11 Best Halloween Reads | Best Books to Read During Halloween!
Updated for 2024
There’s many ways to get excited for and celebrate Halloween like decorating, costume-shopping, trick or treating, parties, watching films and finding the best Halloween reads!
The entire month of October is dedicated to all things spooky and I’ve put together this list of classic, scary and witch-y novels to consume. So read on for the best books to read around Halloween.
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Contents – Best Books to Read Halloween
11 Best Halloween Reads
What else can stories of ghosts, witches, goblins, vampires, killers and gore mean? This is halloween halloween halloween! There’s thousands of great book reads but I’ve chosen my favourite 11 best books to read during halloween below.
IT Stephen King
Some of the best scary books to read for Halloween are Stephen King books and there is not a ‘good books to read around Halloween’ list that doesn’t have books by Stephen King on it because they are the epitome of the horror genre, let’s be fair.
For this list, I’ve chosen one of the longest and best Stephen King novels, It which was adapted into a TV series and more recently, two films.
It is the longest book I’ve read and I switched between my heavy, physical copy and listening on Audible (the latter being a scary experience in itself).
The novel is set in a town called Derry in Maine which firstly follows a group of 7 friends who discover an evil being and must confront their demons as kids. The narrative then fast forwards to the group as adults who are pulled back to Derry by the mysterious and terrifying It and must face their nightmares once more.
Buy Stephen King It Book:
Amazon | Waterstones | The Book Depository
More Best Stephen King Books:
If you’re looking for great book reads to petrify you, take your pick of a Stephen King book such as:
- Misery Stephen King
- The Body Stephen King
- Insomnia Stephen King
- The Shining Book by Stephen King
- Carrie Stephen King
- Different Seasons Stephen King
The Haunting of Hill House Book
Made popular by the Netflix Adaptation, this is a scary story of ghosts, hauntings and paranormal activity guaranteed to creep you out for Halloween. Although I’ve not listened to it myself, The Haunting of Hill House audiobook has good reviews for a creepy listen!
Summary of The Haunting of Hill House from Goodreads:
‘It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a “haunting”; Theodora, the lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House.
At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.’
Buy The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson:
Amazon | Waterstones | The Book Depository
The Woman in Black Book
A chilling ghost story for Halloween, The Woman in Black will get your spine tingling and is definitely one of the best books to read for Halloween.
The Woman in Black book summary on Goodreads:
‘Set on the obligatory English moor, on an isolated causeway, the story has as its hero Arthur Kipps, an up-and-coming young solicitor who has come north from London to attend the funeral and settle the affairs of Mrs. Alice Drablow of Eel Marsh House.
The routine formalities he anticipates give way to a tumble of events and secrets more sinister and terrifying than any nightmare: the rocking chair in the deserted nursery, the eerie sound of a pony and trap, a child’s scream in the fog, and most dreadfully–and for Kipps most tragically–The Woman In Black.’
I studied this text in sixth form drama and went to London to watch The Woman in Black play and it was terrifying, live experience and one I highly recommend!
Buy The Woman in Black Susan Hill:
Amazon | Waterstones | The Book Depository
The Exorcist Book
You’ve all seen the movie or at least heard of this cultural phenomenon that is The Exorcist but have you ever thought who wrote The Exorcist book? Well, it was Mr William Blatty who invented this ultimate demon story!
The Exorcist book summary from Goodreads:
‘An extraordinary classic work of horror and dark paranormal suspense. In this stunning 40th Anniversary Edition, a desperate mother and two priests fight to free the soul of a little girl from a supernatural entity of pure malevolence.’
Get The Exorcist book free download on Audible here.
Buy The Exorcist by William Blatty:
Amazon | Waterstones | The Book Depository
Wicked Gregory Maguire
One of the best Autumn reads involves defying gravity, becoming popular and one short day in the Emerald city!
Wicked book summary:
A retelling of The Wizard Oz, the author of Wicked book gave Elphaba, the wicked witch of the west, her side of the story.
Maguire has also created the Wicked book series. I wonder if they’ll be made into a film or TV series after the majorly successful musical of Wicked?! This is not only one of the good Halloween reads, it’s one of the best reads for anytime of the year (I read this while in Thailand after finding it in a book exchange cafe).
Buy Wicked Book
Amazon | Waterstones | The Book Depository | Gregory Maguire Wicked Audiobook
Read Next: My Scary Story in Malaysia!
Practical Magic Alice Hoffman
I first fell in love with this story and the Practical Magic sisters and aunties when I watched the film and remained in love when I read the book Practical Magic on my kindle. Think witches, spell books, love, curses and magic!
According to Goodreads:
‘For more than two hundred years, the Owens women have been blamed for everything that has gone wrong in their Massachusetts town. Gillian and Sally have endured that fate as well: as children, the sisters were forever outsiders, taunted, talked about, pointed at.
Their elderly aunts almost seemed to encourage the whispers of witchery, with their musty house and their exotic concoctions and their crowd of black cats. But all Gillian and Sally wanted was to escape. One will do so by marrying, the other by running away. But the bonds they share will bring them back, almost as if by magic…’
The Practical Magic book series are great Autumn reads so add them to your Halloween reading list.
Buy Alice Hoffman Practical Magic:
Amazon | Waterstones | The Book Depository
Neil Gaiman Halloween Books
Although I haven’t myself read The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, I’ve heard good things and Neil Gaiman has many recommended book reads for children stories. It’s on my TBR (to-be-read) list.
The Graveyard Book summary from Goodreads is:
‘Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a perfectly normal boy. Well, he would be perfectly normal if he didn’t live in a graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the world of the dead.
There are dangers and adventures for Bod in the graveyard: the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer; a gravestone entrance to a desert that leads to the city of ghouls; friendship with a witch, and so much more.
But it is in the land of the living that real danger lurks, for it is there that the man Jack lives and he has already killed Bod’s family.’
Buy The Graveyard Book:
Amazon | Waterstones | The Book Depository
Related Posts: How to Find Graveyard of Gelert (Welsh Legend)
Harry Potter
Possibly one the best book reads for fantasy genre that ties in lovely with Halloween due to its rather famous wizarding world is the Harry Potter books!
I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of reading these books, books associated with HP, watching the films, or watching documentaries/youtube videos about it. My next goal is to listen to Harry Potter on Audible. Although there isn’t one where Harry Potter reads the books, I can think of no-one better for the job that Stephen Fry! Very excited for these good books to read for Halloween!
Buy Harry Potter Book Collection:
Amazon | Waterstones | The Book Depository
Related Posts:
How To Visit the Harry Potter Grave of Dobby in Wales!
Ultimate Tour of Harry Potter in Edinburgh!
How To Find All Harry Potter Graves in Edinburgh
Classic Best Books to Read During Halloween
Gothic literature is one of my favourite genres and make for many top book reads lists for Halloween! The following three are my faves.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula Book
Is there any book that epitomises the vampire tale like the Dracula book by Bram Stoker? Sure, you the likes of Jerusalem’s Lot by Stephen King, The Vampire Diaries by L.J Smith and the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer may come to mind but none of them come close to Bram Stoker books.
Travel to Transylvania, Romania and Whitby through the letter chapters to the scenes of the famous novel and discover the Count, his supernatural castle and haunting story that is Dracula. Or visit the famous Dracula Castle in Transylvania to relive the novel. Dracula is described on Goodreads as ‘the landmark vampire novel that set the pattern for virtually all vampire fiction written after its publication in 1897.’
Listen to Dracula by Bram Stoker book for free on Audible here or read below to get a deal of three Gothic audiobooks for free!
Buy Bram Stoker Dracula Book
Amazon | Waterstones (Penguin English Edition) | The Book Depository
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Book
I studied this Gothic tale while at University which tied in with a Romanticism module I was attending. I had always heard the monster and knew the adaptations were always popular but was yet to read the Frankenstein novel so jumped at the chance to study it.
The story is about a scientist who assembles body parts to create a new ‘thing’ and gives it life. The commentary on life, death, revenge and new-age science shines through the story and the terror, murder and sorrow are key parts of this horror novel.
Frankenstein synopsis on Goodreads is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein novel ‘of the scientist whose creation becomes a monster.’
Listen to Mary Shelley Frankenstein book audio for free here or read more below for a Gothic 3-in-1 deal on Audible.
Did you know: Contrary to popular belief, Frankenstein is actually the name of the scientist in the book who creates the green, living creature we think of as Frankenstein.
I think that classic Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a fantastic option for what to read for Halloween stories, it features monsters, science, fright, sadness, cautions and morals.
Buy Frankenstein Mary Shelley
Amazon | Waterstones (Penguin English Library Edition) | The Book Depository
One of the best Audiobooks available on Audible is The Monster Collection narrated by Stephen Fry which includes Dracula, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Frankenstein audiobook. If you sign up for a free, 30-day trial, you can listen to all three audiobooks for free! Get your free audiobook here!
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
The last book, Rebecca Daphne du Maurier is another classic and another gothic novel I studied at Uni. I studied this book alongside Alfred Hitchcock’s adaptation which is a must-see after reading this! There was also a recent remake on Netflix to check out.
Rebecca is the story of a young woman who marries a rich, widowed man and moves to his mansion called Manderley. The plot follows the new Mrs of the household in the shadow of her husband’s late wife, Rebecca and encounters the ghost of Rebecca at every corner of Manderley: the inscriptions on fabric, jewellery, the staff’s love for her, the boathouse, the dress at parties. It’s a chilling read with a great twist for Halloween.
Buy Rebecca Daphne du Maurier Book
Amazon | Waterstones | The Book Depository
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Thanks for reading my best books to read for Halloween post and hope you enjoy these scary reads!
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