There’s never a bad time to read spooky books. Particularly when those spooky books center our communities or our culture. So, just in time for this Fall season, we’ve put together a list of books that get that magical, spooky feeling going inside our hearts. So, get lost in these stories and get a little bit of horror in your life – the safe way.
Though we’d still recommend making sure you’re in a safe, cozy place before you start reading, just in case. These books are good enough to transport you to new worlds and make time pass like nothing you’ve experienced before.
1
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Mexican Gothic is a historical fiction that takes you deep into the secrets families keep, and what those secrets might end up meaning for the ones that have to carry the burdens. It’s both really, scary, but also really grounded, which honestly just makes it even scarier. There are no worse ghosts than the ones you believe can, and will, actually show up.
2
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
A fantasy young adult story with ghosts that just won’t leave, a trans boy fighting to be accepted for who he is and chaotic, but ultimately goofy characters who will steal your heart, Cemetery Boys is the perfect Fall read. It’s got that touch of spooky, but it will also make you smile, and maybe even tear up a bit. At its core Cemetery Boys is about acceptance, and finding connections, no matter what form those connections might take – a great message for any time of the year.
3
The Brooklyn Brujas Series by Zoraida Córdova
If full-on chilling tales are not your thing, but you still want a little spooky and a lot of magic, the Brooklyn Brujas series is just the thing for you. Magic abounds in this tale of witches, ghosts, and not just finding yourself, but accepting yourself. Labyrinth Lost, the first book in the series, does a great job of exploring the things you think you want, and how does differ not just from the things you need, but the things you’re meant to do.
4
Shadowshaper Cypher Series by Daniel José Older
More on the side of creepy and at times twisty than downright scary, Shadowshaper is still a worthy book to pick up this Fall. The book, which deftly blends magic and the supernatural with the more common elements of growing up and finding your place in an ever-changing world is the type that will stay with you long before you’ve finished. Thankfully, there’s more than one book to devour in this series!
5
The Grimrose Girls by Laura Pohl
There’s murder and a bit of horror, but also friendship, magic, and fairy tales in this newly released YA book that truly has a bit of everything, for everyone. As a spooky read, however, this book manages to keep that hard to describe ominous feeling alive through every one of its pages, and even when you think you have everything figured out, it’s likely the book will find at least one more way to surprise you – and even thrill you.