October is the perfect month to lean into the eerie, the mystical, and the spell-binding. As the nights grow long and the shadows deep, our reading tastes shift toward stories that stir the imagination and send chills down the spine. This month’s curated list brings you everything from timeless classics to dark fantasy, magical realism, and pulse‑pounding thrillers - perfect for curling up under a blanket with a warm beverage as Halloween approaches.
For those who crave a haunting atmosphere and wonder, One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig offers a gothic tale of magic, mystery, and dangerous secrets set in a beautifully crafted fantasy world. History lovers will be captivated by The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano, a richly detailed tale of courage and conviction in 17th‑century Puritan America - inspired by real diary entries and court records. If you want something deeply unsettling, Bird Box by Josh Malerman delivers a tense, apocalyptic nightmare that keeps you holding your breath until the last page. And for fans of dark, bloody fantasy, The Devils by Joe Abercrombie offers a wickedly entertaining romp full of misfits, mayhem, and grim humor.
Whether you’re seeking to lose yourself in magic, unravel a chilling mystery, or immerse yourself in a world of danger and intrigue, this list will keep your October TBR both thrilling and unforgettable - sure to get you into the spirit of the season.
1. The First Witch of Boston by Andrea Catalano
About the Book: In 1646 Massachusetts Bay Colony, Thomas and Margaret Jones arrived from England seeking a new life. Bound by decades of love, they face suspicion in a strict Puritan town when Margaret’s bold nature draws ire. Inspired by true events, The First Witch of Boston is a gripping tale of love, injustice, and survival amid hysteria and upheaval.
From its Pages: “Seems that when a woman has too much knowledge or skill, or speaks her mind freely, these Puritans take great offense.” - Andrea Catalano, The First Witch of Boston
2. Kill Creatures by Rory Powers
About the Book: Last summer, Luce, Edie, Jane, and Nan went for one final swim, but only Nan returned. For a year she has told the same story: she doesn’t know what happened. Now, at a memorial by the river, Luce emerges from the water - and Nan knows the truth: she killed her, and Edie and Jane too.
From its Pages: "Luce is dead. The girls are all dead. And I should know, because I'm the one who killed them." - Rory Powers, Kill Creatures
3. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
About the Book: When the carnival comes to town, two boys unearth the terrifying and horrible secrets that lurk within Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show and learn the consequences of wishes, as a sinister and evil force is at work.
From its Pages: “Sometimes the man who looks happiest in town, with the biggest smile, is the one carrying the biggest load of sin. There are smiles & smiles; learn to tell the dark variety from the light.” - Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes
4. The Shining, Stephen King
About the Book: Jack Torrance takes a job as caretaker of the remote Overlook Hotel, hoping for a fresh start with his family. But as winter deepens, the hotel’s isolation reveals a dark, sinister force only his gifted young son, Danny, can see.
From its Pages: “We sometimes need to create unreal monsters and bogies to stand in for all the things we fear in our real lives.” - Stephen King, The Shining
5. The Exorcism of Faeries by J.L. Vampa
About the Book: The daughter of morticians studies Botany at Trinity College, Dublin, while her Morbid Anatomy professor battles a mysterious fae plague overtaking the city - but as danger grows, so do their forbidden feelings.
From its Pages: “One must take pains to remember that life deals in greys. What is white to one might very well be black to another. It matters not who is right or wrong, but how we mutually treat one another in the midst of the grey.” - J.L. Vampa, The Exorcism of Faeries
6. The Devils by Joe Abercrombie
About the Book: Brother Diaz is summoned to the Sacred City, tasked with a holy mission that will demand bloody deeds - facing unrepentant sinners, dark magic, and monstrous foes, with devils at his side.
From its Pages: “Show me a man who regrets nothing and I’ll show you a man who’s achieved nothing.” - Joe Abercrombie, The Devils
7. Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
About the Book: Years after her best friend’s death and the man she loved was accused of murder, Emery Blackwood lives quietly on the mystical Saoirse Island - until strange omens appear and August Salt returns, forcing them both to confront old wounds, buried secrets, and the truth behind a tragedy the town has tried to forget.
From its Pages: “There are spells for breaking and spells for mending, but there are no spells for forgetting.” - Adrienne Young, Spells for Forgetting
8. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
About the Book: Under the spell of a brilliant classics professor, a circle of eccentric misfits at a New England college find themselves drawn into a world of beauty and philosophy far removed from ordinary campus life. But their pursuit of the transcendent soon turns perilous, leading them past the bounds of morality and into the shadows of obsession.
From its Pages: “Forgive me, for all the things I did but mostly for the ones that I did not.” - Donna Tartt, The Secret History
9. Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
About the Book: Alice Law has sacrificed everything to master magick and work with the greatest magician in the world - until his death, possibly her fault, sends her on a perilous journey into Hell to save him, alongside a rival with his own secrets and ambitions.
From its Pages: “This was the key to flourishing in graduate school. You could do anything if you were delusional.” - R.F. Kuang, Katabasis
10. We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter
About the Book: After two teenage girls vanish on the night of the fireworks, Officer Emmy Clifton must uncover the truth and confront the secrets, lies, and darkness the town has been hiding.
From its Pages: “A man has to prove himself once. A woman has to prove herself every day.” - Karin Slaughter, We Are All Guilty Here
11. Autumn of the Grimoire by J.L. Vampa
About the Book: For centuries Sister Autumn has obeyed the Grimoire’s dark commands, but when ordered to marry a prince and play a dangerous role in a kingdom divided, she must decide whether to follow orders or defy fate, risking war, secrets, and her own future.
From its Pages: “Death is not to be feared. It is not evil or torturous. It is life that deals those things. Lady Death offers a reprieve.” - J.L. Vampa, Autumn of the Grimoire
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12. The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
About the Book: Sentenced to a reformatory in the Jim Crow South, twelve‑year‑old Robbie Stephens discovers that his gift for seeing ghosts reveals dark truths about the school - and a fight for survival that his sister is desperate to end.
From its Pages: “Florida’s soil is soaked with so much blood, it’s a wonder the droplets don’t seep between your toes with every step.” - Tananarive Due, The Reformatory
13. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
About the Book: Elspeth Spindle lives in a mist‑locked kingdom, protected by a dangerous spirit she calls the Nightmare. When a mysterious highwayman draws her into a perilous quest to save their land, Elspeth must confront dark magic, forbidden attraction, and the terrifying truth that the monster she needs may be herself.
From its Pages: “The berry of rowans is red, always red. The earth at its trunk is dark with blood shed. But a Prince is a man, and a man may be bled. He came for the girl… And got the monster instead.” - Rachel Gillig, One Dark Window
14. Alchemised by SenLinYu
About the Book: Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner in a world ruled by corrupt necromancers. With her memories lost and her allies slain, she must uncover buried truths to survive - and confront the dangerous secrets of her captor.
From its Pages: “You are not required to make your death convenient. You are allowed to be important to people.” - SenLinYu, Alchemised
15. Bird Box by Josh Malerman
About the Book: Five years after a terrifying unseen force drives people to violence, Malorie and her children set out on a blindfolded river journey to safety - relying only on their wits, each other, and the haunting question of what’s following them.
From its Pages: “In a world where you can’t open your eyes, isn’t a blindfold all you could ever hope for?” - Josh Malerman, Bird Box
16. Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
About the Book: At Wickwood Academy, Andrew leans on his mysterious friend Thomas - until Thomas’s dark secrets pull them into a deadly world where his haunting sketches have come to life, forcing them to battle monsters and confront a dangerous obsession.
From its Pages: “I don't care how dark the world is for you. I'll hold out my hand until you find it, and I won't let go.” - C.G. Drews, Don’t Let the Forest In
17. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
About the Book: The mysterious Le Cirque des Rêves appears without warning, offering nightly wonders. But behind its magic lies a deadly duel between two young magicians whose forbidden love threatens everyone in their world.
From its Pages: “Good and evil are a great deal more complex than a princess and a dragon… is not the dragon the hero of his own story?” - Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus
18. The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
About the Book: Mr. Hood’s Holiday House promises endless delights and childhood dreams come true, but young Harvey Swick soon learns its wonders come at a terrible cost. Trapped in the House’s dark grasp, he must face its sinister secrets and battle the powerful Mr. Hood, who hungers for Harvey’s soul.
From its Pages: “We’re both thieves, Harvey Swick. I take time. You take lives. But in the end we’re the same: both Thieves of Always.” - Clive Barker, The Thief of Always
19. Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
About the Book: The Owens bloodline begins with Maria Owens, abandoned as a baby in 1600s England and raised by Hannah Owens, who teaches her the “Nameless Arts” and the lesson to love only those who love you back - until heartbreak leads Maria to Salem, Massachusetts, where she invokes a curse that will haunt her family and learns that, above all, love is the only thing that matters.
From its Pages: “This is how you begin in this world. These are the lessons to be learned. Drink chamomile tea to calm the spirit. Feed a cold and starve a fever. Read as many books as you can. Always choose courage. Never watch another woman burn. Know that love is the only answer.” - Alice Hoffman, Magic Lessons
20. Bunny by Mona Awad
About the Book: Samantha Heather Mackey, an outsider in her elite MFA program, despises her clique of twee classmates. Until an invitation to their secretive “Smut Salon” pulls her into their eerie world, where dark rituals blur reality and force deadly clashes between her loyalties and the sinister pull of the Bunnies.
From its Pages: “Why do you lie so much? And about the weirdest little things?", my mother always asked me. "I don’t know", I always said. But I did know. It was very simple. Because it was a better story.” - Mona Awad, Bunny
21. The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore
About the Book: When Jeanie inherits the Pumpkin Spice Café in Dream Harbor, she embraces a fresh start - though her cheerful charm clashes with grumpy local farmer Logan, who resists her optimism even as he finds himself drawn to her.
From its Pages: “She wasn’t so much afraid of dying as she was of forgetting to live her life. Somewhere along the way, she’d forgotten to figure out who she was or what she wanted to be when she grew up.” - Laurie Gilmore, The Pumpkin Spice Cafe
No matter what kind of story you’re in the mood for; spooky, suspenseful, or simply cozy - October is the month to let yourself dive into the spirit. We hope this list gives you the perfect stack to keep you company through crisp mornings and candlelit evenings. Here’s to a month of reading that feels as enchanting as the season itself.
If you want to dive even deeper, join our book club, the Banned Literary Dept., where we read all kinds of books, but often spotlight titles that have been banned, challenged or tackle bold and thought-provoking topics. Join us and become part of our community of readers. Your next favorite book is waiting.
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