Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Cozy Fall Reads
46
items Fall is my favorite season and each year, I try to choose books that put me in a cozy mood. Grab a blanket and sit on your favorite couch with one of these books.
Rosemary's Baby is one of the few novels that I appreciate less than the movie. But I read it many times, anyway. The book is very similar to the movie and I could see the images in my head while I was reading. Ira Levin’s writing style is minimalist...
Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin, Paperback
The Point Horror series was one of my favorites. I compulsively read them again and again until I discovered Stephen King. Here, in Quebec, Point Horror was called Frissons, and the names of the characters were changed to French names that sounded wa...
Trick or Treat by Richie Tankersley Cusick | eBook
Reading this book again reminded me how much I appreciate the atmosphere of those novels that Stephen King wrote in the 1970s-early 80s. Okay, there are too many rotten corpses for my taste, but it wouldn’t be SK otherwise.
Christine: A Novel by Stephen King, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®
I must confess I am not a fan of romance novels, but The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice caught my eye because I love witchy stories set in small towns. I thought this one was a novel, but it’s actually three stories. The first one was too cheesy for my taste, and I almost gave up reading. But I kept on, and the two next stories were oka...
The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice eBook by Donna Kauffman - EPUB
One of my favorite books, that I have read many times over the years. It's the perfect fall read; Donna Tartt's dark academia story is filled with complex characters and a bewitching atmosphere.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt, Paperback
I love Louise Penny's Armand Gamache series. The first one is not my favorite, but if you are new to the world of Three Pines, I highly recommend starting with the first one starring chief Armand Gamache.
Still Life (Chief Inspector Gamache Series #1) by Louise Penny, Paperback
A strange and chilling book featuring a devilish child.
The Case Against Satan by Ray Russell, Paperback
This book is often overlooked compared to the movie that inspired it. But the Exorcist, written by William Peter Blatty, is really worth a reading.
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty, Paperback
A patchy book, as collected short stories often are. However, it's a perfect read for this time of the year. I especially enjoyed the story Lois the Witch.
Gothic Tales by Elizabeth Gaskell, Paperback
A little gem from another era.
Early Autumn: A Story of a Lady by Louis Bromfield, Paperback
I was agreeably surprised by these collected short stories that I read for Halloween last year.
The Ghost Stories Of Edith Wharton|Hardcover
A classic that doesn't need an introduction, Macbeth is one of my favorite plays by William Shakespeare.
Macbeth (Folger Shakespeare Library Series)
This novel set in an artistic school with its protagonist aspiring thespians blew me away. It is at the top of my favorite books, with The Secret History, a novel with which If we were villains share a dark academia vibe.
If We Were Villains: A Novel|Paperback - M. L. Rio
A brutal yet essential read, In Cold Blood is Truman Capote's masterpiece. Narrating the murders of a family in January 1959, Truman Capote paints a portrait of the two murderers that is chilling.
In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences
I love Alice Hoffman. Magic Lessons, a prequel to the novel Practical Magic, which was adapted in movie starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, doesn't deceive.
Magic Lessons (The Prequel to Practical Magic) by Alice Hoffman, Paperback
I usually prefer Hercule Poirot stories, however this first novel featuring Miss Marple is a great Agatha Christie. Cozy and intriguing, as only the Queen of crime could write.
The Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple Series #1) by Agatha Christie, ...
I reread this classic by Daphne du Maurier last year, about twenty five years after my first reading. I was still in awe.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, Paperback
One of the first novels written by Stephen King, and also one of my favorites of his. It has its flaws, but this modern Dracula tale set in a quaint little Maine town called Jerusalem's Lot, is bewitching.
'Salem's Lot by Stephen King, Paperback
The classic of classics, Jane Eyre is perfect to read in the colder months.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Hardcover
A beautiful classic, perfect for a cozy fall reading night.
Wuthering Heights (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions)
One of my favorite novels with some unforgettable characters.
To Kill a Mockingbird (Pulitzer Prize Winner) by Harper Lee, Paperback
Virgin suicides has such an obscure and envouting atmosphere.
The Virgin Suicides: A Novel (Twenty-Fifth Anniversary ...
A nice discovery that I read last fall. Perfect complement to Alice Hoffman's novels.
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic: A Novel
A classic for children of all ages!
The Witches by Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake, Paperback
One of my favorite reads of 2024, that I read just in time for Halloween. Strong women, bewitching atmosphere and beautifully written.
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson, Paperback
This is not my favorite book by Agatha Christie, however it's the perfect novel to read on Halloween night.
Hallowe'en Party (Hercule Poirot Series) by Agatha Christie, Paperback
An interesting read for the spooky season.
The Devil's Dictionary eBook by Ambrose Bierce - EPUB
A funny little book about black cats from different parts of the world.
All Black Cats Are Not Alike by Amy Goldwasser, Peter Arkle | eBook
This one from the Babysitter's Club series was one of my favorites when I was a kid.
The Ghost at Dawn's House (The Baby-Sitters Club Series #9)
I read the Sherlock Holmes series too late in life. I wish I had read it sooner!
The Complete Sherlock Holmes (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions)|Hardcover
A less known book by Charles Dickens that I read many moons ago and that didn't bore me like some other Dickens novels.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood - Charles Dickens
A spooky and nostalgic read for the season.
The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson, Paperback
Dennis Lehane has a talent for creating tense and mysterious settings and Shutter Island is the perfect representation of that.
Shutter Island: A Novel by Dennis Lehane, Paperback
A classic by Edgar Allan Poe
The Murders in the Rue Morgue: The Dupin Tales
Inspired by Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, this novel is captivating.
A Haunting on the Hill: A Novel by Elizabeth Hand, Paperback
Shirley Jackson's classic, always a pleasure, especially in fall.
The Haunting of Hill House: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
One of my favorite books, combining magic and beautiful writing, with remarkable characters.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Paperback
I enjoyed this first book of the Oz series. I couldn't even finish the second, but Wicked is really great.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (Wicked Years Series ...
The spooky season wouldn't be complete without H.P. Lovecraft!
The Call of Cthulhu & Other Dark Tales
A brief novel by Ira Levin, the writer of Rosemary's Baby, another spooky classic with a feminist vibe
The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin, Paperback
I read this collection of novellas many years ago, and it has been a long time since I have read Jim Harrison, but I still remember his percutive writing.
Legends of the Fall by Jim Harrison, Paperback
The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham, Paperback
Another classic that doesn't need an introduction. Frankenstein's gloomy atmosphere make it an ideal companion for a spooky autumn read.
Frankenstein (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions)|Paperback
The classic by Bram Stoker, that has inspired so many Gothic and horror stories like Stephen King's Salem Lot. Dracula is a must to read or re-read around Halloween.
Dracula (Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions) by Bram Stoker, Paperback
The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury & Joseph Mugnaini