10 spooky books to read this fall
October is not quite Fall season with the rain still pouring without rhyme or reason but the days are getting gloomier and colder. And that obviously calls for you to retreat to your warmest nook with a blanket, a cup of coffee (or a beverage of your choice) and a creepy book to keep you up all night. While the prospect of staying in all day every day- tried, tested and recommended by yours truly is enticing, here are some books you could check out on your next trip to the bookstore or your local library.
Depending on what things spook you, the mood you’re in and the vibe you’re aiming for - I’ve divided my recommendations into four sub-genres over two blog posts. My division of books in this piece is based more on the vibes than the actual genres the book would normally be put in. At a basic level, all of these would be characterised as thrillers and mysteries.
The first sub-genre is the one that’s been trending all over the Internet,
Dark Academia
Imagine this- dark, gloomy hallways made of stone, chandeliers lit up with candles and, libraries with dim lighting and ancient leather bound tomes. The nostalgia of the hallways of old academic institutions with a hint of elitism and the pretense of high-class society. Secret cults or a murder set against this background is the way for you to go if you like the vibe of dark academia but are spooked too easily and value your sleep at night.
Bunny by Mona Awad
A fancy MFA program in an elite university. A scholarship student who thinks that she's ‘not like other girls’. A clique that screams ‘Mean girls’ where they call each other bunny. And then the protagonist receives an invite to join the clique; except this isn't a chick-flick and the bunnies are more sinister than they appear. An unexpected dark comedy about loneliness and belonging and crazy-crackhead imagination. Campus life and university town vibes are portrayed beautifully. This book is a romp and it is equally weird, so don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.
https://www.goodreads.com/bunny
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
A group therapist grieving the loss of her husband. A series of murders at Cambridge university. A charismatic professor who teaches Greek tragedy and a secret society called The Maidens. The protagonist gets involved in the murder investigation on campus and unravels dark secrets about the charismatic professor, The Maidens and her own past. The dark academia vibes and the tension are immaculate in this one but I wouldn’t recommend this to seasoned readers of murder mysteries. https://www.goodreads.com/the-maidens
If We Were Villains by M.L Rio
What says dark academia better than an elite arts college and a group of students studying Shakespeare? A group of friends playing roles offstage as they do onstage. As the stories bleed into reality, the lines blur and one of their own dies. Then commences the acting of the century as tales are spun and the truth is hidden from the police. The writing is poetic and peppered with parallels to Shakespearean plays. And the atmosphere and characters draw you into the dark mystery. https://www.goodreads.com/if-we-were-villains
They Never Learn by Layne Fargo
Set in an elite university, told in dual perspectives this is a story of vigilante justice. One of the perspectives is a student starting university, making friends and understanding the cruel world around her. The other is that of an English professor teaching at the same university who kills people, who’ve gotten away with crimes, in her free time. With a touch of sapphic romance, this revenge story is more of a thriller than a mystery with solid plot twists.
https://www.goodreads.com/they-never-learn
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead
Six friends that come back together for a college reunion. An unsolved murder from their past. And each one with a deadly secret of their own that could jeopardize their whole life, the secret that someone else is trying to uncover. The story is told in dual timelines - the night of the reunion and the days back when they were students. It's an unputdownable mystery-thriller with shocking plot-twists that you never see coming.
https://www.goodreads.com/in-my-dreams-i-hold-a-knife
The next sub-genre is,
Psychological Thrillers
I find these books a tad bit scarier than murder-mysteries and thrillers because of the way the writing makes you question reality at a fundamental level and makes you wonder if you’re insane. If mind games, traps and unreliable narrators intrigue you, these may be the perfect reads for you this October.
The Push by Ashley Audrain
A really dark take on postpartum depression, motherhood and intergenerational trauma. Plus unsupportive heterosexual marriages. If the idea of having children creeps you out, this will pretty much intensify your fear of parenthood and if it doesn’t then my friend, get ready to be introduced to your new fear.
https://www.goodreads.com/the-push
Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone
This is a lighter read and not exactly a psychological thriller but a book with a psychopathic protagonist (a rather feminist psychopath if you will). A revenge story with all the cards on the table from the very beginning, this is the book for you if the book or the Netflix series “You” made you cringe on the inside because of how stupid Beck was throughout the story.
https://www.goodreads.com/jane-doe
No Exit by Taylor Adams
Part mystery-thriller and part psychological thriller, this book takes place in the course of a night in the middle of a blizzard. Four strangers, the protagonist who is a college student- and a kidnapped child who may or may not be the product of the protagonist’s overactive imagination, all stuck at a rest-stop with nowhere to go with a psychopath among them. The writing is so atmospheric, I recommend you to bring blankets along.
https://www.goodreads.com/no-exit
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
Bartholomew- a mysterious, old building, abode of the rich and famous of Manhattan, where the protagonist takes up a job as an apartment sitter. Everything’s fun until an apartment sitter’s mysterious disappearance leads to the discovery of the building’s dark past and equally murky present. A slow-burn, atmospheric story with engaging plot twists that I recommend to people who prefer murder plots over literary prose.
https://www.goodreads.com/lock-every-door
I’m thinking of ending things by Iain Reid
It’s really hard to describe this book without giving the plot away, so I’m going to stick to pitching the vibes. It starts with a couple on their way to visit the guy’s parents for dinner and the lady has been thinking about ending things, then their night takes a dark turn. It’s ominous, atmospheric, gloomy and creepy. And it is the epitome of a psychological thriller.
https://www.goodreads.com/i-m-thinking-of-ending-things
I hope you found something to keep you company during the gloomy season ahead. And for the people who prefer being scared, disgusted and revolted by their literature- stay tuned for my upcoming post for horror recommendations.
That was great
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