About This Cursed House: In this Southern gothic horror debut, a young Black woman abandons her life in 1960s Chicago for a position with a mysterious family in New Orleans, only to discover the dark truth: They’re under a curse, and they think she can break it.

Fall reading can be cozy and cute, but I prefer creepy. What better time of year to sink into a good, chilling story than this one, when October ends with the spookiest night of the year? Compiling this list of scary tales wasn’t easy, but there’s something here for every fright fan – from straight slasher to alt history to Southern Gothic, and much more. If you’re looking for your next terrifying read, any of these 13 horror novels may have you sleeping with the lights on.

I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones

Horror master Stephen Graham Jones includes all the slasher elements this movie genre’s fans are familiar with (particularly if their favorites include household names like Freddy, Michael, and Jason). The title alone tells you what this novel is about. But there’s more to it than slashing. The friendship between Tolly and Amber drives this story forward. In spite of the murder and mayhem, it’s their relationship that will keep you invested, right to the shocking conclusion.

Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates

What happens when a woman inherits not only the family business but the haunted land on which it sits? The past plagues the present in this spooky tale by Darcy Coates. This novel has things that go bump in the night and things that won’t rest until they’re satisfied.

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

Victor LaValle turns a Lovecraftian work on its head with this novella. LaValle uses H.P. Lovecraft’s racist The Horror at Red Hook as inspiration for a story featuring a Black protagonist who hustles to survive. This is a wonderfully dark cosmic horror tale that uses its source as a starting point into an uncanny journey that cannot end well.

The Girl With All the Gifts by Mike Carey

This take on a zombie apocalypse is frightening and heartbreaking in equal measure. Melanie is one of the most memorable characters in scary fiction. She’s equal parts innocent and deadly, and yet you can’t help but root for her and the people who care for her. In her world, survival is a priority, but there’s still room for friendship and love.

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

Alexis Henderson’s debut is a creepily atmospheric story of one young woman’s discovery of her true self. Set in a fictional world that has echoes of Puritan New England mixed with A Handmaid’s Tale, this witchy book is bloody and shocking. But it’s perhaps the similarities with real women’s issues (both past and present) that make The Year of the Witching so chilling. 

The Elementals by Michael McDowell

At the heart of many Southern gothic stories is family. Bizarre and weird, but family. That’s what makes this horror novel by the late Michael McDowell so fantastic. Set on sandy Alabama shores in a remote locale, there’s a lot to unpack with the Savages. And as events progress and the sand rises, things get stranger and then downright terrifying.

The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco

A vengeful ghost and a haunted teenage boy whose tattoos are much more than ink on skin captivate in this horror book from Rin Chupeco. The title may call to mind Japanese movies like Ring (U.S. version the Ring) and Ju-On (The Grudge in the U.S.). The story is based on Japanese folklore, and this Young Adult novel has a tension that only increases in its terror.

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark

In this alt history novel, P. Djèlí Clark uses real-life terrorist group KKK as devilish inspiration. The characters who fight back against the terrors of racism in Prohibition-era Georgia are an eclectic mix of badasses who give the “Ku Kluxes” just some of what they deserve.

The Ritual by Adam Nevill

This book about four friends getting lost in the woods is like Blair Witch Scandinavia – and is about 100 times scarier. Although the story takes place in a forest, there’s a claustrophobic vibe that permeates and gets under the skin. Adam Nevill’s descriptions of mangled bodies and ancient rites make this one of the scariest books I’ve ever read.

The Good House by Tananarive Due

Spoiler alert: The home at the heart of The Good House isn’t really good. Instead, there are some dark forces at work here. Add in voodoo, a sinister atmosphere, and memorable characters, and this is one of Tananarive Due’s books that’s a solid can’t-miss.

Bag of Bones by Stephen King

He’s the King of Horror for a reason. While much of Stephen King’s repertoire falls somewhere on the frightening spectrum, this ghost story is one of the most terrifying he’s ever written. However, the scares from the ghost pale in comparison to the tragic events that took place in the past. This one is equally scary and sad.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Morena-Garcia

What appears to start as a visit to a family member, perhaps to rescue her, soon turns into a creepy trip that quickly goes downhill. Silvia Morena-Garcia’s protagonist Noemí isn’t your typical 1950s young woman looking for a husband – but that doesn’t mean the weird Doyle family at the heart of the story isn’t looking to make her a wife, for the worst reasons ever.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

No horror story listicle would be complete without mentioning this menacing gem from Shirley Jackson. Widely considered the best haunted house novel ever, the scares are more subtle, so if that’s more your speed vs. being clobbered over the head, this is the book for you. It’s a great introduction to one of the best authors to ever write in the genre.

The post Top 13 Horror Novels To Scare You This Halloween appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Well, 2024 is almost here so it’s time to start thinking about all of the books which will be heading your way! In this round up, we take a look at an array of highly anticipated books releasing between the months of January and June! You can expect new releases from the likes of Sarah J. Maas, Jay Kristoff, Ali Hazelwood, Kristin Hannah, Stephen King, Tana French, Sally Hepworth, Leigh Bardugo, and many more, plus some dazzling debuts.

You’ll find quite a few exciting new reads within this list and be sure to check out our other January to June 2024 lists, which we’ll be releasing over the next couple of weeks! This article will also get updated with those links so you can easily find them… Your poor TBR!

You can find our Swoonworthy Romance Releases here, Anticipated YA Releases here, and our SFF releases here.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you’ll be picking up any!

JANUARY 2024 BOOK RELEASES

The Fury by Alex Michaelides

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A masterfully paced thriller about a reclusive ex–movie star and her famous friends whose spontaneous trip to a private Greek island is upended by a murder ― from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient.

House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas

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In this sexy, breathtaking sequel to the #1 bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath, Sarah J. Maas’s Crescent City series reaches new heights as Bryce and Hunt’s world is brought to the brink of collapse-with its future resting on their shoulders.

Come and Get It by Kiley Reid

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From the celebrated New York Times bestselling author of Such a Fun Age comes a fresh and provocative story about a residential assistant and her messy entanglement with a professor and three unruly students.

The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland

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From the author of New York Times bestseller House of Hollow comes a darkly seductive witchy thriller where, though both men and demons lurk in shadows, girls refuse to go quietly into the night.

Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen

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In this charming rom-com about two star-crossed lovers, a woman whose life is guided by her belief in the red-string of fate finds her perfect match—but his skepticism about true love puts a knot in their chances.

The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James

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A dazzling magical realism western in the vein of Cormac McCarthy meets Gabriel García Márquez, The Bullet Swallower follows a Mexican bandido as he sets off for Texas to save his family, only to encounter a mysterious figure who has come, finally, to collect a cosmic debt generations in the making.

A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

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In this romantic fantasy of manners from New York Times bestselling author Allison Saft, a magical dressmaker commissioned for a royal wedding finds herself embroiled in scandal when a gossip columnist draws attention to her undeniable chemistry with the groom.

The Longest Autumn by Amy Avery

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For fans of Ariadne, a spellbinding debut fantasy about a human who gets trapped with the god of Autumn, who brings with him life-threatening danger and a forbidden romance.

Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend by Emma R. Alban

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A swoon-worthy debut queer Victorian romance in which two debutantes distract themselves from having to seek husbands by setting up their widowed parents, and instead find their perfect match in each other—the lesbian Bridgerton/Parent Trap you never knew you needed!

The Getaway List by Emma Lord

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Inescapably romantic and brimming with New York Times bestselling author Emma Lord’s signature cheer, The Getaway List is an uplifting and romantic read that will settle into your heart and never leave.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

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New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins returns with a twisted new gothic suspense about an infamous heiress and the complicated inheritance she left behind.

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

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When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late, in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series.

FEBRUARY 2024 BOOK RELEASES

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

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During the Great War, a combat nurse searches for her brother, believed dead in the trenches despite eerie signs that suggest otherwise, in this hauntingly beautiful historical novel with a speculative twist from the New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

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A Holmes and Watson–style detective duo take the stage in this fantasy with a mystery twist, from the Edgar-winning, multiple Hugo-nominated Robert Jackson Bennett

The Women by Kristin Hannah

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From master storyteller Kristin Hannah comes the story of a turbulent, transformative era in America: the 1960s. The Women is that rarest of novels—at once an intimate portrait of a woman coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided by war and broken by politics, of a generation both fueled by dreams and lost on the battlefield.

Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana

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A stunning Romantasy debut about an enchanted library, two handsome Fae, and one human who brings them all together. 

A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams

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From the New York Times bestselling author of Seven Days in June, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is an epic love story one hundred years in the making…

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

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A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis.

Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury

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After her private school is rocked by a gruesome murder, a teen tries to find the real killer and clear her brother’s name in this psychological thriller perfect for fans of The Taking of Jake Livingston and Ace of Spades.

Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey

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#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey launches a super sexy sports romance duology with a rom-com about a bad boy professional athlete who falls for his biggest fan…

A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

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A shield maiden blessed by the gods battles to unite a nation under a power-hungry king—while also fighting her growing desire for his fiery son—in this Norse-inspired fantasy romance from the bestselling author of The Bridge Kingdom series.

Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa

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Set in 19th century Sri Lanka and inspired by local folklore, the daughter of a traditional demon-priest—relentlessly bullied by peers and accused of witchcraft herself—tries to solve the mysterious attacks that have been terrorizing her coastal village.

My Throat An Open Grave by Tori Bovalino

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Labyrinth meets folk horror in this darkly romantic tale of a girl who wishes her baby brother away to the Lord of the Wood.

How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly

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Chemistry sizzles in this workplace rom-com set in the world of high school basketball as the author of Love & Other Disasters delivers a sapphic romance full of humour and heart.

MARCH 2024 BOOK RELEASES

Murder Road by Simone St. James

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A young couple find themselves haunted by a string of gruesome murders committed along an old deserted road in this terrifying new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Cold Cases.

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste

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In a country divided between humans and witchers, Venus Stoneheart hustles as a brewer making illegal love potions to support her family.

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

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For fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club, an enormously fun mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate…. Now it’s up to her great-niece to catch the killer. 

The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black

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An imprisoned prince. A vengeful queen. And a battle that will determine the future of Elfhame. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black comes the stunning blood-soaked conclusion to the Stolen Heir duology.

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez

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New York Times bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez delivers a mesmerizing novel about a first-generation Ivy League student who uncovers the genius work of a female artist decades after her suspicious death

The Hunter by Tana French

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From the writer who is “in a class by herself,” (The New York Times), a nuanced, atmospheric tale that explores what we’ll do for our loved ones, what we’ll do for revenge, and what we sacrifice when the two collide.

Three Kinds of Lucky by Kim Harrison

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Luck is its own kind of magic, in this first book in an electrifying new contemporary fantasy series from the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Hollows novels.

Happily Never After by Lynn Painter

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A humorous and unique rom-com that sees two wedding crashers fall for each other. This intriguing premise delivers on its promise with so much feeling and so much fun.

In a Not So Perfect World by Neely Tubati-Alexander

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The author of Love Buzz follows her acclaimed first novel with a delightful Caribbean-set romp about an ambitious designer of apocalyptic video games with a strategy for (almost) everything who discovers what happens when her best-laid plans go off course . . .

The Princess of Las Vegas by Chris Bohjalian

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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and The Lioness, a Princess Diana impersonator and her estranged sister find themselves drawn into a dangerous game of money and murder in this twisting tale of organized crime, cryptocurrency, and family secrets on the Las Vegas strip.

The Perfect Guy Doesn’t Exist by Sophie Gonzales

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A fanfic writer brings her favourite TV character to life in this friends-to-enemies-to-lovers novel full of humour and heart.

Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff

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From the New York Times bestselling author of the Nevernight Chronicle, Jay Kristoff, comes the much-anticipated sequel to the #1 international bestselling sensation Empire of the Vampire.

APRIL 2024 BOOK RELEASES

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo

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From the New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House, Hell Bent, and creator of the Grishaverse series comes a highly anticipated historical fantasy set during the Spanish Golden Age.

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang

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In this magical epic fantasy, a young woman cursed with the power of death must decide if saving her family is worth betraying her country—the first installation of a gripping new series.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

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A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

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A thrilling page-turner of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder by New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth.

The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass

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The Paris Apartment meets The Wrong Family, this thrilling tale of crime, passion and murder is set in a run-down apartment complex packed with shady characters willing to go to deadly lengths to keep their darkest secrets from the stranger in their midst.

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

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From the author of the multimillion bestselling A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series and Five Survive comes a new true-crime fueled mystery thriller about a girl determined to uncover the shocking truth about her missing mother while filming a documentary on the unsolved case.

She’s Not Sorry by Mary Kubica

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An ICU nurse accidentally uncovers a patient’s frightening past in this chilling thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing and Just the Nicest Couple.

Here We Go Again by Alison Cochrun

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The author of Kiss Her Once for Me returns with a new queer rom-com following once childhood best friends forced together to drive their former teacher across the country.

Canto Contigo by Jonny Garza Villa

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When a Mariachi star transfers schools, he expects to be handed his new group’s lead vocalist spot—what he gets instead is a tenacious current lead with a very familiar, very kissable face.

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

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Zetian must balance dangerous politics with a new quest for vengeance in the sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Iron Widow, a blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction.

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings

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A sexy, sapphic, opposites-attract romance with Mazey Eddings’ signature sparkling voice!

Knife by Salman Rushdie

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From internationally renowned writer and Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie, a searing, deeply personal account of enduring—and surviving—an attempt on his life thirty years after the fatwa that was ordered against him

MAY 2024 BOOK RELEASES

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

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Step into a city where monsters feast on human emotions, knights split their souls to make their weapons, and witches always take more than they give.

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

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Christina Lauren, the instant New York Times bestselling and “reigning romance queens” (PopSugar), returns with a delicious new romance between the buttoned-up heir of a grocery chain and his free-spirited artist ex as they fake their relationship in order to receive a massive inheritance.

The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley

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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Celebrants comes the much-anticipated sequel to the Thurber Prize-Winning novel The Guncle, in which Patrick O’Hara is called back to his guncle duties… this time for a big family wedding in Italy.

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

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June Hur, bestselling author of The Red Palace, crafts a devastating and pulse-pounding tale that will feel all-too-relevant in today’s world, based on a true story from Korean history.

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware

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Harkening to Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None, this high-tension and ingenious thriller follows five couples trapped on a storm-swept island as a killer stalks among them.

The Dangerous Ones by Lauren Blackwood

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A romantic historical fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blackwood, set in the American Civil War with vampires and people with demigod-like abilities.

It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass

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The very first thriller from Rick Riordan Presents! Drawing from the darkest corners of Caribbean mythology, acclaimed author Sarah Dass crafts a chilling tale of magic, murder, and how far we’ll go to protect what’s ours—perfect for fans of Angeline Boulley and Tiffany D. Jackson.

Evocation by S.T. Gibson

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When a family curse threatens David’s life, he will turn to the only person he’s ever trusted, his ex-boyfriend, Rhys—which means he will have to open his heart to Moira, Rhys’s wife. Dark academia and urban fantasy combine in this richly imagined novel set in a fictitious, magic-riddled Boston.

The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields

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The Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. That is her curse to bear. But when a young woman who doesn’t believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet debut novel of magic, hope, and love overcoming all.

You Like It Darker by Stephen King

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From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.

This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune

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An achingly nostalgic love story about two friends-with-benefits who can’t be together but can’t seem to stay apart. This Summer Will Be Different offers an idyllic coastal setting, enticing vacation descriptions, and a story that is equal parts sexy romance and female friendship. It has all the ingredients for another book of the summer!

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay

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In classic Alex Finlay form, If Something Happens to Me is told by several distinct, compelling characters whose paths intersect, detonating into a story of twist after pulse-pounding twist. The novel cements Finlay as one of the leading thriller writers today.

JUNE 2024 BOOK RELEASES

Enlightenment by Sarah Perry

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A dazzling new work of literary fiction from the author of The Essex Serpent, a story of love and astronomy told over the course of twenty years through the lives of two improbable best friends.

Daydream by Hannah Grace

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The third in the New York Times bestselling Maple Hills series follows fan-favourite Henry and a bookish fellow student who come up with a plan to help them both overcome their respective challenges in a difficult year.

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

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In the latest jaw-dropping thriller from New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager, a man must contend with the long-ago disappearance of his childhood best friend—and the dark secrets lurking just beyond the safe confines of his picture-perfect neighbourhood.

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

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New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center’s latest laugh out loud, feel good rom-com about writing your own story, perfect for fans of Emily Henry and Christina Lauren.

Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse

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The interwoven destinies of the people of Meridian will finally be determined in this stunning conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse’s Between Earth and Sky trilogy.

Icon and Inferno by Marie Lu

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Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and Ally Carter, the dazzling sequel to #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu’s Stars and Smoke, is “a brilliant, breathtaking ride” – Tahereh Mafi, #1 internationally bestselling author.

The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton

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In her breathtaking debut – part space odyssey, part Sapphic rom-com – Emily Hamilton weaves a suspenseful, charmingly irreverent, and ultimately joyous tale of galaxy-spanning friendship, improbable love, and found family.

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan

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The heart-tugging and hilarious story of a professional organizer whose life is a mess, and the summer she gets unstuck with the help of someone unexpected from her past, by the bestselling author of Same Time Next Summer and Nora Goes Off Script.

The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks

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For fans of Piranesi and The Midnight Library, a stunning historical fantasy novel set on a grand express train, about a group of passengers on a dangerous journey across a magical landscape

Sleep Like Death by Kalynn Bayron

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New York Times bestselling author and TikTok sensation Kalynn Bayron returns to fairytales with a lush, thrilling and original YA Snow White retelling that brings a new and exciting voice to this familiar tale. Perfect for fans of Cinderella Is Dead.

One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin

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A struggling writer is forced to walk down the aisle at her best friend’s wedding with the man who gave her book a very public one-star rating in this fresh romantic comedy from Laura Hankin.

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

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Horror Movie is an obsessive, psychologically chilling, and suspenseful feat of storytelling genius that builds inexorably to an unforgettable, mind-bending conclusion.

What 2024 book releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Most Anticipated 2024 Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in  the comments below if you will be picking up any!

The September House by Carissa Orlando
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A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel.

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison
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A cynical twentysomething must confront her unconventional family’s dark secrets in this fiery, irreverent horror novel from the author of Such Sharp Teeth and Cackle.

Don’t Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino
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In 1960, a young woman discovers a freedom she never knew existed in this exhilarating, funny, and emotional novel by the bestselling author of She’s Up to No Good.

Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian
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From bestselling author Alex Grecian comes a folk horror epic about a ragtag posse that must track down a witch through a wild west beset by demons and ghosts―and where death is always just around the bend.

And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott
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A mind-bending, razor-sharp look at motherhood and mental health that follows a young Indigenous woman who discovers the picture-perfect life she always hoped for may have horrifying consequences

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
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A new mystery is afoot in the fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club series from million-copy bestselling author Richard Osman.

Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons
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Bold, lyrical, and chillingly relevant, Fair Rosaline reveals the dark subtext of the timeless story of star-crossed lovers: it’s a feminist revision that will enthrall readers of bestselling literary retellings such as Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell and Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese.

Hush Harbor by Anise Vance
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A resistance group takes America’s racial reckoning into its own hands in this powerful, stirringly original debut novel.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon
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A lighthearted whodunnit about a grandmother-mother-daughter trio of amateur sleuths. Think: Gilmore Girls, but with murder.

The Taken Ones by Jess Lourey
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Two girls vanished. A woman buried alive. Between two crimes lie decades of secrets yet to be unearthed in a pulse-pounding novel by the Edgar Award–nominated author of Unspeakable Things.

The Art of Desire by Stacey Abrams
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One doomed love affair after another has made Alex Walton swear off men. Now, she’s determined to try something that maybe she can succeed at: a writing career. Little does she know that a chance meeting with a strikingly handsome stranger, a mysterious obelisk, and a lost kingdom will change her life forever. As Alex is about to discover, truth can be stranger—and far more dangerous—than fiction.

Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown
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Emmy-nominated actress and producer MILLIE BOBBY BROWN’s debut novel, Nineteen Steps, is a moving tale of love, longing, and loss, inspired by the true events of her family’s experience during World War II.

Holly by Stephen King
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Holly Gibney, one of Stephen King’s most compelling and ingeniously resourceful characters, returns in this thrilling novel to solve the gruesome truth behind multiple disappearances in a midwestern town.

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
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Two women from opposite sides of the country are brought together by violent acts of the same man, and become allies and sisters in arms as they pursue the justice that would otherwise elude them in one of the most acclaimed, highly-anticipated thrillers of the year.

Penance by Eliza Clark
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From the author of the cult hit Boy Parts comes a chilling, brilliantly told story of murder among a group of teenage girls—a powerful and disturbing novel as piercing in its portrait of young women as Emma Cline’s The Girls.

Her Sweet Revenge by Sarah Bonner
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Helena is successful, beautiful, and living in married bliss. But she has a secret that proves to be deadly – literally. Her best friend Thea knows Helena’s death wasn’t an accident. It was murder, and she is determined to make someone pay. And as they say… revenge is sweet.

Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter
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Mega-bestselling British crime novelist Cara Hunter makes her big American debut with a wholly immersive thriller like none you’ve seen before: written as the teleplay of a true-crime documentary, it has the reader puzzling away, reviewing photos, maps, coroner’s reports and other evidence as they read.

The Fraud by Zadie Smith
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From acclaimed and bestselling novelist Zadie Smith, a kaleidoscopic work of historical fiction set against the legal trial that divided Victorian England, about who gets to tell their story—and who gets to be believed.

Rouge by Mona Awad
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From the critically acclaimed author of Bunny comes a horror-tinted, gothic fairy tale about a lonely dress shop clerk whose mother’s unexpected death sends her down a treacherous path in pursuit of youth and beauty. Can she escape her mother’s fate—and find a connection that is more than skin deep?

The Royal Windsor Secret by Christine Wells
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Could she be the secret daughter of the Prince of Wales? In this dazzling novel by the author of Sisters of the Resistance, a young woman seeks to discover the truth about her mysterious past. Perfect for readers of Shana Abe, Bryn Turnbull, and Marie Benedict. 

All You Have To Do Is Call by Kerri Maher
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A dramatic and inspiring novel based on the true story of the Jane Collective and the brave women who fought for our right to choose, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Paris Bookseller.

Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah
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A twisty and consuming thriller, Perfectly Nice Neighbors asks: When your dream home comes with nightmare neighbors, how far will you go to keep your family safe?

The Golden Gate by Amy Chua
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Amy Chua’s debut novel, The Golden Gate, is a sweeping, evocative, and compelling historical thriller that paints a vibrant portrait of a California buffeted by the turbulent crosswinds of a world at war and a society about to undergo massive change.

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin
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A social media influencer with a secret past buys a murder house to renovate, but finds more than she bargained for behind the peeling wallpaper in this gothic psychological debut.

What releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post September 2023 Fiction Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

I’ve always been partial to thrift stores, taking the occasional dip inside during my visits into town, then more actively shopping second hand when I moved out of my hometown and into my new university city.

Thrifting, or charity shopping as we call it here in the UK, is a great way of introducing some new material not only into your wardrobe, but also onto your bookshelf. The joys of thrifted books are endless: pre-loved? Check. Giving to charity? Check. New books at a low price? Check. The saying really is true: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

That being said, it does take a couple of attempts to sort through the trash to find the treasure and not everything you stumble across is going to be pure gold. Especially in my hometown, pocket of North London, and my current residence, it takes a lot of trial and error to not only to find the good stuff, but to also find your best local thrift stores.

Usually, my eyes are drawn straight to the hardback section because they’re usually dirt cheap considering what their previous owner probably would have paid for them. In most British charity shops, there’s also a shelf for all the dusty old books with a ‘collectors’ label which, I’m sure, harbour some hidden gems but are personally not my taste. After this, I move onto the paperbacks, doing a once over for books that I’ve heard of before diving into the rest of the shelf. This means that there’s a higher chance of scoring some books that have actually been on my radar instead of coming home with a heap of books I know nothing about. Research is key.

Read on to discover are of my favourite finds!

1. Nightmares and Dreamscapes & Desperation by Stephen King

I could barely contain my excitement when I walked in my local British Heart Foundation branch and saw these beautifully chunky hardbacks winking back at me. I had been wanting to read more Stephen King after I’d picked up (and promptly devoured) The Shining earlier in the year. The physical books themselves are in excellent condition, other than the fact they were printed in the 90s, you’d hardly know they weren’t bought brand new. I’m so excited to dive into these two! 

2. Sepulchre by Kate Mosse

No, not Kate Moss, the model, but the author of the Burning Pages and Labyrinth, Kate Mosse. When I set eyes on the chunky, burgundy-and-gold hardback of Sepulchre in Oxfam, it didn’t really matter that I knew nothing about it or had never read anything by Kate Mosse. I knew instantly that I was going to love it, the premise seemed so infatuating and unique that I couldn’t not take it home with me and, priced at just £2, I thought that, even if I didn’t like it, it wasn’t that much and the money would be going to charity anyway – the beauty of thrifting books! 

3. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Now, despite not being the most enthusiastic of classics readers, I am a huge fan of classic dystopian fiction (with the exception of Animal Farm – humans turning into animals and vice versa is where I seem to draw the line, I’m not exactly sure why I can’t stand it but it’s the same reason I DNFed Bunny by Mona Awad and The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones). A Clockwork Orange is not an especially big book –  in fact, it’s very small with lots of not-so-nice content – but it fits perfectly on my shelf. 

4. James Bond books by Ian Fleming

Everybody knows of the James Bond franchise and probably has their favourite Bond (mine is Daniel Craig, because I was a 00s child). My granny is a huge fan of the books by Ian Fleming and comes with me to every new Bond film but I had never actually thought to read them myself until I stumbled across them in a local book exchange, amongst the shelves in a Tardis blue telephone box. Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Moonraker with their creased white spines sit proudly on my shelves now as I’m extremely proud of the fact that 1) I actually own them now 2) they all match and 3) I technically thrifted them.

(P.S. don’t worry, I didn’t just take the books from the book exchange – I put in three of my own in good condition!)

5. Sharp Objects & Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

When I saw Gone Girl, it blew my mind to the extent that I felt like the book had been ruined for me because of that twist. I was, however, desperate to get my hands on Gillian Flynn’s other books, more so when I discovered that Sharp Objects had also been adapted into a TV series with Amy Adams. Dark Places I’m yet to read but believe me when I tell you that I sped through Sharp Objects. Gillian Flynn’s attention to detail is phenomenal, her characters intricate, and her plot fast-paced and nail-biting. I had so much fun both discovering in my local thrift store and reading!

Now that I’ve discovered the wonderful world of thrifting books, I find it increasingly hard to actually pick up a book in my local bookstore chain and actually buy it. Maybe it’s because the frugal student lifestyle has taken a hold of me or maybe it makes me feel better to justify my book buying habits because the money is going to charity. Sure, having your own new edition of a book is great to own, whether you keep it pristine or break out the highlights and crack the spine. It’s great to say that it’s your book.

However, I love stumbling across the occasional annotation between the lines, the odd coffee spill and dog eared page as I’m reading. Books are meant to be loved just as they are meant to be read. Who knows? You might even discover a new favourite next time you rummage through the shelves!

Have you thrifted any books? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Five Fabulous Book Finds While Thrifting appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Get ready all you diehard horror fans out there because 2020 is going to be a big year! With new work from iconic award winning authors including Stephen King and Paul Tremblay as well as some much awaited sequels for books such as Birdbox, we are in for a serious treat. Weather it’s a dark February night or a beachy summer holiday, there’s a creepy classic for every occasion!

Historical Haunts:
The Deep by Alma Katsu (March 10th 2020)

Set aboard the Titanic in 1912, Katsu perfectly amalgamates historical fiction and spine-tingling horror to tell the infamous story of the sinking ship with a ghostly twist. What really caused the Titanic to sink? Were supernatural elements at play, and is history about to repeat itself? Can Annie, a survivor of the Titanic and nurse aboard the Britannica, figure out the terrifying mystery and fight her own demons? Katsu, an extensive researcher, has seamlessly woven true personal accounts and stories with her own brand of creeping, sinister horror leaving the reader to wonder what is real and what isn’t. Katsu offers an extremely immersive experience, true to the time period in each of her novels and The Deep appears to be no different. It seems we can continue to expect great things from Alma Katsu as she continues carving our her own unique genre of Historical-Horror-Fiction.

Scary Short Stories:
If it Bleeds by Stephen King (May 5th 2020)

The King of horror returns… yet again! This time with an anthology of short stories. Encompassing four creepy novellas, the book’s main focus is providing a sequel to King’s bestselling The Outsiders, following Detective Holly Gibney as she becomes involved in a mysterious and sinister case. The story also revisits other characters from the Outsiders, entwining them in the encryptic events. Barely any details have been released apart from the cover and a small blurb but we can be sure to be in for a spooky treat if the rest of King’s work is anything to go on!

Unnerving Urban Legends:
Devolution by Max Brooks (May 12th 2020)

Max Brooks proved his ability to scare the living daylights out of us all with his hyper-realistic zombie novel World War Z and he is at it again with his new book Devolution: A First-Hand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre. Brooks examines the world’s preparedness for disaster and leads us to question how ready we all are. Through a series of journal entries, Brooks tells the horrifying story of Bigfoot and the massacre of a town. Cleverly weaving storytelling and fiction with science and truth, Brooks again creates a believable tale of survival and gore which will leave us all shaking in out boots wondering who and what really lives among us.

Petrifying Pandemics:
Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay (July 7th 2020)

Bram Stoker award winner Paul Tremblay is back with another trademark violent and terrifying novel, Survivor Song. With global pandemic currently at the forefront of everyone minds, Survivor Song is sure to shake you to it’s core with it’s depiction of a rabies-like virus infecting everyone in sight and turning them into ferocious monsters. Hospitals are overwhelmed and society is breaking down. So what happens when you are alone, pregnant and infected? Follow Natalie’s treacherous race against time to get to the hospital and save herself and her baby, helped by friend and doctor Romola Rams. Will she make it in time? Or will she be lost to the virus? This one is a must read for all you horror/sci-fi fans and pandemic enthusiasts out there!

Supernatural Spooks:
The Boatman’s Daughter by Andy Davidson (February 11th 2020)

Davidson brings us the ghostly, atmospheric story of Miranda Crabtree encompassing all things dark including death, witches, smuggling, sacrifice and madness. Miranda Crabtree has spent her life ferrying contraband for a crazy preacher since her father died when she was a child. But things are changing and the darkness is closing in. The preacher is asking the unthinkable and Miranda has a secret. She doesn’t only have herself to think about but she must also protect the secret child hidden by a witch deep in the forest. Miranda must embark upon a journey of horror, temptation, fear and violence to save those who are defenceless. Told from the swampy depths of the Bayou, this book will weigh heavy on your shoulders, bringing into focus the murkiest depths of human nature.

Haunted Houses:
The Sundown Hotel by Simone St James (February 18th 2020)

All motels have their sordid secrets, but the creepy and oppressive Sundown Motel has more than most and Viv Delaney, the night clerk, is determined to bring them all to light. Carrying out her own amateur investigation, Viv discovers a supernatural presence is taking hold of the Sundown Motel while on the outside in the small town, women are inexplicably being murdered, could this be linked? Just as Viv gets a lead, she vanishes into thin air! Fast forward thirty-two years and Carly, Viv’s niece, decides to pick up the investigation where she left off and finds herself on a dangerous and sinister journey. Will she make it out alive? St James writes with such an atmospheric and immersive style, you will be on the edge of your seats waiting for answers until the very last page!

Ominous Indies:
Touch the Night by Max Booth III (2020)

When two twelve year old boys are abducted in the night by something not quite human, it is up to their mothers Mary and Ottessa to get to the bottom of the menacing happenings. Exploring police corruption, small town secrets and black magic culminating in a ritual performed by a crazed family, Touch the Night packs a powerful horror punch that will leave you shaking in your boots long after you’ve turned the final page. Very little information has been released so far but we are sure to be in for a big fright with comparisons to Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Stranger Things.

Sinister Sequels:
Malorie by Josh Malerman (May 19th 2020)

Malerman is back again with a thrilling sequel to his bestselling and Netflix-adapted Birdbox. Following on from Birdbox, Malorie focuses on the protagonist of the same name as she tackles the crazy and dangerous world around her. Malerman offers us the opportunity to get to know Malorie Haynes better in this continuation of her survival story as she fights the malevolent entities that threaten earth. If you have read Birbox and are wondering what happens to Boy and Girl, be warned that Malorie does not explore this avenue, it’s sole focus is Malorie’s story. For you Netflix enthusiasts out there, you’ll be pleased to know that Malorie has been picked up for a film adaptation later in the year.. So if you haven’t watched or read Birdbox yet, what are you doing?

Frightening Fairytales:
Looking Glass by Christina Henry (April 21st 2020)

Henry returns with the third dark instalment of her twisted, disturbing take on the classic Alice in Wonderland. We continue to follow the main characters of Alice, Hatcher and Elizabeth through four short stories full of secrets, monsters, magic and blood. Taking inspiration from the Lewis Carroll classic, Henry twists and distorts the details, mixing horror and fantasy to create a brutal new fairytale universe. But will everyone survive the chaos?  Are you ready to jump down the rabbit hole and find out?

Vicious Vampires:
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (April 7th 2020)

Take one southern, suburban true-crime book club comprised of bored housewives and add one attractive but deadly male vampire and what do you get? A fast paced, supernatural, girl power thriller! Patricia, an underappreciated and fed-up stay at home mum looks forward to escaping into the world of true crime at book club every week. When a handsome but shady man moves into he area and children begin to go missing, Patricia’s mind races with the possibility of becoming an amateur detective and catching a murderer. But she gets more than she bargained for when she is thrust into the dark and foreboding world of vampires. With vibrant characters, gore and violence, this is nothing like the soppy vampire romances you’re used to, it’s pure savage so buckle up for the ride!

What 2020 horror releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post 10 Highly Anticipated Horror Releases of 2020 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments if you’ll be picking up any of these releases!

JANUARY

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Already being hailed as “a Grapes of Wrath for our times” and “a new American classic,” Jeanine Cummins’s American Dirt is a rare exploration into the inner hearts of people willing to sacrifice everything for a glimmer of hope.

Followers by Megan Angelo
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

An electrifying story of two ambitious friends, the dark choices they make and the profound moment that changes the meaning of privacy forever.

All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

The New York Times bestselling authors of The Glass Ocean and The Forgotten Room return with a glorious historical adventure that moves from the dark days of two World Wars to the turbulent years of the 1960s, in which three women with bruised hearts find refuge at Paris’ legendary Ritz hotel.

The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In this riveting and disquieting thriller about the secrets and betrayals that accompany exorbitant wealth—imagine Crazy Rich Asians as written by Gillian Flynn—two sisters from a Chinese-Indonesian family grapple with the past after one of them poisons their entire family.

The Look-Alike by Erica Spindler
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Other Girl and Justice for Sara comes a thrilling psychological drama about a woman who believes she escaped a brutal murder years ago—but does anyone else believe her?

A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The House of the Spirits comes an epic novel spanning decades and crossing continents, following two young people as they flee the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War in search of a new place to call home.

The Other People by C.J. Tudor
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A gripping thriller about a man’s quest for the daughter no one else believes is still alive, from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man and The Hiding Place.

Long Bright River by Liz Moore
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Alternating its present-day mystery with the story of the sisters’ childhood and adolescence, Long Bright River is at once heart-pounding and heart-wrenching: a gripping suspense novel that is also a moving story of sisters, addiction, and the formidable ties that persist between place, family, and fate.

FEBRUARY

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
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From the award-winning author of Station Eleven, an exhilarating novel set at the glittering intersection of two seemingly disparate events-a massive Ponzi scheme collapse and the mysterious disappearance of a woman from a ship at sea.

The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
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After a storm has killed off all the island’s men, two women in a 1600s Norwegian coastal village struggle to survive against both natural forces and the men who have been sent to rid the community of alleged witchcraft.

The King at the Edge of the World by Arthur Phillips
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“One of the best writers in America” (The Washington Post) delivers a mesmerising new novel in which Queen Elizabeth’s spymasters recruit an unlikely agent for an impossible mission: the only Muslim in England.

The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
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A powerful, emotional debut novel told in the unforgettable voice of a young Nigerian woman who is trapped in a life of servitude but determined to get an education so that she can escape and choose her own future.

Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West
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Perfect for fans of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Small Admissions, a wry and cleverly observed debut novel about the privileged bubble that is Liston Heights High–the micro-managing parents, the overworked teachers, and the students caught in the middle–and the fallout for each of them when the bubble finally bursts.

Death in the Family by Tessa Wegert
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A storm-struck island. A blood-soaked bed. A missing man. Senior Investigator Shana Merchant believes it all adds up to a killer in their midst—and that murder is a family affair.

The Love Story of the Century by Märta Tikkanen and Stina Katchadourian
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As much a story of resilience as it is suffering, The Love Story of the Century is a bittersweet account of the complexities of addiction, the power of creativity, and the redemption of love.

The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward
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The story of a vibrant but dysfunctional family trapped together on a ten-day Mediterranean cruise–a riveting, irresistible novel from bestselling author Amanda Eyre Ward

MARCH

The Sea of Lost Girls: A Novel by Carol Goodman
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In the tradition of Daphne du Maurier, Shari Lapena, and Michelle Richmond comes a new thriller from the bestselling author of The Lake of Dead Languages—a twisty, harrowing story set at a prestigious prep school in which one woman’s carefully hidden past might destroy her future.

The Herd by Andrea Bartz
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When an exclusive New York women’s workspace is rocked by the mysterious disappearance of its enigmatic founder, two sisters must uncover the haunting truth before they lose their friendships, their careers–maybe even their lives.

You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
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The #1 Bestselling authors of The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl deliver a thriller about a circle of friends with deadly intentions–where trust is their weapon and revenge is their trigger….

The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian
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From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Midwives and The Flight Attendant comes a twisting story of love and deceit: an American man vanishes on a rural road in Vietnam, and his girlfriend, an emergency room doctor trained to ask questions, follows a path that leads her home to the very hospital where they met.

The Sunday Potluck Club by Melissa Storm
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New friends can be found in unexpected places. For Bridget and Amy, that place was the cancer ward of an Anchorage hospital. Now, as each struggles to overcome loss, they lean on each other for support—sharing suppers, laughter and tears.

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora
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A mother and daughter with a shared talent for healing–and for the conjuring of curses–are at the heart of this dazzling first novel.

The Deep by Alma Katsu
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Brilliantly combining fact and fiction, the historical and the horrific, The Deep reveals a chilling truth in an unputdownable narrative full of unnerving moments and with a growing, inexorable sense of foreboding.

The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel
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A spellbinding story of a mother with nothing left to lose who sets out on an all-consuming quest for justice after her daughter is murdered on the town playground.

APRIL

The Year of the Locust by Terry Hayes
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With The Year of the Locust, Hayes has penned a breathtaking story about cutting-edge science, a government conspiracy, and one man’s desperate attempt to unravel it all. (Note: According to some retailers, this title has been pushed back yet again to June 2020. The UK version is currently set to September 2020, but after years of previous release dates and delays, this could still change).

If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
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A riveting debut novel set in contemporary Seoul, Korea, about four young women making their way in a world defined by impossibly high standards of beauty, secret room salons catering to wealthy men, strict social hierarchies, and K-pop fan mania.

A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones
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Sheriff Sunshine Vicram finds her cup o’ joe more than half full when the small village of Del Sol, New Mexico, becomes the center of national attention for a kidnapper on the loose.

The New Husband by D.J. Palmer
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The New Husband is a riveting thriller about the lies we tell ourselves from D. J. Palmer, the author of Saving Meghan.

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
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Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavoured supernatural thriller set in the ’90s about a women’s book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend.

The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni
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From the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of the Angelology series comes a bewitching gothic novel of suspense that plunges readers into a world of dark family secrets, the mysteries of human genetics, and the burden of family inheritance.

Something She’s Not Telling Us by Darcey Bell
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From the New York Times bestselling author of A Simple Favor comes an electrifying domestic thriller of how one woman’s life is turned upside down when her brother brings his new girlfriend to visit—and no one is telling the truth about who they really are.

Three Hours in Paris by Cara Black
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In June of 1940, when Paris fell to the Nazis, Hitler spent a total of three hours in the City of Light—abruptly leaving, never to return. To this day, no one knows why. The New York Times bestselling author of the Aimée Leduc investigations reimagines history in her masterful, pulse-pounding spy thriller, Three Hours in Paris.

MAY

Malorie by Josh Malerman
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

In the thrilling sequel to Bird Box, the inspiration for the record-breaking Netflix film that starred Sandra Bullock and “absolutely riveted” Stephen King, New York Times bestselling author Josh Malerman brings unseen horrors to life.

The Paris Hours by Alex George
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Told over the course of a single day in 1927, The Paris Hours takes four ordinary people whose stories, told together, are as extraordinary as the glorious city they inhabit.

If It Bleeds by Stephen King
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From #1 New York Times bestselling author, legendary storyteller, and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary collection of four new and compelling novellas—Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, The Life of Chuck, Rat, and the title story If It Bleeds—each pulling you into intriguing and frightening places.

All Adults Here by Emma Straub
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In All Adults Here, Emma Straub’s unique alchemy of wisdom, humor, and insight come together in a deeply satisfying story about adult siblings, aging parents, high school boyfriends, middle school mean girls, the lifelong effects of birth order, and all the other things that follow us into adulthood, whether we like them to or not.

The Queen’s Secret: A Novel of England’s World War II Queen by Karen Harper
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If you love Jennifer Robson or The Crown you will love New York Times bestselling author Karen Harper’s novel about Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
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Peter Straub’s Ghost Story meets Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies in this American Indian horror story of revenge on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
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“Fans of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will adore The Jane Austen Society… A charming and memorable debut, which reminds us of the universal language of literature and the power of books to unite and heal.” —Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris

Don’t Make A Sound by T.R. Ragan
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Her own past could be a reporter’s biggest story in this twisting thriller about murder and family secrets by the New York Times bestselling author T.R. Ragan.

JUNE

The Wife Who Knew Too Much by Michele Campbell
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From Michele Campbell, the bestselling author of It’s Always the Husband comes a new blockbuster thriller in The Wife Who Knew Too Much.

Safecracker by Ryan Wick
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In this wicked debut, safecracker Michael Maven must pull off the most dangerous theft of his long career―or his friends and family will be killed.

The Half Sister by Sandie Jones
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From the New York Times bestselling author of the Hello Sunshine Book Club pick The Other Woman, comes a compelling new domestic suspense novel about a family who is forever changed when a stranger arrives at their door.

The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin
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In the irresistible new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All We Ever Wanted, a woman is falling hard for a man she’s just met when he disappears without a trace on 9/11.

The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton
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In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s captivating new novel.

The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last House Guest—a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick—comes a riveting new novel of psychological suspense about a young woman plagued by night terrors after a childhood trauma who wakes one evening to find a corpse at her feet.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
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From The New York Times -bestselling author of The Mothers , a stunning new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white.

Self Care by Leigh Stein
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The female cofounders of a wellness start-up struggle to find balance between being good people and doing good business, while trying to stay BFFs.

What 2020 fiction releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Fiction Book Releases To Check Out In 2020 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us if you have read any this year in the comments below!

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Christopher is seven years old. Christopher is the new kid in town. Christopher has an imaginary friend. The epic work of literary horror from the #1 bestselling author of The Perks of Being A Wallflower.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
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A shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive…

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

For fans of JP Delaney’s The Girl Before and Ruth Ware’s The Woman in Cabin 10 comes this hair-raising novel of deception and revenge that will blow readers away.

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the authors of the blockbuster bestseller The Wife Between Us comes an electrifying new novel about doubt, passion, and just how much you can trust someone.

The Institute by Stephen King
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As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of It, The Institute is Stephen King’s gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good vs. evil in a world where the good guys don’t always win.

A Stranger on The Beach by Michele Campbell
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From bestselling author Michele Campbell comes A Stranger on the Beach, an edge-of-your seat story of passion and intrigue that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Full Throttle by Joe Hill
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In this masterful collection of short fiction, Joe Hill dissects timeless human struggles in thirteen relentless tales of supernatural suspense, including “In The Tall Grass,” one of two stories co-written with Stephen King, basis for the terrifying feature film from Netflix.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
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The next heart-pounding thriller from New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager follows a young woman whose new job apartment sitting in one of New York’s oldest and most glamorous buildings may cost more than it pays.

Whisper Network by Chandler Baker
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Four women learn their boss (a man who’s always been surrounded by rumours about how he treats women) is next in line to be CEO—what will happen when they decide enough is enough?

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
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Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, The Turn of the Key is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.

Reputation by Sara Shepard
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In this fast-paced new novel from Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Little Liars, a tight-knit college town scrambles for answers when an e-mail hack reveals life-changing secrets and scandals.

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
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In his boldly imagined first novel, Ta-Nehisi Coates, the National Book Award–winning author of Between the World and Me, brings home the most intimate evil of enslavement: the cleaving and separation of families.

The Testaments (The Handmaid’s Tale #2) by Margaret Atwood
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Margaret Atwood’s sequel picks up the story fifteen years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
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Dexter meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith in this wildly compulsive debut thriller about a couple whose fifteen-year marriage has finally gotten too interesting…

The Night Before by Wendy Walker
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Told in dual timelines—the night before and the day after—The Night Before is a riveting thriller about family loyalty, obsession, and what happens when the desire for love spins out of control.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
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A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous breakup.

The Whisper Man by Alex North
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In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of suspense, as a father and son are caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.

Find Me (Call Me By Your Name #2) by André Aciman
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In this spellbinding exploration of the varieties of love, the author of the worldwide bestseller Call Me by Your Name revisits its complex and beguiling characters decades after their first meeting.

Growing Things and Other Stories by Paul Tremblay
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A chilling collection of psychological suspense and literary horror from the multiple award-winning author of the national bestseller The Cabin at the End of the World and A Head Full of Ghosts.

Mother Knows Best by Kira Peikoff
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A mother’s worst nightmare, a chance at redemption, and a deadly secret that haunts a family across the generations. Past, present, and future converge in this mesmerising psychological thriller from critically acclaimed author Kira Peikoff.

The Suspect by Fiona Barton
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The new must-read standalone crime thriller from the author of Sunday Times bestseller, The Widow, and the Richard & Judy No. 1 bestseller, The Child – featuring unforgettable journalist, Kate Waters.

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
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From the # 1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love and The Signature of All Things, a delicious novel of glamour, sex, and adventure, about a young woman discovering that you don’t have to be a good girl to be a good person.

Inspection by Josh Malerman
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Boys are being trained at one school for geniuses, girls at another. Neither knows the other exists—until now. The New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box invites you into a world of secrets and chills in a coming-of-age story like no other.

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
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Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Americanah in this disarmingly honest, boldly political, and truly inclusive novel that will speak to anyone who has gone looking for love and found something very different in its place.

Do you have any other favourite 2019 fiction books? Tell us in the comments below!

The post The Best Fiction Books of 2019 appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Slamming doors, bad dreams, cold-spots, electrics shorting, items moving on their own… Are you living in a Haunted House? From friendly spirits to malevolent poltergeists, this list will have you shaking in your boots, peering round corners, and sleeping with the light on. Are you ready to be ghost hunters? We are about to set foot in Hill House, The Overlook Hotel, and Crickley Hall and you may not come out alive!

Trigger Warning: This article includes fictional themes of rape, sexual assault, child abuse incest, drug use and murder.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Would you go for a summer holiday in a haunted house? That is exactly what Eleanor, Theodora, and Luke do following an invitation from Dr Montague who is investigating the supernatural occurrences at Hill House. The group are tasked with living in the house for the summer, noting unearthly experiences.

Although dark and foreboding with a chequered past, Hill House is uninviting but apparently not haunted. However, malevolent events begin slowly unfolding leaving us to wonder what is the work of spirits and what may be the work of the group of ragtag inhabitants. The house comes to life, ensnaring its victims, particularly drawing in fragile, vulnerable Eleanor who is infatuated with the house. Will Hill House ever let her go?

For those that have watched the hit Netflix series, you’ll find that the show takes a lot of creative licence, further developing key themes from the book to stretch over a whole series. The novel is more compact with traditional haunted house tropes but still packs a frightening punch, made even more impactful by the shock ending. Come inside Hill House if you dare…

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Waters writes a ghoulishly Gothic piece of horror fiction in The Little Stranger that transports us to the postwar England countryside and the now dilapidated Hundreds Hall. Dr Faraday, a community physician, and the books narrator, reflects on Hundreds Hall in its heyday and is shocked to find its state of disrepair when he is called out to treat an unwell maid. Following this, Faraday becomes close to the family, falling in love with Caroline, treating her brother Roderick’s war injuries and having tea with their mother, the lady of the estate. Little does Faraday know, he is in for a shocking ride full of psychosis, mysterious accidents, and suicides raising the question: is Hundreds Hall really haunted or are the events a product of grief, shell-shock and the financial pressure of living in a house that’s falling down around them?

Waters explores the ideas of class and the breakdown of class barriers after the conclusion of the World War Two, as well as the effects of post traumatic stress disorder on soldiers and pilots using traditional horror tropes as metaphor for the real life horrors of the time. A bit of a slow-burner, you’ll have to give this book a bit of a chance but once it gets going, it will suck you in and keep you questioning until the last page!

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

If you like real life-scares, this is the one for you. Based on the experiences of the Lutz family who moved into the Amityville place after some horrific murders took place, the book chronicles the paranormal happenings that follow. Despite multiple blessings on the house, the Lutz family claim that supernatural events continued including night-time waking, swarms of flies, nightmares, hidden rooms, cold spots, imaginary friends, damaged locks and doors, slime, demons, and ghosts. The family end up being pushed to their limit and feel that they are going mad.

The book has come under some criticism due to non-believers feeling that the Lutz family made up the events and exploited the family who previously lived in the house whom experienced the terrible murder tragedy. On the other hand, whether real or not, the book makes for a supreme scare and will leave you awake long into the night wondering… What was that sound? Did I lock the door? Was that a shadow?

The Shining by Stephen King

How could you write any horror list without including the King himself, Stephen King! Although not technically a ‘house’ the Overlook hotel is a building and it is most definitely haunted! When Jack Torrance moves his wife and young son Danny into a hotel in the mountains for the winter to work as a caretaker. Jack expected peace and quiet, family time to peruse his passion of writing… Boy was he wrong! When the hotel wakes up and tries to ensnare Jack and Danny, the psychological horror begins. With King’s usual themes of psychic abilities and supernatural occurrences, you’ll find yourself running for your lives down the corridors and through the snowy gardens with the Torrance family, promising yourself not to look back!

Exploring the dark themes of alcoholism, marriage problems, and child abuse, The Shining puts family life under the microscope when the Torrance family are completely isolated from the rest of the world. Alongside this, King begins to drip feed us elements of the paranormal and has us questioning, what’s in Danny and Jack’s heads and what is real. Read if you dare but you may never stay in another hotel again, especially not room 217.

Hell House by Richard Matheson

Four investigators, one haunted house, endless harrowing past events. Welcome to your nightmare! When Lionel, Edith, Florence, and Benjamin travel to the most haunted house in the world to investigate the paranormal happenings causing suicide, murder, and insanity in the previous investigators, they didn’t expect to find their own personal hells. When the house begins to target each member of the party individually based on their weaknesses, fears, and insecurities, the group become divided causing havoc and hellish mayhem.

Full of offensive themes including rape and highly sexualised, some might say perverse scenes, although written in 1971, Hell House still has the ability to repulse and frighten even today. Some have described the text as a bit of a slow burner but worth sticking with, revealing some of the most depraved and disgusting horror scenes ever written in its second half. It takes a strong stomach to read this one and even the most experienced horror connoisseurs have found Hell House too much. It really does push the boundaries on the horror genre, shocking the reader to their core.

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe

Although a short story, The Fall of House Usher will stay with you long after with its creepy imagery and trademark Edgar Allan Poe poetic writing style. When the narrator (who’s name we don’t know) is contacted by his sick friends, siblings, Roderick, and Madeline, the narrator rushes to their side to help. Once he enters the house, haunting happenings began to take place. Madeline appears to die from her illness and is put into a family tomb by Roderick and our trusty nameless narrator, but the reader is left to wonder: is she really dead when Poe describes her as ‘rosy-cheeked’? Following this, the inhabitants of the house begin to hear strange noises and glowing lights, is it Madeline’s angry spirit wreaking havoc or is she alive and enraged?

Without being explicit, Poe uses his meandering writing style to hint at a range of troubling occurrences including vampirism, incest, and opiate usage creating a Gothic foreboding and melancholy atmosphere. The twins’ undiagnosed illness, inspected under a modern filter, is often seen by readers as hypochondria and anxiety making for a psychological thriller full of twists, turns and the age old question of psychology vs paranormal. Although a very short story, Shakespeare’s famous quote feels the only adequate way to describe The Fall of House Usher. ‘Though she be but little, she is fierce.’

House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski

Originally a bundle of papers passed from person to person full of footnotes, scribbles, and appendices, House of Leaves has now been compiled into a uniquely terrifying novel. Following the story of the young family who move into a house on Ash Lane, the book speaks of their supernatural experiences through a psychedelic trip of upside down text, coloured words, font changes, backwards sentences, and unreliable narrators. Inviting the reader to become Sherlock Holmes and put together the clues to find out what really happened on Ash Lane, the house that appears bigger on the inside than the outside.

It’s not an easy read and really makes you work hard for the story and scares but almost all who have read it have stated how absolutely worth it House of Leaves is. Keeping readers up long into the night due to the horror and mystery, this once underground text has been thrust into the limelight by Danielewski’s collation into a novel. The writing will get under your skin and the story will stay with you long after the last page, not only that of the Ash Lane family but also of the range of narrators whom we get to know through the footnotes. Make sure you set aside some serious time and brain power for this one!

The Secret of Crickley Hall by James Herbert

Following a family tragedy, where one of the children is lost, the Caleighs decide to relocate from the city to a secluded house in Devon and have a fresh start. In a moment of foreshadowing, the family dog Chester appears terrified by the house, but putting it down to the stress of starting a new life, the Caleighs ignore this warning. The warnings become more stark when the children begin seeing and hearing things and the horror peaks when Eve Caleigh begins to have terrifying nightmares and hears her lost son Cameron talking to her.

Including many overdone haunted house tropes, this book is saved from being just another haunted house by Herbert’s weaving of the Caleigh family’s sorrowful back story with the horrifying backstory of Crickley Hall itself. Including tragic themes of child abuse, murder, and mutilation. At 634 pages, The Secret of Crickley Hall is a long read and can be repetitive in places, on the other hand, the length allows Herbert to fully develop the characters allowing the reader to form emotional bonds, leaving us reeling at the ended. Reading about the ghosts of mistreated children is not for everyone so be warned before you start reading.

Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

The post 8 Hair-Raising Haunted Houses In Books appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Fall is a season beloved by many around the world. The leaves change colour, the wind temperature drops, and pumpkin spice fragrance fills the morning air. Sweater season brings an onslaught of fashionable sweaters into the market and scarves are socially acceptable to wear. But best of all, this is the perfect weather to curl up with a book! Even though Halloween may now be behind us, there’s always time to enjoy a few books that may seep into your nightmares…

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier
Goodreads

With beautiful illustrations to accompany the story, Ghosts is about two sisters, Catrina and Maya, whose family has just moved to a town on the Northern California coast in hopes that the cool air will help Maya with cystic fibrosis to breathe better. Turns out that the town is full of ghosts, but the thing that haunts Catrina more than anything is that her sister might soon become one of them. Raina Telgemeier writes about a tough topic in a humorous way from the perspective of a child. Follow Catrina through her journey as she learns that sometimes ghosts aren’t the scariest things around.

Lockwood & Co: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Goodreads

A middle-grade novel about ghost hunters with special abilities, The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud is a thrill and the first book in the Lockwood & Co series. Anthony, Lucy, and George have various gifts that allow them to see, hear, and sense ghosts. Anthony Lockwood, the founder of Lockwood & Co, leads the group to various terrifying investigations as the group strives to solve hauntings around London. Screaming Staircase may be the talented trio’s biggest challenge yet.

A Game for All the Family by Sophie Hannah
Goodreads

This psychological thriller will haunt your thoughts until all the answers are revealed. After quitting her job as a TV producer, Justine moves to the countryside for some peace and quiet in her life, but she finds none when her daughter grows visibly more upset when her best friend is unjustly expelled from her school. When Justine talks to the principal to reconsider, she’s told that George hasn’t been expelled because George doesn’t exist. What is real? Who is lying? A series of threatening phone calls increases the drama and suspense as Justine tries to make sense of what is happening around her.

The Lost by Natasha Preston
Goodreads

A heart-pounding story of torture, violence, and hope amidst it all. When teens in their small town go missing one by one, Piper and Hazel suspect that these teens aren’t simply runaways as the police suggest. Kidnapped by three wealthy boys, Piper and Hazel find themselves amongst the missing teens in a building far into the woods locked away from the outside world. They are forced to play a game of torture their goal only to survive in this thrilling book of twists and turns.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Goodreads

An instant New York Times Bestseller, The Thirteenth Tale has also been adapted into a movie of the same name. Winter has spent six decades of her life telling stories that have kept her from her own past. At last, she is ready to reveal the truth to the world. To write her biography, she invites Margaret Lea who finds that Winter’s story curiously takes a parallel of her own. Read as Margaret unveils the truth from Vida as she is transformed by her haunting stories.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Goodreads

A stunning classic about a man, a woman, and another woman’s shadow. When Maxim de Winter proposes to the heroine, she is ecstatic as she is swept away to his massive country estate. She can’t believe her luck. But only when they arrive does she realise the part Maxim’s late wife plays in her new life. Rebecca although dead still feels very much alive to our heroine as she fears the death of her marriage at the hands of a dead woman.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
Goodreads

The Blackwood family is met with distrust, fear, and hatred by the village people in New England where this story takes place. Everyone in the wealthy Blackwood family is dead except Mary, her sister, Constance, and her Uncle Julian. Six years ago, half the family was poisoned with arsenic in their food. This little family survives in complete isolation as the reader explores them through a set of events while the mystery of the murders hangs in the air.

The Diviners by Libba Bray
Goodreads

With supernatural powers and murder set in 1920s New York, The Diviners is the perfect binge read! Evie O’Neill is banned from her old hometown, so she packs her bags and heads for New York City to live with her Uncle Will, but Evie has a dark secret she is determined to keep: a supernatural power that has brought her nothing but trouble. But when a girl is murdered with a cryptic mark on her arm, she realises that her powers could be used to catch a serial murderer.

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
Goodreads

“Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.” Roger and Dodger are twins containing talents beyond human ability. Roger is skilled with words while Dodger is a magician with numbers. These abnormally talented beings aren’t quite human as they were made by an alchemist, Reed, who monitors their life from afar. He has a dangerous plan. A plan to raise the children into their highest power and claim their authority as his own. This book of fantasy breaks all rules, plays with the mind, and tells a story unlike any other.

Find Her by Lisa Gardner
Goodreads

Flora Dane was kidnapped and kept for 472 days where she learned just how much a person can endure. After surviving the ordeal, Flora learns to navigate life and strives to find a new sense of normal. When it is revealed that Flora has tangled with three other suspects since her return to society, it brings up the question: is Flora Dane a victim or a vigilante? The gruesome details of Flora’s kidnapping and the reality of the situation haunt readers worldwide in this fast-paced thriller.

You by Caroline Kepnes
Goodreads

One of Suspense Magazine’s Best Books of 2014, You by Caroline Kepnes is a terrifying novel for the 21st century. When Guinevere Beck enters a bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, Joe is immediately taken by her. He googles the name on her credit card to find her public Facebook account learning everything he needs to know about her there. Since then, Joe obsesses over Beck going to extreme lengths to make his presence known in her life even if it means getting rid of a few obstacles.

Pet Sematary by Stephen King
Goodreads

A ground-breaking piece of horror fiction, the Pet Sematary by Stephen King is a scare like no other. Rather than lots of blood and gore, this novel is a slow-burning unease that explodes in the final chapters. Dr. Louis Creed’s home is located near a road that is often claims the lives of animals. Children in the area have created a growing cemetery for the animals killed on that road, but even further into the woods, Dr. Creed discovers an ancient Indian burial ground with sinister properties that are better read than said. The less you know going into this book, the better.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Goodreads

House of Leaves is a complex book that makes your mind work for it. It never hands you the information directly. It has an incredible way of crawling under your skin and taking root in your mind. This book will elicit a reaction from you. Anyone who has ever read this book always has something to say about it. House of Leaves is not an easy book which makes it the perfect for a spooky read.

Do you have any other spooky suggestions? Tell us in the comments below!

The post 13 Spooky Reads That Will Give You Goosebumps appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Rather than definitively ranking the colossal amount of awesome horror literature out there, a job I can’t do as I love it all, we are going to delve into each horror sub-genre and take a closer look at a range of creepy, terrifying, gory and chilling novels. There will be something for every horror fan from the detectives of true crime enthusiasts to the doomsday preparers. Grab your vampire hunting stakes and Ouija boards and prepare to strap yourself in for a rollercoaster ride through exorcisms, alien possession, cannibalism, monsters, and haunted houses. This journey is not for the faint hearted… you have been warned!

Serial Killer Shockers

Silence Of The Lambs by Thomas Harris

Pure unadulterated horror in its rawest form, the Hannibal Lecter books are not for the faint hearted. Incorporating murder, violence, cannibalism, sexual violence, and abuse, this book should come with a trigger warning in capital letters. The novels tell the story, not in chronological order, of psychologist turned cannibalistic serial-killer Hannibal Lecter’s twisted childhood, crimes and consultancy to homicide detectives. If you want to understand a serial killer, ask a serial killer right?

Harris cleverly creates a force of sinister manipulation in Lecter keeping us wondering who’s side he is on and waiting for his seemingly inevitable escape. The graphic descriptions of terrible and violent crimes leave the reader feeling slightly queasy. Meanwhile Harris opens up the door to harrowing pasts and darkest secrets of the other characters using Lecter’s heightened perceptive skills, manipulation and persuasion creating a multi-layered, three dimensional cast. It’s not for everyone, but if you think you can stomach it, buckle up for a crazy, crime filled ride!

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi

Have you always wanted to know what motivates a serial killer? Why people join cults? How people are brainwashed? Well this is the book for you! Vincent Bugliosi, a prosecution attorney on the case, provides an inside look at the bone-chilling Tate–LaBianca murders instigated by the infamous Charles Manson and his indoctrinated followers.

Following an initial, gruesome murder scene, Bugliosi takes us systematically, through the following investigations, trials, and backstory of the Spahn Ranch cult headed by the enigmatic, influential and cold-blooded Charles Manson. Bugliosi leaves out no detail, using actual court transcripts and often repeating information to ensure the reader can follow the complicated proceedings with more ease. It’s a long one so set aside plenty of reading time as you’ll quickly find that the devil is in the detail, painting an all-encompassing picture, transporting you back in time to Mason’s childhood, cult-life, the murders and the subsequent trails. You almost forget when reading that this isn’t a work of creative fiction, it really did happen, inviting you to question: are any of us really safe?

Science Fiction Madness

Dreamcatcher by Stephen King

King talks about writing Dreamcatcher under the influence of powerful painkillers after an accident and it’s a mind-bending, journey incorporating psychic powers, aliens, government cover-ups, and possession. The sort of thing that surely can only been dreamt up under the influence!

When school-friends Henry, Beaver, Jonsey, and Pete noticed ‘Duddits’, a disabled child being bullied, the boys intervened, intertwining their lives and showing them ‘the line’, Duddits’ telepathic power. The line is a compass guiding the group through life, drawing them away from danger and towards lost things. Present day, the boys still meet up every year to go hunting in the snowy forest, cut off from civilisation… Cue the cabin in the woods style gore-fest! A UFO has crashed in the forest and the military are racing against time to contain the incident, but they don’t have the full story. It’s up to the group of friends to save the world, an action inexplicably linked to Duddits and his special powers.

For those of you fascinated by the recent Area 51 raid pranks, this is a must-read! What have the authorities been hiding? Peel back the proverbial curtain and find out what extra-terrestrial horror awaits!

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

Written as a collection of interviews, news articles, personal accounts, and scientific data collated by a journalist, Brooks convinces the reader that World War Z was a real-life global catastrophe. Written in the post-apocalyptic wake, World War Z examines the effects of a worldwide pandemic and response from global leaders, health organisations and pharmaceutical companies cashing in on the chaos.

The corruption revealed throughout governments, world leaders and at times the medical profession provides a commentary on contemporary issues surrounding conflict, peace, safety and ethical practise which is extremely thought provoking and before you can check yourself leads you to wonder: could a corrupt government lead to a zombie war?

Brooks cleverly weaves personal accounts showing war as a microcosm, devastating families juxtaposed against the worldwide effects using government press releases and interviews. This makes for a read which at times tugs on your heart strings, terrifies you to your core and causes you to scratch your head and strategise with the world leaders about what to do next!

Creepy Classics

Dracula by Bram Stoker

A gothic setting, a tyrannical villain and damsels in distress, Dracula is the epitome of classic horror. Drawing the reader in with detailed panoramic descriptions of beautiful scenery, we are taken into Dracula’s foreboding castle and into the world of the vampire.

When Jonathan Harker sets out to Transylvania to close a real estate deal with Count Dracula, he is warned by villagers along the way to turn back. Despite this, Jonathan chooses to continue on and finds himself embroiled in wolf attacks, vampire assaults, murder, monster hunts, and blood. Meanwhile, Harker’s wife Mina and her friend Lucy are caught up in vampire dealings of their own leading to further macabre events.

Stoker paints a picture of how unprepared England is for Dracula’s attacks due to its propensity for modern science which doesn’t allow for believing in vampires. Warning readers not to overlook supernatural occurrences science can’t explain. Like Van Helsing, we must take into account both superstition and science. If you like eerie, spooky, otherworldly horror then Dracula is the one for you!

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

When Robert Walton set out on his voyage to the North Pole, little did he expect to come across Victor Frankenstein, a near frozen man with an incredible story. Once nursed back to health, Frankenstein tells his secret, scary, and shameful story. Following a happy childhood, Frankenstein studies anatomy and chemistry discovering his ability of animation and embarking on his biggest project yet, to create a human being. Frankenstein makes the monster from a collection of human body parts before bringing it to life and running in fear. What follows is a twisted tale of murder, shame, betrayal, guilt and ethical questions.

Shelley writes a dark and ominous text exploring the implications of too much knowledge. Text and language also play a huge role in the novel with the story told through letters with nods to notebooks, inscriptions and journals. The monster even learns to speak and read from the villagers allowing Frankenstein and thus the reader to understand the complex emotions felt by the creature adding another layer to the story. If you like chewing over problems of ethics and philosophy with a side order of grisly horror, then this is the novel for you!

Psychological Frights

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

Schizophrenia or supernatural possession? This was the question plaguing the Barrett family when 15-year-old Marjorie began acting erratically and medicine wasn’t helping. Merry, Marjorie’s sister, chronicles the horrific events that took place in the Bennett house when the family decided an exorcism was the only way to help Marjorie. To ease their financial strain, the family agreed to have a reality TV show enter their home and film the events leading Merry to question is Marjorie really possessed?

The book explores the dark theme of reality TV exploitation while raising the age old question of science versus religion. Full of harrowing scenes and creepy imagery, the book has an overall feeling of paranoia and madness, making for a sinister and terrifying read. Open if you dare and travel down the psychological rabbit-hole into the ghost filled head of Marjorie Barrett.

Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Would you go for a summer holiday in a haunted house? That is exactly what Eleanor, Theodora, and Luke do following an invitation from Dr Montague who is investigating the supernatural occurrences at Hill House. The group are tasked with living in the house for the summer, noting unearthly experiences.

Although dark and foreboding with a chequered past, Hill House is uninviting but apparently not haunted. However, malevolent events begin slowly unfolding leaving us to wonder what is the work of spirits and what may be the work of the group of ragtag inhabitants. The house comes to life, ensnaring its victims, particularly drawing in fragile, vulnerable Eleanor who is infatuated with the house. Will Hill House ever let her go?

For those that have watched the hit Netflix series, you’ll find that the show takes a lot of creative licence, further developing key themes from the book to stretch over a whole series. The novel is more compact with traditional haunted house tropes but still packs a frightening punch, made even more impactful by the shock ending. Come inside Hill House if you dare!

Supernatural Scares

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

When a malevolent child abductor and a psychic teenager cross paths, both of their lives are changed forever. Charles Manx, a famed child abductor has been kidnapping children in his Rolls-Royce Wraith, which can traverse worlds and taking them to the supernatural vampire amusement park of Christmasland. When psychic Vic takes the ‘Shorter Way bridge’, her telepathic link, to Manx’s house following an argument with her mother, she had no idea what horrors awaited there.

Fast forward to Vic’s adult life, where she lives as the only known escapee of Manx, but he is not finished with Vic yet. Although imprisoned, after Vic’s almost abduction, Manx has escaped using paranormal means, convincing everyone he is dead and when he takes Vic’s son, no one believes it. It is up to Vic to rescue Wayne and destroy Christmasland for good.

Hill cleverly incorporates the real-life threat of child abduction which send a shiver down the spine of most along with supernatural elements such as psychics and vampires. This makes for a bone-chilling scare you won’t be able to shake long after the last page.

The Hunger by Alma Katsu

Alma Katsu showcases her amazing ability to make horrific historical tragedies even more terrifying by introducing supernatural entities within her take on the Donner Party disaster, The Hunger. In 1846, the 90 members of the pioneer Donner Party setting out on the Oregon trail from Missouri to California, could not have foreseen the horror that lay in wait.

Katsu’s writing builds suspense from the outset, having the reader believe something is stalking the party, causing disappearances and deaths. Although a true story of conflict, betrayal, illness, exposure and starvation, Katsu explores the events under a supernatural lens adding another layer of horror to the already tragic accounts. Did the Donner Party succumb to exposure or is there another sinister explanation for their bad luck?

This novel seamlessly marries history and horror incorporating barbaric tribes, ghosts, demons, and witchcraft without a second of disconnection from the gripping politics and relationships of the group. The variation of traditional storytelling and the use of correspondence, to inform the reader of the character and setting backgrounds, reveals the twine that links all party members to one another and the dread, death and destruction awaiting them all.

Heinous Horror Adaptations

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Turned into a hit Netflix movie, Bird Box will leave you on the edge of your seat, both the book and movie. Malorie and her two children live in an abandoned house in a post-apocalyptic ruin. Most people are dead, and something is out there. Something that wants to get them and if they look at it directly, it will turn them into homicidal, suicidal maniacs. Malorie and her children need to escape and run to safety but a perilous journey lies ahead and you’re on it with them!

Written with a sense of urgency that will keep you turning pages, Bird Box will have you looking over your shoulder with paranoia and panic, thinking am I being followed too? Due to the fact the protagonist spends much of the time blindfolded or trying to avoid seeing the malevolent forces, you will become maddeningly frustrated at your own consequent blindness. keeping you reading desperately in the hope you will get to see the monster. But can you handle it? Or will it send you mad too?

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

You’ve probably heard of the cult movie The Exorcist, but did you know it was based on a bestselling book? Noted as one of the most controversial books of the time, The Exorcist tells the story of 11 year old Regan’s experience with demonic possession and her subsequent exorcism. It’s hard not to compare the novel to the film due to its notoriety but where the book far excels is in the stomach-churning; repulsive descriptions of acts carried out by the possessed Regan and the shocking and horrifying dialogue from the demon inside. Making those infamous scenes from the movie (I won’t give it away!) even more disturbing and unsettling.

Inspired by real life events, if you don’t value a good night’s sleep all that much then this is the book for you. It will have you up long into the night jumping at shadows and cowering under the duvet.

Do you have any horror recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

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