Horror Books - Blog Posts
So I reads my first horror book called Sister Maiden Monster and despite how gross and insane it was. The fact that everything was connected, even to the goddamn sushi from the beginning was mind blowing.
Book Review: Informania: Ghosts by Christopher Maynard (2000)
Title: Informania: Ghosts
Author: Christopher Maynard
ISBN13: 9780744577105
Informania: Ghosts offers a brief introduction to everything ghost-related from ghost hunting to films about ghosts. Suitable for young readers and enthusiastic adults alike, the book is divided into five sections:
An abridged version of Algernon Blackwood’s “The Empty House”. Short but suspenseful nevertheless.
A scrapbook by famed ghost hunter Dee Bunker detailing her findings and favorite cases. Dee talks about her experience, her golden rules of ghost hunting, and more.
A tour booklet through the National Museum of Phoney Ghosts. Led by Sir Ghastlie Mones, visitors will see how some of the best ghost sightings can also be the worst scams imaginable.
A Fright Night film guide for all ghost-related movies. Not necessarily horror, but the listing is quite interesting no less, with line-ups like The Cat and the Canary (1927), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), and A Chinese Ghost Story (1987).
A handy reference guide to all things ghost-related such as a timeline of hauntings, a map detailing different variants of spooks, and even an internet listing for further reading.
The book itself is quite entertaining and good for early exposure to the world of the paranormal. However, since it was published in 2000, some of the information present within the book may be outdated.
Happy Hauntings!
Short book review: There’s No Way I’d Die First
⭐️⭐️
I think this book had a lot of potential but it really just wasn’t it for me. My biggest issue that a lot of people on Goodreads agreed with was the political message…considering it’s supposed to be about racism, it’s painfully pro-rich. The villain had a point, this cast of characters were all spoiled brats who got their way and took advantage of other, nor do they ever acknowledge their privilege or admit their wrogdoing. These people are insanely rich btw, not upper middle class. I think when discussing intersectionality we need to acknowledge that people who are minorities and are also ultra rich will likely never understand or completely relate to the experience that everyone else faces. How the hell is the average reader supposed to root for and feel bad for these characters at all? The main character was super annoying because she kept insisting the cops will blame her for this bc she’s black…and then they don’t. Why even bother discussing the rampant racism in our judicial system when ur not even gonna show it? U make ur own character look like a paranoid annoying self-victim. And i couldn’t really give a shit about that either knowing her parents could easily bail her out a jail. Just seems insulting to the millions of black Americans who actually face this typa shit everyday and don’t have enough money to get out of it.
Also the clown’s name being Gabe instead of a clown name was a bizarre choice. And if he were a pennywise impersonator wouldn’t he just go by pennywise?
Whateva. 2 stars.
For those of you who have read it, how do you feel about The Return by Rachel Harrison? I really enjoyed it, but it seems that from some reviewers they found the banter between the characters quite boring. I guess I just really like good dialogue 🤷🏻
If you’re itching for strange macabre and gorey short horror stories may I recommend this anthology by Adam Cesare, author of my favorite book series ever. Some of these stories definitely made me feel a little queasy
If you haven’t heard of it, the Clown in a Cornfield movie comes out this May!
I’ve mentioned Adam Cesare before. This YA slasher trilogy is my all-time favorite book series. Seriously, if you haven’t read it already, I recommend checking it out. And there’s high hopes for a fourth book next year.
Favorite book is currently book 2, which takes place during Halloween. Makes it the perfect October read.
For a super unique twist on the haunted house trope, I’d recommend this short read, Haunt Sweet Home, by Sarah Pinsker. It’s specifically about a woman working for a reality TV show, whose goal is to make a house seem haunted for new buyers.
“How can you enjoy horror?! How can you enjoy feeling fear and anxiety? What's wrong with you?”
I came across a video discussing this and it really made me think about myself, a horror fan who delves deep into the genre and loves to explore the different subgenres. But why do I enjoy it so much? Why do I prefer to sit in a state of anxiety and fear and watch others suffer?
The general answer would be: Because I am comfortable in that state. Those feelings I have lived within for most of my life, and it is where I feel most ‘safe’ in a sense. I feel that a lot of people can relate to horror in various ways.
Why?
Trauma. It all relates to the trauma I have endured from a very early age. Horror gives me various ways of sitting in these emotions and processing them. Even the different subgenres offer me different points of views and thoughts on how to approach these feelings and release them. No, I’m not talking about acting upon violence, because that’s just a very small part of horror.
Body horror is my favorite subgenre. The drastic metamorphosis of the human form turning into something we cannot comprehend - something that is alien to us. The suffering of being in that form that’s in between reality and the unknown. Struggling to understand it, attacking it because we don’t. I see my own body this way. I have never felt comfortable in my physical body. No, I do not suffer a debilitating disease or suffer the loss of body parts, but when I look at myself in the mirror I wonder, “Is this really what I look like?”
I forget that I do not look like the image I have of myself in my head and being reminded of that makes my stomach feel tight and I feel actual fear. I do not like how I look on the outside. I also do not like knowing what’s on the inside. Blood and gore make me queasy, not only on the screen or in a book, but in reality. The knowledge that my body is filled with fleshy pieces and liquid that can so easily be spilled and lead to my demise is terrifying.
Gothic horror. This one is a bit more subdued. It’s the past versus the present, time leaking into the future. It’s a reminder of how the past affects the present and how, in turn, the present affects the future. My past clings to me, I live in it. I am doing my best to let go, and movies in the subgenre and usually about doing just that. The happy ending of moving on from past trauma, of learning to cope healthily or close a chapter of your life to look forward to the future. This is a subject I desperately try to improve in myself, but this subgenre is where I feel so… understood.
Cosmic horror is so intriguing to me. It makes me dive into analyzing otherworldly subjects, working my mind to try and grasp whatever understanding I can from the horror introduced. It shows humanity struggling against an unknown but overcoming it… or being driven mad. It reminds me what it is to be human; how not understanding everything is terrifying, but real. We are not meant to understand everything, we cannot scientifically break down things and we can either accept that or fight against it.
Humanity’s true hubris is trying to understand the core of the universe, to examine everything in a way that we will have infinite knowledge and pluck at the strings of reality so that we can control it. How we, as a species, crave domination. This subgenre makes me take a step back, realize there are things we should not meddle in, and sometimes we should accept things as they are… lest we see what lies in the mountains of madness.
Paranormal fiction gives me hope. Strange, isn’t it? The idea of ghosts or demons haunting us. Thinking that we could be tormented by an entity that lives beside us that we only need to give an ounce of attention to. So why does it fill me with faith? Because I feel so alone. Not only due to my schedule of being someone who is only active over the evening and night, but because I have a habit of isolating myself due to my intense fear of abandonment. The paranormal is unseen right next to us and, as much as I don’t believe in spirits, heaven, or hell, a part of me does hope that maybe those I have lost are still here.
That I am not sitting here alone at my computer. Perhaps a phantom stands with me, watching me in intrigue of this new technology they cannot understand. Maybe a specter paces the hallway, reliving a certain moment in their lives over and over again, not knowing that I am here… but they are present. Is there a fiend wrapped around my shoulders, damning me throughout the day by placing me in difficult situations and causing havoc around me? Well, they’re dealing with my annoying optimism and having to listen to me break down, too. If they felt joy about it, I’m sure they would be tired of it by now. We’re just nagging each other at this point. Yet, neither of us would be alone.
It’s about grief.
It’s about self-animosity.
It’s about trauma.
It’s about feeling understood.
I enjoyed the show Stranger Things, for example, because I could relate to the characters. I was a gifted child who was exploited by the authority around me, I never felt that I fit in, and I tried so hard to do so. I was smart, but in turn I was looked down upon and still told I was not by adults. I had special interests but never found friends who shared in those. I was afraid of being alone.
Enjoying horror does not mean there is anything “wrong” with you. It’s a platform for exploring deep emotions, expressing questions we are too afraid to ask, and finding comfort in a way you can understand in a safe place. (By safe, I mean your living room or bed.) I know horror can be dangerous, but it can also be a form of therapy. Writing in the genre allows you to work through uncomfortable emotions, to get your feelings out in a way that doesn’t avoid those emotions.
I do not speak for everyone, and this is about my person views and experiences. I would love to hear the views and stories of others.
Please recommend any book to read in 2025 please
I've decided to set a New Year’s resolution/challenge – I'm going to try to read more often (or rather read at all), and I would love to hear some book suggestions/recommendations.
All suggests and generes are welcome
Not strictly for the new year
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moodboard for a story im writing
This is the poster for my story called Curtain Call! In this story, you'll tag along with these adventurous theater kids, who sneak into a haunted Greek theater, which is guarded by a creature that wears the Comedy and Tragedy masks. This beast is hunting them down, but the only way they can escape is to complete the play, defeat the beast and leave before they turn into the creature's slaves, much like the lives that were lost in the theater.
First chapter of my book
So this is a work in progress atm, I'm not that far into writing it, but i have written the first chapter/ prologue. It is called "It's Just A Campfire Story". Hope you guys enjoy!!
Warnings: cursing, mentions of suicide, slight descriptions of warfare
Night had already been draped over the once pallid sky by the time the fire had become a roaring inferno trapped in a stone prison. The sickly sweet stench of caramelising, melting marshmallows writhed its way through the breathable air, consuming every spare morsel. At least everyone could tolerate it, it was appetising to say the least. Softly, the dancing scraps of ash pirouetted through the smoky mass erupting from the flames in the centre of a circle of tightly huddled beings, all of which seemed to be human. Moss seemed to be pulsating under their feet, or was it just the lighting? The residents of this small camping trip would never know for sure, but it certainly looked as though the floor their chairs leaned oh so well on was alive.
Stars twinkled between the effervescent clouds that glided effortlessly through the atmosphere. It truly was an almost perfect night, apart from the fact that the Forest nearby sat there in melancholy, waiting for its story to burst out of someone’s mouth and spill out like fresh blood. Everything about those woods silently screeched the word “DEATH” and accumulated negative feelings, swallowing you in an inky darkness of dread, suspense and lachrymose. Although it was there, simply wasting its own time in patiently waiting, our humans around the fire were more focused on their own business in camping, not the Forest’s.
Taz was a smaller girl than the rest of her acquaintances, but wiser nonetheless. Her perfect brunette ringlets floated beside her ears and sat neatly on her shoulders. Quietly, she twirled her marshmallow over the crackling flames, charring the outside until it nearly turned a charcoal black. That was how she liked it, ever so slightly burnt so that the bitterness contrasted with the sugary taste, morphing into the perfect combination. Even though her friends thought it was quite peculiar, they found it better not to judge. After all, with a diverse group like theirs, everyone had their own strange traits to them, all more personal than eating habits. Taz was fairly attractive on the outside, but once you knew her fully, she was the weirdest person you would ever meet in your lifetime (in a good way, of course), although she had a sort of charisma that only appeared in certain people, a kind of welcoming attitude toward newcomers in her life- the sort you would figure out the meaning, only to find that it’s too late.
“So, you all enjoy your mallows?” She asked, breaking the eerie silence. The 4 others around the fire gave muffled sounds of agreement as answers, their mouths filled with masses of the soft sugar candy. They were soon to swallow it - just in time for the fun to finally begin. Taz rubbed her hands and grinned like a lunatic, her forest-green eyes darting around the circle of her friends, the cogs in her brain grinding along, whirring and figuring out which one to put on the spot.
“Johnny - what was the war like, old boy? I reckon we need some stories now. After all, this is a campfire.” She asked, a spark of playfulness in her raspy voice. John, on the other hand, was the oldest of the group - 53 to be exact, and he had endured a long war starting when he was only 17. At least he was one of the ones thankful to survive.
“Oh it was hell.” He chuckled, closing his eyes for a moment, taking in the vivid memories that whistled through his mind. “You would have your mates near y’ in the trenches, but no- one ever talked to each other, no no. It was impossible to hear anyone over the gunfire. Boy, was I glad when they announced it was finally over.” John smiled, a genuine gleam of relief to be alive. And whenever John smiled, everybody else smiled too, whether they wanted to or not. I swear, it was infectious (in a good way). “Right, there’s something I want to address.” exclaimed Rory, an energetic 16 - year- old with an eccentric sense of humour. Once he had successfully caught the attention of everyone around the roaring flames, he spoke up again.
“How the hell can this be a PROPER campfire when we haven’t told any stories that scare you out’a your fuckin’ skin?!” he groaned, half shouting into the fire, which ominously reflected in his wide eyes.
“I was getting to that.” Taz grumbled, a sour expression pasted over her face. When Rory eventually did shut up, she could get down to business.
“Be prepared, because you ALL will be unable to sleep peacefully after this.” She paused for an attempt at dramatic effect, but it failed, and she was met with awkward silence.
“This is the tale of Two inseparable girls, a Tragedy, and one blunt Axe. On the way, we will find four serial murders, a suicide and unrequited love. What’s the worst that can happen, right?” Everyone’s faces lit up, both figuratively and literally, as the fire cast a warm orange glow to the surroundings and the organisms in the area, both human and entity, were all itching with glee to hear Taz’s story. The forest lurched, creaking with pure ecstasy.
With my book progressing I decided to make a character sheet Fennecs human form :3 just so people could take a look at her and see what she’s all about if they care!!! <3 🐺🪶🌲🪰
I love love LOVE questions about anything btw!! I know I’m not big enough to be asking for comments but I love to interact with people!!
Took me the whole day but it’s done and I’m free. Finally.
This is from my recent book “Lupus Mortis” this is the opening scene.
Lupus Mortis is a body horror novel that includes tragic yuri.
A female priest and a female half-werewolf find comfort in each others presence, though it’s pretty doomed from the start.