Cailin Riley Books

Ah, the wind is bringing in a nice chill and fall is right around the corner.

Every year around this time, I get the urge to throw on a flannel, light a candle and snuggle into my couch with a spooky read. It’s just the atmosphere, you know?

This year has had an absolutely amazing turn out on the horror and thriller book scene–below are my favorite spooky reads that have been released this year.

Pick one, light a pumpkin candle, and settle in!

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

Although it’s technically a thriller, this book gave me horror vibes. It’s very well written, but it also gives spooky vibes and brings up the question of what happens when you have a potentially unreliable narrator with gaps in her memory.

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

This was a popular read that actually lived up to the hype. My favorite thing about this tale about a childhood puppet gone bad is that is doesn’t take itself too seriously. Is it scary? Yes. Creepy? Hell yeah. But it also is darn funny and makes you laugh.

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

This book really surprised me. Though we start out in a standard suburb, the book keeps getting weirder and weirder until you find yourself in Horror Central. It also reads pretty fast so it’s great for a weekend spooky read.

VenCo by Cherie Dimaline

It’s witchin’ time! This book is a little chunky and I won’t lie, it takes a bit to get used to changing perspectives among the different witches. But, it’s super worth it to get to the good feminism gold.

She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

This book is just freakin’ good. It brings major haunted house vibes from the onset but I especially loved how the author uses the genre to explore themes concerning the true horrors of history, including colonialism, racism, slavery, war and sexual violence.