There’s a crisp chill creeping into the air, which means it’s time for my favorite reading season: autumn! If you’re looking for your next book club pick for fall, here are some perfectly cozy and spooky novels for atmospheric seasonal reading.
**Please note, some links on this page are affiliate links. If a purchase is made through an affiliate link, I may receive a commission at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full disclosure policy here. Thanks for your support!
Must-Read Book Club Picks for Fall
I love the mix of genres that autumn reading brings, from cozy fantasy to spooky witchy novels – not to mention dark academia and Gothic mysteries!
There are lots of wonderful fall-inspired books to read with your book club, and I put together a list of some of my favorites below. No matter what sort of fall vibes you’re looking for, there’s something on this list for everyone!
The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
Genre: Historical Fiction/Magical Realism
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.com
If you’ve read the book Practical Magic (or seen the movie), this is a must-read prequel!
It follows the Owens children (including the aunts from Practical Magic – Jet and Franny) as they grow up in New York during the 1960s, and begin to grow into their magical powers.
The Change by Kirsten Miller
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Mystery
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.org
Three Long Island women undergo unexpected changes on the cusp of mid-life. As new powers awaken within them, they’re pulled to investigate the mysterious death of a teenage girl who was found on the beach.
When more bodies are discovered, the trio of women discover a shocking secret hidden within their very town.
This would be a perfect Halloween book club pick!
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.org
A woman returns to her elite Southern college for a 10-year reunion, reconnecting with her tight-knit group of friends from all those years ago. But they each have dark secrets to hide, and being at the college brings back memories of their friend’s unsolved murder.
Was one of them involved? Someone certainly thinks so, and they’ll do anything to find out the truth.
This thriller is compulsively readable, and one of the best I’ve read in years! If you love mysteries set on college campuses, this is a must-read.
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
Genre: Cozy Fantasy/Romance
From the bestselling author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches comes a new cozy fantasy novel about a previously-powerful witch who lost most of her magic and was exiled.
Now, she helps her great aunt run a cozy inn. But when she finds out about a spell book that could restore her power, she begrudgingly enlists the help of a man from her past in order to hopefully reclaim her future.
Publication date: September 10th, 2024
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Genre: Horror
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is 1990’s housewives meets Dracula, with a whole heap of Southern charm.
Patricia is a devoted housewife in South Carolina in the ’90s. The highlight of her week is book club, where she meets with other wives in the neighborhood to discuss true crime novels.
One day, a mysterious man moves into her neighborhood. Not long after, children start to go missing. Patricia slowly starts to realize the charming new stranger isn’t who he says he is. Unfortunately, no one will believe her – not even her own husband.
Grady Hendrix is one of my favorite modern horror authors. His stories are so unique and so much fun (if you can handle a bit of a scare)!
Read my full review of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires here!
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Genre: Literary Mystery/Thriller
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.org
This popular dark academia novel – written by the bestselling author of The Goldfinch – follows a group of Classics scholars at an elite New England college seek a new way of living beyond the boundaries of normal life. Guided by their professor, they become more and more emboldened by their experimentation – which leads them down a dangerous path.
The Secret History likely inspired the modern dark academia genre (and its subsequent popularity). This is such a unique and fascinating read that completely drew me in. Highly recommended (along with The Goldfinch, which isn’t dark academia but IS a beautifully-written book)!
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Retellings
If you enjoy fairy tale retellings like I do, this dark retelling of The Goose Girl (a Brothers Grimm story) should definitely be on your radar!
It follows a dark sorceress and her daughter, who flee to a remote country manor to avoid detection.
The mother intends to seduce the man who lives there into marriage, but his sister notices how strangely the woman’s daughter acts, and realizes something isn’t right.
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young
Genre: Magical Realism/Mystery/Romance
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.org
June Farrow’s family is cursed. Every woman in her family, as far back as she can remember, has started to get “sick” at some point – seeing visions and hearing sounds that aren’t there.
After a year of these visions, her grandmother – the woman who raised her – dies, she discovers a series of strange. They lead her to believe that the red door she’s been seeing is real, and that maybe she should walk through it.
The Unmaking of June Farrow is an enchanting and unique story, with a beautiful setting (a farm in a small town in North Carolina), a fascinating historical aspect, and characters you’ll love.
It doesn’t have a super high-octane plot, but there’s still plenty of intrigue to keep you interested. The story is a good mix of plot-driven and character-driven, and I never wanted to stop reading.
If you enjoy genre-bending stories filled with mystery, romance, and a hint of magic, I highly recommend this one – it’s a lovely fall read!
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Genre: Historical Fiction/Gothic/Mystery
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.org
Famous, aging author Vida Winter summons a biographer – chosen for reasons known only to Winter – to finally tell her incredible life story.
The story Winter tells is strange and eerie, about a family, a haunting, and a terrible fire. But is it true?
The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke
Genre: Gothic Mystery/Fantasy
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.org
A woman and her three daughters move into a lighthouse on a remote Scottish island. When two of her daughters suddenly go missing, the mother searches for them – to no avail.
Instead, all she gleans from the locals are tales of wildlings (i.e. changelings), and a discovery of a creepy cave beneath the lighthouse that supposedly has ties to witchcraft.
More than twenty years later, the third sister returns to the island to search for her missing mother and sisters. She’s shocked to find one of her sisters – but, somehow, the girl hasn’t aged a day.
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
Genre: Mystery/Paranormal/Horror
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.org
A young woman travels to a small town to find out what happened to her aunt, who disappeared years ago after working the night shift at a seedy motel. She quickly finds out the town has a sordid history of suspicious murders.
This creepy mystery/thriller has a sprinkling of horror elements that make it a fabulous Halloween read!
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
Genre: Gothic/Dark Fantasy
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.org
A ramshackle house – once owned by a reclusive author and illustrator – sits abandoned for years in a small town.
Until one day, a woman receives a job offer at the house that she can’t refuse, setting a strange force in motion. She and the house’s lonely heir will have to work together to save the house from being overtaken by darkness.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Genre: Cozy Fantasy/Romance
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.org
A lonely witch who’s been forced into hiding her entire life receives a message one day, inviting her to teach magic at a school called Nowhere House.
There, she meets a host of interesting characters – including the prickly librarian – and eventually starts to feel like she belongs. But soon, the school and everyone who lives there are threatened.
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.org
Seven Shakespearean theater students at an elite arts college live together in a dramatic off-campus home, isolated from the outside world. In their fourth year of school, the typical roles they play are shifted, causing rivalries to ensue. And soon, someone turns up dead.
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
Genre: Magical Realism/Romance
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.org
If you love Practical Magic, try this cozy magical realism novel (which also happens to be a series)!
It’s about a family of women – The Waverleys – who live in North Carolina and have a strange reputation. Their garden is known to harbor a special apple tree (among other odd edible plants) that contains special powers.
So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison
Genre: Horror/Paranormal/Thriller
After a wild night out to celebrate her birthday with her best friend – and a group of strangers – Sloane goes through some pretty major changes that will alter the course of her life. But is this a good thing for Sloane, or not so much?
Release date: September 10th, 2024
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Genre: Classic Literature/Gothic
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.org
Rebecca is considered a classic of the modern Gothic genre.
A shy young woman marries a rich man – Maxim de Winter – and moves into his massive estate by the sea, known as Manderley.
But the man’s former wife, Rebecca, died only a year ago. Soon, the new wife begins to feel haunted by the reminders of Rebecca’s influence all over the house.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Mystery/Paranormal
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.org
After a traumatizing incident, high school dropout Alex Stern is mysteriously offered a full ride to Yale University. In return, she’s required to join a secret society that’s in charge of keeping Yale’s other secret societies (and their occult activities) in check. But soon, she realizes there’s something dangerous and sinister at play, and it might be up to her to stop it.
There’s a sequel to this novel called Hell Bent, which is also worth reading! I love this series and highly recommend it. It’s really unique, with an incredible setting and characters you can’t help but love. (Check out this post for all of Leigh Bardugo’s books in order!).
Weyward by Emilia Hart
Genre: Historical Fantasy/Magical Realism
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.org
Spanning multiple centuries, Weyward follows the stories of misunderstood women, from a woman who’s hunted as a witch in the 1600s to a modern-way woman discovering her ties to the power of the natural world.
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
Genre: Mystery
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.org
A woman named Rowan applies for a nanny job at Heatherbrae House – a secluded estate with a sordid history swirling with dark rumors. Not long after, Rowan is sitting in jail, about to be on trial for murder.
This atmospheric Gothic suspense novel is known for being one of Ware’s best. And if you enjoyed this one, be sure to check out her novel The Death of Mrs. Westaway for a read with similar vibes!
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Order on Amazon | Order on Bookshop.org
This beautiful story follows a magical circus called the Le Cirque des Rêves, which pops up out of nowhere to enchant its audience – but only at night.
We follow two competing magicians – Celia and Marco – as they hone their craft in preparation for a fateful finale.
They are drawn together and can’t help but fall in love, without realizing that only one of them can be left standing at the end of their inevitable battle.
This novel is woven with lyrical prose and magical storytelling, and is set in England during the Victorian era. I loved it!
I hope this list of perfect fall book club picks help you choose your next read! Enjoy. 🙂