#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman

This week has been all about the Best of 2024 lists over on the general blog, so I thought it would be fun to giveaway a book that is already one of the best of 2025. It is book I already gave a star in Booklist and I have an ARC, courtesy of the publisher, for one of you. Details below but first, here are the rules on how to enter:

1. You need to be affiliated with an American Library. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.
2. If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.
3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
4. If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered [I have a list of who has won, when, and what title]. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.

Click here for the previous giveaway. Our winner was Becky (but not me!). Now on to this week's giveaway.

Okay I need you all to get ready for this one. I'm serious. This book is terrifyingly realistic, it is by a trusted #HorrorForLibraries authors, and it is coming out in just over 4 weeks. It is Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman. Here is my draft review and three words from the general blog:

With his most ambitious novel yet, Chapman (What Kind of Mother), leans on established possession and zombie tropes and spins them into an original tale that hijacks readers’ nervous systems. It’s a few days before Christmas and Noah cannot reach his conservative parents in Virginia. Worried, he reluctantly leaves his family behind in Brooklyn to race south arriving at a disaster scene. His parents are clearly not well, and Fax* News is blaring in every room. But this opening is a brilliant red-herring, lulling readers into thinking they know what is coming. They do not. Told in three “phases” each with a distinct writing style, from Noah’s perspective to flashbacks of from his brother's family to a race through an apocalyptic landscape as Noah desperately heads home, incorporating social media, video transcripts, and news reports throughout, Chapman, chronicles The Great Reawakening– a virus that has patiently threaded its way through screens to infect half of America. A compelling, cinematic, visceral, and disturbing tale, driven by fully realized, sympathetic characters, this is a memorable novel that implicates all, regardless of where they stand on “the issues. A terrifying update to King’s classic Cell, for fans of discomforting, social commentary Horror like Wendig’s Wanderers duology, Felker-Martin’s Manhunt and Leede’s American Rapture. 

*Fax is not a typo 

Three Words That Describe This Book: visceral, nuanced, discomfitingly realistic

I need you all to click through to see my further appeal comments in the blog post from when the review first published. Seriously, this book is viscerally and existentially terrifying, it uses all five sense to involve fear, and it has a whopper of an ending. 

Just trust me and click through. And I hope everyone has this one on order already. Everyone will be talking about this one in January. EVERY ONE. I can see it being picked up by cable news as we enter the inauguration season. 

Thank you to Quirk Books for the ARC. This one hasn't even been cracked because I read a PDF for review very early.

Enter now and you are entered going forward into 2025. Which reminds me, this is the last giveaway of the year. I do not want to tax the postal service with unnecessary packages after this week.

Good Luck.

Best Horror of 2024 via Library Journal w/ Input and Annotations By Me

 Head on over to the main blog to see the entire LJ Best Books portal, but here on the Horror blog, I wanted to make sure the Horror list got posted here so that it was searchable as a resource. Please note, that main blog post also has easy backlist access.

I am very happy to have been part of the team who looked at the year that was and prioritized the reading experience of these titles as we weighed their status as best. It is a refreshing way to look at the "best" tag. As I went through the Horror selection experience over a couple of meetings with my editor and list mate, Melissa DeWild, the conversations we had about all of the titles we considered was enlightening.

Please note, this is the LJ Best Horror list. It is similar to, but not exactly, my personal Horror Best List for 2024. As we look at the genre, only titles that got a star in the Horror category in LJ can be considered. The experience of working on this list is very fulfilling. Plus, I had the pleasure of writing all the annotations for the Horror list.

My personal Best Horror of the Year list will be posted here later this month. But for now, enjoy this great list of Horror books that were an exceptional reading experience.

Go here or see below [minus the covers] for the Library Journal Best Horror 2024. 

Ajram, Sofia. Coup de Grâce. Titan. ISBN 9781803369624.

Vicken enters the Montreal subway system with a plan to get off at the final stop and walk to the Saint Lawrence River to end his life. But when he arrives, he finds himself trapped in an underground maze with no exit. This immersive liminal-space novella illustrates, brutally and beautifully, the horror of mental illness and compels readers to finish the story in a single sitting.

Harrison, Rachel. So Thirsty. Berkley. ISBN 9780593642542.

Millennial Sloane is struggling after her husband cheats on her. But when he gifts her and her best friend a spa weekend for her birthday, she happily accepts. While living it up at the spa, the two women meet a group of eccentric Europeans, and their lives are changed forever. Readers will be delighted to sink their teeth into Harrison’s nuanced and thought-provoking take on the vampire trope.

Iglesias, Gabino. House of Bone and Rain. Mulholland. ISBN 9780316427012.

As Hurricane Maria bears down on Puerto Rico, childhood best friends Gabe, Xavier, Tavo, and Paul join Bimbo in his quest for revenge against the drug lord who gunned down Bimbo’s mother. Told with an engaging and honest narration, Gabe walks readers through the visceral monsters, both real and supernatural, that haunt the island, its history, and its people, as he repeatedly reminds readers, “All stories are ghost stories.”

Jones, Stephen Graham. I Was a Teenage Slasher. Saga. ISBN 9781668022245. 

Tolly recounts the summer of 1989, when as a 17-year-old living in Lamesa, TX, he killed several of his high school classmates. Beginning with the fateful night Tolly and his friend Amber attend a house party, Jones’s novel presents Tolly as the yin to “Indian Lake Trilogy” star Jade’s yang, delivering a highly entertaining, if chilling tale, and lays down new ground rules for the entire slasher genre.

Kiefer, Jenny. This Wretched Valley. Quirk. ISBN 9781683693680. 

Four twentysomethings entered the Kentucky woods on a mission to scale a newly discovered rock formation, except, as readers know from the novel’s opening pages, they were never seen alive again. Told from the point of view of each doomed character, Kiefer’s debut presents a terrifying tale of a land deeply rooted in evil, with a long-held thirst for human blood.

Kiste, Gwendolyn. The Haunting of Velkwood. Saga. ISBN 9781982172374. 

 Twenty years ago, one suburban block slipped into its own dimension. Everyone was lost except three girls who returned to college the night before. One of those girls, Talitha, now 40, is enticed to return in order to make contact with the little sister she left behind. Atmospheric and riveting, Kiste’s novel exposes the horror of suburban malaise and reminds readers that young women, if given the chance, are powerful enough to save the world.

Lima, Ananda. Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil. Tor. ISBN 9781250292971. 

 Lima’s debut is exactly what the title proclaims it to be, a novel in stories that “the writer” creates for the Devil throughout her life. The stories themselves range from weird and chilling to emotionally devastating; however, it is in the chapters between the stories (where the writer describes her lifelong interactions with the Devil) that unite the entire volume, making it an original, captivating, and unforgettable read.

McGregor, Tim. Eynhallow. Raw Dog Screaming. ISBN 9781947879676. 

 It’s 1797, and Agnes is one of 20 souls living on Eynhallow in the Orkney Islands. Life is hard, and visitors are rare. The sudden arrival of the rich Dr. Frankenstein upends everyone’s lives, especially that of Agnes, whose husband hires her out to be the stranger’s housekeeper. As Agnes gets to know Frankenstein, the tension, unease, and danger build, sightings of a monster lurking in the darkness increase, and Frankenstein’s curse becomes Agnes’s burden.

Tingle, Chuck. Bury Your Gays. Tor Nightfire. ISBN 9781250874658. 

 Misha is a semi-closeted horror screenwriter whose impressive career is peaking with an Oscar nomination, but then the algorithm that dominates this near-future Hollywood demands he kill off his women leads right after they kiss. Misha refuses, which turns him into the protagonist of a very real and extremely dangerous story. Tingle takes readers on an existential thrill ride filled with satire and original monsters, ultimately reminding them that horror is, at its core, a celebration of life.

Tremblay, Paul. Horror Movie. Morrow. ISBN 9780063070011. 

 “The Thin Kid,” the only survivor from the 1993 film Horror Movie, a never-fully-released cult sensation, is asked to work on the movie’s reboot 30 years later. Moving between 1993 and 2023, framed as an audiobook confessional by “The Thin Kid,” and including the full screenplay of the original film, the novel is not only unsettling from every angle, but it will also alter the way its readers interact with any horror movie ever again.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: Witchcraft for Wayward Girls (with bonus swag)

It's almost Thanksgiving and to celebrate all we should be thankful for, I am offering one of the most anticipated titles of 2025. A book I already gave a star in Booklist and I am giving away the special package the publisher sent to me which has the ARC and more. Details below but first, here are the rules on how to enter:

1. You need to be affiliated with an American Library. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.
2. If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.
3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
4. If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered [I have a list of who has won, when, and what title]. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.

Click here for the previous giveaway. Our winner was Grace. Now on to this week's giveaway.

STAR

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

By Grady Hendrix Jan. 2025. 432p. Berkley, $30 (9780593548981); paper, $19 (9780593818183). First published October 15, 2024 (Booklist).

Neva, fifteen and pregnant in 1970, is brought in secrecy to Florida and the Wellwood House, a maternity home by name, but a prison in practice, a stand-in for such homes that proliferated across the US and Canada between 1945 and 1973. Once admitted Neva is renamed Fern, to protect her from the shame she is reassured, ends after she gives birth. Abandoned, alone, and struggling to access information about what is happening to their bodies, angry at being told they alone must pay for their sins, Fern and her roommates– Zinnia, the only black girl, Rose, a hippie, and Holly, a molested 14 year old– are given a copy of “How to Be a Groovy Witch” by the bookmobile librarian and their lives are changed forever. Told from Fern’s perspective, this is an original and nuanced addition to the witch cannon. However, it is the clear, accurate, and intensely visceral body horror of pregnancy and birth laid bare, that may catch readers off guard. Another stellar novel from Hendrix, a story that has a strong emotional core, compelling plot, unforgettable characters, and 360 degrees of terror. For fans of Horror that empowers the powerless as written by Gwendolyn Kiste, Gabino Iglesias and The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. YA Statement: Teen horror readers will be invested in Fern, Holly, Zinnia, and Rose’s story which, despite taking place in 1970, is unfortunately still relevant today.

Three Words That Describe This Book: visceral, empowerment, intense

Please click through and read all of what I have to say about this book. It is so good and so accurate. I have given birth to 2 children and Hendrix got everything right. This is a story of female empowerment by a dude who understands that men, especially those with privilege, need to stand up and take a stand for all women. Oh, and it is an awesome story. 

Get multiple copies of this book on order now and get ready for a whole bunch of male readers to complain that this book is too gross. Joke's on them, all the "gross" parts are 100% real.

This giveaway is a special package for all of you. I have an unread ARC (I read a PDF) that Berkley sent me with a copy of "How to Be a Groovy Witch" and a bookmobile library card. All of this along with the regular RA for All swag already included in every winner's package is all going to one winner.

Enter now and you are entered going forward. 

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway is Back with 2 Books for 1 Winner

After a 2 week hiatus coming on the heels of the flurry of October posts and giveaways, I am back and offering 2 titles-- one an ARC and one a finished copy, both great options for all libraries and both going to one lucky winner. Details below but first, here are the rules on how to enter:

1. You need to be affiliated with an American Library. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.
2. If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.
3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
4. If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered [I have a list of who has won, when, and what title]. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.

Click here for the previous giveaway. Our winners were Kristin and Nicole. Now on to this week's giveaway.

In the most recent issue of Booklist. I reviewed a great Lovecraft satire. Click here for the full post and below I have the draft review and my three words:

Strange Stones
By Edward Lee & Mary SanGiovanni
Jan. 2025. 140p. Clash, paper, $16.95 (9781960988416).
REVIEW. First published November 1, 2024 (Booklist).

Weird fiction scholar, Professor Everard is a regular on the Horror convention circuit giving lectures and sleeping women attendees. While promoting his latest book– proclaiming Lovecraft to be a hack- he angers a beautiful witch, both with his bad take and lecherousness. She casts a spell that sends Everard into Lovecraft's stories, forcing him to use his knowledge of the author’s work to get himself out of danger– without losing his life or his mind, difficult challenges for any Lovecraft protagonist. Presenting a modern retelling of Lovecraft, stripped of the original’s archaic language, with full acknowledgement of Lovecraft’s horrific world view, Lee (a critically acclaimed author of Extreme Horror) and SanGiovanni (an award winning novelist and Lovecraft scholar) have created an immersive, visceral, and existentially terrifying tale, injected with just the right amount of satire, a story that showcases what is enduring about Lovecraft’s work, inviting new readers in the process, much like in I Am Providence by Mamatas, The Ballad of Black Tom by LaValle, and Sister, Maiden, Monster by Snyder. 

Three Words That Describe This Book: retelling, Cosmic Horror, satire

Thanks to Clash I am offering this ARC today in conjunction with another book by an author I had the privilege to work with on an awesome event we had in September to promote my book with ALA Editions-- Matthew Salinas. Click here to watch the hour long presentation/discussion of The Readers' Advisory Guide to Horror, 3rd edition on YouTube.

Salinas is offering a finished copy of his collection, As It Stands for me to give away to one of you. First though let me tell you a bit more about this collection which I am recommending here today for all public libraries.

Salinas' stories range widely but they are all more of the psychological horror subgenera, so creepy, spooky, atmospheric tales that linger on your skin and in your head. Do not expect jump scares and gore here. Rather character centered, unsettling tales of ghosts in graveyards, vampires, and unreliable narrators. There is some Lovecraftian influences here as well.

One of the neat things Salinas does is break a few of the stories into Part 1 and Part 2 but they are not back to back. So you get Part 1 and then a handful of stores later, you get Part 2. I really enjoyed this. It was unique and added an extra layer of unease and enjoyment. It happens 3 times and it was a great narrative choice that makes this collection stand out from others.

I would compare his writing to Steve Toase. I have a review of his collection here. But overall a very good new voice whop will appeal to a wide range of your Horror readers. And in general, story collections are an excellent way for our patrons to find new to them authors.

So enter now and you have a chance to win both of these books this week, and of course you are also entered going forward. 

Good luck!

Halloween Hangover Meet Election Anxiety via Emily Hughes in Slate

I know the blog-a-thon ended yesterday but ending on a Thursday didn't sit right with me, so I have one final post to round out the week.

With the election coming up next week, I know just what everyone needs-- a viewing of Texas Chain Saw Massacre!

Seriously. I am not kidding and Emily Hughes wrote this piece for Slate, "The Parable of the Chain Saw"-- a serious contemplation of this movie's release into the politically unstable and terrifying world 50 years ago and how similar to now that world seems. And so much more. Please give it a read and take care of yourselves during this stressful time.

If Texas Chain Saw Massacre is too much for you, give Hughes' book a read instead-- Horror For Weenies: Everything You Need to Know About the Films You're Too Scared to Watch.

Click on the image below or here to read the piece via Slate.

The Parable of the Chain Saw 

It’s the bleakest horror movie in American cinema. There’s never been a better time to watch it.

BY EMILY C. HUGHES

31 Days of Horror: Day 31-- Announcing the 2025 Summer Scares Spokesperson and Program Timeline

Happy Halloween everyone. Today is the end of our 31 Days together, but as usual we end with a look forward. Today is the announcement marking the beginning of Summer Scares 2025!

This will be the last you hear from me on the Horror blog until 11/14 when I will return with a new #HorrorForLibraies Giveaway.

HWA ANNOUNCES SUMMER SCARES READING PROGRAM 2025 SPOKESPERSON AND TIMELINE

The Horror Writers Association (HWA), in partnership with Booklist, Book Riot, iREAD, and NoveList®, a division of EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO), is proud to announce the sixth annual Summer Scares, a reading program that provides libraries and schools with an annual list of recommended horror titles for adult, young adult (teen), and middle grade readers. It introduces readers and librarians to new authors and helps start conversations extending beyond the books from each list, promoting reading for years to come.

Summer Scares is proud to announce the 2025 spokesperson, #1 New York Times Bestselling author Kendare Blake:

"As a proud member of the club of people who read Stephen King too young, I am both honored and absolutely psyched to be this years' Summer Scares Spokesperson. Long ago, in elementary school, I had a beloved librarian with hair as black as night and teeth like Nosferatu. On dreary, wintry afternoons she would gather the children near and read to us from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, her eyes brightening with our every small whimper. She was, in short, THE BEST. I hope to meet many more librarians this year with her same, spooky spirit. So come along, folks of all ages, and let's read the scary stuff all summer long! It's not just for October anymore." 

Blake, along with a committee of six library workers, will select three recommended fiction titles in each reading level, totaling nine Summer Scares selections. The program aims to encourage a conversation at libraries worldwide about the horror genre across all age levels and ultimately attract more adults, teens, and children interested in reading. Official Summer Scares designated authors will also make themselves available to public and school libraries.

The committee’s final selections will be announced on February 14, 2025, Library Lover’s Day. Blake, along with some of the selected authors, will kick off Summer Scares at the 9th Annual HWA Librarians’ Day, Friday, June 13th, during StokerCon® 2025 at the Hilton Stamford Hotel in Stamford, CT. Tickets for this in-person event are available now: https://www.stokercon2025.com/librarian-s-day.

Additional content, including podcast appearances, free webinars with Booklist, and lists of suggested titles for further reading, will be made available by the committee and its partners beginning in March of 2025 and continuing through the Spring and Summer.

Of special note is the annual Summer Scares Programming Guide, courtesy of HWA Library Committee Co-Chair Konrad Stump and the Springfield-Greene County Library, which provides creative ideas to engage horror readers. Centered around the official Summer Scares titles, the guide offers tips and examples for readers’ advisory, book discussion guides, and sample programs, enabling librarians, even those who don’t read or especially enjoy the horror genre themselves, to connect their communities with Summer Scares.

To see past year’s Summer Scares titles, spokespeople, and programming guides, please visit the program archive: http://raforallhorror.blogspot.com/p/summer-scares-archive.html.

This year, Summer Scares is excited to announce a brand new sponsor– iREAD, an all ages Summer Reading Program developed by librarians for libraries. iREAD is used by libraries across the United States and around the world through their partnership with the US Department of Defense, bringing Summer Scares to our military families stationed across the globe.

iREAD Content and Development Manager Becca Boland shared her excitement:

“As a new sponsor of Summer Scares, iREAD is thrilled (and chilled) to support the Summer Scares program guide that will help libraries ‘unearth’ a love for reading. As part of this partnership, every summer you'll find one spine-tingling book for each age range and category that aligns with the iREAD theme. iREAD will also help to provide programming assistance for the guide ensuring everyone has a ‘fang-tastic’ time! Let’s conjure up some excitement and make this summer a real ‘scream’ with Summer Scares and iREAD."

Keep your eyes peeled for more updates coming soon from Booklist, Book Riot, iREAD and NoveList®, as well as at the HWA’s website: www.horror.org and RA for All Horror: http://raforallhorror.blogspot.com/p/summer-scares.html.

Questions? Reach out to HWA Library Committee Co-Chairs Becky Spratford and Konrad Stump via email: libraries@horror.org. 

Summer Scares 2025 Committee Members: 

Kendare Blake is the author of several novels and short stories, most of which you can find information about via the links above. Her work is sort of dark, always violent, and features passages describing food from when she writes while hungry. She was born in July (for those of you doing book reports) in Seoul, South Korea, but doesn’t speak a lick of Korean, as she was packed off at a very early age to her adoptive parents in the United States. That might be just an excuse, though, as she is pretty bad at learning foreign languages. She enjoys the work of Milan Kundera, Caitlin R Kiernan, Bret Easton Ellis, and Richard Linklater. She lives and writes in Gig Harbor, Washington, with her husband, their cat son Tyrion Cattister, red Doberman dog son Obi-Dog Kenobi, rottie mix dog daughter Agent Scully, and naked Sphynx cat son Armpit McGee.

Becky Spratford is a library consultant and the author of The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, third edition which was released in September of 2021. She reviews horror for Booklist Magazine, is the horror columnist for Library Journal and runs the Readers’ Advisory blog, RA for All: Horror.

Konrad Stump is a Local History Associate for the Springfield-Greene County (MO) Library, where he co-coordinates Springfield-Greene's popular “Oh, the Horror!” series, which attracts hundreds of patrons during October. He created the Donuts & Death horror book discussion group, featured in “Book Club Reboot: 71 Creative Twists” (ALA), and co-created the Summer Scares Programming Guide. Library workers who are interested in cultivating horror programming can contact him at konrads@thelibrary.org for free assistance.

Carolyn Ciesla is an academic library director in the Chicago suburbs. She has worked as a teen librarian and reference librarian, and has reviewed horror titles for Booklist Magazine. She’s currently teaching horror to first-year college students. You can find her all over the internet as @papersquared.

Kelly Jensen is an editor at Book Riot, the largest independent book website in North America. She covers all things young adult literature and has written about censorship for nearly ten years. She is the author of three critically-acclaimed and award-winning anthologies for young adults on the topics of feminism, mental health, and the body. She was named a person of the year in 2022 by Publishers Weekly and a Chicagoan of the year in 2022 by the Chicago Tribune for her anti-censorship work. She has also earned commendation from the American Association of School Librarians for her censorship coverage. Prior to her work at Book Riot, she was a public librarian for children, teens, and adults in several libraries in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. She is currently enrolled in a clinical mental health counseling master's program to bolster her work with mental health.

Julia Smith joined the Books for Youth team at Booklist in 2015, where she is now a senior editor. Her love of middle-grade literature and all things unsettling and strange draws her to creepy children's stories. You can follow her at @JuliaKate32 on Twitter.

Yaika Sabat (MLS) comes from a background in public libraries of various sizes. She now works at NoveList as the Manager of Reader Services, where she trains library staff nationwide on readers’ advisory, creates genre-focused content, and works on reader-focused products and services. As a Horror Writers Association’s Library Advisory Council member, she works to help librarians understand and embrace the horror genre. Her other passions include writing, graphic novels, film (the scarier, the better), and folklore.

31 Days of Horror: Day 30-- Promote Horror All Year Long by Lila Denning

Today is the last day of programming here before tomorrow's annual Halloween announcement of the Summer Scares Spokesperson. That means it is the perfect day to talk about what happens from November 1-September 30.

The short answer is....still Horror. But I know that it not intuitive to everyone. To help I invited Lila Denning, acquisitions librarian, book display guru, horror reviewer, and much more to tell all of you how to promote Horror all year long.

Take it away Lila. And after reading this, visit her blog-- Passively Recommending Books for book display advice all year long. [Spoiler alert, Horror shows up all the time.]

As October ends, Halloween Librarians may grow sad as the time to have horror shine comes to an end. The rest of our collections can come out of hiding in November as the calendar moves towards the winter holidays. That sort of thinking is increasingly obsolete as horror’s profile in publishing continues to rise. Libraries need to change the marketing of their collections to demonstrate an understanding of horror readers, from the most intense to casual fans. If you are skeptical, ask yourself when is crime fiction or science fiction season? Horror fans deserve the same year round attention that other readers receive. 

Passive readers advisory tools such as book displays and book lists both help your patrons find their next great read while allowing your library to bring backlist titles to your patron’s attention. View them as a marketing tool to show off the depth and breadth of your library’s collection. That includes horror outside of October (as well as romance outside of February but that’s for another blog.)

Winter and holiday horror is released every year. Recent titles include the collections Christmas and Other Horrors: A winter solstice anthology (2023) and The Darkest Night: A Terrifying Anthology of Winter Horror Stories (2024) as well as novels like Candy Cain Kills (2023), Dead of Winter (2023), Where the Dead Wait (2023), and the forthcoming Our Winter Monster (2025). A book display or list with winter themed crime fiction and horror would give your patrons plenty of options. There are horror titles that you can match up with almost any holiday or season. When you set up displays or lists, include horror. There are plenty of terrifying thrillers and mysteries that are released throughout the year. People love to read frighting and suspenseful fiction all year. Spring break and summer are great times to promote horror. As someone who lives 15 minutes from the beach, I can promise you that “beach read” doesn’t mean light and humorous to everyone.

The Bram Stoker Awards occur every year in summer. The long list as well as the previous year’s nominated titles make for a great midsummer book display or list. Don’t forget Summer Scares, a joint effort between iRead, NoveList, Book Riot, and the Horror Writers of America, designed to promote horror reading in the summer. There are middle grade, young adult, and adult titles chosen every year. The current and past selections, as well as other titles from the authors who have been chosen also make for a great summertime display.

Pick a trope or theme and add books from across your collection. Witches, shifters, haunted houses, grief, unexplained death, and dysfunctional families can be found in many fiction and non-fiction titles. Someone who loves a theme in one genre already has an entryway into finding a horror novel they will love. These kinds of displays and lists can be put up year-round. Don’t worry about mixing up genres in a list or book display. If you check the bibliographic record for crime fiction or horror, you will see multiple genres listed. Even publishers will list several genres on their own sites, promoting individual titles. 

Horror is being blended with other kinds of fiction regularly now. Those readers you may have decided don’t like horror are watching horror movies and streaming series. Harness a popular horror story in another medium to promote your horror backlist. Horror themed movies and streaming shows are released all year. Find read alikes in your collection and allow things that are already on your patrons’ mind to help move your backlist titles. Think broadly when you consider how similar a title is to a given movie or show; don’t get trapped into thinking readalikes need to be a precise match.

Enjoy mashing up genres in your book displays and lists! I hope I have shown you that you can add horror to your passive readers advisory efforts all year. Many of your patrons seek out scares and thrills as part of their regular reading. While October is peak time for scary tales, let your spooky collection shine every month.