“Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!”
~Bram Stoker, Dracula (Stack 6 and Stack 9)

Fall vibes with a dose of the spooky season are full of various activities, from drinking favorite hot beverages to pumpkin carving, apple picking, and other things that make us feel comfortable and cozy. But it’s also the perfect time to engage in the terrifying.

What is it about ghost stories, supernatural tales, monsters, and other chilling narratives and figures that creep us out, yet give us a cozy vibe?

All I want to do on a chilly autumn evening is wear a sweatshirt or sweater, crawl under all my blankets, drink something toasty (apple cider, pumpkin spice, hot chocolate, or anything seasonal), and unwind with a book or two.

I’m talking books of horror and thrillers, mysteries, and, naturally, all things that go bump in the night.

Here are some books that may give you both a cozy and a creepy feeling. Some are staff picks, and we hope that you find something for you, whether with with a young reader or reading solo.

You’re welcome to check our stacks, glance at past blog posts and book recommendation lists, or reach out to ask…if you dare.

By the way, read these genres whenever you want and in whatever form you wish.

It was a dark and stormy night, as they say....

Kids / Families & Teens

• Unexplained by Judy Allen
• Monstrous: The Lore, Gore, and Science Behind Your Favorite Monsters by Carlyn Beccia
• The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury; Illustrated by Joe Mugnaini
• Scary Stories Complete Set: Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark (e-book)
• Coraline and Coraline 10th Anniversary Edition (e-book) by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Dave McKean
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

• Encyclopedia Horrifica: The Terrifying Truth! About Vampires, Ghosts, Monsters, and More by Joshua Gee
• A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (and here’s the ebook)
• The Puppet's Payback and Other Chilling Tales by Mary Downing Hahn
• Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker; with illustrations by Junyi Wu
• The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
• The Big Book of Monsters: The Creepiest Creatures from Classic Literature by Hal Johnson; illustrated by Tim Sievert
• Ghosts in the House! by Kazuno Kohara
• Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes; illustrated by Yuyi Morales
• All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O'Donoghue
• The Headless Horseman Rides Tonight: More Poems To Trouble Your Sleep by Jack Prelutsky; illustrated by Arnold Lobel
• The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith
• Scream and Scream Again! Spooky Stories from Mystery Writers of America, edited by R.L. Stine
• The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything by Linda Williams; illustrated by Megan Lloyd
• Frightlopedia: An Encyclopedia of Everything Scary, Creepy, and Spine-chilling, from Arachnids to Zombies by Julie Winterbottom, with contributions by Rachel Bozek; illustrated by Stefano Tambellini
• For kids or grown-ups: The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde; illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger (suggested by Sara Holliday, Head of Events)

Adults

• The Penguin Book of the Undead: Fifteen Hundred Years of Supernatural Encounters, edited by Scott G. Bruce
• Cozy but suspenseful mysteries by the Queen of Mysteries herself, Agatha Christie
• Ghostland: An American History In Haunted Places by Colin Dickey
• Luckenbooth by Jenni Fagan (suggested by James Addona, Head of Development)
• Monsters: Evil Beings, Mythical Beasts, And All Manner Of Imaginary Terrors by David D. Gilmore
• Come Closer: A Novel by Sara Gran (suggested by Cullen Gallagher, Bibliographic Assistant)
• Haunted Houses: Tales of the Supernatural, With Some Account of Hereditary Curses and Family Legends by Charles G. Harper
• In Ghostly Japan by Lafcadio Hearn
• Poems Bewitched And Haunted, selected and edited by John Hollander
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (here’s Stack 9 Audio CD and e-book)
• Shapeshifters: A History by John B. Kachuba
• Monsters in the Movies: 100 Years of Cinematic Nightmares by John Landis
• The Changeling: A Novel by Victor LaValle
  The Good House: A Novel by Tananarive Due
  (suggested by Diane Srebnick, Development Assistant - echoed by Katie Fricas, Events Assistant)
• Fever Dream: A Novel by Samanta Schweblin; translated by Megan McDowell (suggested by Patrick Rayner, Acquisitions Assistant/Circulation Assistant)

• The Daughter of Doctor Moreau: A Novel by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (and here's the e-book)
• Beloved: A Novel by Toni Morrison (and here’s the e-book)
• Haunted: Tales of the Grotesque by Joyce Carol Oates
• The Ghost: A Cultural History by Susan Owens
• White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
• American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny, edited by Peter Straub