Halloween is only 13 days away! I donât know about you readers, but I am an introvert, so I usually spend my nights inside reading. In my opinion, anything dark, creepy, supernatural or magical is considered fair game for this holiday.
Hereâs a list of 13 Halloween(ish) books to read for the spooky season!
Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (Bloomsbury)
Â
Iâm pretty sure Harry Potter is on every âbooks you should readâ list, but thatâs because itâs timeless! Besides focusing on the lives of witches and wizards, the farther along in the series you get, the scarier the school years get! Then when youâre done reading the books, go and watch the movies because the Hogwartsâ Great Hall during Halloween is a spectacular visual!
The Mortal Instruments

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
I mean, the title of the first book is The City of Bones. How creepy is that? Plus weâre dealing with angels and demons, warlocks, vampires â and every other scary creature you can think of!
Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Little, Brown and Company)
A family of witches AND forbidden love? Kami Garciaâs and Margaret Stohlâs twisted take on vampires and family has a dark, gothic vibe thatâs perfect for the season. I mean, enough said really.
Twilight

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Little Brown)
Much like Harry Potter, this is just a must-read for any YA reader. Vampires and Werewolves! It fits hand in hand with Halloween. After all, the fairytales and horror stories are real.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Â
Can we talk about the fact that the entire series starts with the death of the Baudelairesâ parents? From there itâs only downhill. Theyâre placed with a scary, secretive ârelativeâ and from that point, face deadly turn after deadly turn. Lemony Snicketâs world is tragic and comedic, but always dark and creepy.
Frankenstein

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (Signet)
First published in 1818, this piece of literary fiction is a must-read! Not just because itâs Frankenstein â obviously a well known (and misinterpreted) monster â but because it is a classic piece of Gothic literature that deserves to be cherished and revisited. What better time than Halloween?
Miss Peregrineâs Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrineâs Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (Quirk)
Have you seen the cover? That alone is enough to scare me. Not to mention the remote island, the abandoned orphanage and actual peculiar children? Nope, nope, nope! This is probably the scariest book on the list! (Okay, Iâm kind of a wuss, donât judge me!)
His Dark Materials

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers)
This book literally takes you through different universes! Itâs the ultimate adventure because you donât know what each universe entails. Plus, some witches are always nice to visit on Halloween. A little bit of backstory: the author did not intend on writing for Young Adult, even though thatâs what it is categorized under. But authors who donât intentionally write for YA are sometimes some of the best authors because they are not consciously sugar-coating anything for young readers.
The Spiderwick Chronicles

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black (Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Faeries, ogres, trolls, goblins, elves! This book has every imaginable creature under the sun! Go on adventures through the Spiderwick Estate with the three Grace children and encounter all sorts of fantastical and creepy critters along the way.
Gods of Jade and Shadow

âGods of Jade and Shadowâ by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. (Del Rey)
Â
The protagonist of Moreno-Garciaâs book teams up with the Maya god of death to save the world. Thatâs plenty to get on board with this book. A dark fairytale set in Mexico is perfect for Halloween â especially with its Dia de Los Muertos vibe.
The Boneless Mercies
Â

The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
A Young Adult fantasy inspired by Beowulf. Mercy killings and young women seeking honor and glory â all wrapped in a story of monster hunting? The book is a Halloween treat all on its own! This was also initially published in October, so what better way to celebrate itâs publishing anniversary?

Bruja Born by Zoraida CĂłrdova (Sourcebooks Fire)
Brooklyn Brujas
Â
Â
Zoraida CĂłrdovaâs series is a story about witches. Youâve got one witch who canât stand magic at all, another dabbling in a bit of necromancy (literally, stories throughout generations have told us why raising the dead is a bad idea!) Itâs witching season, which makes these books perfect for Halloween.
The Darkdeep
Â
A group of young, unexpected friends comes together to rescue one of their own and find out darker secrets about themselves. This Stranger Things-esque book was a big hit a couple years ago. Itâs about time we jump back in!
What will you be reading this Halloween?

Bookstacked Comment Policy
We welcome respectful comments. Our only rule is to be kind. Rude, hateful and generally mean-spirited comments will be removed.