Today, let’s talk about haunted houses! I love books with ghosts or pretend ghosts or even sentient houses because of mushrooms, haunted by memories – just creepy houses. Gloomy houses. So today’s list is all about the haunted houses.
Bag of Bones || Home Before Dark || Play Nice
Mexican Gothic || A House with Good Bones || The House Next Door
The Haunting of Hill House || Rebecca || The Turn of the Screw
And finally The Shining. Not technically a haunted house, but a very haunted hotel.
Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.. 
Great topic! I haven’t read any of these, but Mexican Gothic is on my TBR. Have you read She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran? I’ve only read a different book by that author, but I think that one is about a haunted house. Here is my TTT Halloween Freebie list – it’s ten witchy middle grade books.
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I haven’t but I do have it on my list! And I am excited to read your post – I love witch books and middle grade!
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Great list! A few I’ve read and several I haven’t! All the spooky books in everyone’s lists this week are turning my TBR into its very own haunted mansion 😉
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Lol! I just got home and I need to catch up! I am sure my TBR will grow quite a bit after visiting everyone!
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The Turn of the Screw was a good book.
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Yes, and leaves the reader sort of trying to decide if there are hauntings or not if I remember correctly? I wanted to do little write ups but I ended up having to leave!
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I love a house that becomes part of the story as a sentient being. Like Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen.
Here’s a link to my TTT post
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I love sentient houses and houses as characters too!
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The Turn of the Screw and Rebecca sure have creepy houses! Good twist!
I listed books I’ve read that involve Halloweenish creatures. Find it <a href=”https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/2025/10/ttt-books-with-halloweenish-creatures.html“>Here</a>
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I was hesitant about including Rebecca. And I almost added Beloved. I should have, I think. Sort of different, literary hauntings.
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Great topic! Manderley would definitely be at the top of my list.
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Yes!! I know it is not a traditionally “haunted” house, but it is. You get it. 🙂
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A great collection of spooky houses!
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!https://readbakecreate.com/halloween-creatures-book-tag-2025-edition/
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Thanks Pam!
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You’ve got some great ones here! I’d definitely call The Shining a haunted house story. I’d add Slade House by David Mitchell. My list of Halloween recommendations is here: https://thebookstop.wordpress.com/2025/10/28/top-ten-tuesday-favorite-halloween-horror-fantasy-novels-you-may-not-have-read/
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Thank you! And I need to add that one to my TBR!
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I don’t read a lot of horror, but I read Mexican Gothic and liked it! Great list!
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Thanks Leslie! I am reading another book that reminds me a little of Mexican Gothic – What Moves the Dead. It’s good so far, if you haven’t read it! It’s also a retelling of Poe’s Fall of the House of Usher.
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I haven’t, but I’ll add it to the list. Thank you!
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Home Before Dark is a good one! I love me some Riley Sager. And I can’t wait to read Play Nice
I hope you have a spooky week and a Happy Halloween! 🎃💀👻
My TTT: https://essentiallyash.blogspot.com/2025/10/top-ten-tuesday-halloweeeeeeen.html
Ash @ <a href=”https://essentiallyash.blogspot.com/“>Essentially Ash</a>
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Yes! I love Riley Sager!! I still have a bunch of his to read still too! Home Before Dark is going to be a hard one to beat though.
Thanks Ash!
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Someone else did haunted houses today as well. Have a great week!
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Thanks Cindy!
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I just did a haunted house post. There are so many good ones out there. Mexican Gothic is one of my favorite books.
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I’m slowly making my way around! And I agree! Mexican Gothic is fantastic.
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I’ve only read Rebecca of these but I do own a couple others!
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Rebecca is such a good one!
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I’ve just started Rebecca — I got a whole page and fell asleep but not because it was boring…because I was tired! Ha! Bad timing to try to start a book. The others look interesting too.
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Lololol! Sounds like me every night.
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As I said the other day, I loved Mexican Gothic. Other Halloween favorites are by Grady Hendrix…so ooky spooky!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
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I love Grady Hendrix too! I couldn’t get into his last one though, the Witch one.
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I’m glad Home Before Dark and A House with Good Bones made your list. I would also include How to Sell a Haunted House and The September House. 😀
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I need to read those two! They have been on my TBR. Hopefully soon!
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Same! I love a good haunted house/ghost story as long as it’s not TOO scary. I’ve read a few of the ones on your list.
Happy TTT (on a Wednesday) and Happy Halloween!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
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I get so freaked out sometimes. Lololol. And happy Halloween to you as well!
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What a great idea for a post! I think all of my mom’s gothic novels of old featured a haunted house.
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I love a good ghost story and haunted house story. I was telling someone else, I have loved them since the Scooby Doo days!
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The Shining is such a classic! And Play Nice was soo good. Awesome list😁
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Thank you! I really liked Play Nice too! I am looking forward to reading more by her.
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I don’t know why but I’ve never been a fan of the eerie-spooky. I read The Shining at the lake, alone, on a windy night with branches hitting the window and I can’t remember if I finished it, I was freaked enough!
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I sometimes think it is because I loved Scooby Doo as a kid! I have loved ghosts and spooky stuff since I was a kid. Ohh that would be scary!!! I would not have been able to sleep for weeks! I read some of this stuff, and yes, at times it does keep me awake at night. Lol.
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The House Next Door was such a creepy book!! I blogged about it here in 2006.
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Yay!!! Someone else who has read it!! I only read it once because it scared me so much and I read most of her books more than once.
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Erin – this is such an awesome list! I really like how you took it in the direction of haunted houses. Those are so scary to me, I’ve never gone to a haunted house attraction or anything like that. But we did have a haunted house in my family, and my mom is the most skeptical person ever and she felt it!
I love Kingfisher’s horror-lite stories, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia can do no wrong in my opinion. Happy Halloween!
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Thank you Leah!! I am afraid of going to a haunted house too – I am not a fan of jump scares! And wow!! I would love to hear more about that house in your family.
It is crazy, I love to read about them and listen to podcasts about them, but I am sure I would run for the hills if I ever encountered a real haunting. Lol.
I just read a Kingfish, What Moves the Dead, and it was so atmospheric and creepy! It is a retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher and also has big Mexican Gothic vibes. It was a short scary little read!
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This is a great use of the topic! Not sure how many I’d have, but next time I need a spooky list, I should remember this because it seems like it would be (since it can be cover art based) an easy thing for me to put together. I do love my cover art themes. 🙂 Thanks so much for visiting my list last week! Apologies for taking so long to visit here.
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