4 Horror Books To Read All Year Long

Halloween might have come and gone but who says horror can only be in October? Dive into one of the following books ranging from horror to thriller and more. Warning… You might not want to read these late at night 🙀

House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski

Barnes and Nobles call this one of the most frightening books ever written. So if you are looking for a true horror book beyond Stephen King (who is the amazing and makes this list too) why not give Danielewski a try? It starts out in normal horror genre trope which involves a house, a big and slightly scary-looking house.

“Danielewski spins out a dizzying tale involving multiple unreliable narrators, typographic mysteries, and looping footnotes that manage to drag the reader into the story and then make them doubt their own perception of that story. It’s a trick no one else has managed to such dramatic effect, making this novel more of a participatory experience than any other work of literature—which, considering the dark madness at its core, isn’t necessarily a pleasant experience.” – Barnes and Noble Review

Magic Dark and Strange by Kelly Powell

Described as The Bone Witch meets Sherlock Holmes in this thrilling historical fantasy about a girl with the ability to raise the dead who must delve into her city’s dangerous magical underworld to stop a series of murders. This is a great book for those who love fantasy with a twist.

Not every Halloween book needs to be terrifying and Powell proves that!

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Another book, another review, and another one that is perfect for spooky season! AND, it has necromancy! I have a special place in my heart for my love of all things dead and necromancy related (sounds weirder aloud/written than I thought) so, as you can guess, I was so excited for this little gem of a book! (Full review on my blog, link in bio!) 🍁 Catherine Daly has an unusual talent. By day she works for a printer. But by night, she awakens the dead for a few precious moments with loved ones seeking a final goodbye. But this magic comes with a price: for every hour that a ghost is brought back, Catherine loses an hour from her own life. 🍁 When Catherine is given the unusual task of collecting a timepiece from an old grave, she is sure that the mysterious item must contain some kind of enchantment. So she enlists Guy Nolan, the watchmaker’s son, to help her dig it up. But instead of a timepiece, they find a surprise: the body of a teenage boy. And as they watch, he comes back to life—not as the pale imitation that Catherine can conjure, but as a living, breathing boy. A boy with no memory of his past. 🍁 This magic is more powerful than any Catherine has ever encountered, and revealing it brings dangerous enemies. Catherine and Guy must race to unravel the connection between the missing timepiece and the undead boy. For this mysterious magic could mean the difference between life and death—for all of them. 🍁 #magicdarkandstrange #kellypowell #yabookstagram #yaitslit #yareads #bookbloggerslife #bookreviewer #bookstagram #readingtime #booknerd #bookreviewblog #simonteen #instabooklovers #yacommunity #bookishlove #hereforthebooks #bookrecommendation #bookbloggersofig #readingislife #fortheloveofreading #readinggoals #newreads #bookishmerch #bookpic #bookishphotography #booknook #bookflatlay #bookaesthetic #readersofinsta #bookblogger

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Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Stephen King is considered one of the most prolific horror writers of our time with countless of his books. Many of his books have been turned into movies too that have haunted many of us including a certain clown…

Pet Sematary is not only one of the creepiest movies I have ever watched but it doesn’t compare to the book. The book is the definition of horror and disturbing. Warning to all potential readers, this book is very intense!

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Un giorno imprecisato del 1989 Stephen King invita i Ramones per vedere una partita di baseball in tv. In quell’occasione regala a Dee Dee Ramone una copia di quello che lui stesso definisce il suo romanzo più terrificante. Pochi mesi dopo esce Brain Drain, e all’interno dell’album c’è una canzone dedicata proprio a quel romanzo, il cui indimenticabile ritornello “I don’t wanna be buried in a pet sematary / I don’t want to live my life again” ha fatto da imprescindibile colonna sonora a tutta la mia lettura. ⠀ Ma Pet Sematary non ha affatto il tono scanzonato e rockeggiante della sua omonima canzone. È un libro tragico e crudele, in cui l’orrore non risiede tanto nel soprannaturale, quanto nell’uomo, e che ha come fulcro l’incapacità umana di prostrarsi di fronte all’unico avvenimento a cui non c’è rimedio: la morte. A cosa saremmo disposti, a quali orrori potremmo piegarci, quanto in là potremmo spingerci se avessimo la possibilità di riportare indietro qualcosa di caro? ⠀ Fin dalle prime pagine sono facilmente intuibili i tragici risvolti dell’abisso a cui stiamo affacciando, ed è proprio questo ineludibile baratro a fare di questo libro un capolavoro della suspance. Nonostante la piega degli eventi sia abbastanza chiara sin da subito, o forse proprio per questo, non si può non continuare a scavare andando, pagina dopo pagina, incontro all’inevitabile, armati solo della speranza -forse vana- che la ragione abbia la meglio sul dolore. ⠀ 👉 Cos’altro mi consigliate di leggere assolutamente del Re? 😘 Non dimenticatevi di lasciare un like che fa bene al cuore 🖤 ⠀ – – – ⠀ Ringrazio ancora Veronica @piccolimomentidiecstacy per questo regalo 🖤 #sperlingkupfer #stephenking #petsematary #bookstagramitalia #consiglidilettura #instalibri #amoleggere #lettureinteressanti #horroritalia #stephenkingbooks #stephenkingsit #leggeresempre #libribelli #recensionilibri #ticonsigliounlibro #librisulcomodino #leggerechepassione #librichepassione

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Beloved by Toni Morrison

 Beloved is many things, but it is also a horror novel. It deals with the psychological impact of slavery as it affects the characters Sethe, her daughter Denver, and the other freed Black men and women who are still processing their losses. The main characters are living in a home that is haunted by a house. A house whom they believe to be the ghost of Sethe’s eldest daughter that Sethe killed. As the book progresses the ghost eventually is able to take human form as a young woman named Beloved.

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“Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.” . “There is a loneliness that can be rocked. Arms crossed, knees drawn up, holding, holding on, this motion, unlike a ship’s, smooths and contains the rocker. It’s an inside kind–wrapped tight like skin. Then there is the loneliness that roams. No rocking can hold it down. It is alive. On its own. A dry and spreading thing that makes the sound of one’s own feet going seem to come from a far-off place.” . “Me and you, we got more yesterday than anybody. We need some kind of tomorrow.” . . Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved is complex, haunting, and a deep examination of the pain humans inflict upon one another as well as themselves — and definitely shouldn’t be picked up lightly. This is a read that will scar your literary heart and make you feel accomplished as the prose can be heavy. Beloved is brutal but elegant at the same time, and an important and honest read about slavery. . . Things I liked: – The atmosphere of the book. – The love and sacrifice involved in the narrative. I definitely had to divide my reading of this book because some days I just felt raw from the emotional outpouring of the words. – Sethe as a character. So much depth there. – The symbolism of Beloved herself. I could spend a lifetime analyzing her significance. – Multiple POVs. – So many quotable lines, beautifully poetic passages (I couldn’t pick just one to highlight above). . Things that didn’t work for me: – I’m not sure that this belongs here necessarily, but this book is not an easy read by any means – both content wise and complexity of the writing. . . . [CW: racism (slavery), rape, violence, abuse] . Side note – I’m so bummed I can’t remove the sticker! It’s tearing the cover 😭😭

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What are horror books do you love? Tell us below!

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Amanda Wilkinson

When Amanda is busy running While Fat she can be found running her own Digital Marketing Agency in Bristol, UK. Amanda can also be found reading books on her Bookstagram, drinking Aperol, and dreaming about her next trip.

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