Good morning, spooky-season people. It’s Thursday 22 October, the last stretch before Halloween, and the mornings have developed that particular October talent for looking like midnight even when your alarm insists otherwise.
We could fight the darkness. Or we could make it part of the atmosphere: a little candlelight at breakfast, a warm drink, a glimpse of the neighbourhood decorations on the school run. No need to become the main character in a gothic novel before 8 a.m. But a tiny bit of seasonal drama? Absolutely.
Welcome to another instalment of Read with Pride’s daily Queer Life & Hobbies series: a gentle nudge to find the fun in the week, make room for queer family life in all its shapes, and pick a read that fits your mood.
Make the darker morning feel intentional
A darker morning can make every task feel like it has arrived early. Instead of demanding peak productivity from yourself before sunrise, try giving the first part of the day a small, cosy cue that says: we’re awake, and we’re not rushing into battle with the entire calendar.
Switch on a warm lamp. If you use a real candle, keep it attended and away from anything flammable; an LED candle gives you the same glow without adding another thing to supervise. Put on a creepy cosy playlist: think soft strings, autumnal instrumentals or the sort of soundtrack that suggests a friendly ghost might be helping with the dishes.
If time allows, take a short walk to see how the neighbourhood is decorating. A few paper bats in a window can make the route to the bus stop feel like an event. On darker streets, take the practical bits seriously: stay visible, stick to familiar routes and keep children close. The Safe Kids Halloween safety guide has useful reminders for families planning after-dark activities.
The point isn’t to build a picture-perfect morning routine. It’s to find one small detail that makes this particular Thursday feel like October, rather than Monday wearing a very convincing disguise.
Queer parenting in Halloween week: joy over perfection
Halloween week can arrive with a school notice, a costume request and the sudden discovery that the outfit your child imagined requires materials nobody owns. Breathe. A costume assembled from what’s already in the house absolutely counts. A cape, a favourite hat, a cardboard-star wand made from craft supplies, or a cosy outfit with a spooky accessory, can be exactly right.
Let kids have room to choose what they want to be, without treating costumes as a test of gender. A child can be a witch, a monster, a superhero or a sparkly skeleton because that’s what sounds fun. They don’t owe anyone an explanation. Queer parenting often means making space for that freedom while handling the ordinary logistics too: comfortable clothes, a clear view, and a plan for when the fun gets overwhelming.
Families come in all shapes, and a school-run costume parade can reflect that. If you’re joining one, a quick check-in with your child about names, pronouns and how they’d like to be introduced can help everyone feel included. And if the costume ends up being “the clothes we could find before the bell,” congratulations: that is a fully valid Halloween-week win.
For trick-or-treating, agree on a route and a meeting point, choose visible details such as reflective stickers or a torch, and make sure kids can move comfortably. If your child is joining chosen family for the evening, sort out the practical details in advance, who’s going, who’s collecting, and what the plan is if anyone wants to head home early. The best night is one where everyone can enjoy themselves and feel safe.
Spooky-season hobbies that don’t need a grand plan
The best queer hobbies are often the ones that give people a reason to spend time together without requiring a new personality, an expensive kit or an expert-level commitment. Spooky season offers plenty of low-pressure options.
Decorate pumpkins with paint, stickers or pressed leaves. Make an autumn wreath from fallen leaves and paper decorations. Set aside a short morning reading hour for ghost stories or other eerie fiction. Or go down a history rabbit hole and trade Halloween trivia over breakfast: everyone gets to contribute one fact, and nobody has to deliver a lecture in a dramatic cape.
You could also start a horror-adjacent TBR: stories that feel mysterious or unsettling without being more intense than you want right now. A queer book club can turn that list into a theme night: bring a short spooky read, share what you liked, and let people pass if a topic isn’t for them. The group can be as structured as a chapter discussion or as relaxed as, “I read this in one sitting and now I need to talk about the ending.”
For some readers, Halloween is also a chance to appreciate how costume and self-expression can make room for playful reinvention. You don’t need a perfect outfit or a big event to join in. A decorated pumpkin, a story shared with friends, or a walk to admire the local displays can be enough.
When your morning read needs teeth
If your autumn reading mood is leaning darker than the usual cosy mystery, this week’s pick is THE MAKEDA PROTOCOL: A Serial Killer Cult Thriller by Morgan Riley.
The premise follows gay FBI agent Eli Cross as he investigates a fictional lesbian cult targeting straight men, with lesbian journalist Nadia Reyes also caught up in the story. It’s a thriller, not a romance recommendation: think high-stakes investigation and unsettling moral questions, not a slow burn with a seasonal meet-cute.
Content warning: this book includes a serial killer cult and violence, along with other intense themes. Check the book’s details before reading, and trust your own limits. Sometimes the right spooky-season choice is a story with bite; sometimes the right choice is something gentler. Both are good reading decisions.
If you’re searching for the best mm romance books 2026, gay romance novels, or tender queer love stories, this title is a deliberate change of pace rather than a typical MM romance pick. It’s one more reminder that LGBTQ+ fiction 2026 can move across genres, from romance and coming out stories to suspenseful gay fiction, while putting queer characters at the centre.
Want something lighter after all that tension? Browse the Read with Pride collection for more MM romance books, LGBTQ+ novels, and other queer reads. The shelves are here for a range of moods: tender, funny, steamy, hopeful or “I need a palate cleanser before bed.”
And if your search brought you here through the phrase “C Section 2026,” welcome. Search terms can be oddly specific; we hope you find what you need, even if today’s post is about spooky mornings and seasonal reading rather than medical advice.
A little October plan, your way
Try one small seasonal comfort tomorrow morning. Let the costume be homemade, let the hobby be simple, and let the book match your actual appetite, not the version of you who claims to enjoy terrifying stories at midnight and then checks every shadow in the hallway.
For more queer reading and community updates, visit readwithpride.com, follow Read with Pride on Instagram or find us on Facebook. Whether your October includes a new queer book club, a school-run costume parade or three quiet chapters before the day begins, there’s room for your kind of queer life here.
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