October is here, and so is the newest Hoopla Reading Challenge. Can you guess this month’s topic? Of course you can; it’s scary stories, or more formally, “Oh the Horror!” After all, there are few experiences more satisfying than being scared just enough that it’s kinda fun.  

And though horror movies have their place, nothing can beat a good spooky read. It’s just you and the story—and your imagination, which can often concoct scares creepier than ones on a screen.  

That’s why our October Reading Challenge topic is Oh the Horror! This month, we’re highlighting classic horror novels, modern horror fiction, and just plain scary stories to read when you’re in need of a little creepy in your life. 

For this challenge, we’ve curated a Hoopla collection of horror books to get you through spooky season. Here are some highlights, all available for free and with no waiting on Hoopla. 

Scary eBooks

Breathe In, Bleed Out

by Brian McAuley 

Hannah has been haunted by guilt and nightmares since returning alone from a wilderness trip that claimed her fiancé’s life. Hoping for a fresh start, she reluctantly joins friends at a spiritual retreat in Joshua Tree, where yoga and sound baths promise healing. But when attendees begin dying gruesomely, Hannah must face both her past and a relentless killer determined to destroy them all. (On a side note—how about that excellent title? That’s a style of yoga breathing we hope never to try.) 

Strange Pictures

by Uketsu 

A collection of childlike sketches unravels into a chilling web of unsolved mysteries, hidden warnings, and dark secrets. Each seemingly simple drawing—whether from a child, a victim, or a frightened mother—reveals clues that twist the ordinary into the terrifying. Uketsu is a mysterious, masked YouTube sensation whose explosive book challenges readers to piece together these haunting images and uncover the sinister story that binds them all.

Halloween Night Murder

by Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis, and Liz Ireland 

This creepy collection delivers three Halloween-themed mysteries. In Halloween Night Murder by Leslie Meier, Lucy Stone’s quiet evening in Tinker’s Cove takes a tragic turn when a trick-or-treater dies shortly after visiting her, prompting her to uncover hidden secrets. Lee Hollis’s Death of a Halloween Night Stalker strands Hayley Powell and friends in a remote, eerie home where a costumed prank gives way to a deadly surprise. And in Mrs. Claus and the Wily Witch by Liz Ireland, Mrs. Claus must solve a magical mystery after suspicious accidents strike Christmastown.

Spooky Audiobooks

What Moves the Dead

by T. Kingfisher and read by Avi Roque 

In this retelling of a Poe classic, retired soldier Alex Easton rushes to the crumbling Usher estate after learning their childhood friend Madeline is near death. There, they encounter a nightmare of fungal decay, eerie wildlife, and siblings tormented by strange illnesses and haunting behaviors. With the help of unlikely allies, Alex must uncover the terrifying secret lurking within the House of Usher before it destroys them all. 

This Skin Was Once Mine and Other Disturbances

by Eric LaRocca and read by Natalie Naudus 

In “This Skin Was Once Mine,” Jillian Finch returns to her childhood home after her father’s mysterious death, only to uncover a secret that shatters everything she believed about him. In “Seedling,” a grieving son discovers a strange wound on his wrist, mirroring a curse afflicting his father. “All the Parts of You That Won’t Easily Burn” follows Enoch Leadbetter, whose visit to a knife shop awakens a dangerous obsession leading to ruin. And in “Prickle,” two elderly men resurrect a cruel game with horrifying consequences.

Join the Challenge 

This month, lose yourself in scary stories for Halloween and the whole month of October. Borrow the titles above and find more in Hoopla’s collection of scary books for October—books that will have you screaming, “Oh the Horror!” 

Spooky reading!