Spooky season is upon us and while I haven't seen any Halloween movie yet, I managed to get my hands on some new witchy books I'm really looking forward to reading.
In this post though, I'm gonna be a good friend and recommend to you all the spooky - and less spooky - books you should read this time of the year, to get even more into the Halloween mood. There will be something for everyone, whether you like it more spooky or less, more witchy or you just like ghosts and stories like that, I've got you covered!
WITCHES
I personally love books about witches. They always set the mood and create that creepy, gothic atmosphere I always look for in a book - any book. The Virago Book of Witches* is the most gorgeous collection of more than fifty stories about witches from around the world. Different kinds of witches like banshees and Lilith and other creepy and interesting tales about these women that not only can haunt, possess and challenge but also help. Definitely worth a try, even if it's just for this beautiful cover.
The Near Witch* by V.E.Schwab is one of those creepy but not really stories that will keep you hooked from the first page to the last one. It's one of Schwab's first books that got re-published with a fancy cover and a short story at the end and you know what? I loved it so much! Think about those tales about children disappearing in the night, this one is exactly that haunting story you would tell a little kid if you're being a creepy nanny. I know I would! Obviously, it's more on the MG side but as a 27-year-old, I really did enjoy it and would definitely recommend!
GHOSTSI usually don't read books about ghosts, mainly because I get too creeped out and I already have my issues with insomnia to make things worse. But I know that a lot of people love them and so here I am, recommending some to you. You're welcome!
I have three books in this category just because I have different takes on ghost stories. The first one and my personal favourite is A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb. It's the story of a 27-year-old woman that has been dead for 130 years and we follow her as a ghost as she "lives" among artistically inclined people but in isolation because nobody can actually see her. Until one day a boy looks straight into her eyes and from there, we follow them as they fall in love and look for answers on why they're still on earth. It's very lyrical writing with lovely dialogues and a feel of pity and sadness. Not your kind of ghost story if you're more into the creepy stuff but definitely a must-read for the softies.
The book you should definitely read if you're into more scary and chilling stories is The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton*. It's a collection of 11 haunting tales that will most definitely keep you up all night. The fact that makes them chilly is that each story has a "normal" setting that makes them believable, almost like they are real and live among us. It's the one for you especially if you don't want to commit to an entire book but are okay with skipping chapters.
If you're into the more "in between" stuff, I would try House of Glass* by Susan Fletcher. I've read it this Summer and even though I didn't think it was the most amazing book of all time - it's definitely too long for the story that tells - it was pretty fun to read. It's about a girl that goes away from home to work in a village where she has to take care of a glasshouse and it's flora. She is a guest at Mr Fox's house where strange things happen, doors open and close and the other women in the house try to keep the secret of a ghost from her. It's definitely chilling but it does lose a lot at the end when everything changes. But if you're into unecessary long books then this one is for you.
PARANORMALThis genre covers a lot of different kind of creepy books. From vampires to new age to a tarot reading and stuff like that. I think this is my favourite genre when it comes to Halloween, and I'm always browsing for books that have that atmospheric tone. I have lots of books to recommend under this category so you might arm yourself with pen and paper and take notes!
The first books - and my favourite I've read this year! - has to be The Devouring Gray* by Christine Lynn Herman. I couldn't put it down! I've read it in two days and I would have started it all over again! Four Founding families, a town with secrets and a forest with an ancient evil lurking in the dark. It's intriguing and fun and absolutely creepy and if you love Riverdale and The Raven Boys you will absolutely adore this one as it's the perfect mix of these two worlds.
Similar to this is Other Words for Smoke* by Sarah Maria Griffin. It's the perfect mix of magic and old creepy fairytales and it will haunt you until the very last page. It's hard to describe as I think the mystery is part of its charm. Hopefully, you will pick it up so we can obsess over it together.
Speaking of The Raven Boys, this is a series I like to binge every year just because every time I finish it, I end up missing it, the world, its characters. It's a journey to wake a dead Welch King where prophecies threaten to become true, death is always around the corner and tarots are the characters' main source of amusement. I loved the series and knowing that Maggie Stiefvater is coming out with a new series related to this one gives me so much joy I could cry. I did, tbh!
And here you have it, an almost full list of all my recommendations for this spooky season. I left out the classics because I'm kinda planning on writing a separate post on it whether on here or on Instagram so check out my IG in case I decide to write a roundup of my favourite classics for this season.
I really hope you liked this post even if too long, and I also hope you found your next spooky read tu curl up with this Halloween! Let me know if you want any other recommendations and please, if you have some, send them all my way!
*These books have been kindly gifted to me by various Publishing Houses but in no way I was told to talk about them and obviously, all opinions are my own.