As an avid reader, as much as I love sitting in the park or beach under the scorching Summer sun, dripping juice out of a mango or watermelon onto the page, I think nothing quite compares to reading a spooky and cozy book as the air grows crisp. From getting a PSL as soon as it becomes available to buying a spiced candle scent, we all have ways of getting into the Fall season, the most fun one for me being delving into a haunting book reminiscent of these upcoming months and escaping into it.
I have always equated Fall/Winter with classic novels, detailing a chilling melancholy and gothic vibe that transcends time. I find all of the novels in this list to be so incredible, fascinating, and immersive that I often pick one to re-read during the colder months to really get sucked into it. The word "classic" can be daunting, but don’t let that deter you from giving these novels a chance! They are timeless for a reason. Sometimes reading books from a different time period can be challenging at first, but the twists and turns and plots are worth sticking around for. I promise that there’s a whole world of senses in them that, once you hold the book in your hands, transforms the space outside of you making you enjoy the season. I managed to narrow down my list to the following five:
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Starting off strong with one of my all-time favorite books we have Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847). Filled with secrets and a moody, gothic atmosphere, the book follows Jane after she takes a job as a governess and falls deeply in love with her employer, the mysterious Mr. Rochester. Tormented by her past, her current situation, and the dark secrets coming to light in this haunting manor, Jane is forced to face her reality and learn how to grow, making this novel a classic coming-of-age story. Considered one of the first feminist novels (as I further argued on in my AP Lit exam), Jane Eyre is a book about discovery, both of the self as of what lies beneath of what’s in front of your eyes. Full of substance, beautiful language, and one of the greatest twists in literature, Jane Eyre is just one of those books that haunts you long after finishing it and can enhance the tone of these months to come.
Jane Eyre and a caramel apple streusel donut📖🍂🌧️ pic.twitter.com/AtcCktNwnr
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
A story about the monstrous in humanity and the humanity in what we deem monstrous, Frankenstein or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) by Mary Shelley is recognized as the first book of the horror/science-fiction genre. Written during one rainy weekend after being haunted by thoughts and nightmares of death and life, an 18-year-old Mary kickstarted a movement in literature that forced humanity to face the coldness and horror that can come from human nature right in the eye. Truth is, if when you think of "Frankenstein" you still see the green monster with bolts in his head and not an abandoned creation trying to make sense of a world that showed him nothing but cruelty, you have to read Frankenstein. When I first picked up the book at the ripe age of 17, I wasn’t expecting to cry at the Creation’s story and scorn Dr. Frankenstein, but in the ice cold Alps and Arctic Ocean, you get engulfed in a story about a "monster" that we grew up hearing about every Halloween and find that the true terror lives in human greed.
Book of the week.
— Rogelio Galván ll 🇩🇪🇲🇽 (@GalvanPero55796) July 13, 2026
• "Frankestein."
A masterpiece of horror and science fiction literature, written by Mary Shelley and originally published on January 1, 1818. It addresses profound themes such as scientific ambition, moral responsibility, social rejection, and the
🧵 pic.twitter.com/2NDSPvWgHn
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
A spook-filled classic, The Haunting of Hill House (1959) by Shirley Jackson is just one of those books you must read around Halloween. Talking of ghosts and haunted mansions, Jackson’s brilliance in horror writing will always leave you unnerved, this book becoming the blueprint of masterful gothic/horror writing. Covering themes of isolation and fear, both of the self and others, Jackson taps into the truth of horror living within us as well as around. Following four people in said mansion, darkness takes over and will send chills down your spine. A perfect Autumn late-night read you should light candles to, you could make this your next read and align it to the season or else you’ll have to wait until next year!
★— current reading: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
i've watched the show like years ago and i know that it was loosely based on the book hehehe hopefully i remember enough to notice the differences and what changes were made 🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/iyG4TNbfjA
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
My most re-read out of this list, The Secret History (1992) by Donna Tartt is a contemporary classic that has continued to make waves and be a huge inspiration in recently published literature. Birthing the "dark academia" movement simply by writing what she knew, Tartt managed to write a fully lived-in world that holds murder, snow, intellect, and complex characters in a package so masterfully written, it feels as though you’re there. Chilling and complicated, I don’t think there is a better book. Only a brilliant author makes you want to live inside a brutal winter and situation, a great read especially when there’s snow on the ground.
La première page de The secret history (Le maître des illusions), qui donne d’emblée le ton de ce texte vénéneux, dérangeant et magistral, premier roman de Donna Tartt. pic.twitter.com/BeMRV14GSl
— Antoine Moreau (@Antoine_Moreau_) September 15, 2026
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Wuthering Heights (1847) by Emily Brontë is a haunting novel that matches the brutality of weather during the Winter months. It uses landscapes and nature to mirror coldness, darkness, and turmoil. Recently adapted into a film by Emerald Fennell, you might be surprised to know that the novel isn’t so much a romance as it is a horror story about passion, vengeance, and hate. A deeply intense exploration of love and the aftermath of loss, Wuthering Heights is a great book to pick up during the Winter months to remember that melancholy and coldness, like most human experiences, have and will probably always be around.
Book Nook ~ Wuthering Heights
New on the blog - link in bio. pic.twitter.com/DH2zbi4yMf
Limiting myself to 5 books, I had to leave behind one of the Brontës, but I’m adding it here as a bonus surprise: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848) by Anne Brontë! Similar in energy to her sisters’ works, their novels are just the perfect Fall reads.
Happy reading!
