If You Like This Spooky Movie, Read This Book
From Halloweentown to Get Out, I’ve got your next read
Hi book lovelies,
We are one week out from Halloween. It’s one of my favorite weeks of the year. I love everything leading up to it: the longer shadows, earlier nights, kids in costumes, and candy popping out of almost everyone’s pockets. It’s such a playful and nostalgic time.
One of my favorite ways to celebrate the holiday is to throw on a Halloween movie. I have a few go-tos that I try to watch each year, mostly classics from my childhood. But if you’re more in the mood to read than watch this year, I’ve made a little “if you like this movie, then read this book” list.
Hocus Pocus → The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Witchy? Yes. Wholesome? Surprisingly. Found family, hidden magic, and a little romance. This book feels like the grown-up version of what you imagined being a witch would be like when you were eight and obsessed with spell books.
The Goonies → The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
If you loved the treasure maps, booby traps, and wildly chaotic group energy of The Goonies, this seafaring fantasy delivers on all fronts, but with a fierce pirate mom at the helm. Secret quests, unlikely allies, ancient mysteries, it’s the grown-up version of the kids-on-an-adventure trope.
Halloweentown → Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker & Wendy Xu
A cozy graphic novel with queer romance, magic, and supernatural beings just trying to live their lives. It’s soft and sweet with just enough spooky to make it seasonal. Honestly, the vibes are pure Halloweentown: earnest, enchanting, and filled with heart.
The Sixth Sense → We Spread by Iain Reid
Both are quiet, haunting, and deeply psychological. Neither are scary in the jump-scare way, but in the creeping, reality-is-slipping kind of way. We Spread is a novel about aging, perception, and how terrifying it can be to lose your grip on what’s real.
Get Out → When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole
This thriller has major Get Out energy, with themes like gentrification, racial tension, and psychological manipulation. It starts slow, builds tension, and then completely unravels. Not slasher-horror, but undeniably unsettling.
I’d love to hear what your go-to movies are for this time of year. Are you more of a Carrie fan or an It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown type?
Happy reading (or watching)!
Your smitten bookworm,
Emily
p.s. Share this post with your bookish friend who likes horror movies