#HorrorForLibrariesGiveaway: Three Anthologies for 1 Winner

Today I have 3 high interest anthologies, 1 finished copy and 2 ARCs. 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.

The last winner was Lisa from PA. Now on to this week's giveaway.

Anthologies are very popular in general, but especially during the Fall when we have more readers who want to give Horror a try. Anthologies are the best way for readers to survey the landscape of a genre, to see a wide variety of styles and voices writing under one umbrella. They also provide a tasting menu of voices familiar and brand new. And if the editor does their job well, readers will finish the book having learned of a few new writers who will be added to their personal to-read pile.

Today I have 3 yet to be released 2026 Horror Anthologies for 1 winner. I highly suggest you add all three of these anthologies to your collections ASAP. They all feature popular authors whose books you have in your collections.

The first one is edited by Ellen Datlow. She is the most decorated and critically acclaimed editor and anthologist in the genre. Datlow crafts anthologies that unfold like a novel, layering stories that build off of each other which adds depth to the reading experience. It is important to note that Datlow has been consciously inclusive in assembling the table of contents for each of her books—and that intentionality (by the field’s top editor no less) has inspired others to follow her lead.

Next week she has a new anthology of all new stories dropping, All Hallow's Eve. From Goodreads:

Hugo Award winning editor and horror legend Ellen Datlow presents this chilling horror anthology of 19 original short stories from a world-class line-up of the masters of horror, delving into the histories and traditions of the spookiest season of the year.

Featuring stories by Josh Malerman, Stephen Graham Jones, Garth Nix and many more.

Halloween, Samhain, Día de los Muertos—festivals across the world where we can commune with those we have lost, when spirits can cross over, and when the boundary between the living and the dead is far, far too thin.

A young boy encounters a woman with an ancient and terrifying link to the holiday, a group of college students attend a Halloween party to die for, and a troubled girl exploits a local urban legend to try and turn her life around.

From America to New Zealand via the rural Romanian wilderness, this anthology explores our worldwide obsession with the spookiest season of the year, when the veil is lifted and the spirits come alive. 

Featuring 19 original stories from bestselling and award-winning masters of the genre, and from Hugo, World Fantasy, Locus, Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson award-winning editor and horror legend Ellen Datlow, this anthology invites you to carve a pumpkin, light the lanterns and welcome in trick or treaters from across the world. With stories by Josh Malerman Lee Murray Rich Larson Clay McLeod Chapman Livia Llewellyn Michael Marshall Smith Stephen Graham Jones Linda D. Addison Christopher Golden Alma Katsu Brian Evenson Siobhan Carroll Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ Theresa DeLucci Garth Nix Jeffrey Ford Richard Kadrey Nathan Ballingrud John Langan

All Hallows' Eve comes out 9/8/26 from Titan Books who have provided this finished hard cover copy for one of you to add to your collections.

Next up is an anthology I reviewed in the August issue of Booklist here. 

Something Followed Us Home: Tales of Latiné Horror

Edited by Cynthia Pelayo

Oct. 2026. 336p. Atria/Primero Sueno, paper, $18 (9781668091944).

First published August 2026 (Booklist).

Critically acclaimed author Pelyao presents a culturally centered, haunting anthology featuring a who’s who of today’s Latiné authors with simultaneous publication in English and Spanish. The 17 stories are as different as the authors themselves. For example, Agustina Bazterrica presents a chilling, psychological, and heartbreaking story of a family’s pain; while Ann Dávila Cardinal’s diaspora story/satire will make readers laugh and gasp; and Lilliam Rivera’s standout, a discomfiting, visceral tale of body horror, anger, and retribution across generations and countries that will remind readers of Stephen Graham Jones. The tales here might stem from an inherited legacy of the horrors of colonialism, narco-violence, immigration, dictatorships, and gender violence, but the universal fear they describe reverberates loudly, screams into readers’ ears, ringing with their unsettling truth, lingering and forcing readers to reckon with what they have just experienced, long after the final page is turned. For all horror readers, this anthology will be especially sought after by the fans of the included authors and those who enjoyed the Never Whistle at Night anthologies.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Haunting, Full Range of Scares, Thought-Provoking

Click here for much more by me about this anthology. Something Followed Us Home: Tales of Latiné Horror comes out on September 29th from Atria/Primero Sueno Press who provided this ARC for me to giveaway to one of you.

Finally, an anthology I am very excited about but did not have time to fit it into my review schedule-- Unearthed: New Horror of Ancient Ruins. edited by Dan Coxon and Philip Fracassi. From Goodreads:

Nineteen original horror stories exploring ancient sites, uncovering forgotten histories and prising open the tombs of the past, from award-winning authors and editors Dan Coxon and Philip Fracassi.

Perfect for fans of Ellen Datlow.

Unearthed digs beneath these crumbling structures to reveal their archaic pasts, and their darkest secrets. Featuring the best modern writers of horror and dark fantasy, these stories explore the caverns and the catacombs, the ruined temples and the monoliths – and drag an ancient evil back into the light.

Featuring stories by  Tananarive Due Christopher Golden Josh Malerman Tim Lebbon Eric LaRocca A.M. Shine Jonathan Maberry Hildur Knútsdóttir Ai Jiang A. G. Slatter Mark Chadbourn Priya Sharma Benjamin Percy V. Castro Gemma Amor Cavan Scott Premee Mohamed Hache Pueyo Steve Toase

Unearthed comes out on  9/15/26 from Titan Books who have provided this ARC to me to give away to one of you.

That's 3 anthologies for 1 lucky winner.

Enter now and you are entered going forward.

Good luck!

No Giveaway Today BUT.....

I will be heading on vacation in a few days so there is no giveaway this week.

However, I have lots of upcoming Horror books for all ages to share today via Shelf Awareness:

Note from the Editors

Welcome to Shelf Awareness: Extra!

Welcome to another edition of Shelf Awareness Extra!, which are special issues that focus on a particular subject and appear once a month. This edition focuses on Halloween, many people's favorite holiday--for booksellers and publishers, too. For a lot more about spooky titles, keep reading!

Click through for lots of upcoming horror goodness, for all ages.  

I am back next week with 3 up coming anthologies for 1 winner. Including a hard cover, finished copy of this.

You can enter anytime. Follow the direction on the most recent giveaway here.

Announcing the Gorgeous Special Edition of WHY I LOVE HORROR

 Details on the general blog here. 

But before you click over, here are some pictures to get you excited.

Click here for details.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: Books by Michael Wehunt and Hailey Piper for One winner

Today I have two high interested ARCs of September Horror titles. 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.

The last winner was from Jo from NY. Now on to this week's giveaway.

First up I have the second book by the winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First novel, Michael Wehunt's Nightjars. From my Booklist review of this title: 

Following his award-winning debut, The October Film Haunt, Wehunt plunges readers deep into the mountains of Northern Georgia for an atmospheric, blood soaked, horror-crime hybrid. Luke and his ex-wife Kristin still care for each other; however, Luke’s addiction made their union no longer possible. When a date disappears on Luke, leaving behind a photo of him as a child, with a dead body and masked man in his bedroom, he is shaken, but then it gets worse, as the photos keep coming, more recent now, depicting a bloody Luke posing with murder victims. Simultaneously, exsanguinated bodies are also piling up in the area. Luke’s history of missing memories make him no longer able to trust himself. Told by Luke and Kristin as they fight to save what is left of Luke and protect their daughter from a similar fate, readers are led on a twisty, heart-wrenching, and discomfiting journey, one with plenty of surprises nesting in the woods where the nightjars live. For fans of Coffin Moon by Rosson and Devils Kill Devils by Compton.  

Three Words That Describe This Book: family secrets, extreme tension, horror-crime hybrid

Nightjars comes out on September 29th from St. Martin's Press who provided me with this ARC to give away to one of you.

And second, I have an ARC of one of two books Hailey Piper has out this Fall-- This Movie Doesn't End the Way We Want. From the book description: 

A woman, haunted by the disappearance of her sister and best friend thirty years ago uncovers the terrifying urban legend behind the last film they watched together, in this chilling riff on the cursed film subgenre by the Bram Stoker award-winning author of Queen of Teeth.

Perfect for fans of Gretchen Felker-Martin and Andrew Joseph White. I

n November 1994, three girls visit their local movie theater to see an obscure film. Only one of them is ever seen again.

Thirty years later, Val McQueen has never forgotten the day she lost her little sister and best friend, but she’s closed the curtain on it, certain she’s moved on despite her parents’ resentment and hounding by true crime enthusiasts.

That is until a stranger’s murder brings it all screaming back—a terror she’s tried to tell herself is only a movie. Enlisting the help of cinephile and former classmate Roxie de la Fontaine to find the film, Val soon realizes that hers is not the only pursuit. Someone, or something involved with the movie is on the hunt, too…

… For the girl who got away all those years ago.

Since Piper has 2 books coming out this Fall, I could not review both. I have the next Piper book read and the review turned in. (More soon including a giveaway.) I do not have a review for this one, but my colleague, Lila Denning, had this starred review which you all can read for free here.

This Movie Doesn't End the Way We Want comes out on September 15th from Titan books who provided me with this ARC to give away to one of you.

These two advanced copies are available this week to one winner.

Enter now and you are entered going forward. 

Good Luck!

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: 4 Book Creature Publishing Prize Pack Including a NEW Gwendolyn Kiste Novella

Today I have a four book prize pack, for one winner, from Creature Publishing, including one book I reviewed for Booklist Online back in June and a new Gwendolyn Kiste for which I have turned in a review and have extensive notes for here. To learn more about Creature Publishing click here as they were my featured small press for 31 Days of Horror in 2025. [Side note: I am compiling the essays for this year's featured publisher right now.] 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.

The last winner was from Molly from GA. Now on to this week's giveaway. 

I have four ARCs for one winner from Creature Publishing. Again, to learn more about them, click here to see the feature I did on this small press last October, including Why I Love Horror essays by some of the authors included here.

Of the four books I am giving away, I have written Booklist reviews for two of them. As I mentioned  above, one is live already and the other is being published next month. 

First up, Witches of the Wheel by Lindsay Merbaum. Click here to access my review and detailed notes. But to give you a quick taste, here are my three words that describe this book: conversational storytelling, atmospheric, lesbians/goddesses/ witches

Next up, In These Gilded, Ghostly Hearts by Gwendolyn Kiste. I have turned in the review but it is not live yet. However, you can still access my detailed notes here. And, one the review is live, I will link to it on the blog in that Goodreads review. Here are my three words that describe this book: book about a book, immersive and visceral, reclaiming forgotten women (especially discarded daughters). 

The other two books for which I am giving ARCs away to this one lucky reader are The Patron Saint of White Menageries by Lauren T. Davila and Woodfeast by Meg Ripley. I highly recommend all 4 titles.

And in my October column for LJ I will have one more Creature title to highlight and give away. Here is a preview of that.

But for now, 4 books for one winner. 

Thank you to Creature for the ARCs.

Coming up in a few weeks I have a finished, hard cover copy of Ellen Datlow's latest anthology (to be paired with 2 other anthology ARCs) and so much more. 

Enter now and you are entered going forward. 

Good luck!

#Horror For Libraries Giveaway: Off the Reservation by Stephen Graham Jones Plus a Bonus Book

Today I have two books for 1 winner. In fact, I will be offering two books for one winner for the foreseeable future. This week I am featuring a huge title which I gave a starred review in Booklist last month, and another title I am super excited about but did not have time to review. 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.

The last winner was from Lisa from PA. Now on to this week's giveaway. 

I am just going to start with the first book because you all want to read it and there are NOT a lot of paper ARCs circulating.

STAR

Off the Reservation

Stephen Graham Jones

Oct. 2026. 416p. Saga, $32 (9781668225127).

First published July 2026 (Booklist).

When digging into the darkest corners of history, no one is spared from the monsters unearthed. Set five years after the action of The Only Good Indians, Jones’ companion novel begins with one of its only survivors, Nate Yellow Tail, severely injured after robbing the home of a wealthy “Summer Indian.” While in the hospital, Nurse Seine recruits Nate to join a rag-tag group of Indians, herself, a mute young man dressed like a priest, and the RV owner, actively grieving the death of her husband and sons, on a quest from their Montana reservation to Pennsylvania’s infamous Carlisle Indian School to repatriate the bones of a murdered Blackfeet boy. However, gathering the bones is only half the story, as something evil is determined to follow them home, unless Nate can make his own last stand. A hilarious road trip novel, a fresh, non-religious take on the possession trope, a visceral and vulnerable character study, laying bare a 360 degree view of the horrors of being Native in America. More than the sum of its perfectly constructed parts, this is a horror novel where every detail works together, deepening the emotional impact for all. For fans of Iglesias’ The Devil Takes You Home and the possession trope as reimagined by Cordova in Monstrilio. 

Three Words That Describe This Book: immersive, non-Christian possession, visceral/venerable/hilarious

Click here to read a lot more by me about this book. Off the Reservation by Stephen Graham Jones comes out on October 13th from Saga Press (also my publisher) who sent me this copy to give away to one of you.

Since I have your attention I wanted to alert you to another book coming out this October, The Porcelain Sisters by Daryl Gregory. From the publisher's website:

A shy young woman and her deeply unpleasant—and literally porcelain—sister fight for their inheritance, taking on an impossible array of enemies, including a chain-smoking demon crow, an unkillable assassin, and a secret clan of French sorceresses. In his newest adventure, World Fantasy and Shirley Jackson Award-winner Daryl Gregory (We Are All Completely Fine) delivers a dizzying, darkly funny, and surprisingly poignant romp through the horrors of sisterhood.

“The Porcelain Sisters will grip you from the first page and stay with you long after the brilliant finale.” —Stephanie Feldman, author of Saturnalia 

Ruth Winslow is trying to save up enough money to finish college while looking after her sister, Isabel—who happens to be a haunted doll. When an accident severely damages Isabel’s porcelain body, the sisters have to find the only woman who can fix her, the fearsome witch known as La Fabricante: the Dollmaker.  

The sisters head to Marseille, where they take on Le Clan: Chiffon, a red-headed, unkillable assassin; a collection of angry, haunted dolls; plus a pair of demons—one a cigarette-smoking crow, the other a black cat—and their human familiars. Along the way, the sisters learn that they’ve been lied to their entire lives. Their mother wasn’t just a homemaker who died in a car accident, she was a legendary enforcer in the Le Clan des Sorcières.

While Ruth has to come out of her shell and deal with her own latent powers, Isabel has to grow up in a body that can’t grow. Together they’ll have to outwit and outfight everyone to claim their birthright.

The Porcelain Sisters comes out on October 27th from Tachyon Publications who sent me this copy for me to give away to one of you.

Two books, one winner. Enter now and you are entered going forward.

Good luck!

#HorrorForLIbrariesGiveaway: ARCs of Eric LaRocca and Alma Katsu for 1 Lucky Winner

Today I have two books for 1 winner. In fact, I will be offering two books for one winner for the foreseeable future. This week I am featuring 2 titles are featured in the July issue of Library Journal which contains my Genre Preview article. And which I reviewed in Booklist here and here. 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.

Last week's winner was from Lisa from PA. Now on to this week's giveaway. 

Today, I am offering 1 lucky winner two high demand ARCs. First up a novel to which I gave a starred review in the July 2026 issue of Booklist.

STAR

We Turn Gruesome At Night Burnt Sparrow Book 2

By Eric LaRocca

Ten years after the events of We Are Always Tender With Our Dead readers return to the blighted, rotten town of Burnt Sparrow, NH. Rupert and Gladys are still trapped within the walls of End House, unable to even poke a finger over the threshold without their skin unraveling. The claustrophobia and anxiety are already intense, when one day their regular grocery delivery comes with an anonymous confession letter addressed to Rupert. The details of that letter are shocking, but they also provide the spark that blows the story wide open, allowing Rupert and Gladys the chance to taste freedom. However, once they cross this threshold, they can never go back to the way things were and the horror of this both discomfiting and titillating. LaRocca holds readers rapt, engrossing them in a tale of layered depravities, confident they will be unable to look away. An exemplary middle book of a trilogy; a strong stand-alone story that plants the seed of the finale to come; a tale that honors the history of the Gothic but gives it new life by injecting it with the alluring catharsis of transgressive horror; for fans of Shirley Jackson, Clive Barker, and Poppy Z. Brite. 

Three Words That Describe This Book: crossing thresholds, extreme horror meets Gothic, engrossing

Please use this link to read all of my thoughts on this book. We Turn Gruesome at Night by Eric LaRocca comes out on 9/8/26 from Titan Books who provided this ARC for me to give away to one of you.

Next up, a great book by a high demand author:

Incarnate

By Alma Katsu 

Katsu (Fiend) returns with a modern retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray that hits very close to home. Dorothy lands her dream job with an AI meets motion capture effects company, but her destructive need to be popular rears its head when she illegally accesses their servers to create the gorgeous influencer, Isabella, passing her off as a real person. Her work gets a few likes before attracting the attention of someone offering to make all of her dreams come true, for an unnamed price. Dorothy agrees and her life changes overnight, as her world quickly goes to unimaginable heights before spiraling out of control leading to horrors that pile upon horrors. Uncomfortable at every turn (including gnarly body horror), the real terror here comes when readers inevitably interrogate their own social media choices. Think the film The Substance, but with more substance. For readers who enjoy Faustian bargains like All's Well by Awad or We Sold Our Souls by Hendrix as well as the AI implications explored by Tingle in Bury Your Gays. 

 

Three Words That Describe This Book: retelling, squirm inducing, deal with the devil

Please use this link to read all of my thoughts on this book. Incarnate by Alma Katsu comes out on 9/22/26 from GP Putnam and Son's who provided this ARC for me to give away to one of you.

Enter now and you are entered going forward.

Both books, one winner.

Good luck.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway is Off This Week

I have been giving away 2 books a week for over a month, but this week, the giveaway is on pause. Back next week with 2 HUGE titles for 1 winner and then 2 books a week for the foreseeable future.

2026 Horror Genre Preview is Live

Click on over to RA for All to read it and get all the links. Or click on the image below.

Also, always head over to my Archive of Becky's Lists, Articles, and Presentations for a great cache of article and more. It is always in the right gutter, page list.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: ARCs of Rachel Harrison and Scott Hawkins for 1 winner

Today I have two books for 1 winner. In fact, I will be offering two books for one winner for the foreseeable future. This week I am featuring 2 titles are featured in the July issue of Library Journal which contains my Genre Preview article. And which I reviewed in Booklist here and here. 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.

Last week's winner was from John from WA. Now on to this week's giveaway. 

Today (and next week), I am offering 1 lucky winner to high demand ARCs. First up one of my favorite books of 2026. I gave this novel a starred review in the July 2026 issue of Booklist.

Kiss Slay Replay

By Rachel Harrison Sept. 2026. 336p. 

Weddings can be horror, especially for Willa, just a few months out from cancelling her own wedding, reuniting with her college besties (and her ex), for a wedding at a former summer camp deep in the Hudson Valley. But at this wedding, the horror is all too real as a masked man goes on a murderous rampage, killing everyone, including Willa. That is, until she wakes up in her own bed to find it was all a nightmare. Or was it? The day she just dreamed of appears to be happening again. Bestseller Harrison (Play Nice) doubles down on what is expected from a time loop tale – intense unease, existential terror, deep character development, and dark humor– while also presenting original and compelling twists. Harrison puts Willa through hell; however she will need to push past her own anxiety and depression to truly find herself because the only way out is for her to find a way through. Clearly for fans of time loop stories, but don’t pigeon hole this brilliant novel because it is also a tale that actively investigates the horror genre itself much like I Was a Teenaged Slasher by Jones or Lucky Day by Tingle.

Three Words That Describe This Book: time loop, character driven, wholly original 

Please use this link to read all of my thoughts on this book. Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison comes out on 9/8/26 from Berkely who provided this ARC for me to give away to one of you.

The second title is a long awaited book by the author of a modern cult classic which I also reviewed here in the July 2026 issue of Booklist.

Blacktail 

by Scott Hawkins 

Ten years after the publication of The Library of Mount Char, Hawkins is back with another original and riveting, horror-fantasy hybrid, but this time, featuring animal narrators. After Blacktail, a young wolf, watches humans destroy everything he holds dear, word of his strength, anger, and blood-thirsty actions reach Old Kitty Mother, a feline witch whose power and influence extend around the world. She channels Blacktail's unique gifts, sending him on a quest to reconnect the animal world with their Forest God, who has forsaken them. This is eco-horror at its most primal and visceral. The various animal narrators make it very clear not only how horrible humans are, but also show how far they are all willing to go to get their revenge. Hawkins pulls no punches, and at times, Blacktail's violent choices are intensely discomfiting. However, this is also a mythical journey following a flawed but sympathetic loner hero who meets new creatures along his way, hears their stories, before moving on toward his destiny. Fans of Adam’s Watership Down who can handle the blood thirsty vengeance in Malerman’s Pearl will devour this one.  

Three Words That Describe This Book: animal point of view, dark fantasy quest/journey, nature is not happy with us

Please use this link to read all of my thoughts on this book. Blacktail by Scott Hawkins comes out on 9/1/26 from Crown who provided this ARC for me to give away to one of you.

Enter now and you are entered going forward. 

Both books, one winner.

Good luck.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: LJ Horror Preview Special

Today I have two books for 1 winner. In fact, I will be offering two books for one winner for the foreseeable future. This week I am featuring 2 titles are featured in the July issue of Library Journal which contains my Genre Preview article. It is in the magazine now and it will be available online 7/15/26 [link added 7/16/26]. 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.

Last week's winner was from Kristin from MI. Now on to this week's giveaway. 

First up I have a book I gave a starred review to in the June issue of Library Journal-- Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night Part II edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore Van Alst Jr:

Three Words That Describe This Book: Indigenous Horror, Range of Scares, Unapologetic

Spending more than a year on the bestseller list, and sent into 20+ printings, the success of Never Whistle at Night cannot be exaggerated. That first volume leaned more heavily on atmosphere, cautiously testing the market’s appetite for Indigenous horror, but this time the editors are unafraid to lean on the horror with a full throttle because “Back for Blood,” is not just a title, it’s a promise. Some readers will come looking for new stories by Stephen Graham Jones, Tommy Orange, or Ramona Emerson, but half the stories came from an open call, and it is those new voices whose stories are among the most memorable here. Beginning with visceral body horror, moving through stories featuring werewolves, found footage, and Indigenous monsters (such as a tulpa and “That One”), to stories that contemplate the horrors of racism, addiction, and the murder of Indigenous women, leading to an unforgettable science fiction-horror hybrid, a tale that reverberates its terror across time, Hawk and Van Alst Jr lay bare their commitment to unapologetically represent the full range of Indigenous horror voices. The result is a captivating, chilling, and menacing anthology perfectly suited for readers of all genres.

Verdict: The rare sequel that is better than its original. Suggest to fans of any horror stories or anthologies featuring non-dominant culture authors such as Out There Screaming or Our Shadows Have Claws.

The July issue features an interview I did with Shane and Ted who are also part of Summer Scares this year with the first anthology in this series. 

Thank you to Vintage for the ARC I am giving away today.

I am pairing this title with a book I am very excited about, a title I highlighted in the preview's debut section-- An Immaculate Deception by Isabela Livino:

A debut Gothic horror set in 1870s Brazil—a tale of creeping suspense in which a young pregnant woman finds herself unable to escape her lover’s isolated family home, and a family’s deal with the devil goes terribly wrong.

1877, Pernambuco, Brazil: Raised in a deeply religious household, Madalena knows Dante’s Inferno by heart and fears her mother’s reaction as much as she fears God. When she falls pregnant with a child conceived in sin, her mother issues a threat: marry or surrender the baby. Madalena is confident that the father, the dashing Leandro Neves, will do right by her and propose. But just as she is about to tell him about the baby, a violent storm sends their carriage careening off the road.

Madalena awakens in Leandro’s sprawling, secluded home, under the care of the mysterious and larger-than-life Doctor Lobo. Leandro is there . . . but he is no longer the charming poet she knew. He’s silent. Obsessed. Always watching.

Strange perfume haunts a locked room. Pages vanish from books. Jewels lie untouched in a forgotten wardrobe. And mirrors begin disappearing after Madalena sees something—or someone—ghastly in the reflection.

Leandro is unraveling. Doctor Lobo may be hiding something even darker. Trapped in a decaying house of secrets, Madalena must uncover the truth before the men around her destroy her, and before the hell she fears becomes the one she’s living in.

This title was also included in Booklist's Read N Rave during ALA Annual. Thank you to Dutton for the ARC.

So two books from my upcoming Horror Genre Preview for 1 lucky winner. Enter now and you are entered going forward.

Good luck.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: Poisoned Pen Prize Pack

Today I have two books for 1 winner. In fact, I will be offering two books for one winner for at least the next 5 weeks (probably more). This week I am featuring 2 titles that are perfect for libraries but I did not have time to fit them into my review schedule. 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.

Last week's winner was from Gary from IL. Now on to this week's giveaway. 

Poisoned Pen is an imprint of Sourcebooks that focuses on horror. They are putting out a solid slate of titles for horror readers all year long. Like Sourcebooks proper, every single one of their books is a perfect add for public library collections. They think about the reader experience first, full stop. And at libraries this is important.

I don't have time to review all of their books myself though. Last week, I featured a giveaway of The Burn Line, one of their title coming out this summer. But today, I want to feature 2 more, titles I did not personally review but which I am urging you to order for your libraries. I will present them in release order below.

First up Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die by Mallory Arnold:

One isolated cabin. One cheating boyfriend. One plan to get even.

When Nora, Ruby, and Cham discover that they've each been dating the same man, what starts as outrage quickly spirals into a plot for revenge. Together they hatch a plan to lure their boyfriend to a romantic getaway in a secluded cabin at the top of a snow-covered mountain.

Only what was meant to be harmless payback soon takes a chilling turn when their not-so-adoring boyfriend is found dead in the cabin.

Stranded and snowed in, the women begin to look at each other with increasing suspicion. And as tensions rise, hidden motives come to light. To survive, each woman must confront her own demons as they fight to uncover if one of them is the killer, or if something else lurks in the freezing wilderness, waiting to pick them off one by one.

I did read and review Arnold's debut How to Survive a Horror Story last year here. Arnold is a great readalike for your fans of Craig DiLouie, Christina Henry, Darcy Coates, and Simon St. James to name a few. Obviously you have an audience for Arnold. 

Cross My Heart, I Hope You Die by Mallory Arnold comes out soon-- July 14th. Make sure you have out already on order.

Second, a lesser known author but one you should definitely have in your collections. And by the Sea Gave Up the Dead by William Friend:

For fans of Jennifer Thorne's Diavola and We Have Always Lived in the Castle comes William Friend's latest stunning novel following a young woman's return to her family's crumbling chateau to stay with her aging aunt - but grief, mystery, and something undead haunts her family, and soon, a dark history will repeat itself.

"In the woods... between the trees..."

Morwenna knows she needs to visit Bethan. Her aunt is wasting away in the family's crumbling chateau by the French seaside, where she's lived alone since the mysterious disappearance of her husband. The locals claim Bethan is responsible, though Morwenna knows her aunt is simply declining and in desperate need of company.

Grief lives in that house, and Morwenna has avoided it for years. Until a disturbing phone call from Barbara finally pushes her to act. So she packs up her children and new partner to stay for a week.

But the chateau changes people. Old magic has seeped into the ground. The village remembers what happened at the grand old house, centuries ago. They remember who died, and what came back. Soon, this place will leave its mark on Morwenna's family. And she cannot escape the feeling that, unless she learns the truth about what happened to her uncle, something ancient and evil will rise, and a dark history will repeat itself at the chateau.

This book has some stellar blurbs here. It is for fans of Grief Horror, Gothic Horror, and Sea Soaked Horror (a current big trend).  And by the Sea Gave Up the Dead by William Friend comes out on August 18th so you have time to add this to carts.

Those are the 2 books for 1 winner for this week. Thanks to Sourcebooks for the ARCs. 

Enter now and you are entered going forward. Going forward I have many of the THE MOST ANTICIPATED HORROR coming out in the next few month going out to my winners. You have to be in it to win it.

Before I go, also check out today's post on RA for All which is about the second half of 2026 ARC Party podcast preview. 

Good luck!

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: The Burn Line and the House That Eats the Dead

Today I have two books for 1 winner. In fact, I will be offering two books for one winner for at least the next 5 weeks. This week I am featuring a title that I included in my Horror Review Column in  the June 2026 issue of Library Journal and a title I wanted to review but could not fit into my schedule. 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.

Last week's winner was from Emily from IL. Now on to this week's giveaway. 

First up, The Burn Line by Jonathan Sims. From my draft review:

Fans of the Magnus Archives podcast rejoice, its creator has written his first book, an entertaining and immersive eldritch horror-mystery set during a sweltering heat wave, featuring a monster in the London Underground. In consecutive chapters to open the novel, readers meet five strangers on a train car. One by one they tell their story of that fateful day as each experiences an unsettling moment of dissociation, notices a distinctly awful smell unlike any bad odor they have encountered on the Underground before, and comes away with a gray, flaky film clinging to them. The dread and unease from that fleeting moment follows each, first as a nagging bad feeling, then manifesting into a pale humanoid creature, stalking them. A story where every detail matters, bonkers in all the right ways, producing claustrophobic chills, and providing a biting social commentary, readers will dive into the tunnels and root for this motley group of former strangers turned found family as they work together to stop a terrifying monster and save the people of London (and themselves) from a terrible fate. Verdict: With a huge built-in audience, libraries need to have this one available, but it is also an excellent suggestion for fans of Chuck Tingle, Alma Katsu’s Fiend, and Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink’s Welcome to Night Vale.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Multiple Points of view, Social Commentary, Horror-Mystery

The Burn Line comes out August 25, 2026. Thanks to Poisoned Pen for the ARC to give away to one of you.

Second is The House That Eats the Dead by Max Doty. From Goodreads:

A family moves into their dream home—only to discover that it hides an insatiable hunger—in this dread-laced and darkly outrageous domestic horror novel.

The new house is a fresh start for Claire and her family. It's a move away from the cityscape of a declining San Francisco and towards the quiet suburban life she has craved since her turbulent childhood; a step up the corporate ladder for her husband, Tom; and a safe haven for their two children.

Yet as they unpack their boxes, she senses something is wrong. Fresh flowers dry up, store-bought eggs are inexplicably hollow, and her daughter's favorite toy disappears. Claire soon confronts a series of impossible The house is hungry. It's devouring anything that was once alive. And only Claire and Tom, the owners of the house, will remember that this "food" ever existed.

When Claire exploits the house's power in a moment of weakness, she and the house forge a fragile bond. But as its hunger intensifies and Claire loses control, she fears who else might be drawn to her home—and what sinister appetites they’ll bring.

This title is the perfect example of a book I wanted to review but I literally do not have enough time to review all the books I want to. I can however, highlight it here and encourage the rest of you to purchase it for your collections.

The House That Easts the Dead comes out on August 18.2026. Thanks to  Bantam for the copy to give away to one of you.

So there you have it, two books, 1 winner. Entry details above.

I also have MAJOR titles to give away in the coming weeks-- Eric LaRocca, Rachel Harrison, Alma Katsu, Scott Hawkins, Stephen Graham Jones, Michael Wehunt, and more! You are going to want to enter now to be entered going forward.

Good luck to all!

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.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: Reliquary by Hannah F. Whitten

Today I have a an ARC of an upcoming anthology, my review of which is in the June 2026 issue of Booklist. 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.

Last week's winner was Kristin from PA. Now on to this week's giveaway. 

 

Reliquary

By Hannah F. Whitten

Aug. 2026. 432p. Run For It, $30 (9780316579537). First published June 1, 2026 (Booklist).

Best-selling fantasy writer, Whitten, dives head first into Horror with a compelling, unsettling, and entertaining sea monster tale. When she was a teen, an accident at sea killed Claire’s parents and younger sister, but she has found comfort with her fiance Elias, that is, until he drops dead at work. When his mother contacts Claire and invites her to their ancestral home, a castle built into the cliff of an island in Maine, for a funeral, she accepts. As Claire enters the home and descends into its living spaces, deep underground, it begins to feel like there is something much more nefarious planned. Claire’s repressed emotions and memories add a level of disorientation to the story, but as more secrets are revealed, the pressure builds, the force breaks everything open, and the terrifying truth floods all that stands in its way. A novel not just for fans of sea soaked dark fantasy and horror, but also for readers of Gothics with immersive settings and intense dread like Mexican Gothic by Moreno-Garcia and tales of the monsters behind the business success of the uber rich like Fiend by Katsu. 

Three Words The Describe This Book: Sea Soaked Horror, Gothic, Intense Unease

I have a lot more to say about this book here. Please click through and learn more. This one is going to be a big hit. Whitten has tons of fans, many of which may want more horror after they enjoy this one.

Thanks to Run for It for the ARC to giveaway to one of you.

Also heads starting next week and for the next 5 weeks, the giveaway will be 2 books for 1 winner. I have some HUGE titles as well. So you will want to get yourself entered now to be eligible going forward.

I have the new Never Whistle at Night, Rachel Harrison, Alma Katsu, Scott Hawkins, and Eric LaRocca all queued up. As well as a few excellent but lesser known titles. 

Enter today if you want a chance to win.