It’s Monday, which means I’m back, horror fans! It’s time to chat about everything going on in horror at the moment. And I just have to say I’ve already read some really exceptional horror books this year. Which ones, you ask? I will tell you, but first, let’s chat new releases and things.
2024 is the tenth year of the Read Harder Challenge! Join us as we make our way through 24 tasks meant to expand our reading horizons and diversify our TBRs. To get book recommendations for each task, sign up for the Read Harder newsletter. We’ll also keep you informed about other cool reading challenges, readathons, and more across the bookish internet. If you become a paid subscriber, you get even more recommendations plus community features, where you can connect with a community of passionate, like-minded readers in a cozy and supportive corner of the internet. Sign up today!
Bookish Goods
4 Pack Horror Character Knife Bookmarks by BxmbshellCreations
Is your year of reading also off to a great start? You know what thing that could make it better? This 4-pack of horror-themed bookmarks featuring famous slashers in the shape of knives. What’s not to love? $18.
New Releases
A Place for Vanishing by Ann Fraistat
If you love gothic horror, this YA novel is going to be for you. After Libby is diagnosed with bipolar III, she and her family are looking for a fresh start and a little normalcy in their lives. But when they move to their new home, it turns out to be anything but normal. Between the rumors about the disappearances connected to the house and the strange boy who lives next door, Libby knows something is wrong. But her mother refuses to accept anything that would thwart their dreams of a new beginning.
This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer
Wilderness horror fans will want to pick up a copy of Jenny Kiefer’s This Wretched Valley. Dylan, Clay, Sylvia, and Luke are determined to be the first people to climb a newly discovered cliff in the Kentucky wilderness. Seven months later, the climbers’ bodies are discovered. Only Dylan is still missing. What happened to the four friends?
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Black Paradox by Junji Ito
In the first few weeks of 2024, I’ve already read some amazing backlist horror books, including the manga Black Paradox by Junji Ito. In this book, a group of people meet online and make plans to end their lives together. Instead, they open up a portal to another world, and their lives are changed forever.
This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
Here’s another incredible backlist title you should definitely check out if you haven’t already! This cosmic horror story is a poignant meditation on grief and depression. And it all starts when Thiago and Vera get a strange Alexa-like technology called Itza. At first, the Itza just does weird things, like ordering dildos for the house. But then there are weird scratching sounds in the wall. And Thiago starts having strange nightmares about a door.
I hope your January has been going as well as mine. Enjoy your reading this week, and I’ll see you next Monday. Until then, you can follow me (and message me) on Instagram at emandhercat. Sweet dreams, horror fans!