13 Spooky, Unsettling, and Otherworldly Book Recs

Featuring haunted houses, psychokillers, and all-knowing cephalopods

I love horror movies and go all in throughout October (I’m currently preparing for my annual watch of Candyman). I don’t read as much horror fiction, though, and today wanted to round up spooky, surreal, and unsettling reads to accompany your October down time.

Ghosts and Ghouls

For the Haunted House Purist — The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson

Sigh, it’s a book with a movie tie-in now, (and I did prefer Bly Manor to the Hill House adaptation, but I digress). Everybody loves Shirley (including Elisabeth Moss), and this is my favorite of her novels—the psychological mapping of the haunted house is A+.

For the Haunted House, Revisited — Model Home, Rivers Solomon

Dakota Johnson launched her own book club, TeaTime, as part of her film company, and she picked Model Home as their October read. I first read one of Solomon’s stories in Best American in my MFA and think this book resituates the haunted house and the site of the haunting within the characters in original ways, asking questions about familial heritage and trauma.

For A Ghost You Can’t Forget — Beloved, Toni Morrison

Every time I read anything by Toni Morrison, I feel better for it (The Bluest Eye is one of my Top 10 books). Beloved is the first book of hers I read. It’s an involving read, and its ghost story is highly original and profound.

For Contemporary Canon — Her Body and Other Parties, Carmen Maria Machado

This book is probably on every contemporary horror list, but if you’re not familiar with Machado’s work, you’re in for a treat. I used to teach “Inventory,” and it’s a great teaser if you want to see how smart these short stories are.

Creepy Crawlies

For Post-Apocalyptic Cephalopods — The Octopus Museum, Brenda Shaughnessy

I’m calling it that octopuses will be the next literary it girl (Exhibit A and B), and this poetry collection is my favorite of the bunch. In Brenda Shaughnessy’s poetry collection, The Octopus Museum, the world has been taken over by all-knowing octopuses.

For Stylish Monsters — Mouth, Puloma Ghosh

Portals and holes open to other worlds. The story of a missing girl on campus plunges a young woman into the arms of a mysterious figure. I spoke with Puloma for MQR, and I love the way this collection plays with love and monsters.

For UFOs and Desert Woes — Mystery Lights, Lena Valencia

I just interviewed Lena and want to shout out the book again. If your horror and your spooky season speed involves mystery lights over Marfa, cave dwellers (The Descent!), and urban legends in college dorms, this one’s for you.

Spirits and Signs

For Messy Leos — Exalted, Anna Dorn

The burned out Virgo behind a popular Instagram astrology account gets mired in a complicated romantic web after she encounters a photographer in Echo Park with a perfect chart. Wildly funny, sharp, with a Winona Ryder obsession.

For Curious Mediums — The In-Betweens, Mira Ptacin

This work of nonfiction from Maine writer Mira Ptacin tells the story of Camp Etna, a spiritualist community in Maine, investigating a rich history over centuries. Pair with a seance.

For Doppelgangers and the Uncanny — The Third Hotel, Laura van den Berg

Any horror list I write wouldn’t be complete without Laura van den Berg, and this novel is a masterclass in the uncanny. Following her husband’s death, Clare travels to Cuba for a film festival where she begins to see her husband’s double.

Psychos, Stalkers, and Outsiders

For Gay Love & Serial Killers — The Shards, Bret Easton Ellis

This was easily my favorite book last year, and I’ll continue to tell everyone to read it. Sexy and expansive, The Shards tells a story of first love stalked by serial killers set in a sumptuous, decaying LA in the 80s.

For Horror Cinephiles — Night Rooms, Gina Nutt

A poetic and lyrical essay collection that examines anxiety, body image, and grief through the stories that horror movies tell us.

For Shrek discourse — Homesick for Another World, Ottessa Moshfegh

I’ve been obsessed with the headline of this famous takedown of Lapvona for years (I dream that someone says my novel tries for something lofty and ends up with Beetlejuice). My actual favorite book of hers, though, is her collection. The stories are formally impressive. Sometimes it can feel like shock factor, but I think often they’re asking thoughtful questions.

Check out the full spooky season book list here.

Reference Section

• I saw The Substance a week or so ago and was so bewildered. It felt simultaneously so obvious and not obvious at all, and each beat felt like it went on for an eternity. It’s getting good reviews, so I’d love to hear what others think. I went into it really wanting to like it—I felt like it could have told a rich story about aging and beauty, and I was rooting for Demi Moore. Does anyone else have thoughts about this?

• I also just finished Intermezzo and, in the same vein, am so eager to discuss this with others. I swear by Conversations with Friends and have some thoughts on this one.

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