Happy October, everyone! Halloween Day is just a few weeks away, so it’s time to take a look at some of the books released throughout 2026 that would make great reads for spooky season.

Below are some titles that I am personally looking forward to checking out during Halloween season, all of which fall into various horror subgenres, from spooky cute to slasher. The first list is FICTION books, organized by release date, which contains novels, graphic novels, short stories, and anthologies that were released in 2026, along with a few that are coming out later in October. Following this main list is the READ BEFORE YOU WATCH section, featuring recommendations of books to read before watching their new movie or TV adaptations (some books were originally published prior to 2026 but were given new editions this year). Finally, there’s a BONUS SECTION of books and other items that relate to activities (coloring, stickers, puzzles); instructional (cookbooks, crafting, gaming guides, travel guides); companion pieces (making-of, visual history, behind-the-scenes); card sets (trivia, games, tarot); and accessories (bookmarks, journals). In my circle, we like to give each other a little something for Halloween, so these would make nice gifts for the occasion.

This guide contains external links to each item; for books, I’ve included print, ebook, and audiobook editions when available.

Continue on to check out Halloween Reads 2026: Recommendations For Spooky Season Books, Gifts & More …

Stranger Things: The Dustin Experiment
Hardcover | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By J.L. D’Amato
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: October 29, 2024

Geeky high school freshman Dustin Henderson finds an unlikely ally in metalhead Eddie Munson when they road trip outside of Hawkins to a science fair where they team up to uncover the competition’s saboteur in this latest installment in the Stranger Things book series, The Dustin Experiment.

Dustin Henderson has always trusted and relied on his friends Mike, Will, and Lucas, but lately they’ve all seemed preoccupied. The once-inseparable pals went from spending time reading comic books, watching movies, playing Dungeons & Dragons, to later battling monsters that invaded their once-quiet town of Hawkins, Indiana, to now barely seeing each other. Will is in California; Mike is distracted by his long-distance girlfriend El, who is living with Will’s family; and Lucas, whose relationship with Max is strained, is more interested in making the basketball team than hanging out with the “The Party” (the name of their old D&D group). So Dustin invites Mike and Lucas to build something with him for them to enter into an Indianapolis science fair, figuring the experience will help them reconnect. Unfortunately, it’s not to be, so the young teen decides to go it alone. Well, not quite alone, since he still needs a ride to the big city. For this, Dustin manages to enlist local teenage metalhead Eddie Munson, who not only introduces him to heavy metal during their road trip, but also contributes to the science project and helps solve a mystery at the competition.