Grayson West
There’s something magical about the fall season. The crisp air carries the promise of change, and with it, books arrive like bright leaves drifting into our hands. This fall’s releases and Goodreads picks are already stirring critics and readers alike, and are shaping up to be a true harvest of imagination and discovery. Here’s our curated list of the top ten novels to read this fall.
“The Secret Of Secrets” By Dan Brown
Set in Prague’s mystical spires, where ancient secrets haunt every shadow, Dan Brown unveils his boldest Robert Langdon thriller. “The Secret of Secrets” shows consciousness research and CIA intrigue. Released globally on September 9, 2025, it promises a riveting blend of mystery, science, and power to attract readers.
“King Sorrow” By Joe Hill
Joe Hill’s nine-hundred-page saga is a supernatural horror with a dust of dark campus nostalgia. In 1989, six college friends made a reckless decision: they summoned a dragon using a journal bound in human skin. That twisted experiment turned into a decades-long curse. Every Easter since, the countdown begins—one of them must be sacrificed to keep King Sorrow from returning.
“Happy People Don’t Live Here” By Amber Sparks
Amber Sparks returns with a genre-defying collection that blends surrealism, emotional depth, and biting wit. In “Happy People Don’t Live Here,” she explores fractured relationships, haunted memories, and the strange beauty of broken places. Each story bends reality just enough to reveal deeper truths, where happiness isn’t guaranteed, but meaning is always within reach.
“Slashed Beauties” By A. Rushby
If you’ve ever left the lamp burning after a late-night read, you already know A. Rushby’s unnerving touch. Her latest novel, “Slashed Beauties,” earns a place on fall’s must-read list. The gothic feminist body horror envisions anatomical wax figures awakening for a terrifyingly vengeful return.
“The Haunting Of Paynes Hollow” By Kelley Armstrong
Autumn feels tailor-made for eerie stories, and Kelley Armstrong steps in with a perfect offering. The bestselling supernatural fiction master introduces “The Haunting of Paynes Hollow,” a tale wrapped in atmosphere. Her acclaimed ability to craft strong female protagonists and intricate worlds is once again on display.
“If The Dead Belong Here” By Carson Faust
The spectral echoes in “If the Dead Belong Here” may suggest a simple ghost story, but Carson Faust’s striking debut reaches far beyond. Her narrative unearths ancestral wounds and long-buried family secrets. Drawing from Edisto Natchez-Kusso heritage, Faust turns supernatural horror into a haunting meditation on generational trauma.
“The Graceview Patient” By Caitlin Starling
Inside the ominously named Graceview facility hides a story certain to make patients (well, readers) check their pulse. Caitlin Starling, an award-nominated talent in psychological horror and science fiction, delivers this deliciously unsettling fall must-read. With her precise touch, she knows exactly how to put your imagination into intensive care.
“The Last Spirits Of Manhattan” By John A. McDermott
Just when you thought your fall reading list couldn’t get spookier, John A. McDermott’s “The Last Spirits of Manhattan” drifts in like a well-dressed ghost at a 1950s cocktail party. The charming haunter stirs romance with the supernatural. Readers are offered a heartwarming tale set in a delightfully spectral New York.
“The Rose Field” By Philip Pullman
Like a field of roses opening into mystery, Philip Pullman’s latest novel promises to bloom with his signature blend of innocence and moral complexity. “The Rose Field” unfolds as a haunting meditation on choice and the fragile beauty of growth. Pullman’s storytelling still challenges and enchants readers worldwide.
“Barrowbeck” By Andrew Michael Hurley
Andrew Michael Hurley’s “Barrowbeck” emerges as a fall must-read that perfectly captures October’s haunting spirit. The award-winning master of atmospheric literary fiction brings his signature unsettling style to a tale steeped in ancient folklore, rural isolation, and creeping dread. A man returns to his childhood village seeking solace—only to confront the ghosts of the land, and the ones he carries within.