From the Haunted Stacks: 2025 Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ Wrap Up via The LineUp

 I write a column 4x a year for The LineUp. One of these columns is always a Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ Wrap Up. My latest one is live here and you can read the unedited version below.  The version on the site is much prettier though, and it has links to buy the books.

June 2026:From the Haunted Stacks: 2025 Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ Wrap Up

Each year, the Horror Writers Association presents the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ for Superior Achievement in thirteen categories. There are a few interesting things about these, the most prestigious awards in the horror genre.

One, the award itself is very cool, an eight-inch replica of a haunted house, designed specifically for HWA by sculptor Steven Kirk. The door of the house opens to reveal a brass plaque engraved with the name of the winning work and its author.

Two, the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ are not for the “best” works of the year; rather, they are “for superior achievement” which leaves room for more titles to be considered in a broader context.

And three, the awards are chosen by a hybrid system of juries (one for each category) and member input. When you put all of this together, the results are always a cause for celebration.

And that is exactly what happened on June 6, 2026, when the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ for books published in 2025 were presented live in Pittsburgh as part of StokerCon. Visit the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ official website for a full list of winners here. [Including me for Long Nonfiction!] Or you can watch the entire ceremony for yourself in the YouTube video here. 

In Haunted Stacks style though, I am not here to simply list the winners for you. Rather, I will focus on the titles that won in five of the categories and offer you two read-alikes to continue your superior reading adventure.

Superior Achievement in a Novel 

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

Told through a Lutheran minister’s journal entries dated from 1912, readers meet Good Stab, “...the Indian who can't die. …the worst dream America ever had.” What follows is a riveting story of heartbreak, death, and revenge, a thought-provoking tale filled with existential terror, unease, and a high body count, this remarkable work of American fiction transforms, in Jones’ deft hands, from the unapologetic horror novel it most certainly is to a critique on the entire idea of America. A critique that despite the horrors, both real and supernatural, is infused with heart and projects hope.

If you liked The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, try…. 

 In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson

Desperately trying to escape his past, Travis is left bloodied and weak after an encounter with a pale-skinned girl. No longer able to tolerate the light of day, and tormented by an overpowering hunger he stumbles to a local motel where the widowed owner, Annabelle, and her son offer him a job in exchange for board. The three lonely souls strike up an awkward friendship, but monsters, both real and imagined, can’t be hidden forever. The plot and characters play with the mind, and the pacing reflects the story’s harsh landscape—a slow, riveting burn. In the Valley of the Sun was previously nominated for the Bram Stoker AwardⓇ for Superior Achievement in a First Novel

The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich

Father Damien Modeste has served the Ojibwe on their remote reservation for over 50 years, but as he is nearing the end of his life, he is afraid that the people he has served will feel betrayed when his secrets and those of the possibly false Saint Leopolda are revealed. Should he risk everything to reveal the truth, or manufacture a false history to protect both of their legacies. Authentic character, an intricate but engrossing plot, with lyrical, moving, and understated prose, this thought provoking look at deception, imposters, and America’s complicated history with its Native populations will appeal to fans’ of Jones’ novel even without the vampires.

Superior Achievement in a First Novel

The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt 

 Ten years ago Jorie and her two best friends friends went viral with their content about their favorite horror movies, but when the spent a night in the graveyard from the most chilling cult film ever made– Proof of Demons by the enigmatic Hélène Enriquez, their entire lives were upended forever and a young girl was left for dead. In the time since, Jorie has been hiding from her former life with her son in Vermont, until one day a video tape shows up in the mail, and then costumed devotees of Enriquez appear in the woods, near her home, threatening and filming her. Could this be the beginning of an entirely new and all too real horror movie? Layered and atmospheric with multiple plot lines merge together, this debut novel is as terrifying as the scariest movie you have ever seen. 

If you liked The October Film Haunt, try… 

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

“The Think Kid” is the only surviving member of the team who made the 1993 film Horror Movie. Although never released in full, the film has risen to cult status and is being rebooted 30 years later. Moving effortlessly between “Then” and “Now,” “The Thin Kid” speaks directly to readers, placing them under his spell, despite repeated warning signs not to trust him, explaining the details of the original film, its current reboot, and including sections of the original screenplay. The result, a suspenseful story that is indelibly marked by its relentless unease and disturbing revelations, about the characters, yes, but also, the readers themselves.

Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel 

Also on the ballot with Wehunt this year, Viel’s debut follows Calla, 25, big sister and guardian to brothers Dre, 23, and Jamie, 16, overwhelmed by her parental duties and plagued by a vivid and horrific nightmare, she is barely holding the family together. But when the siblings get separated and then trapped in Calla’s nightmare, they fight for their lives to bring the family back together. Told through all three siblings' point of view in alternating chapters, readers will fall easily into this compelling story of sympathetic but flawed characters. Viel turns real and relatable trauma into a terrifying and immersive supernatural Horror story, but one clearly underpinned with love.

Superior Achievement in a Long Fiction: This year, there was a tie in this category.

The first winner (alphabetically by author) was Cathedral of the Drowned by Nathan Ballingrud

Charlie exists in two halves. The first, is his brain in a jar stranded on a moon of Jupiter. The other is filled with murderous rage, hanging on the wall of a home on Earth’s moon, a host for the eggs of the Moon Spider. Both Charlies come together in the flooded wreck of a crashed cathedral ship, home to a giant centipede. They stalk each other in the haunted ruins all while a new Moon Spider is preparing to hatch. This novella is a sequel to Ballingrud’s Crypt of the Moon Spider.

If you liked Cathedral of the Drowned try…

Uncertain Sons by Thomas Ha

Another nominee in this category, Ha’s novella is also science fiction tinged horror but this is earth based science fiction set in a cosmic waste land, told with a direct and unsettling narration that begs the reader to participate in the story. Overall readers can expect Ha’s writing to be very of this moment, he is able to capture the world we live in now, but by adding original storylines with weird, cosmic touches. “Uncertain Sons,” is the titular story in a larger collection, meaning readers who enjoy this piece can immediately find more.

And the second winner was Wolf Moon, Antler Moon by A.C. Wise

Merrow is witness to the murder of five girls on Prom Night. She knows who killed them–- men from her high school, so she runs into the woods to hide. Her grandmother had taught her that in the world there are wolves and there are deer. One is the predator and the other, the prey. Merrow knows she does not want to be the prey, so she becomes the monster who hunts the wolves. Written like a dark fairy tale, with characters that can slip in and out of animal forms, this dark town will captivate the readers who pay it a visit.

If you liked Wolf Moon, Antler Moon try… 

Squid Teeth by Sarah Langan

Langan had two novellas nominated in this category in 2025, but this one pairs very nicely with Wise’s tale as it also blends fairy tale with a speculative horror story that follows a female potter who is able to grow and then use filmaments from her mouth. She then uses them, through much practice and pain, to create breathtaking designs on her pottery. Bizarre yet relatable and full of anger, Langan’s story serves as a biting critique of artistic institutions. 

Superior Achievement in an Anthology

Silk & Sinew: A Collection of Folk Horror from the Asian Diaspora edited by Kristy Park Kulski

Soil, Estuary, Bedrock, Roots, and Air are the five named sections that ground this ambitious anthology of stories, poems, and drawings that dig into the anger, complications of assimilation, and racist stereotypes from which their Asian American Folk Horror is unearthed. As readers make their way through, tales of ghosts, shape shifters, and family dynamics morph into sinister nightmares of violence, body horror, cannibalism, and more. Hammering its consistent message home, this resolute volume delivers a reading experience that will terrify readers of all identities to their core.

If you liked Silk & Sinew try… 

Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women edited by Lee Murray and Geneve Flynn

Before Silk and Sinew, Murray and Flynn won in this category for their stereotype busting anthology of 14 stories as varied in tone and type as the women writing them. Tales of dangerous science fiction, bleak near future dystopias, reimagined folk tales, battle ready princesses, and just straight up furious horror. While the stories are individually entertaining, it is in the breadth of cultural experiences, storytelling styles, and originality of ideas as they pile on top of one and other where the preconceived notions of both the authors identities and of the limitations of the horror genre itself will be smashed to the delight of readers.

HOWL: An Anthology of Werewolves from Women-in-Horror edited by Lindy Ryan and Stephanie Wytovich

Too often throughout history, werewolf stories have featured men, but women are well versed in monthly cycles of blood and it is past time for them to be allowed to show their rage without fear or shame.Featuring stories by Delilah S. Dawson, Christina Henry, Gwendolyn Kiste, Ai Jiang, and an introduction by Rachel Harrison, this is an anthology that will have readers braying at the moon for more stories by these shapeshifting women.

Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection 

Lost in The Dark and Other Excursions by John Langan

Langan is considered a modern master of the horror short story and this collection of 13 new tales of cosmic horror cement that legacy. Some stories are straightforward and others told entirely through endnotes. More than a few are set on or near the water. And my favorite, a horror story hidden within an essay about why he loves horror. Widely different yes, but all are united by his unique lush prose and ability to make the mundane strange and unsettling.

If you liked List in the Dark and Other Excursions, try… 

Acquired Taste by Clay McCleod Chapman With this collection of 25 stories, Chapman gives readers a glimpse into his crowd-pleasing and critically acclaimed style of crafting visceral stories, every single one of which will leave readers psychologically unmoored. The stories are of varying lengths and scare levels, hitting on a range of tropes, all anchored by intense narrators burrowing through the pages and into readers’ bodies. wreaking havoc on their nervous systems. And readers love every minute of it.

Teenage Girls Can Be Demons by Hailey Piper Piper presents 13 stories exploring the rage, terror, and horrors of the most difficult and transformative years of a young woman’s life. These stories use monsters, magic, and utterly original plots to draw readers in and bite their heads off. But these coming of age tales are not fueled by rage alone as the characters (and readers) will leave this collection fully empowered.

Click here to read more From the Haunted Stacks aethciels by me over the years.

31 Days of Horror: Day 7-- My Horror Reviews in the October 2025 Issue of Booklist

I have 3 horror reviews in the October 2025 issue of Booklist. As always, these are my draft reviews with some extra appeal info, my three words, and extra readalikes.

This means I have added 11 horror books to your "to be read" pile in the last two days. (Sorry not sorry.) But good news, you don't have to read them all, just put them on order, and promote them as a good read all year long, so that each book can be found by its best reader.

 I am going to post them here in the order in which I wrote them

The Villa, Once Beloved

By Victor Manibo 

Nov. 2025. 400p. Kensington/Erewhon, $28 (9781645661382).

 First published October 1, 2025 (Booklist).

The patriarch of the Sepulveda family is dead, but as readers see, it is not from natural causes. As the family makes their way to the coconut plantation, above an isolated village, where the family’s grand Spanish Colonial Manor home sits, a typhoon is raging. Soon, a landslide traps them all. Readers enter this atmospheric, immersive, slow burn Filipino Gothic through the eyes of Sophie, a Filipino-American adoptee of white parents, attending the funeral with her boyfriend, the oldest grandchild. Amidst jet lag and an unfamiliar culture, Sophie learns that the “bad luck” tied to the family is grounded in a very real curse, one for which the various family members hold a collective responsibility. No longer beloved, the Sepulveda’s must all face the consequences of their evil political and personal choices. Another great example of how voices from all over the world are injecting a centuries old trope with their culture, history, and folk horror, both honoring and refreshing the Gothic itself while giving readers a slew of new terrifying tales to enjoy.

Three Words That Describe This Book: cursed family, Filipino Gothic, isolation horror

Further Appeal: The title adds just the right amount of tension to the story as readers go in-- the "once beloved" adds a layer of unease. And then the book opens with a death that in the first chapter is shown to be not "natural." Great dread filled atmosphere from the start.

It needs to be said that this book would not have gotten published without Silvia Moreno-Garcia writing Mexican Gothic; however, it is more than just "Filipino Gothic." I love that SMG has allowed so many people to explore their cultures and folklore through a trope that has been very white for 200 years. And because these books use a known and beloved trope but inject something new, readers are flocking to them in droves-- rightfully so.

In this case, Manibo has given readers a Gothic about a cursed family-- the Sepulveda's-- and their Spanish Colonial villa which has been part of their family for generations. The history of this fictional family is intertwined with very real history of the Philippines, especially the well known and horrific Marcos family.

There are a few narrators (and one that comes towards the end and is key to bringing the story all together) but readers mostly follow Sophie. She is a Filipino adoptee from Nebraska. Raised very blandly midwestern, aware of her heritage but never given the chance to engage with it, until at Stanford when she met Adrian, the oldest grandchild in the Sepulveda family, as they all travel to the Philippines to have the funeral for Adrian's grandfather. Sophie is a great narrator for us because she knows very little about the family and their history. She also knows very little about the supernatural folklore and monsters of the culture. As a result, things are explained to her (and us) but, she also becomes a conduit for the supernatural beings who visit her and increase the fear.

Readers know this family is rich and that in getting that power and money they probably did bad things, but as the book goes on, just how bad all of them are is revealed. And they have been literally cursed. This is referred to from the start, but the book does great job revealing the details. Consequences are coming from the curse that was placed on them and the plagues set upon them for very serious wrongs against the people of their community. Wrongs they tried to hide. Wrongs they have no remorse for-- all of them. And the monsters from their own folklore who will mark their end.

This entire story is told over the week just before Easter, during a typhoon. The group gets completely isolated from everyone else due to a landslide. No phone service, no road, no help. I appreciated how well the author built up a complex family, giving all of the family members a distinct identity and allowing each of them to reveal themselves fully as the danger and stress builds.

The political issues and history were also woven in without sacrificing the pace. This is a slow and steady build on purpose. As the isolation and danger increase, the pacing does as well. Sophie is our canary in this coal mine here-- as she gets more uneasy and unsettled and then terrified, so do we. This book would not work if it was told at a flat out pace. Readers need to see the story build and the days pass by-- labelled at the top-- and feel Easter coming. There is a reason this is told mostly over Holy Week. Religion and folklore overlap quite a bit. 

Readalikes: As I mentioned above, Mexican Gothic by SMG but also so many others since. 

Dark Sisters

By Kristi DeMeester.

Dec. 2025. 336p. St. Martin’s, $29 (9781250286819).

First published October 1, 2025 (Booklist).

The residents of Hawthorne Springs, all members of The Path (a mega church), have seen unprecedented and ubiquitous prosperity since the late 1700s, except for a strange illness that indiscriminately and seriously sickens the women.  Even more troubling, that sickness seems to be tied to those who have reported seeing the “ Dark Sisters,” two grotesque female spirits, tied together by their braids, living in a large tree on the outskirts of town. Told by three women, alternating in order beginning with Anne in 1750, Camilla in 2007, and finally Mary in 1953, each timeline enhances the others, keeping readers turning the pages, watching it all come together like a jigsaw puzzle, albeit one with a nightmarish final piece. A deadly serious, witchy story, propelled by rage against both the extraordinary and everyday violence men perpetrate against women, Dark Sisters reaches out across the centuries with a terror that is all too timely. For fans of anything by Rachel Harrison and Gwendolyn Kiste as well as The Year of the Witching by Henderson.

Three Words That Describe This Book: witches, linked time lines, feminist rage

Further Appeal: more "words" I considered-- unsettling, nightmarish, 3 narrators, short chapters that rotate time lines/narrators in this order (1750, 2007, 1953) as a result the story flows quickly without sacrificing the necessary details and clues that help bring it all together. And even though readers "figure out" a few things fairly early, they really have no idea what is coming. I think this is on purpose. DeMeester is leading us to where she wants us to go with the knowledge, in her back pocket, that she has more

This is a well constructed story of a community in Hawthorne Springs somewhere below the Mason-Dixon Line in America-- the town is purposefully not placed within a state. A church called The Path has long been in control since the 1750s. People who live in the town are all unusually prosperous-- like absurdly so. DeMeester fills the story with mentions of high end brand names that everyone has all the time. It was jarring and odd from the start which signaled to me that I should be paying attention to why. And there was a great why at the end.

The narrators are Ann Bolton in 1750 told in "interludes" as readers see the founding of Hawthorne Springs. Then we meet Camilla in 2007. She is the pastor's daughter. Then we meet Mary in 1953. They live in Hawthorne Springs. The timelines and narration alternate (as mentioned above) in that order-- 1750, 2007, 1953-- over and over. Each time line enhances the others. Each reveals something about the entire story. The book comes together like a jigsaw puzzle. It is very satisfying. But as I said above, the final pieces still are jarring and shocking.

The book moves quickly because of the narrative style choices which is great because this  is an angry book. The entire story is propelled by anger and rage against the everyday violence men perpetrate against women. From wanting them to be thin and pretty to physically assaulting them. All of it is there. And it is interspersed well. Without the short chapters and shifting timelines to provide a bit of a buffer, it would be too much. So kudos to her for sticking by her vision but working to make sure it flowed for the reader.

This book is deadly serious. There is no room for humor. It is fueled by anger and it can be overwhelming at times. This was written (purposefully I believe because it is well executed throughout) with a heavy hand-- Like The Power by Alderman. That is not to say it is not enjoyable to read. As a horror novel it is. But just be ready. 

Readalikes: Besides the ones in the review and the mention of The Power just above, I also suggest Hag by Kaufman. For fans of the church that is actually controlled by darker magic/spirits and have controlled a town for centuries- try Crafting for Sinners by Kiefer. Kiefer's story has more dark humor though. This one is deadly serious.

Yeehaw Junction

By Kayli Scholz 

Nov. 2025. 181p. Moonstruck, paper, $19 (9798988815440). 

First published October 1, 2025 (Booklist).

Welcome to Yeehaw Junction, smack dab in the middle of Florida, where the land is poisoned with DDT. It is June 1999 and the narrator Skeet tells readers, “... I’m gonna be a school shooter when I grow up.” Leading readers through a few fateful weeks that summer, when a young girl goes missing, and Skeet’s precarious home situation goes from bad to worse, readers sympathize with Skeet even as he and his “family” make awful choices. Scholz adds depth to the story by letting readers see things outside of Skeet’s limited experience in the form of ephemera (police documents, articles, transcripts, etc), from before and after 1999. Straddling the line between intensely discomfiting psychological suspense and extreme horror without ever sacrificing the heartbreaking humanity at its core, readers will be forced to confront the terrifying reality of the America that is hiding in plain sight, just off the interstate, on their way to the amusement parks. For fans of the movie, The Florida Project and novels by CJ Leede, Eric LaRocca, and Gabino Iglesias.

Three Words That Describe This Book: discomfiting, thought provoking, sympathetic but awful narrator 

Further Appeal: I put “family” in quotes because it is a found family but being raised by a foster parent. And how they became a family is part of the story told in the ephemera– and it is NOT GOOD. 

Readalikes: This is a book for the space where psychological suspense and horror overlap. In your face horrors with plenty of humanity-- like in the work of Gabino Iglesias, Eric LaRocca, and CJ Leede. Especially great for fans of The Devil Takes You Home or Coyote Songs by Iglesias. 

The present of this book is set in 1999 and it is mostly told by Skeet, a young man who tells us in the first sentence that he is a school shooter in training. But throughout he use of ephemera-- police documents, transcripts of true crime videos, 911 transcripts, newspaper articles and more-- all clearly dates-- readers get a sense of what happened before we meet Skeet and way after he leaves us.

The use of dates is key because info is giving to the reader throughout the present storyline and some is set before and some after. It all adds to the extreme unease of this story.

The world building here is excellent. Readers get a sense of this hopeless place-- Yeehaw Junction-- right in the middle of nowhere FL. A place literally poisoned-- the DDT remnants are still leaving a mark on the people who live there-- including Skeet.

The less you know about this book going in the better. It is a full body experience to read it. You will feel disgust, anger, and terror but also sadness, hope for better for Skeet even though you know the odds are impossibly against him. You will also be forced to take a hard look at the America that is just off the interstate on your way to the amusement park. 

Back from ALA But First Unfinished StokerCon Business

 I got back late last night from ALA Annual in Philly but while I was there, my annual Stoker Awards wrap up article went live on The LineUp. I take the top 5 fiction categories, give you an annotation for the winner and offer two read likes (w/ annotations as well).

Please click here to read the full article. I have also posted the introduction below.

Also, don't forget I have 15 backlist columns available on the site for free as well. All of them contain excellent Horror suggestions for a wide range of readers. Click here to access them all.

From the Haunted Stacks: 2024 Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ Wrap Up

Some of the darkest, scariest, and all around superior works of horror from last year.

Each year, the Horror Writers Association presents the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ for Superior Achievement in thirteen categories. There are a few interesting things about these, the most prestigious awards in the horror genre. 

One, the award itself is very cool, an eight-inch replica of a haunted house, designed specifically for HWA by sculptor Steven Kirk. The door of the house opens to reveal a brass plaque engraved with the name of the winning work and its author. 

Two, the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ are not for the “best” works of the year; rather, they are “for superior achievement” which leaves room for more titles to be considered in a broader context.

And three, the awards are chosen by a hybrid system of juries (one for each category) and member input. 

When you put all of this together, the results are always a cause for celebration.

And that is exactly what happened on June 14, 2025, when the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ for books published in 2024 were presented live in Stamford, Connecticut, as part of StokerCon. 

Visit the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ  official website for a full list of winners here. Or you can watch the entire ceremony for yourself in the YouTube video here. 

In Haunted Stacks style though, I am not here to simply list the winners for you. Rather, I will focus on the titles that won in five of the categories and offer you two read-alikes to continue your superior reading adventure.  

 Click here to read the article.

Back to morrow to begin the post ALA discussions.

The Summer Scares 2024 Programming Guide is ALIVE!

 

 

Click here to access the full guide

One of the best parts of the Summer Scares program is the annual Programming Guide created by Konrad Stump and his team at the Springfield-Greene County Library District in Springfield, Missouri.

Starting yesterday, you can access this guide for Free. There is a page for each book just like this one for Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison.

There is also an article by Library Advisory Council member, Jocelyn Codner about using Summer Scares in Academic Libraries. And more, all accessible here for free.

This is also the perfect time to remind you that there are Programming Guides available for every year since 2020 available at the Summer Scares Resources Archive here.

However, the most important reminder is that all of this bounty of books, programming ideas, readalikes, discussion questions, and more can be used anytime of year and in any year. We create a new guide, for the 9 new titles each year, but the information is useful all year long. The 2020 guide has 9 vetted titles with readalikes and discussion questions and program idea just as the guides for 2021, 2022, 2023, and now 2024 do. 

Use them all, at any time, to help Horror readers of any age. Our info in a past guide still work today. And let us know if you need help at anytime by emailing libraries at horror dot org.

StokerCon Recap Up!

In the interest of time and after an exhausting but inspiring few day at StokerCon 2023, I posted the full recap on the main blog here. 

Please click through to read it. 

Eds Note 7/12/23: I added a link to my Bram Stoker Awards Wrap Up with readalikes for the Lineup.

2022 Summer Scares Programming Guide is Now Live!

  

Click here for the Summer Scares Resource Page
with archive access to past years.

Today, as promised, the Summer Scares 2022 Programming Guide, under the direction of Konrad Stump and the team at the Springfield-Green County [MO] Library District is live.

Click here to access it. 

Or go to the Summer Scares Resource page anytime to see everything we have prepared to help you work these books into your service to leisure readers of all ages.

I cannot stress enough how much this guide has elevated the Summer Scares Reading Program. With an overview of the program and then a page for each of the 9 books, we are able to offer you readalikes, programming suggestions, and book discussion questions for every single book. And it is FREE thanks to the wonderful staff at the Springfield-Green County [MO] Library District.

It is beautiful useful, and free to all at this link.

New for this year: 

• An article by Yaika Sabat, from NoveList, entitled "Connecting Summer Readers to Summer Scares," to kick off our official partnership with the database. There will now be extra Summer Scares content available to those who subscribe to NoveList. 
• Three program ideas [one for a book at each reading level] from our programming partner, Ben Rubin, Head of the Horror Studies Collection at the University of Pittsburgh.
• A back page [below] that promotes the upcoming releases by all 9 of our 2022 authors and all four of  our  spokespeople-- past and present.

Click here to enter the guide

Speaking of all 4 spokespeople, this is year 4 of the Summer Scares Program and year three of the Programming Guide. The past 2 years of programming guides are also a great resource for you to use to promote horror all year long. You can access the Summer Scares Resource page here, which has a link to the archive for past year's or click here to go to that archive page directly. 

No one says you cannot use those previous guides to work with your horror readers, in fact, I encourage you to use all three of them, them all year long. There is some excellent RA content there. Konrad and his colleagues did all the work, so 

Basically we give you no excuse NOT to try Horror titles as part of your Summer Reading strategies-- for all ages of readers.

And trust me, I make my living promoting this genre, you are mistaken if you don't think readers love to feel the fear. 

When you promote Horror with help from Summer Scares, you will have hordes of happy readers. We guarantee it.

Download the 2022 Summer Scares Programing Guide now!

31 Days of Horror: Day 19: Body Horror list from Library Journal

Yesterday, I introduced you all to Jeremiah Paddock. Today, I have his contribution to the Reader's Shelf column in Library Journal this month. See below for 5 excellent Body Horror examples with 5 more readalikes.

Use the link to see it on the website for the pretty version. It is free to all.

Body Horror: Squirmy Scare | Reader's Shelf

by Jeremiah Paddock

via Library Journal here

Body horror has been a staple of the horror genre starting as far back as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The fear of damage to one’s body and the transformation or destruction of one’s wholeness or identity are features of this subgenre, where the focus is the violation of the human body. It can range from beautiful and haunting to an absolute gore fest. Many contemporary titles incorporate aspects of body horror so readily that sometimes it is taken for granted, but these selections put those elements of the storytelling front and center.

For a stunning sampler of the genre, try Body Shocks: Extreme Tales of Body Horror, edited by Ellen Datlow (Tachyon. Oct. 2021. ISBN 9781616963606). This collection includes some of the biggest names in horror fiction; it will be the perfect primer for newcomers to the subgenre, and a special delight for aficionados. Datlow’s selections and pacing shine in this collection of weird and wonderful short stories that will blow readers’ minds as they shiver and squirm. READ-ALIKE: Try the short story collection Trigger Warning: Body Horror, edited by Desiree Baltisberger, for a deeper look into the subgenre with some lesser-known authors.

The Rust Maidens, by Gwendolyn Kiste (Trepidatio. 2018. ISBN 9781947654440), is an example of beautiful and haunting body horror. Set in Cleveland and jumping between the summer of 1980 and the present day, the novel follows Phoebe Shaw as she deals with the closing of local factories and the transformation of her friends into…something else. The girls in her neighborhood are slowly turning into metal, dripping water and rust. In this excellently written and completely engrossing work, Kiste keeps readers on the edge of their seats and perfectly portrays the crumbling of institutions and our own bodies. READ-ALIKE: For another coming-of-age book where the characters face an uncertain future, suggest the graphic novel Black Hole, by Charles Burns.

Scoutmaster Tim Riggs is not prepared for the horror that awaits him as he leads his disaffected scouts into the Canadian wilderness in The Troop, by Nick Cutter a.k.a. Craig Davidson (Gallery. 2016. ISBN 9781501144820). It’s classic Cronenberg-style stomach-wrenching goodness, as the troop faces an unimaginable parasite that hideously transforms them physically and mentally. From start to finish readers will be enthralled by the exploits of the young scouts as they try to find a way to escape and survive this nightmare. The scouts eventually become pitted against each other as the parasite begins to take them over. The Troop perfectly manages to balance expert storytelling with gut-wrenching descriptions of the parasite’s effects on everyone it contaminates. Not to be read while noshing. READ-ALIKE: Scott Sigler’s Infected (which is happily part of a trilogy) is another great book with gruesome descriptions of bodily desecration by a foreign parasite.

One thing about body horror is that it can tackle not just creepy parasites or inexplicable transformations but also body and gender dysphoria. Transmuted, by Eve Harms (Unnerving. July 2021. ISBN 9781989206775), does this perfectly. Isa, a trans woman and video game streamer, is desperate to become more feminine. Her devoted online followers donate money for her feminization surgery, but Isa ultimately gives the funds to her transphobic father in a futile attempt to save him from terminal cancer. She then volunteers for a particularly questionable free surgical procedure. But does she know exactly what she has signed up for? Harms takes readers from ultrarealistic to cosmic horror at light speed and keeps the main character’s body transforming in horrifying ways the entire time. READ-ALIKE: The Kelping, by Jan Stinchcomb, makes a nice pairing.

Aron Beauregard’s The Slob (self-published. 2020. ISBN 9798566153230) might be the vilest novel some readers have ever encountered. They might love it but will likely need to put the book down a few times and take some deep breaths. It crosses over into splatterpunk (and was nominated for the 2021 Splatterpunk Awards) but the sheer bodily degradation and deep-rooted visceral terror that pregnant door-to-door vacuum saleswoman Vera faces in this book roots it firmly in extreme body horror. Vera grew up in a particularly filthy home and is determined to make her life clean and spotless. She has built a sparkling clean life with her disabled husband and a child on the way, until she meets…THE SLOB. Beauregard’s book is not for the faint of heart, and even fans of the subgenre and readers versed in extreme horror are likely to wince and gasp at some of the scenes. READ-ALIKE: Eddie Generous’s Tales from the Meat Wagon is a similar gross-out book.

The Green Kangaroos, by Jessica McHugh (Perpetual Motion Machine. 2019. ISBN 9781943720422), is another excellent addition to body horror collections. This terrifying novel is focused on addiction and the degradation that addicted people can inflict on their own bodies to get the high they seek. McHugh’s characters literally sell their flesh to get a fictional, incredibly addictive drug. Filled with wonderfully grotesque descriptions of the divots and sores that this cycle creates, the book takes readers on a trip that will definitely blow their minds. READ-ALIKE: Another work that focuses on addiction and the horror it can wreak on the body is the short story collection Lullabies for Suffering: Tales of Addiction Horror, edited by Mark Matthews with stories by Gabino Iglesias, Caroline Kepnes, Kealan Patrick Burke, John FD Raff, and Mercedes Yardley.

This column was contributed by Jeremiah Paddock, Library Assistant I, St. Petersburg Public Library, Florida.

Summer Scares YouTube Playlist is Live!

It's Alive.....The Summer Scares 2021 YouTube Playlist. Click here to access it.

Right now, all we have live is the video explaining the FREE Summer Scares Programming Guide, a product of the Springfield-Greene County [MO] Library District, explained by Summer Scares Programming Chair, Konrad Stump. 

But already loaded to go live on 5/24 are 3 panels that you can use as programs for your patrons featuring the 2021 Summer Authors in conversation with Summer Scares Committee members. The panels are broken up into age groups.

May is when Summer Scares really gets going in earnest. Our podcast partner, Ladies of the Fright will be releasing their first Summer Scares episode this month and we have a few more fun videos planned. 

For the most up to date information and resources, check out the Summer Scares Resource Page. For example, that page already has 2 podcast links about the program, including one from one of our sponsors, Booklist, that features an interview with Summer Scares 2021 spokesperson Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Hear which book she calls a "platypus."

And don't forget that this is year 3 of Summer Scares. We also have an archive of past lists, programming guides and resources here. You have plenty of titles and their readalikes to make up spooky displays and host scary book discussions for all ages of readers, all summer long.

Horror books make a great read all year long, but especially in the summer-- chilling tales for the hot days.

Click here to enter the playlist

Summer Scares 2021 Programming Guide Available Now !

The wait is over and the program is about to kick into high gear. Today, we announce the Summer Scares 2021 Programming Guide. 

Quick reminder, Summer Scares is a reading program that provides professionally vetted Horror titles for all ages that libraries can use with confidence in their Summer Reading Plans in particular and all year long in general. It is brought to you by the Horror Writers Association, Book Riot, Booklist and United for Libraries with promotional assists from The Ladies of the Fright Podcast and The Springfield-Greene County Library whose staff have put together the programming guide. Speaking of the guide....

Click here or on the cover of this PDF above. This guide is completely free. 100%. Always. You can access the guide and other marketing materials and information about Summer Scares on the resource page. You can also access the archive there and use last year's guide. Since we use backlist [but not too old] titles, previous guides are just as useful as this year's. 

Each book gets its own page in the guide. I have included a screen shot of the page for Kathe Koja's The Cipher below as an example of what has been created for each book.

In particular, I am a big fan of the "Booktalk This Book" section because it means you don't have to have read the book to hand-sell it to readers.

Get people excited about Horror RIGHT NOW as we are approaching the "Halfway to Halloween" point [April 30]. Between this year and last year's guides and the read-alikes for each title, you can fill an entire display for all ages of readers in minutes.

You can even use our art. Click here to download the logo. Or print out the PDF and use the cover on your display. 

Stay tuned for more Summer Scares information coming soon. Sign up for the 5th Annual HWA Librarians' Day to see the debut of three pre-taped panels with our Summer Scares 2021 authors. Those will also be put up on the HWA's YouTube page for free on 5/23 after StokerCon ends. Libraries can use these recorded panels to show to their patrons if they would like. They would be especially useful paired with a book discussion of the books and a virtual appearance by one of our authors.

This guide and Horror in general, is a great tool all year long.

And please remember, as I always say.... Your Horror readers are not monsters; they just like to read about them. Not get out there and start the haunting.

Summer Scares 2020 Begins Online

Welcome to the 2020 edition of Summer Scares, our second annual outing, and although this year is a bit different, I dare say, the program is better than ever.

From the Summer Scares FAQ and Resource Page:

The goal of the Summer Scares program is to introduce horror titles to school and public library workers in order to help them start conversations with readers that will extend beyond the books from each list and promote reading for years to come. Along with the annual list of recommended titles for readers of all ages, the Summer Scares committee will also release themed lists of even more “read-alike” titles for libraries to use when suggesting books to readers this summer and all year long. And, in order to help libraries forge stronger connections between books and readers, the Summer Scares committee will be working with both the recommended list authors and horror authors from all over the country, to provide free programming to libraries. From author visits (both in person and virtual) to book discussions to horror themed events, Summer Scares is focused on connecting horror creators with libraries and readers all year long.

Originally, the kick off for Summer Scares was scheduled for May 7, 2020 with HWA Librarians' Day, an all day event at the Naperville Public Library. While that event was rescheduled for November 12th, Summer Scares forges on.

Last year all we had was that online resource page. [Click here for the Summer Scares archive from 2019, which by the way you can still use for more reading options]. We still have an excellent resource page filled with links, interviews between our spokesperson, Stephen Graham Jones and the selected authors, and more suggested reading links. Click here to view it.

However, after speaking with libraries who ran with Summer Scares last year, we quickly realized that if we wanted to get more libraries involved, we needed to provide more assistance. Since the Summer Scares Team is 100% volunteer, we needed to look outside of ourselves, and approaching one of the libraries that went all out with Summer Scares in 2019 made sense.

Today, I am happy to present to you our "spooktacular" programming guide courtesy of Konrad Stump and his team at the Springfield-Greene County [MO] Public Library. They got on the Summer Scares bandwagon early last year. They generously offered their experience and staff to help us help all of you. Click here to access the entire guide, but here are two sample pages:

Cover

Full list of titles

This guide has a page for each title focusing on that book's appeal, a list of readalikes, programming ideas, and book discussion questions. Just this amazing guide alone is enough for you to run a successful Summer Scares program at your library, but wait, there's more.....

This year we have also created a Summer Scares 2020 video playlist to provide you with more help and content for your patrons too. You can click here for the Summer Scares YouTube playlist hosted by the Horror Writers Association.

Those videos introduce the program. Konrad himself is even there to walk you through the programming guide and give you some of his expert tips on how to use Summer Scares at your library [in person or virtually]. We have videos with the 2020 Summer Scares authors [more coming soon]. We asked them to record a short video to introduce their book, give you some background behind the title, and suggest more reading options for your patrons. 

These videos can be embedded onto your websites to share with your own patrons. And, all of the Summer Scares authors have agreed to connect with your library virtually if you are interested. Please send those requests to me and I will connect you. My contact information can be found here.

Besides featuring the authors and explaining the program over on YouTube, we are also working with HWA author members who have already worked with libraries, libraries which has recommended them and their programs. These authors will be submitting videos introducing themselves to libraries, providing contact info is you are interest in hosting a virtual program with them. Our first one is already up.

Everything on the Summer Scares resource page, including the links to the YouTube videos and the programming guide are available for FREE. You can use them with your patrons, at your library, on your social media and websites, etc.... There are no restrictions.

We will be adding more content to the YouTube playlist and the Resources page in the coming weeks, so check back often. In fact, if you do something with Summer Scares that you want to share with all of us, contact me. I'd love to showcase your library.

Summer Scares is brought to you by the Horror Writers Association, United for Libraries, Library Journal/School Library Journal, and Book Riot.

31 Days of Horror: Day 18-- What I'm Reading: Skinwrapper by Stephen Kozeniewski

Today I have a review of the new prequel to one of my all time favorite space horror books, Hematophages. It's Skinwrapper by Stephen Kozeniewski. From the back cover copy via Goodreads:

A single word strikes fear into the hearts of even the most experienced starship crews… 
Aboard the freighter Blue Whale, a young girl’s day begins like any other: texting her friends while her parents bicker about breakfast. Then, with a loud, sickening pop, their domestic tranquility is shattered.  

A single word goes out over the emergency warning system…  

The galaxy’s shipping lanes are plagued by a gang of vicious pirates. Suffering from all manner of terminal diseases, they require zero gravity to live. They also need a constant influx of fresh blood and organs, so their victims also become their unwilling donors. The band is so ruthless, so violent, that its very name has become a synonym for terror.  

A single word that chills the blood, even in the utter cold of space…  

The little girl finds herself alone, lost, and trapped aboard the vessel she called home, praying it won’t also become her tomb. She is about to learn there is nothing in the universe worse than being hunted by a SKINWRAPPER.  

This prequel novella shoves you screaming back into the world of “space horror masterpiece” (Daily Dead) THE HEMATOPHAGES.

Appeal: This is a space horror novella that you can enjoy with out without having read Hematophages as it deals with secondary characters and plots from the main novel. [I am being vague on purpose.] But fans of the novel will love the chance to learn more about the Skinwrappers and even meet a

The writing is solid as usual from Kozeniewski. He might write pulpy and fun horror novels, but that doesn't mean he isn't a good writer. The opening scene is a good example of his skill. We meet our teen narrator, immediately. She is a normal teen who lives on a space ship with her two moms, having a normal day when bam...a bolt comes lose from the window of their apartment pod and well... let's just say it is the beginning of the end. It sets up the dread and anxiety even before we meet the Skinwrappers.

Like all good SF, the world building is well done here. It has to be for the story to work. Kozeniewski adds all of the details we need to understand what life is like in this world of space living without sacrificing the story. And this one is mostly about the story. While Hematophages was a nice mix of character development and action, Skinwrapper is storyline driven. That is not to say the protagonist is not well developed, she is. But she's the only one we get to know. 

The action comes from our protagonist trying to survive. So there is anxiety, fear and dread even before we see the Skinwrappers. And it is intensified along the way both because our protagonist is young, sheltered, and doesn't really know what to do in an actual emergency, doesn't really know what Skinwrappers are, just that they are evil, and because things around her start going from bad to worse [gravity shut off, dead bodies, and more]. And that is before the claustrophobic scenes in the final third of the story, when she is hiding in a cryogenic box.

But, there is also tons of humor [just like in Hematophages]. From our protagonist fighting with the voice in her head to the droplets of pee floating in the box with her as she hides, there is a sense of humor here that shines through the action and terror.

Finally, the ending is perfect for people who read the novel AND it is definitely going to make people want to read the novel. 

I inhaled this novella on a plane ride and smiled as I read the last line. 

Three Words That Describe This Book: dark humor, strong world building, terrifying

Readalikes: Space horror is really making a comeback these days. Here is a list of 14 space horror options from a recent Book Riot list. Any of those will make a good readalike. But also, go read Hematophages. I mean I don't know why you didn't listen to me 2 years ago when I told you to read it, but now you have no excuse. Go read it. 

Lots of Horror Review Index Updates [Not a Women in Horror Celebration Post]

I haven't mentioned my recent updates to the Horror Review Index here on the blog in a while. Why do I double post them? Well, if I don't get the title here in a blog post, they are not as searchable to help you. Yes they are always in the Index, but you can't do a whole blog search for anything that didn't show up in a post.

So here are the horror books that I have reviewed, either for Booklist or myself since my last update on the blog:

Iglesias, Gabino.  Coyote Songs [2018]
Kiernan, Caitlín R.  The Very Best of Caitlin Kiernan (2019)
Davis, Graeme. More Deadly Than Male  (2019)
Tanzer, Molly. Creatures of Want and Ruin (2018)
Carey, M.R. Someone Like Me (2018)

Also books I for some reason never indexed:
Tanzer, Molly.  Creatures of Will and Temper (2017)
Sakuraba, Kazuki.  A Small Charred Face (2017)

Again, all titles that I have formally reviewed can be accessed at anytime on the Horror Review Index  page.

Also, I do have books I have not formally reviewed, but I have written annotations of them for Library Journal. You won't find them in the Review Index, but they are searchable. So if you don't see something that you thought I have read and or mentioned, just use the top left search box to try to find it.

31 Days of Horror: Day 27- Stephen King Readalikes for Scaredy-Cats

Last week, Get Booked [the book recommendation podcast from Book Riot] dedicated an entire episode to matching specific Stephen King titles to less scary readalikes.

Click here for the page with the titles they recommended, but you have to listen [easily done on that page also] to hear which books get matched to which King title.

I made sure to listen to the entire episode and I think they did a very good job.

I am a big fan of listening to Get Booked every week for a few reasons:

• It gives us extra practice by giving us access to actual RA questions. They are varied, interesting, and at times, highly specific. In other words, they are just like the questions we get at the desk, but its a whole lot more of them then we encounter in the course of our busy days.
• You can listen for the questions and then hit pause and go find an answer for yourself. It is a great practice or training exercise for staff.
• You can also learn about new titles you would never know about by listening to the hosts book talk their suggestions. I have 100% suggested a book to a reader based solely off of Amanda or Jen's book talk during the episode. They allow me to know about a whole lot more titles than I could ever read on my own.
• When they give their recs they focus on the appeal not the plot, just as we do too.
• You can access all of their questions and the recommendations on the podcast's home page too, in text.

I think this specific episode of Stephen King Readalikes for Scaredy Cats will be perfect for you to use as you help readers all year long, since many people say to us all of the time, "Well I don't like horror but my favorite author is Stephen King."

You know you've heard that more than once.

Finally, you can also see this episode from 2015 when I was a guest host of Get Booked and Amanda and I handled specific horror questions. Those are definitely not for scaredy cats though.

ALA Reading List Horror Winners

I posted all of the genre winners on the general blog here. Below is the horror winner, readalikes for that winner, and the short list. I have reviews of all but 1 of the honorees in this post of my best reads of 2017.

The titles below are all books you should add to your collections and can suggest to anyone looking for a good horror read. Use my links to the longer reviews to learn more about each title. You can also find past lists here.

Here is he official announcement:

The Reading List Council has announced the 2018 selections of the Reading List, an annual best-of list comprising eight different fiction genres for adult readers. A shortlist of honor titles was also announced. The list was announced today during the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting held in Denver.

The 2018 selections are:

Horror

Winner“Kill Creek” by Scott Thomas. Inkshares.

An homage to horror and the authors who write it, “Kill Creek” features four prominent authors who are lured into spending the night in a famous haunted house as a publicity stunt. The aftermath is both unexpected and terrifying.

Read alikes
“Hex” by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
“The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson
“The Family Plot” by Cherie Priest

Short List“Little Heaven” by Nick Cutter. Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
“In the Valley of the Sun: A Novel” by Andy Davidson. Skyhorse Publishing.
“A God in the Shed” by J-F Dubeau. Inkshares.
“Ararat: A Novel” by Christopher Golden. St. Martin’s Press.