Emily’s Recommendations
Autumn days provide the perfect atmosphere for spooky and thrilling reads for me. Even the darkest books seem cozy with the slight chill in the air, changing leaves, and warm drinks. I tend to gravitate towards horror, thriller, and just generally darker books during this time.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: The writing of this book matches its setting, in that they are both hauntingly beautiful. It will have you questioning what’s real and what’s imaginary alongside the main character, making for a chilling read.
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix: This might be one of the most horrific books I’ve ever read – and I mean that as a genuine compliment. The book itself covers a decent length of time, but it feels autumnal in its entirety because of the creepiness. I came for the horror, and I stayed for the social commentary, so I’d consider it a good read all around.
Survive the Night by Riley Sager: This is one of my favorite authors, and he does “real or not real” incredibly well. The pacing is incredibly fast, and it gives me similar feelings to my favorite slashers without as much blood.
The Last Word by Taylor Adams: Speaking of slashers, this is like a slasher movie and does have a decent amount of blood. I was anxious alongside the main character through a lot of the book, in the best way, and I even had a couple of jump scares somehow. It kept me guessing!
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson: I absolutely love this YA trilogy. The writing is great, the story is complex, and the books get darker as the series continues. It feels like a genuine portrayal of obsession and the consequences of a teenager getting involved in things she probably shouldn’t, and it’s very obvious how it changers her, for better and for worse.
11/22/63 by Stephen King: I’ve read few books by King so far, but I will be changing that soon. In the meantime, this is my favorite book by him. It is creepy at points, because of course it is, but it’s also just a well-written, interesting book that kept me hooked.
None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney: This book is a YA version of Silence of the Lambs, and I mean that in the best ways. I had a great time with it, and it’s perfect for when I’m wanting a darker read but I don’t want to get too disturbed.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson: I have loved this book since it was introduced to me as part of the Gothic Literature section in my middle school English class. It’s a classic, of course, but it’s easy to understand and gives a really interesting, and dark, story.
Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar: It reads as a memoir, but it’s a fiction book with bits of reality woven in. I didn’t know what was real or not until the acknowledgements, and I was hooked the entire time. I had a great time reading it, and I’m planning a re-read soon so I can read the sequel finally.
Books I think will be perfect for autumn and I hope to read soon:
- My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
- Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
- Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
- The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
- The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Sabrina’s Recommendations
Spooky vibes are always top-notch in the fall, but autumn days never fail to put me in the mood for immersive mysteries and well-loved classics.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie: My all-time favorite Christie, this is a quintessential whodunit complete with an isolated setting, stormy weather, and a steadily declining cast of characters.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas: Autumn is one of the best times to curl up with a good thick book. Over 1,000 pages in its unabridged version, The Count of Monte Cristo hits the mark for sure. Dumas’s sweeping tale of adventure and vengeance is one of my favorite classics, too.
The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien: Personally, I’m partial to The Hobbit, but both (all four, rather?) are timeless and beloved fantasies, and for good reason. Plus, hobbits and their cozy lifestyle (all except for a few wayward adventuring hobbits) pair so well with the slow pace of the season.
The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton: This is another of my favorite mysteries. The speculative fiction aspect makes this so enjoyable and fresh (it’s been aptly described as “Groundhog Day meets Agatha Christie”), but what I love most is the immersive world and prose. If I could live within the pages of the second act, I most certainly would. A+ autumn vibes.
A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: The first Sherlock Holmes story, and one of my favorites. I love revisiting the beginning of it all and seeing Watson meet and eventually befriend Holmes, coming to learn (and experience) his peculiar choice of occupation.
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Another personal Sherlock Holmes favorite, this story comes with a hint of spooky vibes perfect for those lengthening autumn nights.
The Secret History by Donna Tart: I’m not usually a fan of following college-aged characters into disaster (or, indeed, anywhere else), but this popular dark academia novel was a surprisingly good read – especially in the fall. I started reading this for the first time in a hotel room overlooking a sparse graveyard, and it was honestly perfect. With gorgeous prose, innumerable literary and classical allusions, and a descent into the dark side of human nature, this is a necessary inclusion for a fall reading list.
Macbeth by William Shakespeare: When autumn sets in, I feel particularly compelled to delve into old prose. Something about Shakespearean English just hits especially right when the days blaze orange and the nights grow long. Read this tragedy by the fireside with a mug of hot apple cider or mulled wine, and you’ve hit peak autumn as far as I’m concerned.
Grimms’ Fairy Tales: Old, eerie, and often blood-soaked, these tales are perhaps best read alone in a forest. Second best? With a hot drink on a cold autumn night.
The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips: This mystery is written in epistolary format following a) the journal of a driven archaeologist on a quest to unearth the tomb of a mysterious pharaoh in the 1920s, and b) the letters of a retired private detective in the 1960s, as he recalls his pursuit of that same archaeologist, whom he believed (and still believes) to be guilty of murder. Two unreliable narrators, with the truth hidden in the negative space between both accounts. While I found this story slow in the beginning, by the time I reached the middle, it was unputdownable. A delicious and twisted mystery, perfect for the fall.
Books on my TBR that I expect to be perfectly autumnal include:
- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
- What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
- The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
Books So Nice They’re Recommended Twice
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Emily says:
This is the epitome of a classic gothic novel, and I’ve re-read it a few times since falling in love with it in middle school. It also began my love for vampire books and movies, so there’s that as well!
Sabrina says:
I absolutely love epistolary fiction, and it works so well in Dracula! A classic that has earned its place, this is always a perfect fall re-read.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Emily says:
Yet another epitome of a classic gothic novel! I have a special place in my heart for this book because of the way that it made me think about morality and humanity.
Sabrina says:
Beautifully thought-provoking and dripping with gothic atmosphere, Frankenstein is another A+ autumn read.
If you’re like us, you have no shortage of books to read, but we hope you’ve gotten some ideas for a stellar book line-up this fall. Happy reading!
Thank you for exploring with us! Until next time, may the pages and paths ahead of you be great.
