’t getting any heebie-jeebies. The plot was going in circles with no chill factor whatsoever.

Keep up with what I’ve read over on Goodreads! Also, if you’re an audiobook fan, I encourage you to try Libro.fm—you can support your favorite small bookstore while downloading your next listen.

October begs for spooky and scary reads, and I managed to sneak some in—including an absolute classic!

My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine • 🎧 • ★★★☆☆

I think Twilight tainted vampire romances for too long! Thank you to Jenna Levine for giving new life to this genre by mixing it with the light and airy rom-coms I’ve grown to enjoy.

Now, is My Roommate Is a Vampire a perfect read? No. But the setup was very fun. Cassie finds a dream apartment listing in a high-end Chicago neighborhood. The catch? Her roomie is a vampire looking to catch up on what’s happened in the world over the past 100 years.

The final conflict of this book kind of flopped for me. And there’s always the issue of human-vampire relationships—Does that person stay human? Do they get changed? So it’s a solid three stars and a great light Halloween read.

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin • ★★★☆☆

The description of this book was giving Amityville vibes, so I bit. A wellness influencer moves into a home with a disturbing past in a ritzy Australian town. She soon finds she’s not welcome—and that there’s something up with the house.

In the end, this book ended up being more domestic thriller than horror. There’s nothing wrong with that! But I also saw a lot of the twists and kinks coming. And a few of the plot devices weren’t woven in as seamlessly as I would have liked.

From Bad to Cursed by Lana Harper • ★★★☆☆

This is the sequel to Payback’s a Witch, a witchy romance I read last year (it’s also a Halloween read I recommend!).

It’s, of course, in the same vein. This time Isadora Avramov (a witch with necromantic tendencies) has to team up with Rowan Thorn, a witch whose strengths lie with nature and healing. Opposites attract as always. And yes, a demon is involved (and properly banished).

Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby • ★★★★☆

I have loved every single one of Samantha Irby’s essay collections. I reliably laugh out loud and cry at various points throughout each of her books, including this one.

One of my favorite essays is about defending your taste with a simple phrase: I like it!

You can use “I like it!” (the exclamation point is necessary) any time some freak questions a regular-ass thing you enjoy, and it’ll swipe their legs out from under them every single time, and you can stand over their quivering body with your subpar tastes and laugh your face off.

—Samatha Irby

I will be using this now until the end of time. A grocery store jimmie square is a trash treat? Well, I like it! You think that taco place is overrated? Well, I like it! The witchy rom-com genre is lame? Well, I like it!

Dracula by Bram Stoker • 🎧 • ★★★☆☆

I’ve dabbled with the idea of reading Dracula since I was about 12 when I bought a copy via a Scholastic book order. But this is the year I finally took the plunge. I think visiting Clontarf (the part of Dublin where Bram Stoker grew up) was what I finally needed to get started.

To work through this book, I downloaded the Audible version narrated by Tim Curry and Alan Cumming, both of whom performed it beautifully.

I enjoyed the opening chapters of Dracula immensely. They were so awesomely atmospheric. But the story dragged for a good while before picking up in the last quarter. I say this as a reader in 2023. I’m sure if I read this in 1897, my mind would have been positively blown and I would have been a Bram stan big time.

As always, you can follow along with my progress and see what I’ve read over on Goodreads! Also, if you’re an audiobook fan, I encourage you to try Libro.fm—you can support your favorite small bookstore while downloading your next listen.

It’s October and spooky reading season is officially here (though I like a good witchy read any time). To celebrate, I thought I’d share the best Halloween reads on my shelf.

A few words before I dive into my picks: These are by no means the limit of my scary, gothic, spooky book recommendations. They are, however, particularly suitable for this time of year. The vibes are right. So head to your local library, get on Libby or check out Libro.fm and start your next spooky chapter!

And before you start: Instead of giving you my star ratings (they’re all good ones!), I wanted to give you a hint to the *~vibes~* with a few emojis.

The Witches of New York by Ami McKay • 🧙🏼‍♀️🫖🐈‍⬛

This book sat untouched in my Kindle for years until I could enjoy it at the exact right moment. For me, that was returning home from Salem on an October evening.

In The Witches of New York, two women (also witches) run a tea shop (and more) in New York during the Golden Age. I, of course, instantly want to live in this world. I bet you all do too.

Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand • ✨🏚🎶

In 150 pages, Elizabeth Hand manages to weave a tale that haunts in all new ways. In Wylding Hall a folk band camps out at an old manor to record their next album. During their stay, an unexpected visitor arrives and the frontman disappears without a trace. How is this not a movie yet?

Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper • 🔮💜🐈‍⬛

There are so many witchy rom-coms out there. I should know—I’ve read a half dozen or more! But I have to say that Lana Harper’s Thistle Grove series is my favorite.

Payback’s a Witch is the first in the series, and it’s not only incredibly charming but also all about baddie witches taking revenge on the real baddies

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill • 🪦👻🪦

Think you know this story because you saw the Daniel Radcliffe movie? Think again! The original novel is absolutely spellbinding. It haunts, it chills, it makes you keep looking over your shoulder. Oh, and yes, it’s set in 19th-century London—perhaps the scariest setting of all time.

And the ending is perfection. This is a short read (160 pages), so don’t hesitate to pick it up.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova • 📚🧛🏻‍♂️🗺

From the very jump, The Historian grabbed me. In just a few pages, I was absolutely wrapped up in the atmosphere and the world Elizabeth Kostova created.

As a professor digs into the history of a book that mysteriously appeared on his desk, you are absorbed in his cross-continental spooky search.

Now, this book is 700 pages long, but when the nights are long and the days are gloomy, there’s not much more I love than a moody vampire story.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix • ✏️👻💖

I’ve enjoyed every Grady Hendrix book I’ve ever read, but I have to say that this one is my favorite. It’s wonderfully funny and still scary. It also really highlights the power and value of friendship. Aw!

Plus, with the back-to-school vibes, My Best Friend’s Exorcism really is such a good fall read.

Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey • 💀📓👻

I picked this book up ages ago, but it’s one I think about often. In Ghostland Colin Dickey carefully dismantles the supposedly spooky history of popular American haunts like the House of Seven Gables and the Winchester Mystery House.

Even though I love to believe in all the scariness associated with these places, I found it interesting to learn about the true origins of these tales.

The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike • 🏢👻🪦

I cruised through The Graveyard Apartment in a single weekend. This book is different than most American and British horror, and that’s part of what makes it so satisfying. It’s claustrophobic, spinetingling and absolutely eerie.

Yours Cruelly, Elvira by Cassandra Peterson • 🖤😘🦇

Elvira’s book is everything you’d expect: cheeky, campy and impossible to resist. She details her rise to fame, namedropping every chance she gets. I don’t hold that against her, though. Elvira forged her own spooky-meets-sexy path, and I’m here for it.

You can keep up with my reading over on Goodreads! Also, if you’re an audiobook fan, I encourage you to try Libro.fm—you can support your favorite small bookstore while downloading your next listen.

I’m not sure why, but seasonal reading never struck me as an idea until a few years back. Now that I’m into it, I’m into it. This fall I read a lot spine-tingling and witchy books (and I still have a few more in progress).

The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling • ★★★☆☆

I’m realizing that I love nothing more than a seasonal rom-com. The Kiss Curse is the follow-up to The Ex Hex, which I listened to last October.

I mean who doesn’t love some friendly competition between witches running their own magical shops? And, oh no, they have to ally themselves when one’s magic starts to disappear! I loved it. It’s a fun listen.

A Lullaby for Witches by Hester Fox • ★★☆☆☆

I thought that I’d been fooled by Hester Fox once, but looking back, I realized I’ve read two of her books (The Witch of Willow Hall and The Widow of Pale Harbor). A Lullaby for Witches will be my last. Spoilers ahead!

In this Hester Fox outing, Augusta makes some big changes in her life: she gets a new job at a small museum, dumps her boyfriend, moves in with her mom, starts dating a new guy and sort of becomes possessed by a spirit all within a few months. I mean, I could be into that in a general sense.

But when it came down to it, ugh. Augusta was such a bland character. And the author kept weaving in these tidbits about her trying to eat less and avoiding desserts. It’s a detail that didn’t make the character interesting or play into the plot. Spoiler: I don’t want to hear about any diet plan IRL or otherwise. Besides that aggravating fixation, Augusta was just very bland. How many times can I read about her taking notes on the condition of some old furniture? How often does that need to be done?

And, yes, I know that books with paranormal elements ask you to suspend belief. I can do that! I am all about believing that someone could be possessed by a vengeful half-witch from the past. But I also want people in these books to react to these outrageous situations in realistic ways. If your new girlfriend said, “I think a spirit is speaking with me and giving me visions,” your immediate response wouldn’t likely be Wow! Makes sense to me! I mean, sure you could get on board but not without some serious reckoning first.

One more thing: The author makes it seem like Augusta and Margaret, the witch from the past, have some really profound familial connection. It’s more like Margaret was her great-grandma’s niece. That doesn’t seem like quite enough. Who was my great-grandma’s niece? I DO NOT KNOW.

AND ANOTHER THING: Augusta’s mom is really reluctant to talk to Augusta about her late father. It turns out it’s because he was physically abusive. Instead of being sympathetic to her mother, Augusta is all Oh, well sometimes our memories of people are good and bad. What’s important is that we keep people’s memories alive and cherish the good times. Ummm… Not when that person is an abjectly terrible man. PASS.

Maybe this should be one star…

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas • ★★★★☆

The Goodreads synopsis of this book had me at the first sentence: Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca.

Beatriz is Rodolfo’s second wife. She spends her time at the family hacienda while he works in the capital. When he leaves, she’s plagued by visions and ghosts. Who is this ghost? What’s up with the sister-in-law? Can the local priest help? Is he more than a priest?

I wouldn’t necessarily categorize The Hacienda as a Halloween read, but it definitely had some unsettling gothic elements that feel right at home this time of year.

The It Girl by Ruth Ware • ★★★★☆

Ruth Ware is back! Who doesn’t love to read a book set at an elite college during back-to-school season? Especially when there’s a mystery afoot.

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw • ★★☆☆☆

I’m not sure why I bought this book in retrospect; the reviews were not great! And here comes my review—also not great.

In Nothing But Blackened Teeth, a group of five friends stays overnight in a supposedly haunted Japanese mansion. The legends say that a bride was buried alive in the walls of the home after her husband-to-be died on the way to the wedding that was to be held there. This is fine. This is a good haunted house setup!

What wasn’t great were all of the characters. These five were friends but there was absolutely no evidence of that. Everyone had serious beef with one another. Why would they agree to vacation together? To attend one another’s weddings? Maybe if any of the characters were more than half-baked, I’d have understood.

In sum: Come for the terrifying cover, leave the second you crack this one open.

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson • ★★☆☆☆

I was very into A Dowry of Blood, the first in a series about Dracula’s different partners for the first bit. It’s written in the style of a confession by Constanta, once a peasant girl then a vampire who sought to drain only those who deserved it. Spoliers coming up!

That is what sounds interesting, right? A vampire whose first kill was the army that slayed her family, who went on to kill abusive husbands and corrupt politicians. This idea could make for a very good book.

But within about 40 pages, Constanta is no longer a powerful warrior. Instead, she’s taken to tending to her husband, along with a second wife) in what seems to be a pretty psychologically abusive relationship. I went along with this, even though it can be hard to read, because I expected a really satisfying plot and payoff. Instead, the author just keeps hammering on this point—sometimes in Prague, sometimes in Verona, sometimes in St. Petersburg and later in Paris—over and over again. When the revenge came, it wasn’t sweet; it just seemed long overdue.

Tripping Arcadia by Kit Mayquist • ★★★★☆

The instant I see a new release with the subheading A Gothic Novel, you know I have to check it out. Gothic novels are my favorite novels!

And I really did enjoy Tripping Arcadia. Here Lena, a med school dropout, gets a job assisting a family’s private doctor. Her job is primarily to attend to the family’s ailing twenty-something son, but soon finds herself thrown into a world of parties and excess—but not in the way you’d think.

I don’t want to go in too deep, because this is one that deserves a read or listen. Think of it like The Secret Garden meats Girl in the Rearview Mirror.

I Walk in Dread by Lisa Rowe Fraustino • ★★★☆☆

I brought this Dear America book to Salem three years ago. Three. While I didn’t visit Salem on my latest trip to New England, I still decided to commit to this book this time around. Is this a book for middle schoolers? Yes. Did I still enjoy it? Yes.

As always, you can follow along with my progress and see what I’ve read over on Goodreads! Also, if you’re an audiobook fan, I encourage you to try Libro.fm—you can support your favorite small bookstore while downloading your next listen.