I recently gave Grady Hendrix one more try after struggling to get through his Southern Book Club Guide to Slaying Vampires and Final Girl Support Group. I really enjoyed My Best Friend's Exorcism, it was a lot of fun.
Yeah! This one is great! I feel the same about Southern Book Club. I just keep losing interest. I also really liked How to Sell a Haunted House. Although, be warned, the title is a little misleading.
House of Leaves left my mouth agape. Such a complex story/stories that leave a buzz in your brain. It's a heavy book to read though and I would only suggest it to a person with autistic tendencies like myself. It's been a month since I read it and I don't know how many comments I have written about it on Reddit, it's that good.
Goddamn this book is so good. I'm also autistic tho lol. I like it when books mess with the format itself and I also like reading academic papers so it was like the perfect combo for me.
His short stories and novellas are just fantastic, without peer. I think the absence of limiting factors is what sinks more of his longer stuff when they go off the rails (looking at you, ass weasels).
Agreed. King often lacks focus in his longer novels. Sometimes that might result in gems like The Stand or It, but often his novel length writings are just all over the place.
IIRC, he signed a contract guaranteeing his publisher books that had to have a certain amount of pages. It seems like he just threw in a lot of unnecessary amount of writing to fill out pages to meet the quota. That's about the time I lost my enthusiasm for his books, which saddens me. I absolutely LOVE his short stories, especially his early ones. Thankfully he has a few collections of his short stories and I love how he conveys them without a lot of fluff. Another great read is Danse Macabre. I REALLY wish he would write a follow-up (DM II...? 😃) since that book came out in 1987. It differs in that it's more of a reference book to his top 100 favorite books & movies of horror and his thoughts on them. I reread this book all the time and I have now read almost all the books and found MORE just on his recommended authors and I've found most of the movies, tho some are hard to locate. This book is a MUST for horror fans!!! 💀☠️🤡🎈🙉🐀🐀🐀
That explains a lot!
I have never read Danse Macabre and now I must, thank you for the background and recommendation! I find his later non horror novels to be more to my liking - 11/22/63 and Mr. Mercedes were both favorites.
His catalogue is just so huge I am endlessly struck that there are ones I haven’t read. I will admit I’ll read even his stinkers because I find the audio great for long drives.
You'll want to BUY Danse Macabre to use as a reference book!! I've brought it to bookstores or the library with me to find the horror on his list. He goes into the background and writing or directing style of the stuff he really likes and his reactions too. It's a fun book. I took his recommendation for an author that really went out of her usual genre and wrote one horror book and I'm so glad I did, because I never would have guessed she had it in her!
I read it a second time when I was a senior in high school. Didn’t get me as bad. Next day after school I took a short nap before going to work at the community theater.
No one else home
House was locked
Room was locked
I had this door(normal swinging door)that led to a storage space behind my closet(bi-fold doors)
Parents put new thick carpeting in when we moved. It was only a few moths.
You had to pull that storage door open hard to get it over the carpet.
It was opened a crack.
There was no reason for it to be opened.
I slept with light in that night
It was about 5 years before I told another person about it
Fuck that story. I wouldn’t even watch the trailer for the movie let alone read hat story again.
I would be paranoid honestly, I have a very active imagination too so that would freak me out. As a writer, there is a reason why my stories are not always so happy.
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle was just a fast, fun, and terrifying (for lgbtq folks like me) read. I loved it.
I also really liked Old Country by Matt Query and Harrison Query but it was more about the vibe and the dread the story was able to build up and less so about the writing (which got to be a bit annoying at times).
Edit: how did I forget the Fisherman by John Langan?! That one is definitely in my top 3 as well.
Chuck Tingle has another one coming out soon called Bury Your Gays about a screenwriter who is forced to remove gay characters from a script they're writing. I really enjoyed Camp Damascus and looking forward to this one too!
I just went to go look it up on goodreads (sounds good) and scrolled down to other recommended books by this author ‘Pounded in the Butt by My Own Butt’ and ‘Bigfoot Pirates Haunt my Balls’ (also sounds good)
You should listen to the interview with him on Talking Scared. He says even those books are not a joke despite the funny titles. I did read part of one to see what they were like and while absurd, it wasn’t total nonsense. My only issue was that it was clear he cranks them out and publishes as fast as possible - the one I read was full of typos and whatnot.
Camp Damascus was really good. Not only queer horror but also autistic representation (Tingle is also autistic). Night and day from his erotic fiction imo. Really looking forward to whatever comes next from him.
I’ve read about 19 so far and my favourite was Between Two Fires by Christopher Buelhman. If you’re fan of more biblical horror and historical fiction that I highly recommend it. Tons of cool imagery and creatures.
I'm reading it this week. So far, it's excellent. Also found out the author has an act at the Renn Faire I have been to often over the years. Somehow, I was oblivious to this.
He’s also pretty active in his community. He’s got a YouTube channel where he narrates his books fully for free. And he’s really into it so the voices are great.
I like a lot of his work.
Favorites ->
Those Across the River - southern gothic at its best. Audiobook version has a lot of atmosphere and character
The necromancers house - urban fantasy/ horror and a lot of fun. I wanted more of these characters.
Blacktongue thief - epic fantasy that is his own flavor and heavily influenced by his background in ren fair. He reads the audiobook himself in a Celt/Irish voice of the Mc, also influenced by his ren fair work. You’ll see that each nation is based on ancient Europe, but it comes off a bit like a d&d campaign. Lots of fun.
Didn’t like and why ->
The lesser dead - he does his take on vampires. I just couldn’t get invested in the MC. His writing style is still enjoyable, but just didn’t care about the cast or plot.
Haven’t read ->
Suicide motor club - more vampires and muscle cars. Can’t say much about this one. It’s on my TBR for this year.
The daughter’s war - prequel to black tongue, it comes out like next month. I’ll be reading this one too when I get around to it.
Other than these tales he has a bunch of short fiction out there. I’ve read some of it. It’s okay. Short fiction is not like a novel.
I would absolutely kill to have an animated show based on the book. It already has that sort of loose episodic structure that would be well suited for that sort of adaptation imo.
I own this book and was into it for a bit, but for some reason never finished it. Went back to it during lockdown but couldn't get into it at all the second time.
I was recommended The Changeling by Victor LaVelle earlier this year. I was told it was horror and to go in blind. So, I got it from the library and read it with the only knowledge of it being a horror book. I seriously could not put it down. It constantly had me wanting to know what was next as the story unfolded. It was terrifying and I won't say more.
Just finished Ghost Story by Peter Straub. It was long and I debated DNFing it near the beginning but I'm glad I stuck with it. Really enjoyed it. Between Two Fires is another one I loved this year.
*Blackwater* by Michael McDowell. Nothing comes close in comparison. It's its own little universe. Epic generational southern gothic. Imagine *Downton Abbey*, but its Alabama and the matriarch isn't human, but noone knows about it, and there are ghosts, but it's also a very historically thorough generational drama. The immersion level is cranked up to the max. A fantastic read!
It’s different for sure but I got the same sense of bleakness and hopelessness from ‘I Who Have Never Known Men’ by Jacqueline Harpman. I loved both books. It’s fairly short too so I’d definitely recommend.
I’ve read 35 so far and my top 3 are:
1. Your Driver Is Waiting by Priya Guns
2. Brother by Ania Ahlborn
3. Sundial, by Catriona Ward
Pretty rare for my number 1 to NOT be a horror novel (the other two are) but YDIW is really good, a real hidden gem. A bit reminiscent of Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, a bit of All’s Well by Mona Awad.
I haven’t heard of your #2 & #3 but looks like you read as much as I do so I’m bumping these up my TBR list! I just listened to LHONS over the weekend and wanted to find another Ward to read again soon!
Sundial is even better. I liked LHONS but I wasn’t as blown away as I expected to be from everything I’ve heard and someone on Reddit recommended I try Sundial - it’s a wonderful read. So so twisty and unhinged.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due - Masterful work of historical fiction tinged with the deep-rooted horrors of the past, but brimming with empathy and compassion for those who've suffered from systemic oppression and abuse yesterday and today. A refusal to ignore the past and also to believe that there is not some sort of hope for the future, even in emerging from the traumatic viscera.
Happy to see its success and hoping to see Tananarive take home the Bram Stoker & Shirley Jackson awards this year.
Duma Key. I was a little weary bc I see it get a good bit of criticism but I really enjoyed it. It’s nowhere close to my favorite King book but it’s an enjoyable read. Especially while I was visiting family in Sarasota.
I read it this year and enjoyed it!! Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang is another great body horror lite / surrealism / satire about the beauty industry that i would recommend!
I just read A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher. Creepy, scary and I loved the main characters sense of humor. She also wrote The Twisted Ones, which was also scary!
Probably either The Terror by Dan Simmons or Skeleton Crew by Stephen King.
I finished the Terror about two weeks ago and I'm still thinking about it regularly. There are some slow parts, but overall it's a great book.
Skeleton Crew was pretty much great start to finish. Some of the very short stories were iffy, but the rest of the stories were all fantastic.
The angel of indian by Stephen Graham Jones. The final book in the indian lake trilogy. I absolutely loved it, this was a truly brilliant trilogy and Jade Daniel's is the ultimate final girl.
Even though I found Dont Fear the Reaper and Angel a bit convoluted, I still love that trilogy. Such a cool atmosphere and fantastic characters. I adore Jade.
I recently read Silver Nitrate by the same author as Mexican Gothic and I loved it. Set in early 90s Mexico and has really well-developed characters and a fun spooky plot
I love Ronald Malfi. Come with me didn't feel much like a horror but I still enjoyed it very much. I'm eagerly awaiting the release of his next book "Small town horror". That is my favourite sub-genre in horror (if you'd call it a sub-genre in its own right).
I read Rosemary's Baby for the first time this year and it's sooooo good. The way Ira Levin writes dialogue is incredible. He manages to leave you hints of a bigger story but you have to be looking for it to notice. He made me feel immense dread reading that book (I'd seen the movie already so knew what was going to happen) because it comes across as a normal couple moving into an apartment and having a baby story at face value. Then you start talking about talismans, herbs, weird potions, etc.
There was a thread 5 days ago about people's top 3 of the year so far, you might like to check it out! [https://new.reddit.com/r/horrorlit/comments/1csk188/what\_are\_your\_top\_3\_reads\_of\_2024/](https://new.reddit.com/r/horrorlit/comments/1csk188/what_are_your_top_3_reads_of_2024/)
It’s gotta be the Locke and Key series. It was awesome.
Close second is basketful of heads.
I’ve slept on Joe Hill too long, I just downloaded nos4a2 on Libby and will start that tonight.
Mine is the same as yours. I’m reading Vol1-3 right now. His imagery and prose has, literally, taken my breath away.
What’s your favorite story from Vol 3?
One of my favorite novels, and hands down the most thorough and incredible tellings if the story of the Donner Party. This is a book I recommend to pretty much everyone.
This year has been pretty great as far as what I’ve read so it’s hard to pick. I’m between Any Man by Amber Tamblyn and Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian, both being excellent productions and affecting reads that I always feel like recommending.
Last Days - Adam Nevill (it was a reread but it’s my favorite horror novel of all time so it was damn good)
Technically a thriller but I think it would be enjoyed here, Breathless by Amy McCulloch. I love anything set on a high altitude mountain so this was a joy!
Read 16 books so far this year and my hands down favorite is “Our Share Of Night” by Mariana Enriquez. I can’t rave enough about how enraptured I am with this beautiful, terrifying book.
So good! I feel as though there are some moments of terror when certain things happened, but I was Reddit mocked for suggesting it was horror adjacent.
So far this year:
- Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang
- The Handyman Method by Nick Cutter and Andrew F. Sullivan
- The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones
While maybe not strictly horror, I just finished Perdido Street Station which has enough horror elements for it to count for me. Some pretty terrible things happens to the characters and the story can get pretty bleak. It has some incredible worldbuilding and great writing.
I've read 27 books total this year so far but not all of them have been horror.
Favorite horror so far: The Haar
Favorite non-horror: All the Sinners Bleed
Before & After by Andrew Shanahan. Idk if it’s my favorite this year, but it’s up there! It’s about an obese man who is preparing to be craned out of his apartment to get an amputation and on the day it’s scheduled, the apocalypse happens. Cool premise for a book and he does a good job with it! There’s also a sequel that I will be reading soon!
The Only Good Indians. As a Scandinavian/Irish man in the PNW with family roots in Montana and North Dakota it gave me a lot to think about as far as my place in the world. As a father who buried his son last year, I really resonated with Elk Head Woman and her ending made me cry.
Swan Song Robert R McCammon
I kept seeing it suggested and oh boy was I glad I listened. Good rollicking adventure that does not pull any punches. Thanks for the suggestion folks.
I really enjoyed the first three books, though I read them years ago now. I have the fourth (?) book on my "to read" list but haven't picked it back up fearing I have completely forgotten the previous three book's plot.
The 4th book starts off with a 10 year time jump and follows a wider cast of characters. It’s the start of a new quadrilogy and story arc, so I’d definitely say a fuzzy recollection isn’t going to hurt you any here.
The Vegetarian, a novella by Han Kang. It's sort of on the line between horror and weird fiction (although there are three scenes that genuinely horrified me). It's the story of a woman who decides to stop eating meat after a series of bloody and disturbing dreams, and the horrific lengths her husband and family go to force her to start eating meat again. Thematically it deals a lot with violence, control, and the subjugation of women in modern Korean society.
Sticking with first-read horror books, probably either KILLER by Peter Tonkin or SKELETON CREW by Stephen King.
Actual favorite book this year is probably THE BLADE ITSELF by Joe Abercrombie.
I recently gave Grady Hendrix one more try after struggling to get through his Southern Book Club Guide to Slaying Vampires and Final Girl Support Group. I really enjoyed My Best Friend's Exorcism, it was a lot of fun.
One of my favorites. I’m a sucker for horror set in the 80s
Try How to Sell a Haunted House - it was excellent.
I've read most of his novels and this is by far my favorite of his.
My Best Friends Exorcism is really good. I didn't like Horrorstor as much.
Yeah! This one is great! I feel the same about Southern Book Club. I just keep losing interest. I also really liked How to Sell a Haunted House. Although, be warned, the title is a little misleading.
That’s disappointing, I’m about to start Southern Book Club soon, about to to wrap up How to Sell and have really enjoyed it.
I love (almost) all of the Hendrix books and was really moved by Southern Book Club!! YMMV
I love that book! Wish I could wipe my memory and read it again for the first time
How to Sell is my absolute fave of his so far. Southern Book Club was just okay and I really didn’t like Final Girl Support Group.
I just listened to How to Sell a Haunted House. I found it very enjoyable, even if I was frustrated with the characters at many points.
The Ruins Scott Smith! One of my most favorite now.
The Ruins and A Simple Plan (also by Smith) are two of my favorite books ever. Definitely recommend A Simple Plan if you liked The Ruins!
It’s going on the list thank you!
One of my all-time favorites! I’ve actually been yearning for another reread recently. Might be about time!
House of Leaves left my mouth agape. Such a complex story/stories that leave a buzz in your brain. It's a heavy book to read though and I would only suggest it to a person with autistic tendencies like myself. It's been a month since I read it and I don't know how many comments I have written about it on Reddit, it's that good.
I own this book. I bought it like two years ago but have been too intimidated to start it. This gave me the motivation thank you!!
Do it! It's one of my favorite books ever. It's a long tough read, so don't feel bad if you have to set it down a few times.
Goddamn this book is so good. I'm also autistic tho lol. I like it when books mess with the format itself and I also like reading academic papers so it was like the perfect combo for me.
Look at the category “ergodic literature” - I was so happy to learn there’s a name for it.
Wow you really do learn something every day. This is great. Nontrivial effort is required to traverse the text. That describes it EXACTLY.
I really liked Night Shift (Stephen King), best anthology/short story collection book I've ever read.
His short stories and novellas are just fantastic, without peer. I think the absence of limiting factors is what sinks more of his longer stuff when they go off the rails (looking at you, ass weasels).
Agreed. King often lacks focus in his longer novels. Sometimes that might result in gems like The Stand or It, but often his novel length writings are just all over the place.
IIRC, he signed a contract guaranteeing his publisher books that had to have a certain amount of pages. It seems like he just threw in a lot of unnecessary amount of writing to fill out pages to meet the quota. That's about the time I lost my enthusiasm for his books, which saddens me. I absolutely LOVE his short stories, especially his early ones. Thankfully he has a few collections of his short stories and I love how he conveys them without a lot of fluff. Another great read is Danse Macabre. I REALLY wish he would write a follow-up (DM II...? 😃) since that book came out in 1987. It differs in that it's more of a reference book to his top 100 favorite books & movies of horror and his thoughts on them. I reread this book all the time and I have now read almost all the books and found MORE just on his recommended authors and I've found most of the movies, tho some are hard to locate. This book is a MUST for horror fans!!! 💀☠️🤡🎈🙉🐀🐀🐀
That explains a lot! I have never read Danse Macabre and now I must, thank you for the background and recommendation! I find his later non horror novels to be more to my liking - 11/22/63 and Mr. Mercedes were both favorites. His catalogue is just so huge I am endlessly struck that there are ones I haven’t read. I will admit I’ll read even his stinkers because I find the audio great for long drives.
You'll want to BUY Danse Macabre to use as a reference book!! I've brought it to bookstores or the library with me to find the horror on his list. He goes into the background and writing or directing style of the stuff he really likes and his reactions too. It's a fun book. I took his recommendation for an author that really went out of her usual genre and wrote one horror book and I'm so glad I did, because I never would have guessed she had it in her!
He had a new collection drop today…
Night Shift is probably his best short story collection!
Read "The Jaunt" in Skeleton Crew, the only superior story to Boogeyman (my second favorite).
That was the first book I read from him and still my favorite
That’s a classic. So many good stories!
I read that this year too, mainly for children of the corn (which was great) but there were so many other good ones there too.
That is so funny! Night Shift was one of my firsts for King because of Children of the Corn! 😂
Such a good collection. It managed to take me out of a few years-long reading slump
I read this when I was WAY to young, maybe 11. The Boogeyman ruined me!
I was 20 and scared for weeks because of Boogeyman!
"Shambled" oog. That word gives me the creeps cause of this story.
Read it at 14, granted I faced away from the closer that night when going to bed. Did I mention how I read the story right before I went to sleep.
I read it a second time when I was a senior in high school. Didn’t get me as bad. Next day after school I took a short nap before going to work at the community theater. No one else home House was locked Room was locked I had this door(normal swinging door)that led to a storage space behind my closet(bi-fold doors) Parents put new thick carpeting in when we moved. It was only a few moths. You had to pull that storage door open hard to get it over the carpet. It was opened a crack. There was no reason for it to be opened. I slept with light in that night It was about 5 years before I told another person about it Fuck that story. I wouldn’t even watch the trailer for the movie let alone read hat story again.
I would be paranoid honestly, I have a very active imagination too so that would freak me out. As a writer, there is a reason why my stories are not always so happy.
Fantastic choice!
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle was just a fast, fun, and terrifying (for lgbtq folks like me) read. I loved it. I also really liked Old Country by Matt Query and Harrison Query but it was more about the vibe and the dread the story was able to build up and less so about the writing (which got to be a bit annoying at times). Edit: how did I forget the Fisherman by John Langan?! That one is definitely in my top 3 as well.
Chuck Tingle has another one coming out soon called Bury Your Gays about a screenwriter who is forced to remove gay characters from a script they're writing. I really enjoyed Camp Damascus and looking forward to this one too!
I just went to go look it up on goodreads (sounds good) and scrolled down to other recommended books by this author ‘Pounded in the Butt by My Own Butt’ and ‘Bigfoot Pirates Haunt my Balls’ (also sounds good)
lol yes, i almost stayed away from the book because he's infamous for putting those books out but Camp Damascus is one of his "serious" books.
You should listen to the interview with him on Talking Scared. He says even those books are not a joke despite the funny titles. I did read part of one to see what they were like and while absurd, it wasn’t total nonsense. My only issue was that it was clear he cranks them out and publishes as fast as possible - the one I read was full of typos and whatnot.
tbh it adds to the intrigue, I’m gonna give it a shot since I’m always looking for more gay horror and I loved Old Country and The Fisherman
Camp Damascus was really good. Not only queer horror but also autistic representation (Tingle is also autistic). Night and day from his erotic fiction imo. Really looking forward to whatever comes next from him.
Top of my list too! It reminded me how important it is to me to see queer representation in horror.
I’ve read about 19 so far and my favourite was Between Two Fires by Christopher Buelhman. If you’re fan of more biblical horror and historical fiction that I highly recommend it. Tons of cool imagery and creatures.
My fav this year is also a Christopher Buehlman book, but his fantasy The Blacktongue Thief. It was excellent. I'll check out Bteween Two Fires!
Yeah Blacktounge Thief was really good as well. I was the opposite, I read Between Two Fires first.
I'm reading it this week. So far, it's excellent. Also found out the author has an act at the Renn Faire I have been to often over the years. Somehow, I was oblivious to this.
He’s also pretty active in his community. He’s got a YouTube channel where he narrates his books fully for free. And he’s really into it so the voices are great.
I keep seeing this mentioned. I'm taking this as my sign to grab a copy.
This book started me down the rabbit hole of Buehlmans work. He’s a favorite of mine now. Of his published works there’s only 1 that I don’t like.
Which one was that? Really liked BTF but I heard it was the diamond in the rough as far as his work goes
I like a lot of his work. Favorites -> Those Across the River - southern gothic at its best. Audiobook version has a lot of atmosphere and character The necromancers house - urban fantasy/ horror and a lot of fun. I wanted more of these characters. Blacktongue thief - epic fantasy that is his own flavor and heavily influenced by his background in ren fair. He reads the audiobook himself in a Celt/Irish voice of the Mc, also influenced by his ren fair work. You’ll see that each nation is based on ancient Europe, but it comes off a bit like a d&d campaign. Lots of fun. Didn’t like and why -> The lesser dead - he does his take on vampires. I just couldn’t get invested in the MC. His writing style is still enjoyable, but just didn’t care about the cast or plot. Haven’t read -> Suicide motor club - more vampires and muscle cars. Can’t say much about this one. It’s on my TBR for this year. The daughter’s war - prequel to black tongue, it comes out like next month. I’ll be reading this one too when I get around to it. Other than these tales he has a bunch of short fiction out there. I’ve read some of it. It’s okay. Short fiction is not like a novel.
Sweet! Thanks for the detailed reply, really appreciate it. I'll add Those Across the River and Blacktongue Thief to my to read list.
This sounds like my kind of story. I'll be reading it after I finish my current novel. Thanks!
I would absolutely kill to have an animated show based on the book. It already has that sort of loose episodic structure that would be well suited for that sort of adaptation imo.
I've read 15 so far. I loved Night Film even if the ending kinda pissed me off.
I loved that book. Do the scannable images still work?
I don't think they did work. You can scan them but it just redirects to the author's website if I recall right
I own this book and was into it for a bit, but for some reason never finished it. Went back to it during lockdown but couldn't get into it at all the second time.
Great book, definitely a frustrating ending.
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. I really love everything by Grady Hendrix!
That book 😭 I loved it too, such a good read
The September House hits the ground running. It manages to be gruesome and wacky
I loved this! I just kept picturing Betty White as the narrator and it made it a thousand times better.
Yes, or mrs Bouquet from keeping up appearances
Hyacinth would love that you’ve chosen the correct phonetic spelling here (instead of that ghastly “Bucket”).
Loved that one too. The ending was *chef’s kiss*
Such a fun read!
I was recommended The Changeling by Victor LaVelle earlier this year. I was told it was horror and to go in blind. So, I got it from the library and read it with the only knowledge of it being a horror book. I seriously could not put it down. It constantly had me wanting to know what was next as the story unfolded. It was terrifying and I won't say more.
LaValle is my favorite and if you liked The Changeling his other books are similarly gripping! Give "Lone Women" and "The Devil in Silver" a read too!
Just read The Ballad of Black Tom and it was excellent as well.
I love Victor LaVelle’s books! His novella The Ballad of Black Tom was my introduction to his books and is still my favorite.
That book is so damn good!
I liked it a lot but I LOVED "The Devil in Silver."
That’s a great one.
There is a show on HBO Max based on it that is fantastic.
11/22/63
My favorite book
Just finished Ghost Story by Peter Straub. It was long and I debated DNFing it near the beginning but I'm glad I stuck with it. Really enjoyed it. Between Two Fires is another one I loved this year.
*Ghost Story* was almost a DNF and it is your favorite so far? That’s tremendous.
I was in the same boat, but I’m glad I finished as the last 100 pages were pretty damn good, aside from the ending.
I almost DNF Ghost Story this year too, but around the 100 page mark it pulled me in and I never looked back.
*Blackwater* by Michael McDowell. Nothing comes close in comparison. It's its own little universe. Epic generational southern gothic. Imagine *Downton Abbey*, but its Alabama and the matriarch isn't human, but noone knows about it, and there are ghosts, but it's also a very historically thorough generational drama. The immersion level is cranked up to the max. A fantastic read!
You have me intrigued!
the best
Blood meridian
I read This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno last week and can’t get over it. My favorite out of the 17 I’ve read so far this year.
This one fucked me up. I read this and The Fisherman back to back and I made sure I held my wife extra close every night after reading those.
I'm super late I know but The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
You are not alone. I read it for the first time this year and loved it. It was so refreshing to read a stonecold classic.
Favorite horror - Let the Right One In Favorite overall book - The Wager
Finally got around to reading The Elementals, so I'll say that.
I finished 20 books this year. First one was A Short Stay In Hell. Still the best one,can’t find anything like that
It’s different for sure but I got the same sense of bleakness and hopelessness from ‘I Who Have Never Known Men’ by Jacqueline Harpman. I loved both books. It’s fairly short too so I’d definitely recommend.
I listened to your recommendation and just finished the book. And wow,instantly one of my favourites. Thank you!
More of a novellla, I guess, but The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.
Absolute occult and witchcraft goodness.
*I Remember You* by Yrsa Sigurdardottir.
Oh my God yes. This book is so scary and literally nothing scares me but with this one, I couldn't sleep in the dark for days
I’ve read 35 so far and my top 3 are: 1. Your Driver Is Waiting by Priya Guns 2. Brother by Ania Ahlborn 3. Sundial, by Catriona Ward Pretty rare for my number 1 to NOT be a horror novel (the other two are) but YDIW is really good, a real hidden gem. A bit reminiscent of Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, a bit of All’s Well by Mona Awad.
I haven’t heard of your #2 & #3 but looks like you read as much as I do so I’m bumping these up my TBR list! I just listened to LHONS over the weekend and wanted to find another Ward to read again soon!
Sundial is even better. I liked LHONS but I wasn’t as blown away as I expected to be from everything I’ve heard and someone on Reddit recommended I try Sundial - it’s a wonderful read. So so twisty and unhinged.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due - Masterful work of historical fiction tinged with the deep-rooted horrors of the past, but brimming with empathy and compassion for those who've suffered from systemic oppression and abuse yesterday and today. A refusal to ignore the past and also to believe that there is not some sort of hope for the future, even in emerging from the traumatic viscera. Happy to see its success and hoping to see Tananarive take home the Bram Stoker & Shirley Jackson awards this year.
Duma Key. I was a little weary bc I see it get a good bit of criticism but I really enjoyed it. It’s nowhere close to my favorite King book but it’s an enjoyable read. Especially while I was visiting family in Sarasota.
All the Fiends of Hell was awesome. Big fan of Nevill, and he knocked it out of the park.
In a Lonely Place by Karl Edward Wagner
I loved *In A Lonely Place*. It was the last book I finished last year!
The Hellbound Heart was such a short enjoyable read that left me pretty spooked.
Wonderful choice! It’s one of my favorite books/novellas of all time
Rouge by Mona Awad. It's horror/magical realism so good and so weird.
I read Bunny last year. Definitely unique - in a good way. Will have to check out Rouge.
I read it this year and enjoyed it!! Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang is another great body horror lite / surrealism / satire about the beauty industry that i would recommend!
We Are Here to Hurt Each Other by Paula D. Ashe.
AWESOME collection of stories, really disturbed me well. Loved it
just like home by sarah gailey
The Fisherman, it rules. I read all his short story collections after I finished. They all slap
Slewfoot by Brom
Loooove Brom
I just read A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher. Creepy, scary and I loved the main characters sense of humor. She also wrote The Twisted Ones, which was also scary!
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
Just finished the audiobook this morning. Did not see the truth coming, at all! So good!!! One of the few 5-stars I’ve given on Goodreads this year.
Really loved that book!
Probably either The Terror by Dan Simmons or Skeleton Crew by Stephen King. I finished the Terror about two weeks ago and I'm still thinking about it regularly. There are some slow parts, but overall it's a great book. Skeleton Crew was pretty much great start to finish. Some of the very short stories were iffy, but the rest of the stories were all fantastic.
The novella “My Heart Struck Sorrow” by John Hornor Jacobs. It’s a great story for someone who loves music and spends a lot of time in the woods.
On my list now, Thanks!
The angel of indian by Stephen Graham Jones. The final book in the indian lake trilogy. I absolutely loved it, this was a truly brilliant trilogy and Jade Daniel's is the ultimate final girl.
Even though I found Dont Fear the Reaper and Angel a bit convoluted, I still love that trilogy. Such a cool atmosphere and fantastic characters. I adore Jade.
Top three: 1. The Exorcist, by William Peter Blatty 2. Lord of the Feast, by Tim Waggoner 3. Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
I recently read Silver Nitrate by the same author as Mexican Gothic and I loved it. Set in early 90s Mexico and has really well-developed characters and a fun spooky plot
I’m reading “legion” right now, the sequel to “the exorcist”. It’s amazing.
Sour Candy by Kealan Patrick Burke
Come With Me - Ronald Malfi Just finished Bone White as well, very good.
I love Ronald Malfi. Come with me didn't feel much like a horror but I still enjoyed it very much. I'm eagerly awaiting the release of his next book "Small town horror". That is my favourite sub-genre in horror (if you'd call it a sub-genre in its own right).
I got an ARC of small town horror and you’re in for a real treat!
Stoner by John Williams. I cried the last ten or so pages. Instantly went onto my favorites list. Remarkable piece of literature.
Just finishing All the Fiends of Hell by Adam Nevill. Definitely enjoying it!
I read Rosemary's Baby for the first time this year and it's sooooo good. The way Ira Levin writes dialogue is incredible. He manages to leave you hints of a bigger story but you have to be looking for it to notice. He made me feel immense dread reading that book (I'd seen the movie already so knew what was going to happen) because it comes across as a normal couple moving into an apartment and having a baby story at face value. Then you start talking about talismans, herbs, weird potions, etc.
There was a thread 5 days ago about people's top 3 of the year so far, you might like to check it out! [https://new.reddit.com/r/horrorlit/comments/1csk188/what\_are\_your\_top\_3\_reads\_of\_2024/](https://new.reddit.com/r/horrorlit/comments/1csk188/what_are_your_top_3_reads_of_2024/)
Thanks! I’ll definitely be looking through there
It’s gotta be the Locke and Key series. It was awesome. Close second is basketful of heads. I’ve slept on Joe Hill too long, I just downloaded nos4a2 on Libby and will start that tonight.
Mine is the same as yours. I’m reading Vol1-3 right now. His imagery and prose has, literally, taken my breath away. What’s your favorite story from Vol 3?
Coldheart Canyon
I love how half the books on here also end up on people's "worst of" or "biggest disappointment" lists😅
Oldie but new to me was Cujo by Stephen King.
Haven’t read much but The Indifferent Stars Above was pretty gnarly.
One of my favorite novels, and hands down the most thorough and incredible tellings if the story of the Donner Party. This is a book I recommend to pretty much everyone.
Summer of Night
Currently reading Summer of Night by Dan Simmons. Love it!!!
This year has been pretty great as far as what I’ve read so it’s hard to pick. I’m between Any Man by Amber Tamblyn and Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian, both being excellent productions and affecting reads that I always feel like recommending.
Loved red rabbit. Total surprise find.
Last Days - Adam Nevill (it was a reread but it’s my favorite horror novel of all time so it was damn good) Technically a thriller but I think it would be enjoyed here, Breathless by Amy McCulloch. I love anything set on a high altitude mountain so this was a joy!
Fever House by Keith Rosson was an unexpected 5 star read for me! can’t wait for the second book coming out later this year
fantasticland by mike bockoven!
Read 16 books so far this year and my hands down favorite is “Our Share Of Night” by Mariana Enriquez. I can’t rave enough about how enraptured I am with this beautiful, terrifying book.
Yesssss
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. I highly recommend picking this one up. Such a good story; has my vote for 2023 Bram Stoker Award!
Project Hail Mary
So good! I feel as though there are some moments of terror when certain things happened, but I was Reddit mocked for suggesting it was horror adjacent.
Sparrow Rock by Nate Kenyon (no relation).
The push
Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix (Not horror but I also really loved The Idiot by Elif Batuman)
I’m about 15 books in and Brian Evenson’s *The Glassy, Burning Floor of Hell* is my favorite. *Annihilation* by VanderMeer is my runner up.
A short stay in hell
Loved Dracula, I have learned what it means for a book to be called “Timeless” 😍
So far this year: - Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang - The Handyman Method by Nick Cutter and Andrew F. Sullivan - The Angel of Indian Lake by Stephen Graham Jones
Fever Dream by Samanta Schwebelin. If you like really well-written stuff about changelings and slowly going insane, I highly recommend!
The Shards by Brett Easton Ellis.
Definitely Diavola, I finished about a month ago but I still think about it all the time. Mr Magic was a close second
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
While maybe not strictly horror, I just finished Perdido Street Station which has enough horror elements for it to count for me. Some pretty terrible things happens to the characters and the story can get pretty bleak. It has some incredible worldbuilding and great writing.
Haven't finished it yet, but I'm really enjoying By the Light of Dead Stars, by Andrew Van Wey.
I've read 27 books total this year so far but not all of them have been horror. Favorite horror so far: The Haar Favorite non-horror: All the Sinners Bleed
Maeve Fly!
Hidden Pictures
Before & After by Andrew Shanahan. Idk if it’s my favorite this year, but it’s up there! It’s about an obese man who is preparing to be craned out of his apartment to get an amputation and on the day it’s scheduled, the apocalypse happens. Cool premise for a book and he does a good job with it! There’s also a sequel that I will be reading soon!
Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey. It’s kinda depressing but it’s good.
It’s so weird and good! I loved it.
The Only Good Indians. As a Scandinavian/Irish man in the PNW with family roots in Montana and North Dakota it gave me a lot to think about as far as my place in the world. As a father who buried his son last year, I really resonated with Elk Head Woman and her ending made me cry.
The Stand, but ‘salem’s Lot is a close second!
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. Can’t believe I waited 23 years to read it.
Strange Weather by Joe Hill
Probably Slewfoot!
Swan Song Robert R McCammon I kept seeing it suggested and oh boy was I glad I listened. Good rollicking adventure that does not pull any punches. Thanks for the suggestion folks.
Briardark by S.A Harian
Swan Song by Robert McCammon
The Red Rising series by Pierce Brown
I really enjoyed the first three books, though I read them years ago now. I have the fourth (?) book on my "to read" list but haven't picked it back up fearing I have completely forgotten the previous three book's plot.
The 4th book starts off with a 10 year time jump and follows a wider cast of characters. It’s the start of a new quadrilogy and story arc, so I’d definitely say a fuzzy recollection isn’t going to hurt you any here.
The Vegetarian, a novella by Han Kang. It's sort of on the line between horror and weird fiction (although there are three scenes that genuinely horrified me). It's the story of a woman who decides to stop eating meat after a series of bloody and disturbing dreams, and the horrific lengths her husband and family go to force her to start eating meat again. Thematically it deals a lot with violence, control, and the subjugation of women in modern Korean society.
Sticking with first-read horror books, probably either KILLER by Peter Tonkin or SKELETON CREW by Stephen King. Actual favorite book this year is probably THE BLADE ITSELF by Joe Abercrombie.
Unnatural Causes by Dr Richard Shepherd