Are you a fan of reading spooky books during spooky season?
I’m not much of a spooky books fan, myself, but I know there are many who love a good thriller, mystery, or witchy book in the lead-up to Halloween. You’ll find a couple of witchy books on this list!
Me, I had a good reading month in comparison with those past. I’ve been more inclined to pick up a book lately!
Cathy
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
This book is part-biography, part-history of schizophrenia in the US. Focusing on the Galvin family and their children – six out of twelve of which were diagnosed with schizophrenia – it tells the familyโs story dealing with their psychological health in the US in the 1960s and 1970s.
Hidden Valley Road is an interesting read, itโs given me the chance to learn more about a topic that I really donโt know anything about from different perspectives. The author breaks up the Galvinโs story with chapters that give you more details about the wider world of schizophrenia at this time in history. I like this format as itโs helped me situate the Galvinโs story within the wider context and I like that the author uses these chapters to highlight the shortcomings of previous thinking around schizophrenia.
I probably wouldnโt have picked this book up myself but a friend gave it to me – after finding it in a book bank herself – and said it was worth a read and sheโs right, itโs well worth a read.
Iโm giving it 3 stars.
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Autumn of the Grimoire by J.L. Vampa
For three hundred years, Sister Autumn has incited wars, burnt villages, killed kings, and released plagues at the bidding of the Grimoire. When an Order from the Grimoire sends Agatha to the Kingdom of Merveille, she already anticipates the worst. Unless she wants to face the wrath of the Goddess, Agatha must keep her head down and do as sheโs commanded.
I was looking for a cosy, witchy autumnal book on my Kindle and found this one and absolutely loved it. The writing was great – descriptive, a bit flowery and whimsical in a way that just worked for the setting. I liked the main characters, especially Agatha and her sisters, and I thought the romance was cute.
Iโll give this one 4 stars.
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Joli
There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak (Audiobook)
This was a book club pick and it definitely generated some great discussions. On one hand, it’s a gorgeous book. The amount of research that went into this is astounding! There’s quite a bit that you get to learn about ancient Mesopotamia and the modern-day Turkey/Iraq area. It’s not a history I know much of anything about, so it was interesting to listen to.
Also, the way the disparate characters are tied together A) through water and B) through other ways you find out later in the book was really cool.
That said, this book is heavy, both in physical and emotional heft. It’s quite long and definitely not a happy read, per se. It deals with some pretty tough topics like genocide, the intense environmental impact of humanity, and the question of who should own the relics of history.
Altogether something I’m glad I read (listened to), but not everyone’s cup of tea.
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Woman on the Verge by Kim Hooper
Kim Hooper once again cements herself firmly in my auto-buy author list. She just has a way of seeing humanity, perceiving it with great emotional depth, and then somehow translating that to the page without losing anything.
This time, it’s motherhood she tackles. The main character is a mom with two young kids who’s grappling with what it really means to be a momโfeeling like her sense of self is pretty much unidentifiable as she stays home with her kids and tries to figure out if she and her husband still love each other or not.
On top of juggling those deep feelings, she finds out her dad is very sick. Once grief is added to the equation, things get really heavy for her. One night, she meets an attractive man at a bar, and things take off in an unexpected direction.
Highly recommend this read, especially for all the moms out there.
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The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Audiobook)
I had to get into the Halloween spirit somehow…I don’t like anything too creepy, so I decided to go with a little suspense instead. The Girl on the Train was entertaining on audio, and I can see why it turned into such a popular book (and movie). I liked that the two main characters had different narratorsโthat helped me figure out who was who at first. It’s not the best thing I’ve ever read, but I definitely got some entertainment out of it!
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The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao
The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club was another book club pick. If you just let it be what it’s supposed to be (light, a little absurd, somewhat predictable), then it’s a fun read. Granted, I didn’t predict the final “whodunnit” twist. Definitely has some similarities to John Tucker Must Die, if you liked that movie.
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Molly
I had my best reading month all year! I made it through five books, and most of them were 4+ stars.
Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie
This is the final book in the Imperial Radch trilogy. Iโve become pretty attached to the characters at this point and really enjoy the political drama of it all. I also appreciate the deeper questions Leckie explores about humanity and imperialism throughout the series.
Itโs been interesting reading the second and third books after AI has become widely accessible and part of our everyday lives. It certainly makes some of those questions feel more urgent than they did when I read the first book back in 2023.
Overall I really liked how the series wrapped up. 4.5 stars.
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My Best Friendโs Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner
I picked up a few romance novels in the hope that I could get through them quickly because Iโm way behind on my reading goal. This one was pretty good, although the conflict fell a little flat for me and the pacing was a bit wonky. Still enjoyable!
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House of the Beast by Michelle Wong
This was a book club pick and I devoured it. The world building is super interesting, the main characters are really messed up people just doing their best, and it was just creepy enough without being off putting (excellent for October).
Alma leaves her dying mother and commits herself to aristocratic fatherโs god to save her. When Almaโs mother dies anyway, alone and in pain, Alma vows to get her revenge on her father. With a crafty god on her side, sheโs sure sheโll succeed.
Little does she know, her quest is much bigger than her desire vengeance.
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Hollywood Park by Mikel Jollett (Audiobook)
This is the first audiobook Iโve ever finished. It was a great way to spend my commute.
The story was often heartbreaking but also always hopeful. I like that the author narrated the audiobookโI donโt know if anyone else could have done it justice. As someone who struggles to process auditory information sometimes, I appreciated the way music was incorporated. I also felt it served the book from an artistic standpoint.
The pacing dragged a bit at the end, but overall this is a beautiful memoir that worked really well in the audio format.
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The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields
When Marigold leaves her family home to take up her grandmotherโs role as the next Honey Witch of Innisfree, she accepts the curse that comes with the titleโno one can ever fall in love with a Honey Witch.
This was a fun read for spooky season, and although the plot was fairly predictable I still enjoyed it overall.
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That’s it! That’s what we’ve been reading. What did you read in October? Anything witchy or spooky or otherwise awesome?
More About Me
- What We Read in October 2025 - November 8, 2025
- What We Read in August 2025 - September 11, 2025
- What We Read in July 2025 - August 8, 2025