I know summer reading is the one that gets the most attention but YOU GUYS I love planning my Fall reading list (and I’ve increasingly been asked for more Fall book recommendations in recent years).
My Fall reads are always a mixture of very atmospherically Fall books, cozy books of any kind, dark and moody fantasy, dark academia, and Gothic literature that makes you want to just sit in a cozy sweater and drink tea next to a window while reveling in the beauty that is autumn.
I want ALL the cozy autumn reads that make me feel the chill in the air, hear the crunch of the leaves and smell Fall in all its goodness — you KNOW that crisp autumn smell.
Then, somewhere as we pass from September into October, my fall reads tend to veer over to the thriller/spooky/horror route because this girl needs to feel that chill down my spine and to wrap myself tighter in my blanket. I want to be immersed in that feeling where my mind plays tricks on me.
I have MANY fall reads/Halloween reading posts from years past (so definitely check those out — YA Horror Book List, 24 Halloween/Fall Must Reads, 10 Halloween Reads For Every Type Of Reader, Halloween Reads For Teens, A Halloween Reading List Based On Your Mood) but without further ado here is my Fall reading list for 2024! I hope you can find some cozy fall reads to kick off the season as you gather your pumpkin spice everything and bring out your cozy sweaters.
This list is full of books that feel like fall (you KNOW what I mean with those books that have autumn vibes) and books that perfectly match the season — dark, heavy on the atmosphere, cozy, a little contemplative and melancholy at times. I hope you enjoy!!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you click on a link and purchase something I’ve talked about or recommended, I’ll receive a very small percentage of the sale. Please see my disclosure policy for more info
P.S. Save my wintry reading list to get into all the winter vibes once Fall is over!
This post was first written in September 2018 but has been updated for 2026 with new recommendations for Fall reading through the years.
New In 2026: Books To Add To Your Fall Reading List
If you are looking to make a dent in some of the new 2026 book releases, these are the ones to add to your fall reading list if you are looking for specific autumn vibes whether that’s spooky, cozy, atmospheric, etc!
The Unhaunting by Micaiah Johnson
Read it if you want: a unsettling and creepy haunted house book + Southern Gothic goodness
It’s best not to say too much about this one! But come for the story of friends renovating an inherited haunted house and I bet you’ll stay for what’s hiding underneath.
Out September 29.
The Treasure House by Amy Matthews
Read it if you want: something cozy that just FEELS like Fall but isn’t too on the nose with the Fall vibes
I feel like this one is the read for people who want cozy Fall but not necessarily anything paranormal or too themed. Just that feel-good feeling of slipping into your coziest sweater, a nice warm cider, a cozy blanket and gazing at some Fall foliage.
It’s about a woman who, seeking a fresh start with her young daughter,ends up buying a fixer-upper cottage in Maine and becomes intrigued by the woman who lived there before and why the charming cottage fell in such disrepair. Small town vibes, a bit of romance and Maine in the Fall!
The Sisters of Crimson House by Melissa Anderson Sweazy
Read it if you want: Southern Gothic + a whimsical kind of Practical Magic vibe
It’s about a woman – the only one without a gift in the long line of psychics in her family – who has been the one to keep things together at their family’s mansion after a tragedy happens on Halloween that scatters the Bryde family. But, as much as she’s been able to keep things at bay, a skeptic shows up who is a threat to the family legacy but also unearths some long dormant family secrets.
There’s family drama, supernatural things, secrets and tons of atmosphere!
Out September 29.
All Her Beautiful Deaths by A. Rushby
Read it if you want: a macabre, gothic historical fiction (with a mystery thread & a present day timeline)
As soon as I saw Victorian death photography, I knew this was going to be one of my first Fall reads because I have a penchant for the macabre and have always been fascinated by this.
This one intersects the lives of two women – one a maid for the strange Culpepper twins in the 1860s and the other an artist in present day – through a mysterious and eerie album that contains a series of photographs of the dead that the present day Culpepper family wants back and away from the public eye.
Meet Cute Magic by Morgan Elizabeth
Read it if you want: a witchy romance that feels like Stars Hollow in autumn and all your favorite cozy Fall faves
If a witchy romance is what sets the Fall mood for you, you are going to want to check out this autumnal-forward read!
It’s about a witch who wants to fall in love but her family curse prevents that from happening. She conjures the ghost who can help her break the curse but, in order to do that, she has to get help from the only person in her small town who isn’t her biggest fan.
There will be a book 2 featuring the sister of the main character in this so even more to look forward to.
As of right now, it’s on Kindle Unlimited so go go go if you have that!
Tackle even more of the books on your reading list!
P.S. If you love getting more reading done via audiobooks as much as *I* do, you NEED to check out LibroFM — the best Audible alternative. Check out my review of Libro.FM vs Audible. Same price, same selection BUT your membership goes towards helping an independent bookstore of your choice. You can get 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 to try it right now!
Dark Supernatural & Fantasy Books For Fall
I am always craving dark fantasy books and paranormal/supernatural stuff in the Fall — just let me curl up with my cozy blanket, my tea and LET ME VIBE.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern:
This atmospheric, beautiful prose-laden fantasy about a black and white dream circus is just magically and totally perfect for the season. Definitely not for those who want an action-packed adventure but if you appreciate magical writing and slower paced book this might be the perfect book to cozy up with on a Fall night.
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
Oh this book. I read it last Fall and it is one of the best books to read in October if you like Gothic and pretty spooky/chilling but not scary. This dark fairytale about cursed sisters is so atmospheric you can FEEL the sea with all your senses.
The Year of The Witching by Alexis Henderson
The Handmaid’s Tale meets the Salem Witch Trials meets The Village (or any other sort of cult-like puritanical society). A perfectly dark horror fantasy to give atmospheric air to your autumn reads list.
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Sister + witches + suffragettes….what’s not to like about that for Fall??
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd Jones
This book was a most perfect October read as well as the most gorgeous and poignant zombie book I’ve ever read.
Don’t let me lose you at zombies.
It’s much more of a dark fantasy fairytale with zombies (the risen dead aka bone houses) than your typical horror zombie fare. Come for the atmospheric world-building and gorgeous writing but by the end you’ll have stayed for the characters who slowly make their way into your heart.
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Dark atmospheric fantasy books for Fall, like this one, will always make me happy. Plus this one has WITCHES — a witch on the run from her coven and a marriage of convenience to a witch hunter..makes for all the enemies to lovers romance your heart desires, too.
Fall Reads Perfect For Mystery & Thriller Lovers
Gothic mysteries really are just the ultimate fall reading fare for me and the setting of this one is super atmospheric with this mysterious inheritance and creepy countryside house (complete with a creepy housekeeper a la Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca). I listened to the audiobook of this one and I will say that really set the mood, too!
You should also totally read Ruth Ware’s In A Dark, Dark Wood!
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
Atmospheric! Disturbing! A little unusual at times (just promise me you won’t let the cat POV dissuade you)! A perfect Fall read that will keep you on your toes with this tightly written, layered story that you just need to go into with as little info as possible.
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
A suspenseful and eerie mystery told via dual timelines all surrounding a rundown roadside motel and the secrets lurking that captivated a woman so much that she went missing in the 1980’s and now have caught the attention of her niece 35 years later.
The Last Word by Taylor Adams
Read it if you want: a psychological thriller with a secluded & atmospheric setting + slasher horror movie level suspense
Listen, this is a great fall read thanks to the amount of psychological suspense as well as the rainy, isolated Washington State coastal setting that adds to the spook factor.
It’s about a woman who is house-sitting an isolated coastal house in Washington off season, wanting to get away for personal reasons, and one of the things she does in her quiet life is read a lot of books.
She reads a horror novel that she think is truly awful and leaves a 1 star review for it on Amazon — a review that upsets the author who tries to make her take it down and eventually threatens her after their back and forth. When some unsettling incidents start happening at night, she wonders if it’s a coincidence or if the angered author is stalking her.
It’s bananas & over-the-top but the perfect kind of Fall read if you re-watch all your favorite slasher flicks during spooky season.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Between the atmospheric isolated island setting and the murder mystery in this one, this book is definitely a fantastic Fall read to curl up with.
I listened to it on audio (via Libro.FM….my FAVE way to listen to audiobooks) and it was an incredible narration as I tried to figure out who was dead and which of the wedding guests did it in this slow burn murder mystery.
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Like slasher flicks of the 80’s and 90’s? Check out this one is about a woman who survived a massacre 22 years ago and whose therapy group of fellow “final girls” has been targeted to be picked off one by one. Out now.
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
Wanna be creeped out on a chilly Fall day AND love things like Amityville Horror/other infamous haunted houses? Pick this one!
A woman inherits the house that, when she was a kid, she and her family fled from and made famous with the horror-filled memoir they wrote about living in the haunted house — an account SHE doesn’t even believe.
Upon returning to the house to get it ready to sell, she realizes there are dark forces, otherwordly or not, that haunt this house when she starts experiencing things out of her dad’s book.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Find any Fall reading list and I BET you they have this dark academia read on there and for good reason with a New England college campus setting (seriously though why does this kind of setting always feel like fall for me) and a literary murder mystery.
The Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas
Not quite a cozy mystery but on the cozier side and it’s a loose gender-swapped Sherlock retelling. This series are totally bunch of cozy autumn books for that reason and honestly the books in the series just get better!
Still Life by Louise Penny
Does your idea of a cozy autumn read sound like a literary and charming cozy mystery series? This series is just a giant cup of tea and a warm blanket kind of read. You will LOVE the cozy small town that you’ll get to know. One of those super cozy autumn books!
The Whisper Man by Alex North
This one is just chilling and is one of the best books to read in October on this list for that factor. It’s a dark and suspenseful (in a slow burn kind of way) crime thriller while also having some real exploration of father/son relationships. It’s set in a town where there was a famous serial killer who lured children out their windows….and now many years later, with the killer in jail, it’s happening again.
The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King:
A cozy mystery series about a retired Sherlock Holmes and the smart young woman who becomes his pupil and sidekick when a villain enters the picture.
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson:
A must read YA mystery series about a girl trying to solve a cold case that happened at the school she just started going to and it appears that the perpetrator of the crime is back!
Check out this year’s must read thrillers for even more Fall reading!
The Lost Village by Camilla Sten
If you loved The Blair Witch Project, check this Swedish set book. It’s about a woman who, with a documentary crew, goes exploring the lost village that her grandmother’s whole family disappeared from in the 50’s. Trying to find the truth surrounding this tragedy, they find mysterious and threatening things start to happen and realize just maybe they aren’t alone.
Cozy Autumn / Fall Books To Read
If you are looking for something more on the cozy side to fall for — these are the books to take note of. Perfect for the people looking for non-scary fall reads!
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
Read it if you want: more of a quirky & cozy fantasy romance for Fall than something scary or thrill-driven
LISTEN –just listen to me and pick this one up. It’s the perfect cozy autumn read with immaculate vibes for the season. Fans of Howl’s Moving Castle or The House in the Cerulean Sea who also love romcoms (with a little spice) will be delighted for sure.
It’s macabre and whimsical! It’s You’ve Got Mail (the pen palling is top tier)! It’s enemies to lovers! There is zombies and demigods!
If you are coming looking for high fantasy with high stakes, you will not find that. Just settle into the unique world and get to know Mercy (an undertaker trying to keep her family’s failing business afloat) and Hart ( a grumpy, lonely marshal who hunts zombies and such in the wilds).
These two can’t stand each other and don’t know they have been writing anonymously to one another becoming each other’s confidante and support about things going on in their lives. Such a good enemies to lovers romance!
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Want something more romance-y and light but still has those perfect fall vibes? This witchy romance is the perfect companion for a cozy fall reading list — romance, friendship, found family. It’s the book form of a warm hug — perfect book if you loved The House In the Cerulean Sea.
It was one of my absolute favorite books of last year! Just an absolute delight.
Out now.
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling
Hocus Pocus but make it spicy. If you want you a lighter (not scary or gory) Fall read that still brings all the Fall vibes, check out this romcom! A silly breakup hex gone wrong sends two exes, reunited after 9 years when he returns to town to charge the ley lines, on a mission to save their town and break the very real curse while staving off their own still-standing chemistry among other things.
Books That FEEL Like Fall To Me In Some Way
Weyward by Emilia Hart
Read it if you want: an atmospheric Gothic-feeling read about witchy women and the natural world
You know when you sit down with a book and think “oh I wish I read this in Fall” because it just FEELS like a Fall read? That was my experience with this book.
Perfect for someone who wants some Fall vibes but prefers to read women’s fiction/historical and is okay with a dash of magic and witchery (of the earthy/natural kind).
It spans 300 years and follows 3 generations of strong Weyward women — one on trial for being a witch in the 1600’s, one in the 1940’s feeling trapped in her life and another in the present who is on the run from an abusive partner and ends up at the crumbling Weyward cottage where she learns about her family heritage and secrets.
The three women’s stories are woven together beautifully and we see how they are connected by the special gift they share as well as by their resilient natures after enduring some pretty awful things.
Small Spaces by Katherine Arden:
You may know this author from her adult fiction however don’t dismiss it for being middle grade! It’s a perfect fall book even for adults — a ghost story adventure!
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfeld:
One of my all time favorite books and autumn reading at its finest — a cozy and literary modern day Gothic mystery with a side of family dysfunction. It’s about a world famous and secretive author who, at the end of her life, chooses to give her REAL story of her life (not the fake ones she’s told all these years to journalists) to a bookstore owner and writer of obscure biographers.
The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle
Every October the main character’s family becomes accident prone with some sort of curse despite the precautions they try to take every year. Every year they hope to uncover the mystery of why they are cursed and how to break it. Thriller-y with a dash of magical realism and a feeling like you just don’t know what’s real or not real! You’ve never read anything like it! Perfect too if you want a book set in Fall!
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater:
This is the perfect book to read in late October or early November — as November 1st is when the races take place. It’s that chilly bit of Fall where you can feel winter looming and the atmosphere of this book captures it so much. Every October these deadly murder horses come out of the water and people attempt to capture and train them for The Scorpio Races. The writing transports you to this island with this deadly game.
The Diviners by Libba Bray:
This is a most perfect YA Fall read to add to your autumn reading list. It’s a supernatural thriller/mystery series set in the 1920’s in NYC that’s super atmospheric and eerie. It’s a long book too — perfect to curl up with on a chilly day! (The Diviners is also one of the best YA audiobooks to listen to also!)
Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
Looking for a creepy horror novel that feels like fall? This book about a group of girls who band together to fight an evil force should totally be on your autumnal reading list!
All things Kate Morton: so many of her books just feel like Fall to me — The Forgotten Garden, The Distant Hours, The House at Riverton.
The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox:
“In the wake of a scandal, the Montrose family and their three daughters—Catherine, Lydia and Emeline—flee Boston for their new country home, Willow Hall. The estate seems sleepy and idyllic. But a subtle menace creeps into the atmosphere, remnants of a dark history that call to Lydia, and to the youngest, Emeline. All three daughters will be irrevocably changed by what follows, but none more than Lydia, who must draw on a power she never knew she possessed if she wants to protect those she loves. For Willow Hall’s secrets will rise, in the end…”
Anything witch related is always added to my Fall reading list! I MEAN HOW NOT??
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White
When Elizabeth was brought to the Frankenstein household she was hungry, abused and almost without a home so she makes herself indispensable so that she’s able to stay there. She becomes inseparable with their solitary son, Victor Frankenstein, until she finds herself having to manage his temper and indulge his every (and sometimes depraved) whims to survive.
A YA retelling of Frankenstein from the eyes of the girl who grew up around him!
The Storybook of Katrina Van Hassel: A Story of Sleepy Hollow
Katrina Van Tassel and Ichabod Crane immediately are drawn to each other when he moves and becomes the new school teacher and a quick friendship turns to romance. He doesn’t have much to offer her, as the daughter of a wealthy family, and he definitely isn’t the suitor her father has in mind — that’s Brom Van Brunt. Katrina and Ichabod find themselves sneaking off to the woods, hoping not to run into the Headless Horseman, and then on All Hallow’s Eve Ichabod disappears. Katrina enlists the help of her friend, a rumored witch, to figure out what happened to Ichabod and if the stories of the Headless Horseman are really true.
If you like new twists on familiar classics, check out this twist on Sleepy Hollow which gives Katrina more of a vibrant role in the story letting her jump from a one dimensional character to a fully fleshed out one with a story of her one to tell that just isn’t being the love interest of Ichabod and Brom.
Classic Books To Read In Autumn
Rebecca by Daphne DuMurier:
While My Cousin Rachel is my favorite of this author, Rebecca is a book I love so much and makes for some perfect autumn reading if you love classics and romantic Gothic mysteries set in a large and haunting mansion. It’s about a woman who is swept into a romance with a rich widower and whisked away to his sprawling mansion where his late wife’s presence looms large and threatens their marriage.
We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson:
While I also highly recommend The Haunting on Hill House (and the show!!) and the short story The Lottery, this one is my official pick! Classic horror with a dark fairytale feel. Meet Merricat — who lives with her family in a dilapidated house and are on the outs of society after a tragedy killed most of her family members.
The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins:
A classic mystery from the Victorian era!
The October Country by Ray Bradbury:
This short story collection is a perfect book to read in October and one that I reread every few years because it just sets the fall vibes perfectly!
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte: FIND IT: AMAZON / BOOKSHOP.ORG
LAST YEAR FALL VIBES HIGHLIGHTS + NEWER FAVES
The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi
Read it if you want: a gory slasher
If you love slasher flicks but are looking for a twist, check out this one that features 70-somethings trying to survive when it seems a killer is on the loose when residents at their retirement home keep winding up dead. I was really surprised how much I loved this one – a sleeper pick for sure!
The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Read it if you want: a gothic, witchy horror saga
A spooky (not scary) about three women, spanning different generations, who are bound by the same dark witchcraft lurking. Little dash of dark academia!
The Honeycrisp Orchard Inn by Valerie Bowman
Read it if you want: something cozy and oozing autumn vibes
If you are looking for a good Fall romance – and something to fill that Pumpkin Spice Cafe void whether you liked that one or not – check this one out. It’s about an event planner who is back in her small town and is helping run her family’s Harvest Festival only to butt heads with the orchard owner’s son who is now her roommate.
Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma
Read it if you want: dark academia meets vampires
I mean, truly, dark academia and vampires are two of my favorite things to read to usher in the autumnal reading season. Add in the fact it’s an enemies to lovers romantasy full of morally grey characters? Perfection.
An orphaned heiress re-enters society and infiltrates an elite university where the vampire, once bound to her family, lives — the same vampire she suspects killed her family and kidnapped the sister she’ll stop at nothing to find. I loved this one so much and I need the sequel!!
The Spell Shop by Sarah Beth Durst
Read it if you want: cozy fantasy and all the cottagecore vibes
I love this book so much!! I’m very much into cozy fantasy these days (check out my list of fave cozy fantasies) and this one is my new favorite because it made me feel something else I’ve been asking for lately — things that make me feel like I’m watching Gilmore Girls. This little cast of characters and the cozy small town feel definitely felt like arriving to Stars Hollow. And definitely some quirky characters considering one of my faves is a sentient spider plant.
It’s about a librarian who — in the face of political unrest and the library going up in flames — packs up and saves the forbidden spellbooks she looked over at the Great Library and flees the city for her childhood home on a small island.
She plans to lay low but the townspeople make that quite hard and she finds herself opening a little jam shop (with a little help from the spell books) and further risking her life with this forbidden magic to help the little town and its inhabitants who have grown on her.
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
Read it if you want: a dark and mildly spooky/creepy fairytale full of humor
This one is loosely inspired by The Goose Girl but don’t let that dissuade you if you aren’t familiar. I saw someone pitch it as Downton Abbey meets dark fairytale and I liked that description.
It’s about a girl whose evil sorceress mother has isolated and controlled her in a house where everything is out in the open but everything changes when she combines forces with a meddling 50-something woman who refuses to let her brother be bewitched into marriage by her mother.
There’s humor, an interesting fantasy world, found family, a magical horse, a dash of horror and so much more!!
Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill
Read it if you want: a Gothic and inventive re-imagining of Frankenstein
Whether you were a fan of the classic Frankenstein or not, this is a fantastic Fall read to add to your list.
It features Frankenstein’s great niece, Mary, an ambitious and budding scientist/paleontologist who wants to be taken seriously and contribute in a greater way to the scientific community but is looked down on — mostly for being a woman.
When she discovers some of her missing uncle’s notes, she decides she’s going to take the scientific community by storm and make a name for herself (along with the help of her scientist husband) by creating life — a life no human alive has ever seen and one that won’t be able to be ignored.
This one was unexpected — it’s subversive and unique and plunged you right into the Victorian area and really built quite an atmosphere perfect for Fall.
I will note — the pace is a little slower for the first half of the novel but it builds nicely and really takes off as things really heat up. My advice? Savor it and nice warm cuppa on a crisp Autumn day.
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
If scary isn’t your speed but you still want something atmospherically fall (a secluded & crumbling estate) that is also a page-turner, you’ve got to check out this thrilling murder mystery about an estranged family coming together for the 80th birthday party of the matriarch. Perfect for Agatha Christie Fans!
Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates
Perfect for fans of horror, haunted houses, things that go bump in the night that might make you leave the lights on when you sleep.
It’s an atmospheric read about a woman who inherits her family home/winery, rumored to be cursed, after the unexpected death of her parents. As she settles into the house, she begins to realize the curse may be more real than she thought and she might be the next victim. Out now.
How To Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
Read it if you want: creepy horror that is a little bit campy
I don’t want to give too much away with this one — it’s best not to, honestly.
But just know it’s about two rather estranged siblings who have to work together, after their parents die in an accident, to get their parents house for sale — a task that becomes difficult as they sift through the house and all the very interesting things (creepy dolls for one!) inside it and the ghosts of their childhood are unearthed.
A creepy horror with a side of grief, family issues and generational trauma!
The Night Shift by Alex Finlay
If you, like me, end up in front of the tv watching all your fave 90’s slasher flicks during the month of October, this one is for you! A thriller about shocking murders in a small town — that happened 15 years apart and are eerily familiar — and the race to figure out the connection between the two and stop the killer once and for all. Out now.
The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig
A perfectly creepy (and thick) book for Fall! Horror but with some high concept elements. It follows a family making a move to the rural town the parent’s grew up in to try to help their son, who has a special ability nobody knows about, after a breakdown. Soon after moving there, all three of them experience very out of the ordinary things related to the dark past of the town. The premise isn’t as simple as it sounds so definitely check it out if you enjoy something Stephen King-esque.
Any recommendations for books to get you in the mood for Fall? Always looking for new books to read in autumn!
P.S. I’ve also got recommendations for good Fall books for your baby and toddler
Pin these fantastic Fall reads for later when you need reading inspiration
