BOOks That Go BUMP in the Night: Spooky Season Recommendations From Our Booksellers

We Have Always Lived in the Castle
 Shirley Jackson

Written from the point of view of 18-year-old Mary Katherine “Merricat” Blackwood who lives in isolation with her older sister, Constance, and uncle, Julian, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a timeless story about feeling unwelcome in the world and finding solace in the confines of one’s home. For those of us coming out of quarantine and those of us weary to return to normalcy, this is the perfect and timely read. If you’ve read Shirley Jackson’s psychological horror novel, The Haunting of Hill House, you already know you’re in for a treat with this one.

The Final Girl Support
Grady Hendrix
“This rollercoaster ride of a book features  an unreliable main character clearly dealing with some issues relating to her final girl moments. When someone decides it’s open season on the final girls in her support group, she doesn’t stop until she nails the culprit down, no matter how crazy it gets. Hold on to your seats and read this mega hut before it lands on HBO for the newly optioned series!”
—Dana W, Bookseller, Store 2847, Houston, TX
 

A Monster Calls
Patrick Ness

“This horror story would be scary enough as a monster appears at night, towering over Conor and forcing him to confront his fears in the teen’s tragic and ever-changing world, but it’s Harry Potter illustrator Jim Kay’s pictures that really send chills up your spine and bring the creature to life and off the page. The stories the monster tells can give nightmares, but you won’t want to look away or put the book down with each page.”
—Benjamin P, Bookseller, Store 2712, Falls Church, VA

Mexican Gothic
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Something sinister is brewing beneath an isolated mansion in the Mexican countryside, and an ancient evil is about to be exposed. With callbacks to classics like Rebecca, Jane Eyre and The Haunting of Hill House, Moreno-Garcia proves that she is just as consumed by stories of haunted houses as we are in this new gothic horror with a twist.

House of Leaves: The Remastered Full-Color Edition
Mark Z. Danielewski

“A young man in Los Angeles finds an old reel tape. Titled The Navidson Record, it documents the experiences of a famous photographer and his family in their new house in the Virginia countryside … except here’s the thing: none of it exists. Nobody has ever heard of The Navidson Record. What’s more, the house is larger on the inside than on the outside … and both it, and the story, only grow from there. Often described as an ‘experimental novel,’ House of Leaves is a horror story of Stephen King proportions, one that will leave readers asking questions long after the story’s “resolution.”
—Matt K, Bookseller, Store 2350, St. Louis, MO

Frankenstein
Mary Shelley
 “People make it all out to be about a monster, but that’s not the only horror in this title. You can’t help but be compelled and drawn into the madness that is the world and history of Dr. Victor Frankenstein. Get ready for the spooky season with a book about a chilling creature, a fearful town, and scientist who just can’t help himself.”
—Elisabeth S, Bookseller, Nashville, TN

The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones
At the crossroads of horror, poetry and history sits The Only Good Indians. These three paths might seem inconceivable considering the first road mentioned. No talk here of what will keep you up at night. “Poetic” should be called out in Jones’ writing. He gives distinct voice to his four main characters. You will forever hear their stories in your mind, long after turning the last page. And in those stories is a deep history of Native American culture. Sometimes the true horror in a story goes beyond the passages that keep you up at night. First rate all around for this novel.

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke
Eric LaRocca
Do you like your horror stories to make you feel uncomfortable? Disturbed? Disgusted? If you remember a time when A/S/L was a part of your after-school activities, this may be the book for you! Chat rooms in the early 2000s were the place to be, and this is where the foundation is built for the relationship between two women in this page-turner. If the cover alone wasn’t enough to draw you in, maybe you need to look a little closer at this psychological thriller.

Pet Sematary
Stephen King

Pretty much everyone names Pet Sematary as King’s scariest (including the author himself). Part of it is the primal nature of the scares, centered on loved ones coming back from death wrong. Part of it is the emotional side — the relatable desire of the characters to bring someone back, no matter the cost. And part of it is King’s choices of victims: a beloved cat and a darling little boy, both of whom come back in the same bodies, but with vastly different spirits. Everyone knows loss, and everyone knows what they’d do to reverse the worst of those losses. And everyone knows the price would be terrible. King plugs into all of that expertly, engineering a truly horrifying novel.

Devolution
Max Brooks
“In the forest hours from Seattle, a small group of people have decided to live off the grid and rely on each other. When Mount Rainier erupts and they’re cut off from society, a family of Sasquatches starts to hunt them. Told through diary entries, news articles, and interviews, Devolution is a fictional horror story that feels like it could really happen.”
—Carissa C, Bookseller, Store 2910, Woodinville,WA

A Head Full of Ghosts
Paul Tremblay
“A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay — A modern reimagining of The Exorcist. A down-on-their-luck family is hard up for cash and their youngest daughter is showing signs of demonic possession. They decide to cash in and make a reality TV show out of the exorcism. Win win right? Readers will love this fresh take on an old horror trope.”
—Theo, Bookseller, Store 2231, Loveland, CO

 What Big Teeth
Rose Szabo

Supernatural gifts run in the family in Rose Szabo’s thrilling debut YA fantasy novel featuring an intriguing cast of characters. “One part haunting mystery, one part dark fantasy,” What Big Teeth is a story that will stick with you long after you’ve finished reading (SLJ). Perfect for fans of Wilder Girls, We Hunt the Flame and House of Hollow.

The River Has Teeth
Erica Waters

“When Natasha’s sister goes missing, she teams up with the local witch to find her. But Della suspects her own mother in the disappearance. The book has all the best elements of gothic horror but with a contemporary YA twist. It had the same vibes as Wilder Girls, one of our YA Book Club picks from last year. Why you should pick it: I think that has all the components to be a really popular book.”
—Casey C, Bookseller, Store 2183, Houston, TX

20th Century Ghosts
Joe Hill

“I always recommend this book to people who want to start reading horror books. It’s a great introduction because its anthology of spooky and never wreaking short stories that Joe Hill wasn’t sure how to end or continue.”
—Mikki G, Bookseller, Store 2772, Las Vegas, NV

My Heart Is a Chainsaw
Stephen Graham Jones

We could not stop raving about Jones’ prior book, The Only Good Indians. We are delighted to say the praise continues for My Heart is a Chainsaw as well. Jones checks ALL the boxes on your #HorrorTok reading list. Pop culture references, horror movies, “growing up” — it’s all there. And then, we move one step closer to perfection: A story that resonates beyond all the checked boxes. “Heart”, indeed!

The Atrocities
Jeremy C. Shipp

“The Atrocities is a confusion, a churning hedge maze of grotesque and bleeding statues, a grand and deteriorating hall of portraits that weep blood. When Ms. Valdez arrives at the estate, freshly hired as a nanny to Isabella, she was not informed of Isabella’s unusual condition. Is Isabella a ghost? A figment of her mother’s imagination? Dealing with the death of her own child, Ms. Valdez struggles to govern someone she cannot see. Cannot touch. Though she hears things: whispers. Screams. Don’t go into the maze alone, unattended, without a guide. She is trapped inside the estate with a grieving mother, a might-be ghost, a man in the floor who screams and screams but finds no relief. The Atrocities is weird, chilling, curdles the blood and makes the heart thump. Also there’s a capybara in a tutu.”
—Kel R, Bookseller, Store 2810, Lafayette, IN

Plain Bad Heroines
Emily M. Danforth

“In the early 1900s, the residents of an East coast boarding school for girls seem to be in the grip of a somewhat unusual memoir. The ensuing string of deaths results in the school’s closure and rumors of hauntings and curses surrounding the property. In the present day, a book about the school’s history is set to become a film, shot on location. The film’s stars and the book’s author soon discover there may actually be something to those rumors after all.”
—Amber F, Bookseller, Store 2877, Lakewood, CO

The Death of Jane Lawrence (B&N Exclusive Edition)
Caitlin Starling

“Jane Shoringfield wanted a marriage of convenience. She never expected Doctor Augustine Lawrence. She never expected Lindridge Hall, the secrets it kept, the prisoners it held within its decaying rooms. The Death of Jane Lawrence is subsumed by magic, steeped in blood, trapped in a place where logic and magic overlap like concentric circles. Haunting, horrific, and beautiful, The Death of Jane Lawrence follows Jane, an accountant of sums and mathematical treatises, as she navigates a world not meant for her, until it is. Nightmare made flesh. Dreams made solid. A world where breath cannot be taken without a scream. It was a fantastic book and I am beyond excited to be getting an exclusive edition!”—Kel R, Bookseller, Store 2810, Lafayette, IN

Piranesi
Susanna Clarke

 Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell brought some much needed magic back into our lives, so it’s probably an understatement to say that fans have been eagerly awaiting something new from the enchanting imagination of Susanna Clarke. It was worth the wait. Set in a dreamlike alternative reality, Piranesi is a stunning metaphysical fantasy, an intricate labyrinth of epic proportions that will haunt you long after the final pages.

Nothing But Blackened Teeth
Cassandra Khaw

“Nothing but Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw, out 10/19/21. A dark and atmospheric Japanese ghost story by the brand-new Tor imprint, Tor Nightfire! I read an early ebook copy and it is a beautiful story of friends who may not like each other as much as they think, and the ghost bride who is still waiting for her husband. Deeply rich and steeped in Japanese aesthetics, this would also be good for Light Novel fans! It’s a novella!”
—Kel R, Bookseller, Store 2810, Lafayette, IN

Home Before Dark
Riley Sager

“Every house has a story, some houses have memories. This novel will keep you on the edge of your seat as you, along with the main character, try to figure out who is telling the truth, if the ghosts are real, and what really happened inside the walls of Baneberry Hall all those years ago. Part Amityville Horror, part The Haunting, this novel provides a ghoulish look into how far some people will go to hide their truths and protect the ones they love. Will you make it through the House of Horrors?”
—Ariel O, Bookseller, Store 2815, Chino, CA