Tag: Halloween

The best horror books I’ve read in 2024

The time has come for ghosts and monsters. Eerie sounds and terrifying frights!

I’ve been celebrating Halloween since September 29th. But it’s less than a week away now, so I’m getting excited. Of course, my favorite form of horror is, has always been, and always will be, the horror novel. From reading Goosebumps as a child to devouring Stephen King as an adult, there is just nothing better to me than a good scary story. So, here are the top nine best horror novels I’ve read so far this year.

I won’t go into a lot of detail about these books, because I’ve reviewed many of them either here or on Haunted MTL. And of course, we’ll see some repeats here from my top ten best books of 2024 so far post back in June.

Coal Region HooDoo by Maxim W. Furek

This was a delightful historical read about some local ghost, alien and Big Foot sightings right in Western PA. You don’t have to be from this region to enjoy the stories, though.

Hearts of Darkness by Jana Monroe

This is the memoir of FBI agent Jana Monroe, who among other things coached Jody Foster when she was getting ready to play Clarice in Silence of The Lambs. It’s a fascinating look at the agency from a unique point of view.

Ghost Hunters by Ed and Lorraine Warren

Are the first three books on this list nonfiction? You bet they are because truth is always scarier.

Ghost Hunters is one of many books by the amazing Ed and Lorraine Warren about their battles against demons and vengeful ghosts. And even though I found out they wouldn’t have approved of me (being a practicing witch and all) I still really loved this book.

You Like It Darker by Stephen King

This was the latest short story collection by King, and it was great fun. There wasn’t a story in here I didn’t enjoy. But my favorite was a follow-up to the infamous Cujo.

The Hacienda by Isabel Canas

I have gushed about this book twice already. And I’ll probably keep doing it. A lonely hacienda in the middle of Mexico. A witch priest. A brutal murder. What more could you possibly want in a book?

Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Valentine

If you love slasher films, especially camp slashers, you’re going to love this one. And, of course, there’s a killer twist.

Bad Dreams in the Night by Adam Ellis

Adam Ellis writes some messed up stories. They’re only surpassed by the cute/creepy cartoons he creates to go along with them. My only complaint about this book was that it took me less than an hour to read.

Horror movie by Paul Tremblay

This one stuck with me! Horror Movie is a wildly smart book that absolutely got me. It sucks you in and is wickedly genre savvy. It’s about the horror film industry and all the dark seedy corners it contains. But it’s also about how we, as fans, react to horror. And how we, as artists, can get a little too caught up in it.

Mister Magic by Kiersten White

Finally, I cannot stop talking about this book. It’s amazing, it messed with me, and I am still not over it.

This book is about a group of people who used to be in a kid’s show. But more than that, it’s about being trapped in a community that tends to wrap itself around your neck and strangle you with banality. And by this, I do mean the LDS church.

So that’s it. Now I want to hear from you. What are the best horror books you’ve read so far this year? Let us know in the comments.

And if you want to follow along with what I’m reading, you can do so on Goodreads.

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You can pre-order Missing Stitches now on Amazon.

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The top 8 best horror books I’ve read this year

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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My top five horror books of 2022

It’s October, and time for some ghoulishly good reading. It’s also clearly time for some bad puns. Sorry, I was raised on Tales From The Crypt and I just can’t help myself. 

In what has become a bit of a tradition around here, I’m sharing the top five best horror books I’ve read this year. I’m only including books that I read for the first time this year. So while I might have reread a few like the classic House Next Door, it won’t be included on the list. 

If you want to follow along with what I’m reading all the time, you can check me out on Goodreads and Bookbub. 

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

I think I’ve made it clear that I fell in love with Shirley Jackson this year. A huge part of this love affair was reading The Lottery or The tales of Mr. Harrington.

I was kind of expecting to slough through this, getting to the title story. But each story was honestly so entrancing that I was lost in all of them. 

End Of Watch by Stephen King

This is the final in the Mr. Mercedes trilogy. It’s the fantastic and gruesome story of a retired detective chasing a psychopath. Of course, this is a psychopath that’s physically a vegetable. For sure the whole trilogy is worth a read. 

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

I just did a whole review of this book on Haunted MTL. So I don’t want to say much here. I’ll just say that the stories found here are incredibly disturbing. 

Terrifying Tales to Tell At Night collected by Stephen Jones

I didn’t realize this was for kids when I started reading it. But that didn’t stop how much I enjoyed it. There were stories from Neil Gaiman and Stephen King in here, and they weren’t even the best ones. 

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Easily the best horror novel I read this year, The Haunting of Hill House was a pure treat. The haunting in the book was subtle until it reaches up and takes you. Even better, the language of the book is amazing. Some of the best, most haunting lines can be found in this book. And I’m still obsessed with them. 

So that’s it. Those are the five best horror books I read this year. Now I want to hear what you think. What was the best horror book you read in 2022? 

Amazon/Smashwords

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The five best scary books I’ve read this year

Halloween is almost here, and there’s no better time to curl up with a good scary story. I’ve been spending as much time as possible this month with some ambient videos playing, a hot mug of chai tea, and some great books meant to terrify. So today I wanted to share with you the five best scary books I’ve read this year. If you’re looking for something sinister to read this Halloween, you could certainly do worse than these. 

Lore, Wicked Mortals by Aaron Manke

This is the same content as the podcast of the same name. Which is to say it’s delightful, educational, and eerie. I learned a lot about some truly sinister people. Some of it I already knew. I do co-host a true-crime podcast, after all. But there’s always more to learn. Sadly, there’s always another monster in man’s form to learn about.

Miss Peregrine’s School for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

I’m forever behind the times with this sort of thing. But that just means I get to discover great stories on my own time, so whatever. 

Miss Peregrine’s is about a young man named Jacob, who finds out that all the stories his grandfather told him in childhood are very much real. Soon it becomes clear that he found these strange, wonderful children just in time to save their whole world.

I speed read through all three of these books in a matter of a week. They aren’t spooky in the traditional sense. But they’re dark and well written. The tale is imaginative. I love the characters, and I appreciate the ending. If you haven’t read these books yet, give them a chance.

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King.

This was recently made into a tv show that is now on my list. 

The story is told from two points of view. A retired detective who can’t let go of his last case named Bill Hodges, and the perpetrator of the said case named Brady. Brady stole a woman’s car and killed a crowd of people waiting outside a job fair. But that was just the start. Now he wants to go out in a blaze of gore and blood.

I haven’t read the next two books in the trilogy yet. But they’re next on my tbr list. 

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff

I have no idea what I was expecting when I started this book. I think I anticipated something much like American Gods, exploring the dark corners and superstitions of the world. And there is some of that. But it’s also about magic made real, the struggles of the black community, and being tough as hell for your family. It’s about a man named Atticus, who learns that he has a magical lineage. And some would do anything to use that magic for themselves.

Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

Halloween Tree is a book I wish I’d been introduced to as a child. But as an adult, it’s firmly on my yearly Halloween reading list now. It’s about a group of boys who go out trick or treating, only for one of them to be snatched up by the wind and propelled through time. To find him, the boys must travel through the history of Halloween. And it’s a chilling, wonderful history. A trick and treat all in one.

The book itself was only a treat. If you haven’t read it, grab a copy and treat yourself. 

That’s it for my list. So now it’s your turn. What’s the best scary story you’ve read this year? Let us know in the comments. And come back on Sunday, Halloween, for a bonus post. See you then. 

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