**The time for spooky and atmospheric reads is upon us. I stir my coffee and watch as the cream blends in, lighting up the dark coffee color. I take a tentative sip, testing it. Needs more sugar. I drop in a sugar cube and mix the concoction once again. Perfect. I take a glance out the window and watch as the sky turns dark much too early. I could use a good book right about now.**

Welcome or welcome back to bookishcore! I know I already did fall book recs, but I wanted to get a bit more specific and give some recommendations perfect for October. There may be a few repeats so we will keep those short, but I do have a few extras I want to discuss.

Starting with one that was in my fall recommendations, we have Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco. This is a story set in the 1800s following Audrey-Rose who is working on the Ripper case using forensics with the help of Thomas Cresswell. The setting of Victorian London mixed with the mystery and murders is perfect for October.

My other recommendation from my Fall Recommendations post is In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead. This is a past/present timeline with the present following Jessica as she attends her college reunion where an old murder is being solved. The past follows the characters’ times in school and the murder that happens. I feel like October is a great time for dark academia, so I recommend this one for October.

Looking back at that post, I somehow forgot to mention Truly, Devious by Maureen Johnson. This follows a girl named Stevie who is enrolled at Ellingham Academy in the hopes of solving the murders and kidnappings that happened there several decades prior. I really enjoyed this series, especially the original trilogy. So many clues are uncovered and it was so interesting to slowly watch everything unfold. The school setting and mystery will be cozy for any October evening.

Next recommendation is The Haunting by Natasha Preston. I love Natasha Preston and have for the past few years and this one is perfect for right around Halloween. This follows a town around Halloween where there were a string of murders that happened at the same time last year. This year, murders start to spring up again and it makes everyone wonder whether there’s a copycat on the loose. I really enjoyed this one and I think the Halloween setting made it better.

Next up is Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. I’m going to be honest and say that this was not my favorite series. I still want to recommend it though because I do think it is a great series for October. It follows a witch in Sicily who’s twin is brutally murdered. Our main character then meets Wrath, one of the princes of Hell, and together they try to solve the murder.

Another book I somehow missed in my Fall Recs but that is great for October is Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. This follows Alex Stern who is accepted into Yale on the account that she sees ghosts. She is tasked with keeping control of all the secret societies and the magics they practice in. It’s atmospheric and has ghosts, demons, and magic. The perfect read for October.

There are probably so many more books I could recommend for the month but we will leave it at this. I hope to get to a few myself so I’ll have more recommendations to give. Let me know if you have any October reads to recommend or ones that you want to read. Happy reading and happy October!

xoxo,

Just another reader