From Portland vampires to Ashland mysteries: Fall book picks

By Mike Green,

Published October 14, 2026 at 9:14 AM PDT

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A sample assortment of recommended horror novels from the book guides at JX Reads.

A Civil War homestead with something to hide. A vampire revenge story set in 1970s Portland. A murder mystery populated by woodland animals.

The latest JX Reads recommendations offer several ways to settle into fall, whether you want a scare or a comforting whodunit. Sami Pierson, director of the Coos Bay Public Library; Megan Isser, co-owner of Bloomsbury Books in Ashland; and Heather Holben, JPR’s audience services coordinator, shared their picks on the Jefferson Exchange.

What makes a book frightening depends on the reader, Pierson said. For some, it’s an enclosed space. For others, it’s something lurking in the woods or under the bed.

“It's just whatever scares you,” she said.

Horror and supernatural suspense

“Sarafina” by Philip Fracassi

Three brothers desert the Confederate army after the Battle of Shiloh and head home to Mississippi, Pierson said. Along the way, they find a seemingly idyllic farm that offers refuge — and a growing sense that something is wrong.

“You read it, and all of a sudden you look up, and you're halfway through the book,” Pierson said.

“Nightjars” by Michael Wehunt

When Luke’s date leaves halfway through dinner and never returns, she leaves behind a Polaroid showing him as a child, a masked man and a dead body in his bedroom. He remembers none of it. More photographs follow, drawing him into a story about trauma, memory and addiction.

“It's kind of a Memento meets Dracula book,” Isser said.

“Coffin Moon” by Keith Rosson

Set in Portland in 1975, this vampire novel follows Vietnam veteran Duane Minor and his adopted niece on a quest for vengeance. Holben recommended it for its treatment of the war’s aftermath and its take on vampire lore.

“He really takes the vampire lore and kind of twists it a bit to make it interesting,” Holben said.

“Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night Part II” edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

This anthology brings together horror stories by Indigenous and First Nations authors. Pierson said the short-story format moves readers quickly into the terror, with each writer offering a different perspective on fear.

“There's no buildup; they are straight there,” Pierson said.

“Off the Reservation” by Stephen Graham Jones

Connected to Jones’ “The Only Good Indians,” this road-trip novel follows Native American activists seeking to bring home the remains of a boy who died at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School.

Isser said readers don’t need to have read the earlier novel and recommended the book for its characters and blend of history and horror.

“Horrorstör” by Grady Hendrix

A furniture superstore becomes the setting for supernatural horror and dark humor. Pierson counted it among her favorites.

“‘Horrorstör’ is one of the all-time best I've ever read in that sort of niche,” Pierson said.

“Victorian Psycho” by Virginia Feito

A 19th-century governess takes a sinister turn in this short historical horror novel.

“It's a very short novel about a governess who's gone wrong,” Pierson said.

Cozy mysteries

Isser described cozy mysteries as an escape from heavier reading, with quirky characters and crimes that generally unfold without graphic violence or explicit sex. They can also offer an accessible way back into reading.

“Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers” by Jesse Q. Sutanto

A lonely shopkeeper in San Francisco’s Chinatown discovers a body in her shop and decides to solve the murder herself. The investigation brings new people into her life.

“It's kind of like Theo of Golden with murder, I would say,” Isser said.

Bakeshop Mystery series by Ellie Alexander

Holben recommended Alexander’s Ashland-set series for readers who enjoy spotting familiar places in fiction. Some businesses are only thinly disguised, she said.

“It's especially fun for locals to read because you can kind of go on little scavenger hunts in the book and pick out things that you recognize,” Holben said.

The guides also discussed Alexander’s brewery-centered Sloan Krause mysteries, set in Leavenworth, Washington, including “Beer and Loathing” and “The Pint of No Return.”

“Shady Hollow” by Juneau Black

Woodland animals populate the small town at the center of this murder mystery. Isser initially doubted that the premise would appeal to her.

“But these animals are personified in such a way you forget they're animals,” Isser said.

Vintage Cookbook Mystery series by Ellen Byron

Vintage cookbooks, antiques and murder come together in this New Orleans series, centered on a shop in a culinary museum.

Holben recommended it for its mix of antiquing, interesting cookbooks and a New Orleans setting.

Two nonfiction picks

“Feed Them Well” by Jennifer Anderson

Halloween candy prompted Isser to recommend this parenting guide by the dietitian behind Kids Eat in Color. Anderson offers strategies for talking with children about food and navigating treats.

“It's such a great roadmap for parents to figure out how to talk about food in a way that still makes it fun and not good or bad,” Isser said.

“Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State” by Michael Lewis

The author of “Moneyball” and “The Big Short” examines the effects of the Department of Government Efficiency on the federal civil service. Isser recommended it as a different kind of horror story.

Isser said it “reads like a zombie apocalypse.”