Here in Philly it’s been in the 80’s up until this week so I’ve been holding off posting this because I just wasn’t feeling the whole Autumn thing — I wanted to be reading beachy books by the pool. If you know me, you will know that I LOVE the hot weather so I was honestly okay about it but I wasn’t feeling like I was ready to bust out the sweaters, read some spooky books and talk about FALL. But now that the weather is cooperating, I’m getting myself ready for Fall.
Firstly, the books!! I always get the urge to read really creepy things or really atmospheric things in October (Gothic novels or things set in a countryside in the Fall..you catch my drift?).
Here’s what I plan on reading to get myself pumped for Halloween and, well, Fall now that the weather decided to act like it was Fall. I’m not going to be able to fit them ALL in so I need your help picking which ones I should focus on!
PS I have a pretty EPIC Halloween giveaway I put up yesterday!!
The End Games: ZOMBIES! And “The Game” intrigues me SO MUCH.
Another Little Piece: I’ve heard excellent things about this one and it’s a pretty high contender on this list for me. I hear its strange and wonderful.
Anna Dressed In Blood: This cover creeps me out! I don’t read a ton of paranormal but I hear this is GREAT.
Something Strange & Deadly: I haven’t read much steampunk AND it has zombies. OH and it’s set in my city — Philly! SOOO YEAH this looks great!
Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea: I don’t think I’ve read any supernatural with the devil in it..particularly the devil next door disguised as a CUTE BOY.
Dracula: I still have yet to read this classic. I probably should.
Heart Shaped Box: JOE HILL. I mean, it’s Stephen King’s son. I’m sure he inherited some good horror writing genes.
Asylum: This cover freaks me out. This one has pictures in it too to go along with the story and I’m already nervous thinking about this crazy asylum.
Beyond by Graham McNamee: If you are looking for a quick creepy read, this ghost story is a standalone and reads very fast. It’s not a FAVORITE but it’s a solid read if you want something quick just to get yourself in the mood for Halloween.
Ten by Gretchen McNeil: This one is based on And Then There Were None and reminded me a lot of old RL Stine and Christopher Pike or movies like Scream. It was definitely a page-turner!
The Madman’s Daughter: If you are looking for something that isn’t necessarily SCARY, this one is a good one! It’s a little creepy for sure and the atmosphere created is awesome. It’s based on The Island of Dr. Moreau!
The Body Finder: This book is super quick to read if you don’t want SUPER scary or creepy. The MC can hear the echos of people who were murdered and she tries to figure out what happened to them. SO good! It’s a series and would definitely be a good addition to your TBR if you are wanting to get in the Halloween spirit!
Rebecca: A classic that is one of my favorites! This Gothic novel is amazing and the setting just makes me shiver. If you want atmospheric rather than scary, this is a good one!
The Scorpio Races: Killer horses! Maggie’s writing is so lovely and the setting is amazing for this novel. A great Fall read for those who don’t want a scare but want to read something Fall-ish.
The Raven Boys: Another one by Maggie Stiefvater. This one has magic and I read it last Fall and it was an AMAZING Fall read.
Fury by Elizabeth Miles: This series is SO underrated and book 2 was even better! I loved the idea of the Furies from mythology coming to life and let me tell you — they didn’t hold any punches when it comes to revenge.
I always try to rewatch some of the ones I’ve loved and rotate them out but Hocus Pocus is an EVERY year thing.
Here are my potential rewatches:
Hocus Pocus — DUH
Dawn Of The Dead — I always debate between watching this one and Shaun of the Dead!
Halloween: What up beautiful Jamie Lee Curtis — the reason why my mom named me Jamie Lee.
Rosemary’s Baby: CREEPY.
Psycho: SO GOOD.
Scream: Who doesn’t love 90’s slasher flicks? COME ON. Last year it was I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Ones On My List I’ve Never Seen Before (tell me what is good!):
The Conjuring: I’ve HEARD good things about this one. Are they TRUE?
The Cabin in the Woods: I was always intrigued by this one but just haven’t gotten around to it yet.
Julia’s Eyes: I only hear good things about Spanish horror flicks so I want to check this one out!
The Purge: THE PREVIEWS FOR THIS ONE MAKES ME WANT TO PEE MYSELF. And they kept playing on every tv station every two seconds one weekend when Will was away. *cries*
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: Why the hell not??
And for those of you with NO interest in scary things, I have a lovely playlist I made using solely autumn-y words and it surprisingly all goes together nicely in its own way.
(It scrolls down on the right side…it took me 5 minutes to figure out where all my songs were because I only saw 8. OOPS)
And to put the cherry on top of this post, I’m going to leave you with my favorite recipe of the Fall — of the dessert variety of course. Will and I made them ALL last Fall! Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies — get the recipe here!!
Ok, so tell me which books should be a priority on my Halloween/Fallish reading list?? Which movies should I definitely watch? Please tell me if any of them are going to make me cry and pee my pants! (The Exorcism of Emily Rose did..GAHHH. Ok I didn’t pee but almost). Any movies/books I should ADD to my list that I might not be aware of? Any songs you are loving off my playlist? AND FOR THE LOVE OF PUPPIES, share a favorite Fall recipe with me!!
Jessica@ReviewsAbound says
Somehow, I have only read one of the mentioned books, but I loved it so I will suggest it! Read Something Strange and Deadly!
ashley says
Personally I love and adore Anna Dressed in Blood and it is not a typical Ashley book AT ALL. Which is probably not helpful because our tastes compared to each other is fascinating now that I think about it.
Amanda @ Hell-Bent to Read says
I vote for Asylym by Madeleine Roux! I’ll be honest, it wasn’t as creepy as I’d hoped it would be, but it definitely had me feeling uneasy at points. As for movies, I vote for Dawn of the Dead AND Shaun of the Dead, haha. Both are excellent movies!
DannyBookworm says
Jamie, read “Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea:” it’s surprisingly different and such a dark, autumn like book!
Stormy @ Book.Blog.Bake. says
I vote for Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea & Her Dark Curiosity! And I’d suggest to skip over The End Games for now. Scary movies are not my thing though, so I’ll just listen to your Autumn playlist instead.
Hannah says
This makes me VERY happy for autumn (she says whilst miserably watching the rain from her window) I love curling up in my woolly jumpers with a good book. I’ve never really read that many scary books before, but some of these sound pretty good. Will definitely be giving some a go. You are totally blame for any nightmares though!
Asheley (@BookwormAsheley) says
EEK I can’t help you. I just made a tiny list from your list. Womp womp. Haha!
Nadia says
“Dracula” and “Anna Dressed in Blood” (akjhkjfbakfa FEELS) are among my favorite books, so I vote for those!
And I have “Another Little Piece” but I haven’t gotten around to starting it yet. I started “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” which looks gothic and creepy.
Danielle Nguyen says
Definitely read The Dream Thieves. It’s one of my favorite books from this year. And I’m a total wimp about scary movies, so I usually watch ones that have a lot of comedy in them. I’d suggest Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead.
Meaghan says
I put off reading Dracula for the longest time, even though I felt I should read it since it was a classic. Once I did pick it up, I couldn’t put it down! It was really good and I’d highly recommend it. Also, I’m currently reading Anna Dressed in Blood and so far it’s pretty good. It’s more creepy than the books I typically read so I can’t necessarily judge it’s overall creepiness but so far so good.
Lori says
I’d recommend reading Anna Dressed in Blood or Dracula (though I haven’t read that one) and skipping The End Games. I wasn’t impressed by it and even a little annoyed at the end. I haven’t actually read any of the other books on your list yet. I really want to read Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea and Ten.
I would highly (HIGHLY) recommend not wasting your time on Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter unless maybe you have some beer sitting around around, a drinking game to go with it, and you’re looking for a good laugh. Then it might be fun. Otherwise, it was horrible. I promise.
I’m not good with scary movies but I loved Scream when it came out! It scared the crap out of me! Another favorite of mine is Wait Until Dark with Audrey Hepburn. Besides those, (and Shaun of the Dead of course!) I really only watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Lol
My favorite things to make for fall is Pumpkin Whoopie Pies like this: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/dessert-recipes/pumpkin-whoopie-pies or a Pumpkin Roll like this: http://jessienextdoor.com/2011/10/04/pumpkin-cream-cheese-jelly-roll/. They’re basically the same thing just in different forms. But I love them both. Anything with pumpkin spices and cream cheese and I’m in.
Leah @ The Pretty Good Gatsby says
The End Games was good, but I might be a bit biased – it takes place less than 30 minutes from where I live. 🙂
Honestly (& I might lose MAAAAJOR points for this), I don’t like Dracula. In high school I made it a point to read ‘scary’ books throughout the month of October and Dracula was high on my list. I couldn’t get through it the first October and the second year I finally forced myself to plow ahead. Dracula was the novel that led to the realization that I do. not. enjoy epistolary novels. In theory I like them, but actually read it was terrible. Letters, telegrams, diary entries…it just didn’t work for me. The story itself is fun, so maybe you’ll have a better time than I did!
yesyesYES to The Madman’s Daughter! I absolutely loved it and I got an e-ARC of Her Dark Curiosity through edelweiss a while back that I can’t wait to start!
The Cabin in the Woods wasn’t that great. ESPECIALLY the end, although it does turn a few cliches on its head so there you go. & Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter…skip it. Seriously. Matt & I fell asleep halfway through.
haha, love that you included Neil Young!
Lucy @ The Reading Date says
Yay for fall spotify mixes! I think Anna is a really creepy good fall read, and I’ve heard good things about Deep Blue Sea too. Love your fall-themed post! Goes very well with my pumpkin spice coffee this morning 🙂
Erica says
Joe Hill is SUCH a good writer. And a really nice guy. I loved Heart-Shaped Box but I like his short story book 20th Century Ghosts even more. HSB will be a nice change of pace because the main character is an oldish guy and not a young woman!
Cabin in the Woods is great but not really scary–it’s actually pretty funny. Some of my favorite horror movies are The Descent, Let’s Scare Jessica to Death, and Dawn of the Dead. If you like Shaun of the Dead, you should also check out Attack the Block!
Kelsey Wallour says
What about the Addams Family movies? Might be good to lighten things up after the Purge. 😛
Emmah says
The little kid in me still loves to watch Halloweentown (and the other two movies in the movie series) every year haha.
Ed Sheeran <3
And one of my favorite things to eat/make in the Fall is Dutch Apple Pie! http://www.food.com/recipe/dutch-apple-pie-43990 <– top it with whipped cream when you go to eat it! (:
Emmah says
Oh and I’ll be reading Harry Potter (I’m on the third book)! And then “Allegiant” later in the month when it comes out.
Rachel says
Your playlist is perfect and I adore your taste in music. A lot of those are on my own fall playlist! Also, THAT RECIPE. My best friend is coming over Friday night for a girls night and we wanted to bake something fun and I think that’s what we’re going to make. Cookies are my favorite food soooo it’s perfect.
Sarah says
Watch The Conjuring!!
Also I read the Heart Shaped Box, and I didn’t really like it.
I think you should read End Games or Another Little Piece!
Quinn @ Quinn's Book Nook says
Ooo, you should totally read Something Strange and Deadly! I read it recently and really liked it. I haven’t read any of your other options. I’ve been reading books to get me in the Halloween mood, too. I just read Hold Me Closer, Necormancer, which was amazing! it was so funny. Also I just read I Hunt Killers, another amazing book that is great for Halloween or Fall.
Quinn @ Quinn's Book Nook says
Oh and of course, continuing with your Harry Potter Project! Harry Potter is perfect this time of year. Okay, Harry Potter is perfect for anytime of the year, but still 🙂
Alex U. says
I really enjoyed Anna Dressed in Blood! and Scream is my favorite horror movie.
Ashley @ BackstageBookLover says
I haven’t read any of the books on your fall TBR list, but you should watch Cabin in the Woods, especially if you like Joss Whedon. It’s not really scary, but it can be really funny and I love how it plays with horror movie tropes. Also, that recipe looks delicious!
Stephanie B says
Okay those cookies look seriously appetizing. Definitely read Dracula! Wonderfully, awesome book!
Celine Hummer says
Anna dressed in blood was sooo good. The only thing was that it wasn’t too scary for me…. but that might just be me!
meg says
Read Anna Dressed In Blood! It’s definitely a good Halloween book. Although, if you loved The Raven Boys and haven’t read The Dream Thieves, you should do that ASAP! I think The Dream Thieves may have actually been better.
I love Hocus Pocus and the whole Scream/late 90s teen pop up horror genre. Of the ones you haven’t seen, I’ve only seen Abraham Lincoln and Cabin In The Woods. I highly recommend Cabin In The Woods, Abraham Lincoln was pretty good but ultimately kind of forgettable. I’m still trying to puzzle out all of Cabin In The Woods.
I am totally trying that cookie recipe. Happy Fall!
Rachel says
Definitely read ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD! And if you’re looking for something totally creepy, I’d recommend The Devouring trilogy by Simon Holt.
Katie says
You MUSTMUSTMUST read Anna Dressed In Blood! It’s so fantastic! It manages to be terrifying, gross, hilarious and romantic without being weird at all. It’s actually one of my top ten favorite books EVER.
For Halloween movies I recommend The Nightmare Before Christmas. Everyone knows I’m a bit obsessed with it but I always make a habit of watching it during Halloween AND Christmas since it’s the best of both holidays. Also some scary movies that I’ve loved: Fright Night! BOTH versions! They’re so hilarious and scary but they’re so different that they can stand on their own!
And Halloweentown! Gah, I get too crazy with Halloween recs! I’ll stop now! 🙂
Jessica says
Um…I just needed to say that For the love of puppies is the best thing I’ve heard all day. And it’s not fall without Hocus Pocus!
Trina says
DEFINITELY read Anna Dressed in Blood. My spooky book recs that aren’t on your list are Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs and Don’t Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon (not YA).
Hocus Pocus every year, for the win!
I’m going to have to read Another Little Piece, I keep seeing it everywhere and have been in search of just one spooky book to add to my October list. You’ve convinced me!
Fall recipe : http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2013/09/peanut-butter-pumpkin-bread/
SOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!
Roselyn - bookmarkedpages says
I haven’t read any of the books you want to read, but they’re all on my TBR as well. I loved Raven Boys and Scorpio Races 😀 The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey is another great creepy read!
Shelly says
That is one giant TBR list! I heard amazing things about Anna Dressed in Blood so you should definitely check that out! I loved the Dream Thieves (Ronan is my favourite character and it’s sort of “his” book) so you should definitely read that one too! Thanks for sharing & if you excuse me, I will know be listening to fall themed songs 🙂
Tanya says
I’ve read Another Little Piece fairly recently. I don’t know that I’d call it truly SCARY but it is definitely STRANGE and rather creepy. Definitely one of the stranger more “out there” books I’ve read. Perfect for the season. 🙂
Christina @ Book Lover Recommends says
The Dream Thieves! I just read it and it is sooo good! You should definitely try to get that on your fall tbr. I’ve just started The Scorpio Races, so I’m glad to hear that it’s a great fall book. Happy reading!
Christa @ More Than Just Magic says
I didn’t really care for Asylum but Something Strange and Deadly is AMAZING! And I’ve been hearing great things about Another Little Piece
Ellice says
I’m a BIG WIMP when it comes to all things scary, but especially movies! My ex-boyfriend used to drag me to the Saw movies every Halloween, and I HATED it. I pretty much had my eyes covered up the whole time. HA, maybe that’s why he’s an ex now 😉
I watch Hocus Pocus every year, and I own the old black & white Psycho. That’s about as much scary as I can stand in movies! OH and I do love the old Halloween movies with Jamie Lee Curtis (that’s so cool that you were named after her, btw!).
Rebecca— yes! That’s one of my favorite classics. As a matter of fact, I found a hardcover copy of it in a used bookstore not long ago, and I purchased that bad boy 🙂 I have almost bought The Body Finder several times but always end up talking myself out of it. Maybe that will be my Halloween read! Can’t wait to see which books you pick!
Elizabeth Miles says
Hey there! Fall is by far my favorite season and I love this list (and my inclusion on it!). I would recommend the Joe Hill book, plus Anna Dressed In Blood (as others have done). Happy reading (and cookie-eating!!!)! xo-E
The Magic Violinist says
I’ve only read Asylum (I got an ARC for it) and it was really, really good. 🙂 I left a review on Amazon if you’d like to read it (http://www.amazon.com/review/RX2431J7OA9LW). Just make sure you read it with the lights on. 😉
Wendy @ Book Scents says
Ohh you should read Dracula! I had to read it for an English class in undergrad and I loved it! As far as movies go, definitely check out Cabin in the Woods! It’s a little satirical and so good. I hate scary movies but fiance convinced me to watch this (in theaters!) because I basically love all things Joss Whedon.
Megan C. Stroup says
The Conjuring is the best scary movie I’ve ever seen!! And I LOVE scary movies. I hated The Cabin in the Woods though. :/ The Purge was pretty good, but not amazing. I’m interested to know what you think after you watch them!
Alexa Y. says
I love the books you suggested for reading for fall! You’ve got quite the variety of creepy, atmospheric books for the fall, and I hope you get to read most of them. And I’m adoring your fall playlist! It’s a great musical compilation. ALSO – I watched The Conjuring and it was certainly a creepy movie to me. I watched it in theaters with my friends, and that was a whole lot of fun!