Article: Must-Read Books for Spooky Season 2026

Must-Read Books for Spooky Season 2026

It’s officially spooky season 🎃 👻

Even though we're in the southern hemisphere, and our spooky szn is looking a bit too sunny and spring-like, we still yearn for the cosy Halloween-aesthetic edits that pop up on our TikTok FYP. Halloween should be spent bundled up indoors while the wind howls outside; with a hot drink, Gilmore Girls on the TV and a good book in your lap - not on the beach getting a tan.

That's why we've compiled the official Spooky Season Reading Guide. We're determined to have a proper Fall Vibes™️ October, complete with cosy reading, spooky books and a TBR that would make any BookTokker proud.

Whether you're looking for a cosy crime to get completely engrossed in, a witchy read for peak autumn vibes, a gothic fantasy to disappear into or something genuinely horrifying, we've got just the right titles to add to your spooky TBR.

Cosy Crime, Cold Cases & Menacing Mysteries

For when you want a little murder with your blanket, scented candle and cup of tea.

The Family Friend by Claire Douglas

When Imogen inherits a country mansion from an artist she barely knew, she hopes for a fresh start. Instead, she finds a mysterious box with her name on it, questions around the woman's death and the creeping feeling that someone is watching.

Perfect for a spooky night in when you want your mystery atmospheric, twisty and just unsettling enough.

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Retired Steve Wheeler is perfectly happy with his cat, pub quizzes and quiet routine until his daughter-in-law Amy calls with a murder to solve. What follows is a globe-spanning mystery involving a dead body, a bag of money and a bestselling author. The ultimate pick for anyone who likes their murders clever, characterful and genuinely fun.

Whisky Valley by Joan Sauers

A missing violinist, a rising flood and a race against time bring historian-turned-detective Rose McHugh back to the Southern Highlands. With mansions, ghost towns and plenty of quirky characters, this is cosy crime with an Australian twist, perfect for an autumn afternoon when you want a mystery without too much menace.

🔮 Witchy Books & Spellbinding Stories

For when you want a little magic, a little mischief and absolutely no idea what’s lurking in the woods.

Theodora's Tea Shop by Christy Anne Jones

When timid Dot runs away to learn magic, she finds herself apprenticed to Theodora, a glamorous witch running an underground magic empire from the back of a tea shop. Add spirits, secrets, found family and a creepy daemon, and you have peak witchy reading for a cosy night in.

Spellcaster by Jaymin Eve

Book cover of 'Spellcaster' with ornate gold designs and a dark background

When her magic suddenly blooms, a young witch finds herself at Weatherstone College, a prestigious school built on ancient magic, necromancy and battle. Between a powerful warlock, an enemies-to-lovers romance and a monster stalking the halls, this one is basically dark academia meets witchy BookTok.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

whichcraft for wayward girls by Grady Hendrix

In 1970, four pregnant teenagers are sent to a maternity home where they're expected to disappear quietly from the world. Then they discover witchcraft, and for the first time, they have a little power of their own.

A darker take on the witchy read, perfect for readers who like their spooky season with a serious bite.

The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli

The witches who once ruled are now hunted, and Rune is secretly using her powers to save them. Her next rescue requires her to get close to Gideon, the very witch hunter determined to capture her.

For anyone whose ideal spooky-season TBR includes forbidden magic, enemies-to-lovers tension and a little romance with their witchcraft.

🩸 Horror Books to Read With the Lights On

For when you want to be scared enough to regret reading just one more chapter.

The Starving Bride by Catherine Chidgey

Hazel becomes the centre of a disturbing public spectacle as she embraces extreme food restriction, while the world around her grows increasingly unstable.
A strange, unsettling and sharply satirical read for anyone looking to venture beyond traditional horror this spooky season.

How To Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson

Jamie expects awkward conversations and mediocre men when she agrees to speed dating. Instead, the lights go out, a date is murdered and the doors are locked.
A hilarious, bloody slasher-romance for anyone who thinks their ideal Halloween read should be equal parts rom-com and nightmare.

Room for Rent by Noelle W. Ihli

A fresh start in an isolated home quickly turns sinister when a seemingly perfect roommate reveals a much darker side.
Pick this one when you want the kind of psychological thriller that makes every creak in the house sound a little suspicious.

Buried in the Woods Below by Daniel G. Miller

After eighteen years, Charlotte returns to the island where her childhood fell apart, only to find an isolated house, dark woods, ghost stories and a long-abandoned amusement park waiting for her. Then people start dying.
For maximum spooky-season atmosphere, this one brings the misty woods, haunted whispers and creeping dread.

🦇 Gothic Fantasy & Dark Academia to Get Lost In

For when you want dark magic, mysterious worlds and somewhere beautiful to get lost.

Fangs for Nothing by Steffanie Holmes

A grumpy vampire, a sunshine human, a meddling book club and a murder mystery, all set against the backdrop of a gothic castle.
Basically the perfect book for anyone who wants their spooky season to be more charming than terrifying, with plenty of tea, romance and vampire vibes.

The Knave and the Moon by Rachel Gillig

A ruined cathedral, a ruthless king and a mysterious knave with no name or memory set the stage for this dark and romantic fantasy.
With eerie legends, dangerous magic and a world that feels like a strange, beautiful dream, this is gothic romantasy at its most atmospheric.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab

Across three centuries and three women, this lush tale of immortality follows hunger, desire and the choices that shape an endless life.
For readers who want their spooky-season reading dark, seductive and unapologetically gothic, this is the one.

Kiss of the Black Flame by Helen Scheuerer

A gifted bookbinder and a cursed immortal general strike a dangerous bargain involving an ancient book filled with living magic. As the book awakens, so does something darker.
A perfect pick for romantasy readers who want their fantasy TBR a little darker, moodier and more dangerous this October.

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A warm hug curated booxies flatlay

Ready to embrace spooky season? You can shop all of these titles at Booxies, whether your perfect October read involves a cosy mystery, a witchy spell, a gothic fantasy or something that will genuinely have you sleeping with the lights on.

Why not curate yourself the perfect cosy night in by adding one (or more) of these titles into a Build Your Own Booxie? We'd definitely want to pair our spooky readathon with a Bizzarro Spritz and some decadent Cuvée chocolate 💀🔮

And if you never want to be caught without your next great read, our Booxies Book Subscription delivers a carefully chosen new book each month, so there's always something waiting to be discovered.

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