The other day my husband and I took a trip to the bookstore. I always love visiting Barnes and Noble even if I am not particularly looking for anything because I enjoy seeing the new titles and authors. I can also grab a coffee to fuel my caffeine addiction, and they have a pretty cool toy section for children that I like browsing through. On this particular day last week, we were hunting down some book my husband was interested in reading so I was really just along for the ride.

However, like any good bookworm, I couldn’t visit the store without purchasing something. Luckily for me, it is officially autumn and new spooky and exciting titles lined the shelves. Needless to say, my heart was delighted. With all of that being said, I decided to share what books I am excited to read this October. If you’ve been on my blog before or know me in general, you know I enjoy thematic reading. During the fall/October, I like to read darker, more autumnal works. During winter, I enjoy reading Christmas-themed/wintery titles. I find that reading enhances my love of holidays and seasons. I use literature almost like decor in my life.

Let me know what you think of these titles! To be clear, I have not read this books yet. These are not necessarily recommendations. Rather, this is the book pile thats currently on top of my nightstand and that I’m excited to devour. And, as always, I am looking for suggestions and love hearing from y’all.

Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar

Chasing the Boogeyman was the book on the display table at the Barnes and Noble that grabbed my attention and had me spiraling into a book frenzy afterwards. First, I love anything with “boogeyman” in the title. I think this is a nod to my love of the Halloween franchise because Michael Myers is always depicted as the Boogeyman. Secondly, according to the synopsis, this novel is a marriage of fiction and true crime. If you know me, you know that these are my jams and I am very excited to see how Chizmar executes the story. According to Melissa Bastek for Horror Obsessive, Chasing the Boogeyman “is to horror literature what found footage films is to horror movies” (Bastek, 2021).

Going back to the synopsis, this book tells the story of a serial killer who keeps a sleepy Maryland community on its toes. The local teenagers believe that some sort of supernatural entity is the culprit, but law enforcement believe that a real-life evil human is behind the attacks. I am so excited to start reading this book!

(*Update since writing: I have began reading Chasing the Boogeyman and finished the first chapter. It’s awesome so far!)

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

Once again, this title caught my eye probably because of my undying love for the slasher genre. (I also genuinely believe that a theological analysis of final girls in horror films is so overdue, and these are topics I can talk about for days on end! Clearly I am obsessed…) This title also caught my eye because Grady Hendrix is the author of Horrorstör, which was pretty popular in the horror community.

The story follows a group of final girls in a support group who survived horrific massacres. However, one by one they are being murdered and the main character, Lynette, believes that someone is trying to finish the job once and for all by killing all the final girls.

In general, the plot seems very campy but in the best way possible. It reminds me a lot of Scream and the irony behind the entire movie. I love this sort of ironic literature, and I am so excited to begin this book!

Survive the Night by Riley Sager

I’m excited to start reading Survive the Night because from what I can gather, it’s very reminiscent of The Hitcher (1986) and that movie scared the hell out of me. To this day, no matter how many horror movies I watch, I think that Rutger Hauer as John Ryder is one of the most terrifying bad guys in a horror movie. The plot of Survive the Night follows two college students as they travel home together to Ohio. They do not know each other well, and one of them might be the serial killer whose been stalking campus.

With that being said, I’m excited to see how Riley Sager brings this familiar tale into the twenty-first century. I love that the two characters are both college students. Not only do I typically enjoy horror that centers around young people, but the characters are on the same playing field age wise. Lastly, I like that the book seems to take place over the course of one drive home. Because of that fast pace, it’s probably super suspenseful!

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So, these are the books on my October reading list this year! Usually my lists are much longer, but these are new works that I’ll be diving into soon. In addition to these works, check out this post for some of my favorite autumnal literature that I read every year. (For instance, I read Young Goodman Brown every year on either the first day of fall or first day of October. This probably sounds super corny, but I hold my traditions sacredly, haha!)

But before you go, check out this shorter section for some spooky fall reads we picked up for our son this year. Enjoy!

For the Kiddos

Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago

I have to be honest: I originally picked this book up because it was only $10 with the purchase of any other children’s book at Barnes and Noble. However, I am so glad that I did pick it up because it is so adorable! Not only are the illustrations amazing, but the story itself is so cute (and spooky!), and perfect for Halloween.

Pumpkin Heads! by Wendell Minor

I picked this book up because I love jack-o’-lanterns. The illustrations are a bit darker, but still perfect for a kid-friendly Halloween read!