Our Favorite Spooky and Supernatural Books to Read Ahead of Halloween
The fall season leading up to Halloween is one of our favorite times of year, in part because it's the perfect opportunity to cozy up and get lost in a scary book.
The weather is colder and gloomier and the sun's going down earlier, setting the ideal scene for thrills and chills. There are also horror stories out there for every reader, for those who prefer more realistic frights to lovers of the supernatural, monster tales and other whimsical flights of fancy. If you're curious about what we've read and loved recently, keep scrolling to discover the stories we think will sweep you away this Halloween season.
The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim
There's something about a grounded and realistic tale of horror that can make it feel extra visceral and frightening, and that's precisely what we adore about The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim. It tells the story of Ji-won, a Korean American college freshman whose life falls apart when her dad has an affair and suddenly abandons the family. Quickly, her grades begin to slip, and she worries about how her mom and little sister will manage with the heartbreak and financial burden.
When her mom starts dating some guy called George, she instinctively knows that something is off about him, and these feelings grow more and more disturbing when she starts dreaming about rooms full of eyes with light blue irises that look just like George's. She's eaten fish eyes before—considered a delicacy—but now she dreams about eating George's eyes, and they're so delicious she begins craving them even while awake. She believes she'd never act on that desire, but perhaps she can be pushed far enough to enact a plan that will satisfy her hunger and be rid of George in one fell swoop.
(The Eyes Are the Best Part via Erewhon Books)
Monstrilio: A Novel by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
The best monster stories are ones that also tap into what it means to be human, and Gerardo Sámano Córdova's Monstrilio is an unusual examination of grief and clinging to the past. Told from multiple perspectives, it follows Magos and Joseph, two parents mourning the loss of their 11-year-old son, Santiago. In a moment of desperation, Magos acts on a wild folktale, cutting out a piece of Santiago's lung and feeding it, in hopes in will grow back into their son.
To the shock of Magos and her husband, as well as her mother and best friend, Lena, it works—though the sentient creature that results appears more monster than boy, and it certainly isn't their darling Santiago. Perhaps over time they can shape this creature (dubbed Monstrilio) back into the child they lost—or will his monstrous nature be impossible to fully overcome?
(Monstrilio: A Novel via Zando)
Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler
What does it actually mean to be human? What about vampire? Those questions are at the center of Octavia E. Butler's disturbing yet unforgettable Fledgling. It begins with a young Black girl who finds herself injured and incapacitated in a cave, with no memory of who—or what—she is. Soon, she stumbles into an animal and ravenously devours it, finding herself healed and quickly understanding more about her nature. She also can't resist biting the first human she meets, who seems to fall under some kind of thrall and insists on aiding her.
Over time, she pieces her history together. She's actually a vampire in her 50s named Shori, and someone out there wants her dead (and failed to finish the job). She's not just any vampire (or Ina, as the book calls them), but a hybrid with human DNA who can't turn humans into Ina herself. The other Ina see her kind is impure, and all of the women in her family have already been killed off. Still without her memories, Shori must find out not just how to keep herself alive, but to prevent the same fate from befalling others like her.
(Fledgling via Grand Central Publishing)
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Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
Even if you're big on zombie apocalypse stories, we bet you've never experienced something quite like Kira Jane Buxton's Hollow Kingdom until you've read it yourself. This first-person narrative comes courtesy of a pet crow named S.T. who adores his owner, Big Jim, and likes to taunt Dennis, his lazy dog roommate. But when Big Jim starts acting weird—and his eyes start popping out of their sockets—S.T. realizes something is amiss and sets out into the world for the first time to find a cure for his beloved owner.
Quickly, it becomes clear that Big Jim isn't the only one. People are out in the streets eating each other—and, even more disturbingly, their pets—and that this might not be an issue some meds from the pharmacy can solve. But S.T. is determined to set things right, and using all of the human knowledge Big Jim passed along to him, he intends to do something about it. If he has to get in touch with his crow roots and get roped into saving the pets of the world in the process, so be it.
(Hollow Kingdom via Grand Central Publishing)
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
If you've just seen the Studio Ghibli version of Howl's Moving Castle, you might think you know the whole story. We insist you read the book as well to deepen your understanding of this whimsical and cozy fairy tale. Sophie is the eldest of the three Hatter sisters, obligated to live a boring life running her family's hat shop in the town of Market Chipping.
Sophie doesn't know it yet, but she has the magical ability to speak life into inanimate objects. When the Witch of the Waste discovers this fact, she feels threatened, deciding to transform Sophie into an old woman. Sophie's only hope to reverse the spell is to aid the notoriously nasty wizard, Howl, in his moving castle. He may seem cold and uncaring, at first, but she soon discovers Howl is more than he seems, and even as they constantly bicker and she denies her growing feelings for him, a spark just might be building between them.
(Howl's Moving Castle via Greenwillow Books)
Play Nice by Rachel Harrison
If you're hunting for something extra fresh yet spooky for your TBR, check out Rachel Harrison's Play Nice, which released in September of this year. It's the story of Clio, a stylist and influencer whose childhood home may or may not have been haunted. When she was a kid, her single mom went mad in the house, insisting it was possessed by a demon. She even wrote a book about the experience, and not too surprisingly, lost custody of her children.
When their mom dies, Clio and her sisters believe that era of their lives is finally fully behind them. Together, they inherit the house, and Clio—always on the lookout for viral opportunities—decides she can turn flipping the house into great content. Soon, though, as Clio reads her mom's book for the first time and her renovations begin, she realizes that the spirit inhabiting the house is the real deal, growing more and more deadly and airing out the entire family's inner demons in the process.
(Play Nice via Berkley)
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House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves isn't just a book—it's an engrossing and often terrifying nonlinear experience. At the heart of the story lies a (completely fictional) found footage documentary about a family living in a house of ever-expanding rooms and unknowable corridors, as well as the intrepid explorers who go on to investigate it. The way this narrative unfolds is just as convoluted as those journeys, with different bits pieced together by different "authors," with their own prejudices and inner lives bleeding into the story, plus a scholarly analysis layered on top (complete with pages upon pages of footnotes that feel like a treasure hunt within themselves). The format of the book is also a mirror of this, with unusual page layouts that make reading a physical copy a must. Diving into House of Leaves is basically an adventure, and not to be taken lightly, but there couldn't be a better time to start.
(House of Leaves via Turtleback Books)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
And finally, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is classic for a reason. If you only read modern fiction, it may take some time getting used to the structure, consisting of letters and accounts in the vernacular of the time, but once it clicks, it's hard to put this story down. What makes it even more irresistible is that horror movie depictions of Frankenstein's monster get the story so wrong.
That's because scientist Victor Frankenstein is no hero. He's spent years stealing body parts from cemeteries and hospitals in an attempt to play God, working to invent a new kind of superhuman who will revere him and only him. When his experimentation finally proves successful, Victor is disgusted by and fearful of the ugliness of his own invention, immediately abandoning the poor creature. With no other options, the creature flees, and though people fear him, he's curious and intelligent, learning speech, reading and writing by observing from a hiding place. As much as he tries to be a good man, each interaction he has with humanity shows him that nothing he can do will override their fear of his appearance, proving humankind's own ugliness again and again—starting with the negligence of his creator.
(Frankenstein via Union Square & Co.)
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