Autumnal Reads for Fall 2025

There’s a chill to the air. Leaves are turning as orange as your campfire. The sky darkens to a dusty purple, and then deepens to show off the Milky Way. What better time to cup your hands around a mug of cocoa, tug a blanket around yourself, and get lost in the shadows creeping from the trees?

October, while usually a few weeks after the autumn equinox, is viewed most often as the start of fall, and the start of Spooky Season. All around the world, various cultures see this time of transition as a time to celebrate harvests and put the earth to rest, as well as a time to honor and remember those who have passed on. From Samhain in the Celtic tradition to Dia De Los Muertos in Central America, the feeling that this time of year is full of eerieness is widely agreed upon. And while some people prefer to focus on the scary and others on the cozy, there’s one thing we can all agree on: fall is simply fun.

So, this year, Olivia offers up a collection of autumnal reads (some spooky, some less-so) for you fill your personal library with. Grab some cider or cocoa or chai, bundle up in a blanket, and let that crisp wind sweep in off the lake as you enjoy these tales.

Spooky Autumnal Reads

The Ghost Hunters by Neil Spring

Adult Historical Mystery

A story inspired by real life events, we follow Sarah Grey as she becomes the assistant to Harry Price, one of the foremost ghost hunters of Edwardian society (yes, this was a real thing). Together they visit Borely Rectory, a home supposedly so deeply haunted that it was difficult to get through one night without having something happen. But Price is a skeptic, and he firmly believes no house is truly haunted–at least, not by ghosts.

This spooky tale is slower, following the writing styles of Arthur Conan Doyle and Dickens, with enough eeriness to keep you enthralled but not enough scares to keep you from sleeping at night.

Content warnings include: discussion of deaths, ghosts, hauntings.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Horror Retelling

When Alex, a retired soldier, finds out their childhood friend, Madeline Usher, is dying, a trip to the home country results in anything but a peaceful passing. Plant and fungal growths devour the estate, Madeline suffers from sleepwalking and bouts of confusion, while her brother seems more irritable, jumpy, and scared than ever. With the help of a mycologist, can Alex figure out what’s happening before it’s too late?

In this new retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, be prepared to be sucked in as equally as you are terrified.

Content warnings include: suicide, body horror, animal death, animal cruelty.

Veil Haven by Anne M. Kelley

Young Adult Paranormal Fiction

Somewhere in the Appalachian mountains is the town Veil Haven, where cryptids roam free, townspeople have special abilities, and if you see anything, be sure to say nothing. Ash is the only person in the town with omniscience, the burden of seeing and hearing everything happening all at once. But when she starts having places, people, and events she can’t see, and the shady secret police she used to work with refuse to listen to her concerns, it sends her and her friends on a mission to figure out what threat has wormed its way into their town–and if they’re already too late to stop it.

With a surprisingly comforting mix of horror, comedy, drama, and mystery, Kelley crafts a world and a story that’s sure to feel like home–if a little strange.

Content warnings include: depictions of grief and loss, death, violence, the uncanny valley, visceral descriptions of creatures and attacks.

Cozy Autumnal Reads

Crow Talk by Eileen Garvin

Adult Fiction

On the shores of a lake full of summer homes now-closed for the fall, a lonely ornithologist rescues a baby crow. Little does she know that crow would bring together her, her neighbor, and her neighbor’s son, on a journey of hope, healing, friendship, and rediscovering joy.

Set in the Pacific Northwest, this book has been considered a love letter to fall, the PNW, and nature itself.

Content warnings include: death, grief, alcoholism.

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Adult Cozy Fantasy

When her silly attempts at “magic” get seen for more than what she shows, Mika is called to a remote manor in the English countryside, where she’s tasked with teaching three young witches how to control their magic. As her students become her friends, and her coworkers become her family, danger looms and she’s faced with a choice: save herself, or risk everything to defend the family she didn’t expect to find?

This modern fantasy, while having the occasional darker elements, has largely been regarded as engaging, heartwarming, and fun.

Content warnings include: frequent swearing, occasional sexual content, discussions of trauma and past abuse, discussions of experienced racism and homophobia.

Shady Hollow by Juneau Black

Adult Murder Mystery

In the town of Shady Hollow, forest creatures live together in harmony–until a curmudgonly toad turns up dead. It’s up to the newcomer, an intrepid young reporter, to figure out who is responsible for breaking the peace.

If you want a mystery with cottage-y autumn vibes and a fox protagonist who delights in a nice scarf, step into the town of Shady Hollow!

Content warnings: death, murder.

Classics for Autumn

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Gothic Romance

When a man gets trapped in his landlord’s manor during a snowstorm, he gets drawn in to the history of the house and its current owner–a tragic tale of love, entitlement, and loss–that has its final moments playing out while he is present.

This classic gothic novel is considered a romance, but is not without its tragic, manipulative elements. Emily Brontë crafts a detailed history full of drama and chaos, with (thankfully) a satisfying, comforting ending that reminds us every cycle of abuse can, with work, be broken.

Content warnings include: racism/racial slurs against Romani people, abusive relationships, suicide, and death.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Gothic Horror

When the young scientist Victor Frankenstein is scorned by his fellow students and professors, he leaps headfirst into proving them wrong. But once his experiment is successful, he becomes abhorrent of it, and no matter what he tries, horror follows in his wake.

In this classic tale of man and monster, Shelley explores abandonment, the dangers of playing God, and the damage done through child neglect. It begs the question; is Victor the man? Or the monster?

Content warnings include: murder, medical experiments, discussion of corpses.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Gothic Romance

When an abused girl grows up and takes a role as a governess for the ward of a strange man in a strange house, her world becomes a net of half-truths, secrets, and the question she’s been asked all her life: will she ever get to have the love and security she dreams of?

Yet another classic by another Brontë sister, this story is much less spooky than the others, though it is not without its moments. After all, a gothic romance must, at some level, be gothic.

Content warnings include: ableism, child abuse, manipulation.

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Gothic Horror

Christine Daae has everything–a handsome boyfriend, a solid job at the opera, and an angelic voice teacher who turns out to be a very real, very dangerous person. When his obsession with Christine becomes too much to handle, it’s up to her to break his hold–on the opera house, on her boyfriend, and on her.

For anyone familiar with the Broadway adaptation, this book is a must-read. Not only does it open your eyes to the rewrites done for the stage, but it is a much darker, much more psychologically twisting and turning tale. Be prepared to have the warm glow of theatre lights take on a haunting aura.

Content warnings include: stalking, obsessive behavior, murder, torture, psychological torture, mentions of child abuse/neglect.

Well, there you have it! A collection of scary-spooky and cozy-spooky stories for you to enjoy this autumn. If you’re looking for more book recs, check out our previous post about the Best Books to Read on Break! We hope you have a wonderful fall full of wonder and comfort, and we can’t wait to see what you’re reading the next time you join us at the Campfire!