Oh oh oh… oh oh OH oh… Oh oh oh… The Fright Stuff.
I had to do it once, and now I’ll never do it again, friends. I promise. Now where were we? It’s me, Emily, your friend in all things frightful. Or fiend, if you prefer.
We’re in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month, as you might know. So when we get into our Riot Recommendations, I thought this week would be a great opportunity to shout out some fabulous horror books written by Hispanic and Latine Americans.
But before we do all of that…Book Riot’s editorial team is writing for casual and power readers alike over at The Deep Dive! During the month of September, all new free subscribers will be entered to win Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, plus 5 mystery books from The Deep Dive. To enter, simply start a free subscription to The Deep Dive. No payment method required!
Bookish Goods
Halloween Book Sleeve by SciencePlusCoffee
There are a lot of Halloween-themed book sleeves out there on Etsy, but this one is my personal favorite because it’s just sooooo cute. Plus it’s got cats on it. It’s like make it spooky ghosts…but make it cute. And it comes in three different sizes! Starting at $19.
New Releases
A Tall Dark Trouble by Vanessa Montalban
Cults and family drama and dark fantasy and murder? Let’s do this. This YA novel follows the story of twins Delfi and Lela who are haunted by a family curse. In 1980s Cuba, Anita is desperate to rid herself of the magic powers that allow her to speak to the dead. These characters’ stories intertwine to weave together a dark and moving tale of generational trauma and family secrets.
What Kind of Mother by Clay McLeod Chapman
The fresh, new, hot-off-the-presses Southern Gothic horror novel is the story of Madi Price, who has reluctantly returned to her hometown of Brandywine, Virginia, with her 17-year-old daughter. Madi scrapes by working as a palm reader, and this is how she encounters Henry McCabe, whose son went missing five years ago. Everyone assumes Henry’s son is dead, but when Madi reads his palm, she sees something different. Something that will haunt her.
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Our Shadows Have Claws, edited by Yamile Saled Méndez and Amparo Ortiz
It’s time to highlight just a few of the many notable horror books by Hispanic and Latine Americans. This first book is a bit of a cheat because it features a lot of works from a lot of different authors. But it was so hard to narrow down the list! And this anthology’s got 15 great monster stories from some really excellent writers.
Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson
This book is a little more light-hearted than the other two books on this list, but it’s soooo much fun. Like, when the book is compared to Veronica Mars and The Craft, how can it not be fun? After Mila’s best friend dies under mysterious circumstances, she casts a spell to bring her friend back to life and find out what happened. But in doing so, she brings back the two other girls who died as well. And so Mila unwittingly creates… (wait for it) an Undead Girl Gang (TM).
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
If you love horror, you’re probably already WELL AWARE of Carmen Maria Machado’s stunning short story collection Her Body and Other Parties, but if you somehow missed the boat on this one, this month is the perfect time to pick this one up! These stories use horror and dark sci-fi/fantasy to explore women and the violence they face in their everyday lives.
And with that, it’s time to wrap up another installment of The Fright Stuff. See you next week, and in the meantime, you can follow me (and message me) on Instagram at emandhercat. Sweet dreams, horror fans!