Happy spooky season! It’s October, and it’s Friday the 13, so that’s pretty awesome.
While I always love a good horror book, they’re the best this time of year. There’s nothing better this time of year than curling up with fresh sugar cookies, a fire video on the TV, and a book about someone getting their face mauled in a haunted house.
Today I’m sharing with you the eight best horror books I read this year so far. Sadly there are only eight because I am well behind on my reading list. It’s not that I’ve been in a reading slump. It’s just that editing a podcast takes time, and life takes time. Then I decided to start reading Needful Things, which maybe wasn’t the best idea when I’m trying to finish my Goodreads goal because it’s almost 700 pages long.
But here we are, and eight is better than none. And I can honestly say, that not a single horror book I read this year disappointed.
(Speaking of podcasts, the second season of AA is out now. You can listen to all of it and season one right now on Haunted MTL.)
Now, some of these books I’ve talked about before. Some of them I either have already reviewed on Haunted MTL or plan to. So I’m not going to go into a ton of detail here. But any of these stories would be an eerie addition to your Halloween season.
Hide by Kiersten White
A tantalizing offer of money and fame lures fourteen strangers to an abandoned theme park for a massive game of hide and seek. This is not the story I thought was going to tackle the deep theme of generational guilt, but boy did it. Watch for my full review on Haunted MTL.
How to sell a haunted house by Grady Hendrix
This review is out. I read this book in a day, and it has me on a serious Grady Hendrix kick.
This book has family drama, generational pain, and Southern charm. What else could you honestly ask for?
Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine
Again, I have talked on and on about this book, its tie-in with American Horror Story, and how this was a whole thing for me.
It’s a great book, and it’s led to a great season of AHS so far. However, if you have any trauma related to miscarriage, birthing, or anything baby-related, this is your trigger warning.
Dread Nation and Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland
Again, I went into great detail about these books here and here. If you like historical fiction, you’ll love these. If you like zombies, you’ll love them.
I do need Ireland to write another one in this series, though. Like, today.
Silver Nitrate by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia
I love this author so much. And after being kind of disappointed in the last book of hers I read, this one was such a relief.
It’s got witchcraft, movie trivia, love affairs. Watch in late November for the review.
How to survive your murder by Danielle Valentine
Again, this was something I read because of American Horror Story. You can read the whole review here. But while I was expecting a light, fun slasher book, I instead got one that talked about some very disturbing questions.
Check out my whole review here.
The Roots Grow Into The Earth by Bert S. Lechner
What says Halloween more than a collection of Lovecraftian horror stories?
I got an arc of this book to review for Haunted MTL, but it’s out now. And it is well worth the read.
So now it’s your turn. What’s the best horror book you’ve read so far this year? Let us know in the comments.
You can get my own horror novel, Quiet Apocalypse, on Amazon
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