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The September House

Carissa Orlando

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“Why run from a haunted house when you can stay and ignore the ghosts? Just when you thought you'd seen everything a haunted house novel could do, The September House comes along and delivers an eerie, darkly funny, and emotionally grounded book about the ghosts that haunt houses and marriages.” — Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House.

A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel. When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings.

Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee. Margaret is not most people. Margaret is staying. It’s her house.

But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.

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ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Dec 3 2025

\ \ It's time to explore a favorite trope of mine--Haunted Houses.\ \ I'm a sucker for a haunted house. The slow building dread. The subtle scares that lead to a horrifying climax. \ \ I love when author's take these common tropes and find a way to make it different and stand out. The below books are some that I feel take the haunted house trope and give it a unique spin. \ \ The Reformatory by Tananarrive Due-- THIS BOOK. This book destroyed me. It tackles so much. Do not let the page count intimidate you. It flies by. Due breathes life into her characters. While not a haunted house per se, it's a haunted reformatory. The ghosts are not the villains here. The humans are. \ \ The September House by Carrissa Orlando- Imagine knowing you live in a haunted house but because it's your dream house you just accept the haunting. I had such a good time with this book. It's got humor and spooks. \ \ This House Isn't Haunted But We Are by Stephen Howard-- This one is quick and packs a punch. It has an extremely unique premise. I can't say much without giving it away, but know it involves a "fresh start" and grief. \ \ The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell- This historical horror is down right terrifying! It's got some scenes that still haunt my brain. Think haunted life-like wooden figures with creepy smiles. Purcell is an excellent writer!\ \ The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike-- This translated book goes from zero to sixty. It follows a couple who moves into an apartment that is built next to a graveyard. The graveyard is not happy about that in the least... This apartment complex gets spooky!\ \ What are some of your favorite haunted house stories?](https://ashreadshorror.binderybooks.com/item/cHVzHgnjDQe7qlUeYH5T/)

Haunted Houses

5 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Dec 3 2025

Haunted Houses

5 books

Kurryreads\ \ Kerry\ \ • Sep 10 2025

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Fun Horror Books

FUN Horror Book Recommendations 📚📖 #funhorrorbooks #horrorbooks #booktok #bookrecommendations #spookyreads

5 books

Madisoncanread\ \ Madison\ \ • Aug 15 2025

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Alright I have made videos in the past for this but I wanted to really sit down and make you a list that should be required reading for spooky season. Fall vibes that will keep you cozy or terrified? Whatever you're wanting! \ \ WITCHY RECS \ \ Cackle by Rachel Harrison: The ultimate cozy read! Annie is going through a breakup and moves to a small picturesque town where she meets a woman named Sophie and the 2 form a bond. I desperately wish I could read this again for the first time! \ \ Maggies Grave by David Sodergren: A woman named Maggie Wall was murdered for being a witch in the 1600s. Now she's back for revenge. If you want INSANE body horror, pick this one up! \ \ Slewfoot by Brom: This one I may revisit this fall. Abitha's husband died under strange circumstances and now his brother is trying to come after their farm. Abitha teams up with an unlikely friend to keep her home.\ \ The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson: Imanuelle has grown up in a very strict cult. She goes into the forbidden woods and finds power within herself. If you read and loved Slewfoot, you have to pick this book up! \ \ Haunted Recs \ \ The Spite House by Johnny Compton: Eric and his 2 daughters live on the run. He accepts a job to stay at a rumored haunted house. This will give him and and his daughters more stability than a life on the run. He'll find out quickly that there's definitely some fact behind these rumors.\ \ The September House by Carissa Orlando: A woman moves into her dream home and refuses to leave even though it's very haunted, the walls bleed every September, and her husband has gone missing.\ \ Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno Garcia: Noemi receives strange letters from her newly married cousin. She goes to check on her and can tell somethings off with her cousins husband's family. \ \ The Reformatory by Tananarive Due: Set in 1950's Florida where a young Black boy named Robbie gets sent to a reformatory school for defending his sister. This place is haunted by it's horrific past.\ \ CREATURE FEATURE \ \ When The Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy: Jess goes home after a shift a the diner she works at and finds a child who has clearly run away and is terrified. Once his dad shows up it is CLEAR why he's so scared. At this point, this is my favorite book of the year! \ \ Eynhallow by Tim McGregor: Agnes lives on an island with her husband and 4 children. She knows that there has to be more to life than what she has been given and she may have found that in the stranger who shows up in her tiny village \ \ Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison: Rory moves back to her hometown. She goes to a bar one night and is on her way home when she's attacked by a large animal. She somehow survives and now she's seeing some changes within herself.\ \ The Shuddering by Ania Ahlborn: A group of friends go on a cabin vacation where there is something in the woods waiting for them.\ \ VAMPIRES \ \ So Thirsy by Rachel Harrison: Rachel Harrison is a Vampire Diaries fan, I just know it! If you love Elijah from The Originals, READ THIS.\ \ A Dowry of Blood by ST Gibson: Letters from Draculas first wife. This is stunning and atmospheric. \ \ The Southern Bookclubs Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix: A group of suburban women start a book club where they read crime novels. They team up when a stranger shows up captivating their town.\ \ THRILLERS SET IN FALL \ \ Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson: Halloween night Jett is brutally attacked leaving her with a head wound that she won't survive. She can get a risky surgery with a small chance to live or she can live for the next week before she dies of aneurysm. She's decided she'll take her last week and solve her own murder. \ \ None of This is True by Lisa Jewell: Alix is a successful podcaster who interviews incredible women. Josie approaches her letting her know she hasn't done anything great, but she's about to. Alix agrees and then Josie has turned her podcast into a true crime podcast. \ \ Jackal by Erin Adams: Liz returns to her small hometown for her best friends wedding. She's tasked with watching her best friends daughter at the wedding and she goes missing. Now Liz is on hunt to find out who took her and who is responsible for young Black girls going missing in this town year after year. \ \ ON MY TBR \ \ The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia\ \ The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones\ \ We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinbrough\ \ The Good House by Tananarive Due\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login

ULTIMATE SPOOKY SEASON TBR

22 books

Madisoncanread\ \ Madison\ \ • May 22 2025

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If you want to get into horror, start here!

If you want to get into horror, start here! #madisoncanread #horrorbooks #horrorbooktok #horrorbookrecs #introtohorror #beginnerhorror

8 books

Madisoncanread\ \ Madison\ \ • May 22 2025

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Books written by women ♥️

Books written by women ♥️ #madisoncanread #horrorbooks #thrillerbooks #horrorbywomen #darkbooks #booksbywomen

20 books

Mareas\ \ Marines\ \ • Jan 5 2024

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\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://mareas.binderybooks.com/item/MOCyARxqfBpCzMBFfvQd/)

my top 11-20 books of 2023

I swear, I don't ONLY love books that emotionally devastate me, but, uh, mostly all of these did. I honestly didn't even notice until I was watching back after editing lmao.

8 books

Mareas\ \ Marines\ \ • Dec 8 2023

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reading and reviewing the top 10 debuts of the year according to the goodreads choice awards

Join me on Bindery! http://mareas.binderybooks.com All of the books mentioned here: https://mareas.binderybooks.com/books/

Check out the other videos in this project here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp\_jeZ\_Fe1syWFPwXC\_bCyr8kzbGImsne

And our original Goodreads project here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXazYjS56sz-KeyN8jaY02iXIg1DrZkKU

0:00 - 5:37 - Introduction 5:38 - 8:51 - Top 20 Prediction 8:52 - 13:42 - Top 20 Reveal 13: 15:08 - Top 10 Reveal

15:09 - 20:44 - Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson cw: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/354e652f-e9fd-470e-b81b-1ff29f9376a5/content\_warnings

20:45 - 23:16 - The Wishing Game by Meg Schaffer cw: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/824eccc1-ea3a-47c8-8a68-e037cd0d2ae1/content\_warnings

23:17 - 26:48 - The September House by Carissa Orlando (Spoiler Free)

26:49 - 30:07 - The September House (Spoilers) cw: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/d8b28f2a-9fce-4e36-a3ba-e58dc845c4dd/content\_warnings

30:08 - 33:22 - Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torsz cw: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/e899caa9-7b79-4372-9f75-23d841616e52/content\_warnings

33:23 - 36:55 - The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff cw: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/a364e5c0-8428-4a20-b47f-bfa1ef84ece0/content\_warnings

36:56 - 39:49 - Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall cw: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/4858f7a5-b44f-41c8-8927-b00cd062fc6d/content\_warnings

39:50 - 42:29 - Did You Hear About Kitty Karr by Crystal Smith Paul cw: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/442623d5-2c57-4215-a6d9-e05459ee0ca4/content\_warnings

42:30 - Final Thoughts

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9 books