2026 Reading Challenge: October Spooky Reads

We're jumping on board with spooky season and this month we're encouraging you to get into the Halloween spirit by picking a book with spooky themes. That doesn't mean it has to be scary, but we're encouraging you to delve into the darkness, the occult, the unsightly, the slightly unsettling and the paranormal. Here's some books to get your list started…

Jenny Will Eat You Now by Gillian Daniels

Jenny Greenteeth has watched civilizations fall and wars break out during her lifetime. Preferring to keep her own company, she has been living in Boston for the last few hundred years – currently, in an abandoned subway station. Here, she has access to the waterways, an interconnected subterranean system that allows her to travel around the globe. With a conviction that she is far superior to humans – who are petty, dangerous, and fragile – she has no qualms about satisfying her hunger with their flesh.

That is, until she comes face to face with a human man who, for the first time, she doesn’t want to eat (but also…she kind of does). Confused by these conflicting feelings, Jenny is intrigued. So, when two other cryptids take up residence in her station – a satyr and a selkie – she (begrudgingly) asks them to help her find this mystery man in exchange for safe passage through her waterways. Together, they embark on a quest to track him down. On the way, Jenny experiences the modern world – discovering catcalling, pigeons, protests, fashion, friendship, and…Dunkin Donuts. On her journey to find the man that she couldn’t eat at first sight, Jenny goes on an unexpected deep dive into what it means to be human and to fall in love

Grim Tidings by B.K. Borison

Darcy Moore is tired of death. Which would be fine…if she wasn’t the Grim Reaper. Gabriel Aetos is determined to protect his little corner of the world like his angel wings depend on it.

When Darcy shows up to Gabriel’s faded old bar, she is hell-bent on outrunning her reputation as a villain. She won’t be dragging her next assignment to the underworld. She’ll be saving him instead.But Gabriel is convinced that Darcy is as deadly as it gets. And if protecting his people means staying close – very close – to this rogue reaper, then that’s exactly what he’ll do. Only, magic never comes without consequences…and these two spirits may just be forced to reap what they sow.

She's a Doll by Barbara Truelove

Lucy McQuinn has been murdered, but she's not about to go quietly. If she doesn't get to keep breathing, then neither does Kyle, her killer. Possessing the body of an antique doll, she sets out on a quest for revenge. But it's hard when you're eighteen inches tall and made of porcelain.

For help, she turns to Nicola, a human and fellow outsider with her own reasons to hate Kyle. But in their small idyllic town, no one wants to hear the truth, especially not about such a promising young man. If they can't expose his crimes, Lucy will have to roll up her lacy little sleeves and teach him a lesson the old-fashioned way-as slowly and painfully as possible. From LA Times bestselling author Barbara Truelove, She's a Doll is a ghoulish and gleeful tribute to the unstoppable power of female rage and a love letter to the friends who have our back-in this life and the next.

Don't Go There by J.W. Ocker

Everyone’s heard about the Bermuda Triangle, but do you know these chilling sites?

Roopkund: There’s a lake tucked high in the frozen Himalayan Mountains . . . and it’s full of skeletons.
Mount Shasta: This mysterious mountain in California inspired the I AM cult and is said to host UFOs, bigfoots, and lizard people.
Nahanni National Park: Called the “Valley of the Headless Men,” this national park in northern Canada is famous for legends of a hidden gold mine . . . and a series of decapitated miners.
Pine Barrens: Best known as the home of the Jersey Devil, this desolate pine forest has also hosted pirates, the mafia, and moonshiners.
Ciudad Blanca: This fabled pre-Columbian “Lost City of the Monkey God” in Honduras doesn’t want to be found, and explorers seeking it have met violent ends.

Award-winning travel writer and dark history expert J. W. Ocker explores these and many more locales around the world in this fascinating illustrated compendium that will ignite curiosity . . . and perhaps inspire some dubious travel plans.

The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman

Once upon a time, women were drowned in the river and the only witnesses were the crows in the trees. The Puritans blamed Eve for the sins of the world. That was when we began to meet in the name of Lilith, Adam's first wife--banished for refusing to do as she was told. We Fly Together.

By the 1950s, Cambridge, Massachusetts feels far removed from the legendary witch trials that marked its early days as a colony. Ava, a bright young woman from a small town in Maine, arrives for her first year at Radcliffe College. There, she meets Lauren, her opposite in every way--the wild and brazen daughter of a wealthy and well-established Cambridge family. But the two have more in common than they think. Both are recruited by the Lilith Society, a secret organization of witches at Radcliffe dating back to colonial times. As they learn more about their legacy, Ava and Lauren form a close bond that is put to the test as they learn to navigate their new power, friendship, and love.

While Radcliffe seems like a safe haven, the shadow of McCarthyism looms large, an ever-present threat to the flourishing creative and intellectual life in Cambridge. And as girls from the Lilith Society begin to go missing, Ava and Lauren realize the witch trials of the past may not be as deeply buried as they once believed.

Royal Witch by Philippa Gregory

Eleanor Cobham arrived at court with nothing - her greatest hope was simply to marry well. But her ambition carried her further than any woman before her had dared. She wanted to rule her own destiny. To rule England itself.

They say she summoned the devil himself to secure her fate.They say she plotted to murder a king. Now, it's time to finally hear her story.

This is the tale of the woman they called witch. Who would have called herself queen.

Reliquary by Hannah Whitten

When Claire's fiance Elias mysteriously dies of an unknown neurological illness, his estranged family invites her to a three-day wake at Harrow Point, their family home on a remote private island. Claire feels like she's being given the chance to find family again, to belong.

But something isn't right - their home stirs strange memories of the accident that killed Claire's parents, and Elias's brother seems insistent that she leave as soon as possible. As she dives deeper into the world of Harrow Point, she discover that there's something swimming in the bowels of Harrow Point, and it is hungry. But as Claire's window for escape rapidly closes, she starts to wonder, does she even want to?

Take a Chance, Sasha Sinclair by Ashley Herring Blake

Sasha Sinclair is used to being alone. Her parents, successful documentary filmmakers, died in a car accident three years ago, leaving her with a legacy she's been unable to live up to. Instead, she spends her time with casual hook-ups and odd jobs as she travels around the country. But she can't stop thinking about her parents' dream project: the story of Alice Bishop in Blair Mountain, North Carolina.

Margot Bishop is not a witch, despite the town's century-long suspicion about her family. When her ancestor Alice Bishop showed up in 1901 and opened Thornrose Apothecary, the town called her the Rose Witch. Now, the Bishops also run Ghostlight, an occult-themed amusement park that fully leans into the rumours. Unfortunately, the businesses aren't doing well.

But when Margot's mother comes up with a solution - a documentary film about their family - Margot can't get on board, not when her family's legacy is at stake. Even worse, she's forced to work with Sasha, the charming, peppy, wannabe-filmmaker. But as they spend more time together, diving deeper into the true story of Alice Bishop, the ice slowly melts and their relationship turns into a heart-fluttering rollercoaster ride, one they aren't sure they want to get off . . .