Can you believe it?! The most wonderful time of year is finally upon us! October is handsdown my favourite month of the year. The fall weather is starting to come in and Halloween is right around the corner! I thought I’d get into the Halloween spirit by siggesting some of my favourite dark, creepy and thrilling reads that you should definitely be picking up this month!

I’ve split this post into two parts, the first being Genuinely Creepy reads. These are books that have more of a horror vibe to them. They’re dark, they’re gory and down right scary. The second part contains your classic psychological thrillers. The ones with all the right twists and turns to make your October reading month super thrilling!

Without further ado, let’s get into it! Here are all of the spooky books I recommend for your October reading pleasure!

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Genuinely Creepy

This section is devoted to stories that will genuinely scare you. These are stories that could easily work as a horror themed film or television show, in fact…some of them have already been adapted. These stories are perfect for October, especially closer to Halloween!

Outcast by Robert Kirkman

When I first picked up volume one of Outcast, I did so because of it’s front cover. I didn’t even realize that it was written by Robert Kirkman, a.k.a. the creator of The Walking Dead. When I first started reading this series, I found it to be a little slow moving…but it was so genuinely creepy and terrifying that it made up for its slower pace. While I have struggled to keep up with each new issue, I did start watching the television adaptation and it is so good. Much faster paced than the comic in my opinion and very dark and gruesome. Perfect for Halloween!

My Review

My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

This is another one of those books that I just had to pick up based on the cover alone…and that goes for both paperback and hardcover. The hardcover version looks like a classic 80’s high school yearbook while the paperback version (pictured above) was created to look like an old VHS tape. The story within is just as creative and downright creepy. I remember it being so visual and there were moments that genuinely made me feel very grossed out. It has its satirical moments as well and I absolutely loved the blend between horror and satirical comedy.

My Review

Locke & Key by Joe Hill

Back when I had first signed up for Audible, I saw an ad for a free audio drama titled Locke & Key. At the time I had no idea what audio drama meant, but as a poor millennial…the word “free” pulled me in. I read the description afterwards and thought that it actually sounded pretty legit. I did some research and found out that this audiodrama contained multiple voice actors as well as sound effects and music which truly made it feel like you were listening to a movie. I listened to the whole thing rather quickly and I instantly went on a mission to find the boxset of graphic novels for as cheap as I could. I hope to re-read the series in its original format very soon!

My Review

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

Annihilation is more of a science fiction story, but with a horror-like twist. Once again, the cover is what drew me to this book initially, but the synopsis further solidified my interest to read it. This first book in the trilogy was genuinely creepy. It freaked me out on multiple occasions and I picked up the next books in the series immediately…however they weren’t as great. While reading Annihilation, I remember thinking that it would made a fantastic sci-fi thriller film and now it is currently being adapted! I can’t wait for its release next year!

My Review

House Of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

If you want a book that will truly fuck you up, House Of Leaves is the book for you. I’m still not all that entirely sure what it was that I read, but I liked that? Honestly, there is no way to accurately describe this book and what it contains. Just flip through it at your local book store or library. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

My Review

Through The Woods by Emily Carroll

Through The Woods is a graphic novel that contains a few short stories that are downright creepy. They remind me of those Scary Stories books that every library had in its kids section. Mix the stories with the creepy artwork and you have one frightening graphic novel!

My Review

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

There was just something about Bird Box that felt so realistic. That the events and horrors that take place within this novel could actually happen. It was truly a unique read and one that I thought about a lot well after I was finished reading. This is another one that could definitely use a film adaptation. It just has such a great concept!

My Review

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Classic Thrillers

This section highlights all of the classic thrillers that are perfect year round, but especially perfect during October. These are books filled with twists and turns and that will seriously mess with your mind.

I Found You by Lisa Jewell

I recently read this thriller earlier this year and I was instantly hooked from the moment I read the first page. I Found You was extremely fast paced and kept you guessing until the very end. I even got two co-workers to read it shortly after I finished and they both absolutely loved it and it was all we could talk about for a little while.

My Review

All The Missing Girls By Megan Miranda

All The Missing Girls is one of the most unique psychological thrillers that I have ever read! It is told backwards, kind of like the film Memento, as each chapter rewinds to an event that happened before the previous chapter. It was quite intense and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time!

My Review

Kill The Father by Sandrone Dazieri

Kill The Father may seem like your typical crime/thriller novel, but there was just something about it that really made it stand out for me. It was very dark on many levels and dealt with some pretty serious subject matter on top of the typical twists and turns you would find in a thriller. This novel is also quite large and I tend to get intimidated by larger books, but this one was so quickly paced it hardly felt like I was reading something so large.

My Review

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Night Film was one of the first psychological thrillers that I completely fell in love with. It was so gripping and so unique and I loved how it integrated visuals into the story. It was actually though Night Film that I discovered House Of Leaves (another book on this list). This is another one that is kind of lengthly, but super fast paced and filled with all kinds of shocking twists and turns!

My Review

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

I literally just finished reading this one a couple of days ago and I absolutely loved it. I was hooked from the very beginning. I won’t lie to you, I really don’t love its cover and that kind of deterred me from picking this one up for a while. However, the concept is such a great one that I decided to finally give it a try and I’m so glad that I finally did. It was so gripping and I wanted all the answers right away! I plan on picking up book two this week!

My Review

Into The Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

Into The Darkest Corner is another psychological thriller that I read early on in my book blogging career. This one really plays with your mind. I still think about how easily the events in this novel could happen to any one of us. It’s truly frightening.

My Review

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Out of all of Gillian Flynn’s books, Dark Places is definitely my favourite. I think it’s one of the darkest and has one of the best twists out of any psychological thrillers I have ever read. It’s also told using different perspectives across multiple timelines and while that may have the potential to be really confusing, it worked perfectly for this story.

My Review

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There you have it! All of the books that I highly recommend picking up during the month of October! Stay tuned for a Spook-A-Thon post from yours truly with even more spooky reads!

HAPPY SPOOKTOBER!