I am a certified scaredy-cat when it comes to literary anything. My credentials as a fear-averse reader go way back: I can still recall the horrible days in the school library when, instead of the usual silly fare, the elementary school librarian would choose a ghost story for our read-aloud time. I couldn’t clamp my hands over my ears tightly enough to shut out the scaries (but believe me when I say I tried).
I’ve grown up as a reader, and my tolerance for anything scary is still pretty low. But that doesn’t mean I never reach for a novel featuring ghosts. Luckily for me, ghosts aren’t limited to the horror genre. In fact, you can find a ghost in just about any genre, from romance to literary fiction, and the moods in these ghost-occupied books can range from contemplative to cozy to eerie. That means there’s a good ghost story for even the wimpiest of readers.
Today’s list features a range of ghost novels, including a tale of revenge, a preteen whose best friend is a ghost, a ghostwriter romance, a tale pulled from Japanese folklore, and so much more. I know this list is only scratching the surface—so I hope you’ll share your favorites in the comments.
15 ghost novels for every reading mood
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Lincoln in the Bardo
This 2017 release from Saunders is a story about America's 16th president and his deep grief in the wake of his son Willie's death from typhoid at age 11 in 1862. The "bardo" of the title is a Tibetan concept: it's a spiritual landscape—a kind of in-between place—where we are sent between physical lives. Saunders uses this real event as a jumping-off point to explore the near-unbearable grief of a father, linking it to the disarray of the country he leads at the height of its Civil War, and imagines how Lincoln's despair changed the outcome of the war. Heads up for audiophiles: the star-studded audiobook cast includes Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, George Saunders, Carrie Brownstein, Miranda July, Lena Dunham, and more. More info →
Beloved
I love an eerie gothic read for the fall, and here Morrison delivers one of the most unsettling, haunting, and macabre stories in the American canon. The story begins in a haunted Ohio home where we meet Sethe, a woman who escaped slavery and fled north. Followed around every corner by the ghost of her baby, Sethe’s attempts to begin a new life are thwarted at every turn—most of all when a young woman shows up at her door bearing the same name as the ghost baby's headstone: Beloved. Since Toni Morrison narrates her own iconic work, I enjoyed simultaneously listening to the audiobook and reading the physical copy, simply to catch the brilliance of the author’s craft. Content warnings apply. More info →
Bellewether
This dual timeline novel alternates between 1759 Long Island, NY during the Seven Years War when captured French soldiers are brought into Lydia Wilde’s home, and the present day, where Charley becomes the new curator at the Wilde House Museum and encounters the house’s ghost: Lydia’s French-Canadian lieutenant. Lydia and Jean-Philippe’s star-crossed romance has become legend over the years. As Charley investigates Lydia and Jean-Philippe’s story, she discovers the truth is much more complicated than she ever could have imagined. More info →
Unlikely Animals
This contemporary fiction includes wild game, complex family relationships, and an interesting narrator experiencing the highs and lows of life. Emma Starling drops out of medical school and returns home to Everton, New Hampshire in order to care for her father who developed a rare brain condition. She starts substitute teaching, reconnects with an ex-boyfriend, and learns that her former best friend has gone missing. Meanwhile, her father sees animals where there were no animals and the ghosts of dead townspeople offer up their commentary on the goings on. Annie Hartnett is a master at combining the heavy with the light. There are serious topics present, like dementia, depression, and the opioid crisis, but it’s light in tone overall. Hartnett said she was raised to find humor in difficult or dark situations and that’s the case here. More info →
The Widow of Rose House
Young widow Alva has two priorities: moving past the death of her abusive husband and restoring a dilapidated Hyde Park mansion so she can write her interior design book. Only one problem: the house is haunted and the workers refuse to come near the house. Enter scientist and ghost hunter Sam. Alva can’t afford any complications in her life, nor does she want to risk her heart. But Sam wants nothing more than to prove she deserves her very own happily ever after. As soon as he figures out how to get rid of the ghost, that is. An enjoyable and humorous historical romance set during the Gilded Age. (Open door.) More info →
The Glass Hotel
Emily St. John Mandel's signature storytelling style connects characters across seemingly unrelated events. The story follows bartender Vincent on the night she meets Jonathan Alkaitis, who is running a Ponzi scheme, and agrees to pose as his wife until the financial empire collapses. Years later, an investigation begins after a woman disappears from the deck of a container ship. Part classic noir, part ghost story, and part mystery. More info →
City of Ghosts
Schwab’s middle grade ghost story is a fun and gently eerie tale set in Edinburgh. Cass’s parents are professional ghost hunters who travel to the city to film their TV show about haunted cities. What nobody knows is that Cass has paranormal abilities herself—ever since a near-death experience the year before, Cass has been able to see ghosts, including her best friend Jacob. Once she arrives in Edinburgh, Cass befriends a girl who not only sees ghosts but also helps send them permanently beyond the Veil—and it's not long before the girls have attracted the attention of an evil spirit who means them harm. I read this book before I visited Scotland and I most enjoyed learning about underground Edinburgh, something I had zero knowledge of before. More info →
The Dead Romantics
Set in the world of publishing, this delightful novel gives “ghostwriting” a double meaning. Florence Day makes her living writing bestselling romance novels that are published under somebody else's name; only one person knows the truth behind her facade as a personal assistant. This puts her in a tricky spot when she tries to tell her handsome new editor that she—er, her boss—won't be able to meet her deadline. She doesn't tell him the true problem: after a bad breakup, she doesn't believe in love anymore, so she sure can't write about it. Before she can force words on the page, her father dies. When she returns home for the first time in a decade she finds the family she loves (and the funeral home they run) the same as they've ever been, even though her father is gone. She also finds a ghost standing at the funeral home front door who looks remarkably like her editor, who seems to have died with unfinished business that's somehow connected to Florence. This ghost romance sounds bonkers, but it's sweet and fun and—as far as the audiobook was concerned—compulsively listenable. (Open door.) More info →
Silver Nitrate
Movies cast magic spells in this unique and darkly humorous thriller set in 1990s Mexico City. Montserrat and Tristán are childhood friends who once bonded over classic horror films. Now, nearing forty, she’s an under-appreciated disabled sound engineer and he’s a washed-up telenovela star. When they cross paths with a legendary director, he persuades the two to help him complete an unfinished horror film from the 30s, the script for which was written by a Nazi occultist. The director claims that bad luck has plagued everyone who worked on the film, but completing it will break the curse and bring their trio prosperity. But instead of luck, their interference unleashes something dark and deadly in Mexico City. A surprising, sharp, and smart 2023 Summer Reading Guide selection. More info →
The Hotel Nantucket
Hilderbrand’s beach reads are always enjoyable but this one is notable for introducing me to a new favorite pen. When the story begins, the titular hotel’s Gilded Age glory days are long gone: it’s a real dump (and in a fun plot twist—haunted!) when London billionaire Xavier Darling buys it sight unseen. The new owner hires local restaurateur Lizbet Keaton to make his hotel the best property on the island, if not the whole Eastern seaboard. And that means The Hotel Nantucket has to wow Shelly Carpenter, the influencer who’s become a national obsession for her blog Hotel Confidential. The influential critic regularly reviews hotels for her eighteen million followers and awards each property anywhere from one to five keys. The staff is energized by this audacious goal, because no hotel has ever earned five keys from Shelly Carpenter. To earn the coveted fifth key, they’ll have to do everything right. Super fun, and I especially enjoyed the ghost story element! More info →
Cemetery Boys
In Thomas’s debut YA Fantasy, Yadriel decides he doesn’t need his family’s approval or acceptance of his gender in order to become a brujo and decides to perform the ritual himself. But instead of summoning the ghost of his recently deceased cousin, he summons the ghost of bad boy Julian who demands Yadriel find his killer. The more time they spend together, the less Yadriel wants Julian to leave. But what kind of happily ever after can you have with a ghost? This magical novel remains grounded thanks to the LA setting, Latinx culture, and fantastic cast of secondary characters. More info →
Anita de Monte Laughs Last
Olga Dies Dreaming author Gonzalez returns with a fiery novel set in the worlds of academia and fine art. In 1985, artist Anita de Monte falls to her death during a nasty fight with her husband, the prominent artist Jack Martin, whose fragile ego is threatened by Anita’s burgeoning success. Jack calls it an accident and carries on like nothing happened, but Anita is determined to make him pay. Flash forward to 1998, when Brown art student Raquel is preparing to launch her senior thesis on Martin, but gets sidetracked when she learns of Anita’s forgotten art—and suspicious death. Raquel admires the work and feels a kinship with its creator, another outsider in the art world. Raquel may hang with the white and rich Art History Girls, but as a first generation Puerto Rican college student, she can’t—and doesn’t want to—be mistaken for one. Plus the ways her own aspiring artist boyfriend’s actions resemble Jack’s are deeply unsettling. Smart and sophisticated (and more than a little sweary), this scintillating sophomore effort was everything I hoped for and more. A 2024 Spring Book Preview spotlight title. More info →
The Fox Wife
This lyrical historical novel and sophisticated detective tale is very much in the vein of Choo’s previous works The Ghost Bride and The Night Tiger, inspired by Japanese fox folklore. In 1908 Manchuria, a young girl's mysterious death brings together a servant, a detective, and a wealthy family. Gradually the reader comes to understand the vast world of fox folklore, the terror of a family curse, the reasons a mother is bent on revenge, and the stakes for all involved. More info →
The Cliffs
Sullivan’s provocative latest is the story of a purple Victorian and the land on which it sits, overlooking the ocean in Maine. The story begins in the present, when a disgraced Harvard archivist retreats to her hometown after torching her marriage and career in one foolish act. The house’s owner asks her to research its history; she’s convinced it’s haunted and wants to get to know her ghosts. Jane’s research uncovers the female artist who lived and worked there in the 1960s and the former Shaker who worked there as a hired girl in the 1850s, and ultimately takes her back to the time when the Wabanaki people lived on the land. The present-day storyline doesn’t hold the same allure as the past dramas, but this juicy summer tale remains immersive, nuanced, and oh-so-discussable. More info →
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping
This enchanting escape features grounded fantasy, found family, engaging romance, and all the welcoming vibes. Sera could have been the most powerful witch in all of England but she lost her magic many years ago when she cast a forbidden spell. Now Sera desperately needs to get her magic back to save her great-aunt’s magical inn, even if it keeps showing her ghost memories from her past. To do so, she must cast an impossible spell, something she can only do with assistance from her friends and the dashing, grumpy magical historian Luke. This whimsical tale is at once action-packed and extremely cozy. (Open door.) More info →
What are your favorite ghost novels? Please share in the comments.
P.S. 31 spooky (but not too scary) books for your fall reading list, 12 horror novels for wimps, and 21 spine-tingling but not TOO scary audiobooks for fall.
9 comments
Crossing into the Mystic, a contemporary ghost story trilogy. It offers suspense, romance, historical tidbits, and the most amazing walk through a Civil War battlefield at night where the souls of long-dead soldiers with unfinished business are present…and active!
Just finished Haunted Ever After by Jen DeLucca. Very cute, romantic and not spooky!
Classics like The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde (if you’re in the mood for a comedy) or Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw (does the new governess really see a ghost, or is the jealous staff messing with her head?)
My favorite is Unseen City by Amy Shearn! It takes place in New York City and follows Meg who is a librarian, her ghost sister, and a library patron researching the history of his Brooklyn home and its original inhabitants, giving them a voice..
Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts is wonderful. Spooky with a twist. Not scary IMO–I don’t read truly scary or horrific books. Check romance.io for spice level on this one.
The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffennegger
Waiting for Gertrude by Bill Richardson
North Woods by Daniel Mason!
I forgot that was a ghost book!
The Dead Romantics was so much fun! Not usually a fan of rom-coms, but this was terrific
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