Readers, when I’m ready to get the cozy reading season started, I reach for the most autumnal genre of them all: gothic fiction.
As a certified scaredy-cat, I find that gothic novels provide a welcome balance of spooky-but-not-scary reading. With an emphasis on atmosphere, this genre puts gloomy rainy nights, crumbling castles, and supernatural events on the page—with the occasional dash of romance.
As we prepare to lean in to the darker side of our reading tastes with seasonal reads, I’m sharing a whole list of gothic novels to enjoy, with a mix of Victorian classics, southern gothic contemporaries, and ghostly historical fiction. I hope you find a goosebump-inducing read on today’s list, whether you’re welcoming fall with open arms or staying in summer reading mode for as long as possible.
22 novels filled with eerie hauntings, hidden secrets, and Gothic castles
Frankenstein
The Stranger Diaries
The Thirteenth Tale
Sing, Unburied, Sing
Rebecca
The Widow of Rose House
Jane Eyre
Mexican Gothic
Wuthering Heights
The Governesses
The Secret History
Things in Jars
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Fingersmith
The Whispering House
Northanger Abbey
The Mysteries of Udolpho
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Ghost Summer
Beloved
The House at Riverton
The Historian
Can you think of any gothic novels to add to this list? We’d love to see those titles in the comments.
P.S. Can’t get enough spooky (or scholarly) reads this season? Check out 31 spooky (but not too scary) books for your fall reading list or 6 tips to help you tackle a classic novel.
74 comments
A book I first heard about on your podcast that fits in the eerie but not too scary category is Picnic at Hanging Rock. Loved it – as well as so many of the classics on this list. In fact, I am currently rereading Jane Eyre.
Maybe Wilkie Collins’ books The Woman in White and The Moonstone would also be good fits for this category.
I also thought The Woman in White might be a good addition to this list! It’s certainly a story with many twists and turns.
Cannot remember how long ago, I read these two books but I remember loving them. I have read them often through the years. They are great choices for a stormy evening read while sipping apple cider! My favorite time of year is coming up and these books with so many of those listed are wonderful. I like just one lamp on sitting by a window listening to the sound of wind. My favorite place to do this to go away to the ocean, taking long walks and coming back and read through the night.
I was just going to recommend both of these!! They are the perfect slightly spooky reads. So so good.
Wilkie Collins! Yes! So happy to see him getting some love here. The Woman in White is one of my all-time favorite books and definitely has the gothic feel. Love many of the books on this list, in fact, and I’m excited for all the fall book lists starting to pop up now, as fall and winter reading are my favorites.
Yes, and the Wilkie Collins books, especially The Woman in White, pair really well with Fingersmith.
I am happy to see The Mysteries of Udolpho included in this list. I checked it out from my library and the book was so pristine I must have been the first to read it. I loved that book. It’s not only a Gothic novel…it is also a travelogue! Any readers who love lush, vivid descriptions of nature will love that book. If you don’t like books with a lot of description, skip it.
I have not started with my autumnal reading yet but wanted to provide a suggestion/request: I’d sure love to have a hard copy print out of your lists when they come out. Call me old fashioned but I still love a hard copy. Is it possible to provide your reading lists in a printable form? Thanks and keep them coming! I love your lists!
Having the reading lists in printable form would be so wonderful!
I’d really like that. I love Anne’s lists too!
Please, don’t follow the lead of the stores – all showing Halloween stuff in early August. I intend to milk every beautiful minute of the summer – and rushing Fall (which I love) is not going to be part of my routine.
My sentiment also. I live in the northeast where winter often comes early and stays beyond the date the calendar says it should! I am not ready to leave my vicarious beach visits through my current reads. Pre-COVID my fall reads were often related to travel plans. I tend to save atmospheric gothic reads for after the holidays; to me they’re meant to be read by a crackling fire. So some books from this list were added to my ‘consider in January or February’ TBR list. Decades ago I read some of Catherine Cookson’s books that would fit this category.
Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase
I love reading creepy (but not too scary) books in October! I will be adding some of these to my TBR list. I do suggest reading some Wendy Webb. Her books are amazing! My personal favorite is Daughters of the Lake. Although, all of her books hit this creepy (but not too scary) mark.
Yes! I’m glad to see Wendy Webb mentioned. I love her works. Daughters of the Lake is also my favorite. I also really enjoy Jennifer McMahon’s works, my favorite being “The Invited”. Perfect for Halloween vibes.
I will add some Jennifer McMohon’s work to my October TBR! Thank you!
Reading Northanger Abbey and The Whispering House have me in a Gothic mood, I just wish the weather matched! I’m not a hot and humid weather fan, so the sooner the temperatures match my mood, the better! This list is perfect, since I’ve already decided to keep going with the Gothic feel. I pulled Rebecca, Jane Eyre, The Widow of Rose House, Things in Jars, and Fingersmith off my shelf to be read in the upcoming month(s). I’m so looking forward to embracing this mood!!
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón!
The 7 1/2 Lives of Evelyn Hardcastle!
The Sisters of Straygarden Place is a good middle-grade atmospheric read.
There is also the Woman in Black and the Turn of the Screw, though both of these are pretty high on the scare meter.
Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller! I love a good novel about a creepy old house.
I just read Bitter Orange this summer and it is really a great Gothic novel at a creepy decrepit manor house as Kelsey says. But it takes place during the summer so it has that oppressively hot vibe for those of you who, like me, live where it will be hot and muggy until well into September. You can have your Gothic atmosphere without feeling like you’re reading “in the wrong season.”
I’m rereading The Moor by Laurie R King and The Last Mrs. Summers by Rhys Bowen (which is a nod to Rebecca). I also may finally read Frankenstein this year and reread The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
I have read and loved many of the titles on your list. Rebecca is one of my favorite books! Sing, Unburied Sing is amazing, and I certainly recommend it.
Last fall I read The Turn of the Screw, and it has all of the creepy, slow gothic turns you could ask for.
This year I’m planning to read We Have Always Lived in the Castle and maybe a few more from your list!
Anne, Your blog and podcast are so awesome, I have found so many great next reads! For a good Fall, atmospheric read try Stephen King’s newer book BILLY SUMMERS. It is not horror but it has some brutal scenes and suspense for sure. You get so involved in the characters lives and history.
I am just enjoying it so much.
I recomment Ruth Ware’s The Death of Mrs. Westaway. Pure gothic, creepy house and all. And, love all of Elly Griffiths’ novels!
My favorite genre! I’ve read many of these! Jamaica Inn and The Woman in White also belong on this list.
The Seance by John Harwood; Asylum by Patrick McGrath; A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis
All of John Harwood’s books are well-written and creepy. My favorite is The Asylum and The Ghost Writer.
Lakewood by Megan Giddings and most The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware.
subtract “most” from that sentence! 😀
“The Silent Companions” by Laura Purcell is deliciously shivery and creepy; complete with a haunted mansion and historical subplot. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in one sitting. Purcell’s “The Corset” is equally chilling. And for fans of classic gothic literature, “The Phantom of the Opera” by Gaston Leroux can’t be beat!
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters is a perfect fit for this list. So moody and atmospheric with a building sense of foreboding.
Great list, and I’ve read more than half of these. Will put a couple of the others on my TBR list. I would add the novels of Edgar Allan Poe – Tell-tale Heart, Fall of the House of Usher, lots of good scary stuff.
Oops, EAP is short stories, sorry! The Georgetown trilogy by Barbara Michaels is super (not quite in the gothic time but feel like it). Ammie Come Home, Stitches in Time and Shattered Silk can all be read as stand alone novels.
The Thirteenth Tale, be still my heart! One of my all time favorites! I was also thinking of The Little Stranger, by Sarah Waters. And I’m with you, Ginger! The House at Riverton is my favorite Kate Morton, as well!
Love this post!! Thank you, Anne, and fellow readers! I second The Thirteenth Tale and the Moor. Loved them both. Also in the hard copy camp of the lists—most of what I read comes from MMD and would be nice to have these handy. Thanks again, Anne and team. You have changed my reading life!
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager is an interesting haunted house/ghost story.
Simone St James! I loved The Broken Girls.
The Family Plot by Cherie Priest is a great atmospheric haunted house gothic novel as well.
Another vote for a printable list!
For fall reading, I love The Witches of New York by Ami McKay!
Finger smith is definitely a must read! I would say creepy rather than scary but Sarah Waters writes really well. This is an excellent LGBTQ title!
Rebecca is my favorite Gothic novel (with Jane Eyre not too far behind)! Just watched the Netflix movie over the weekend and enjoyed it. Please make a printable version of this list! 🙂
I don’t think it strictly qualifies as Gothic, but Agatha Christie’s Sleeping Murder is one of the creepiest books I’ve ever read.
I haven’t read Sleeping Murder, but Endless Night is a Christie novel that left me feeling unsettled.
I’m often confused by the “gothic” novel as well as “middle grade”. What defines those two types of books?
Gothic is more atmospheric. Think gloomy, dark, eerie. Middle Grade is for an age group, think fiction for upper elementary, middle school reading levels.
Mexican Gothic and Things in Jars are both absolutely excellent! Loved reading them. ^_^
When I saw the title of the post, I thought, “Maybe I should read more gothic stories.” Surprised to see I have already read nearly half of the titles in the list—and some of them were favourite reads! The Thirteenth Tale, Jane Eyre and The Historian we’re all so deliciously atmospheric, and so well written.
Things in Jars was an excellent book! It’s perfect for cooler weather and snuggling up under a blanket. It isn’t too scary but it has a great Victorian atmosphere, a talking ghost, and plenty of other oddities, as well as a plucky heroine, to keep you turning the pages. I loved it!
This list is 🤌🏼
I absolutely can’t wait for fall reading, thank you for helping me get a start on my TBR! One note about the Secret History: I didn’t like a single character… except Francis. 🙂
I’m reading Rebecca right now, and loving it!
I have read so many of the books on your gothic novel list. Rebecca is my favorite; I read it once a year. With every reading, the characters seem to become a little more evil.
Having the reading lists in printable form would be so wonderful!
I’m on the opposite side of fall reading. I’d like a fun read set in New England where the leaves change color and you get crisp fall weather.
These authors have already been mentioned in the comments, but I’d like to echo the recommendations – Jennifer McMahon, Laura Purcell, and Simone St. James. 🙂
I guess I have a thing for atmospheric Gothic. I have read about 80% of these. I would toss in The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters too…
I’ve read a few of these eerie tales, but the one that stays with me is We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I read it as a teen and adored it. So haunting, such mystery. I’ve actually read it a few times since (I’m in my late 60s) and will probably read it again. I rarely reread, but it was a classic. The same with The Haunting of Hill House.
Agatha Christie’s The Pale Horse is a great creepy listen on audio. I also recommend Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde.
My old book group had a great Frankenstein discussion and current book group read The Historian (which I really liked).
So happy to see The Historian on this list! I don’t often reread books, but I reread this one, and probably will again in a few years, despite its length. To me, it’s a perfect balance of complex and fast-enough-paced to keep you going. Definitely creepy in the best way.
Agreed on the Historian. I was never too interested in Dracula, but this book was fabulously written. I loved it.
I agree with those who suggested “The Moonstone” and “The Turn of the Screw,” and would also add “The Shadows of Castle Fosse” by Jill Tattersall.
I’ve read quite a few books on this list. I do love Fingersmith. It’s wonderfully written.
Rebecca, Jane Eyre, and Frankenstein are some of my favorite books of all time! Another creepy one is The Birds and Other Short Stories by Daphne DuMaurier. They are straight up unsettling! Can’t wait to dive into her other books and some more hood ones on this list!
The Little Stranger is excellent, & an old Anne River Siddons book “ The House Next Door” set in Peachtree City is sooo good. Anne Rice also wrote a great series of books in the 1990s about a family of Witches, (nothing to do with Vampire series), set in New Orleans. And Chris Bohjalian has some doozies. Thanks for this discussion!
Hello; this is all well and good reading; I like that Daphne du Maurier made this list with Rebecca. An old favorite of mine The Haunting of Suzanna Blackwell is a good read for this genre…and tales by Poe. Thank you for sharing.
The Portrait by Emilia Kelly is a great one for this category. Lots of art history, romance, and suspense in Victorian London. I’ll include her website.
Sorry, thought the website would show, it’s emiliakelly.com
I never thought of myself as loving gothic novels, but I have read and enjoyed many of these so maybe need to put the others on my TBR. Once again, Anne, you have helped me define my reading tastes!
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware can definitely be added to this list.
It’s a short story, but I have never forgotten “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.