Well, hello there creepy kitties.
If there’s one time of the year that’ll psych me up for a trip to the bookshop, it’s October’s new Halloween books. There are tons of incredible sounding horror books out this spooky season, but where to start? Here’s the list of books I’m dying to get stuck into this Halloween.
Halloween 2025 Anthology
The Black Crow Book of Best New Horror Volume 1
The blurb:
Be careful what you wish for.
Whether searching for love, fame, money or revenge, remember that everything comes with a price. From stepping into an unknown in nature to ignoring the warnings of locals, to finding your perfect match or facing the hidden horrors of your past, beware.
The thirteen stories in this brand-new anthology explore the dark side of human nature and take us into the hidden, terrifying recesses of a world we never see. Until it’s too late . . .
I’m aware that not everyone gets on with short stories, but when they’re done well, they can shake you to your core. Sarah Hall will forever be the Queen of short stories in my opinion, but the lineup of authors behind this collection is too delicious to ignore. The Black Crow Book of Best New Horror features 13 stories from Olivie Blake, Ramsey Campbell, Lisa Tuttle, Tim Lebbon, V Castro, Ally Wilkes, Rian Hughes, Lindy Ryan, Susi Holliday, Lily Kade, TL Huchu, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Clay McLeod Chapman.
I have a feeling this will be the perfect collection to dip in and out of during my Halloween downtime.
Halloween 2025 Non-Fiction
How to Build a Haunted House by Caitlin Blackwell Baines
The blurb:
Do you have what it takes to cross the threshold?
Crumbling turrets, crenelated walls, creaking floorboards. We all know a haunted house when we see – or feel – one. That creeping sense of wrongness. An icy shiver stealing down the spine.
But why do certain structures set this super-sensory alarm bell jangling, while others leave us unmoved? Can a house be purpose-built to be haunted? And does a building need a bloody legacy to set the skin tingling?
Tiptoe through the haunted gallery at Hampton Court Palace, encounter the spectral residents of Chillingham Castle and lose yourself in the labyrinthine layout of Winchester Mystery House as Caitlin Blackwell Baines unravels the psyche, the history and the folkloric fabrication that make a haunted house take on a life of its own.
Enter if you dare…
I am first and foremost a fiction reader, but now and then a non-fiction title comes along that I can’t ignore. Currently, that’s How to Build a Haunted House by Caitlin Blackwell Baines.
Houses are the backbone of so many creepy stories, from Charles Dickies, to Shirley Jackson and Stephen King. As they should be. Our homes are where we’re meant to feel safest, so it makes sense that turning them into something scary would resonate with so many readers. Buy what makes the perfect haunted house? Baines sets out to answer this question while taking us on a journey through some of the most infamous creepy houses in history.
Halloween 2025 Fiction
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
The blurb:
A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A storm gathering force.
Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny weather-lashed island that is home to the world’s largest seed bank. As Shearwater risks being lost to rising sea levels, the island’s researchers have fled, and only the Salts remain.
Until, during the worst storm in living memory, a stranger washes ashore. The family nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, but it seems she isn’t telling the whole truth about why she’s there. And when Rowan stumbles upon sabotaged radios and a recently dug grave, she realises that she’s not the only one on the island with a secret.
I’ve seen so many glowing reviews of this novel, so glowing that they can’t be ignored (as it’s already been published in the USA for a while). I have done my best not to read too many, as I don’t want any spoilers, but between the blurb and the reviews, I can’t wait for this one.
Nearly Departed by Lucas Oakeley
The blurb:
Joel Foster is a hapless twenty-something. His girlfriend, Beth Lewis, would likely have been a hapless twenty-something, too, had she not been obliterated by a very large cement truck. Some time after Beth’s tragic death, Joel is still trying to juggle grief with the world of modern dating. And while he still feels like a widower, he has to find a new love before three years are up.
The catch? Just as Joel thinks he’s finally falling for someone, he starts getting haunted by Beth.
It’s not a ghost story, it’s a love story. With ghosts.
Here’s one for the spooky romantics out there. While run of the mill romance novels don’t usually spark any intrigue in me, this hit different. Adding some bleak, spooky humour to modern romance is something I can definitely get on board with.
The Queen by Nick Cutter
The blurb;
On a sunny morning in June, Margaret Carpenter wakes up to find a new iPhone on her doorstep. She switches it on to find a text from her best friend, Charity Atwater. The problem is, Charity’s been missing for over a month. Most people in town – even the police – think she’s dead.
Margaret and Charity have been lifelong friends. They share everything, know the most intimate details about one another . . . except for the destructive secret hidden from them both. A secret that will trigger a chain of events ending in tragedy, bloodshed, and death. And now Charity wants Margaret to know her story – the real story. In a narrative that takes place over one feverish day, Margaret follows a series of increasingly disquieting breadcrumbs as she forges deeper into the mystery of her best friend – a person she never truly knew at all . . .
If you’re asking me why I’m dying to read The Queen by Nick Cutter, then you haven’t read his previous novel, The Troop. It’s simply one of the most unnerving books I’ve ever read. There’s a description of a starving man clambering off a boat and dragging himself to shore that I will never forget. If The Queen comes anywhere close to that horrific delight, we’re all in for a treat.
One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford
The blurb:
Kesta’s husband Tim was the last person to be bitten in a zombie pandemic. The country is now in a period of respite, the government seemingly having rounded up and disposed of all the infected.
But Kesta has a secret . . .
Tim may have been bitten, but he’s not quite dead yet. In fact, he’s tied to a bed in her spare room. And she’s made him a promise: find a cure, bring him back.
A scientist by day, Kesta juggles intensive work under the microscope alongside Tim’s care, slipping him stolen drugs to keep him docile, knowing she is hiding the only zombie left. But Kesta is running out of drugs – and time. Can she save her husband before he is discovered? Or worse . . . will they trigger another outbreak?
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love seriously bleak horror. However, it’s nice to inject a bit of humour now and then, and One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford sounds like it does just that. I’m also drawn to the fact that it’s set at the end of a zombie outbreak. We’ve had a lot of zombie outbreak stories in recent years and setting it at a different point makes it way more interesting to me.
I’ve already got a copy of this waiting on my Kindle, so I’m looking forward to getting to it very soon.
The Hole by Hye-Young Pyun, translated by Sora Kim-Russell
The blurb:
Following a devastating car crash that killed his wife, Oghi wakes in hospital to find himself trapped in his own body and under the control of his vengeful mother-in-law as she grieves the loss of her only child.
Isolated from his friends and neglected by his nurse, Oghi’s world shrinks to the room he lies in and his memories of his wife, a sensitive woman who found solace in cultivating her garden.
But as Oghi remains alone and paralysed, his mother-in-law is hard at work in the now-abandoned garden, uprooting what her daughter had worked so hard to plant and obsessively digging larger and larger holes…
Do I completely understand what this book is going to be about? No. But does the plot sound like it could be a claustrophobically horrific read? Absolutely.
While I’ve read and loved several Korean books, and adore Korean horror movies (please go and watch The Wailing), this will be my first Korean horror novel. This has the potential to send me down a whole new rabbit hole of reading.
Frankenstein’s Monster by J.S. Barnes
The blurb:
There are those who would swear that Victor Frankenstein is dead. Those who would swear that his Creature died also.
They are wrong.
- Folklorist Nathaniel Greene escapes to the country to finish his latest book, along with his wife, Alice. Yearning for a family, and yet finding herself without, Alice watches as Greene grows ever more distant with her, fraying their already tense bonds. When a mysterious stranger arrives on their doorstep, bedraggled and delirious, Alice welcomes him in, finding herself seduced by the promises he makes.
- In Newgate prison, Nathaniel Greene stands accused of murder. Philanthropist Jesse Malone and psychic Hubert Crowe are determined to understand what happened, but the story Greene has to tell is almost unbelievable: one of monstrous, impossible creations made in an outhouse laboratory.
To uncover the truth behind Greene’s bizarre claims, the two investigators must delve into a terrifying world where the men play God once more, and the ghosts of the past appear to be alive and vengeful.
In this visionary sequel to Mary Shelley’s peerless classic, old experiments resume, new mysteries arise, and the true question of mankind’s morality is tested once more.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is one of my favourite books of all time, and although it’ll never be topped, I really enjoy reading stories it inspired. This novel from J.S. Barnes picks up right after the original and sounds great. I’m always up for more of Frankenstein’s monster, so there’s no way I can miss this.
Make Me a Monster by Kalynn Bayron
The blurb:
Meka is used to death. After all, it’s the family business.
As a mortician’s assistant at her parents’ funeral home, Meka’s days are not for the squeamish. Luckily, her boyfriend Noah doesn’t mind, and Meka finally feels ready to say those three little words that will change everything.
Then tragedy strikes and Meka’s world is torn apart. Nothing makes sense, especially when strange things start to happen: Strangers follow her. Mysterious items are left at her door. And worst of all .
The dead don’t seem to be staying dead.
I couldn’t make a Halloween list without adding a little YA, and this was an easy choice. Make Me a Monster sounds like a fun, spooky romp with Frankenstein vibes that’ll be a joy to read. And for those who are a sucker for beautiful books, I highly recommend the exclusive Waterstones edition that comes with sprayed edges in a gorgeous flower design to match the cover.
Halloween 2025 Graphic Novel
Universal Monsters Frankenstein by Michael Walsh
The blurb:
Award-winning creator Michael Walsh (The Silver Coin) presents a jaw-dropping new vision of the seminal horror classic. This deluxe hardcover tells the shocking creation story of the unforgettable monster in the original film ― one body part at a time. Dr. Henry Frankenstein begins his unholy quest to create life by robbing the grave of a decorated police officer to find necessary parts. But little does he know that the corpse has a son who is mourning a father – and that this young boy will forever change Frankenstein’s life.
My love for Frankenstein’s monster extends to the Universal Monsters, and with comic genius Michael Walsh behind this reimagining, we’re in safe hands. The colouring, the illustration, it all looks gorgeous, and I can’t wait to read this graphic novel over Halloween.
Nothing in this list appeals? Then check out my favourite books of all time, where there’s a book for everyone.
