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Bloody, Bloody Backlist: Terrors of 2015

Hey‌ ‌there‌ horror fans, ‌I’m‌ ‌Jessica‌ ‌Avery‌ ‌and‌ ‌I’ll‌ ‌be‌ ‌delivering‌ ‌your‌ ‌weekly‌ ‌brief‌ ‌of‌ ‌all‌ ‌that’s‌ ‌ghastly‌ ‌and‌ ‌grim‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌of‌ ‌Horror.‌ ‌Whether‌ ‌you’re‌ ‌looking‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌backlist‌ ‌book‌ ‌that‌ ‌will‌ ‌give‌‌ you‌ ‌the‌ ‌willies,‌ ‌a‌ ‌terrifying‌ ‌new‌ ‌release,‌ ‌or‌ ‌the‌ ‌latest‌ ‌in‌ ‌horror‌ ‌community‌ ‌news,‌ ‌you’ll‌ ‌find‌ ‌it‌ ‌here‌ in‌ ‌The‌ ‌Fright‌ ‌Stuff.

Well, folks, the year is drawing to a close. This is our last November newsletter and one of only four editions of The Fright Stuff left until 2023 is upon us! So I thought I’d close out this last month of autumn by spotlighting some fantastic horror titles from the backlist, before we go jumping into “best of”s and “most anticipated”s over the next couple of months.

So let’s get creepy!

Bookish Goods

bloody knife bookmark by siyoboutique

Bloody Knife Bookmark by SiyoBoutique

Can you have too many bookmarks? Personally, I don’t think so. Now usually I amass bookmarks by chance, but I really should start ordering more themed bookmarks to pair with my reading, because there are just so many amazing options. Take for instance this awesome bloody knife bookmark, perfect for pairing with your next slasher read. It’s just so adorable! (In a “just stabbed a babysitter” way.)

$7

New Releases

cover of house of yesterday by deeba zargarpur

House of Yesterday by Deeba Zargarpur

House of Yesterday is my favorite type of haunting story, where grief and ghosts collide. Inspired by Zargarpur’s own Afghan-Uzbek heritage, it’s the story of 15-year-old Sara, who tries to escape from the chaos of her collapsing family life by working on her mother’s most recent home renovation project. But houses are as alive as the people who inhabit them, with much longer memories. What else is a ghost, after all? The house Sara’s working on has old secrets in its bones, and as they manifest themselves as frightening apparitions, Sara is forced to face the darkness of her family’s history, and the realization that her life will never go back to the way it was. How can it, when she’s finally learned the truth.

cover of mine anthology ed by roxie voorhees and nico bell

Mine: An Anthology of Body Autonomy Horror ed. by Roxie Voorhees & Nico Bell

Mine, like the title says, is a collection of stories that highlights, body horror, specifically, the loss of autonomy inherent in it. Sixteen stories explore transformations, possessions, and what it means to have control and/or loose control of our own bodies. Creature Publishing has announced they will be donating all the profits from Mine to the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) to support reproductive freedoms. You know I love an anthology, and if I can indulge my affection for both anthologies and body horror while supporting a good cause, it’s doubly good!

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.

Riot Recommendations

cover of the dead house by dawn kurtagich

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

Told though a series of surviving records, reports, transcripts, and journal entries, The Dead House is the story of two girls and the tragic burning of Elmbridge High School. Twenty-five years after the fire that killed three people, and the disappearance of Carly Johnson, a diary is found in the wreckage of the school that belongs to Kaitlyn Johnson, Carly’s twin. A girl who supposedly never existed. This book takes “unreliable” narrator to a whole other level as Carly and Kaitlyn’s opposing stories emerge, leaving readers to try and figure out what happened all those years ago at Elmbridge, and which of the two narrators is really who she says she is.

cover of serpentine by cindy pon

Serpentine by Cindy Pon

Serpentine is technically more dark fantasy than horror, but I really wanted to include it on this list because ”beautiful young women slowly undergoes a monstrous transformation while discovering her true self” is an A+ trope that we see a lot of in the horror genre, and one that I personally adore. Pon’s novel is inspired by Chinese mythology, and tells the story of Skybright who is struggling to fit into the world around her as she contends with a dark secret that drives a wedge between who she wants to be and who she is becoming.

cover of a head full of ghosts by paul tremblay

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

When the Barretts’ 14-year-old daughter Marjorie develops what appears to be acute schizophrenia, and all medical attempts to help her fail, the family turns to the church for aid. But a local priest’s suggestion that he perform an exorcism on Marjorie is tainted with suspicion when he also invites a camera crew to accompany him. Then tragedy strikes. Fifteen years later, Marjorie’s little sister Merry agrees to an interview about the events of that night, and as buried memories surface, it soon becomes clear that what she remembers, and what she’s been told, are two completely different stories.

cover of ghost summer by tananarive due

Ghost Summer by Tananarive Due

Ghost Summer‘s selection of 15 short stories and a novella really showcases Tananarive Due’s impressive range. It’s an excellent introduction for new readers, and a must-read for already existing fans. From hauntings, to monsters, to buried secrets and dark family histories, Ghost Summer is full of rich, gothic settings and creeping horrors. Also, zombies! And, fair warning, a section of viral/contagion/zombie horror stories in this collection that will for real leave your skin crawling.

Fresh From the Skeleton’s Mouth

Esquire has released their selections for the 22 Best Horror Books of 2022, and there are more than a few Fright Stuff favorites on there!

As always, you can catch me on twitter at @JtheBookworm, where I try to keep up on all that’s new and frightening.