Welcome to Read This Book, a newsletter where I recommend one book that I think you absolutely must read. The books will vary across genre and age category to include new releases, backlist titles, and classics. If you’re ready to explode your TBR, buckle up!
Autumn is here, which means it’s time to curl up with a great read and get cozy — whatever your version of cozy looks like. Whether it’s romance, creepy reads, modern classics, or escapist reads you crave, TBR can help you find the perfect books for your fall reading, with options curated to your specific reading tastes.
Today’s pick is another spooky book for October, and I saved the scariest for last! What I like about today’s pick is that it’s funny and relatable, and the characters are so real and frustrating, but it builds to moments of absolute terror and yuck…and yet can be really funny!
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
When Louise gets the news that her parents are killed in a car accident in her hometown, she’s devastated. She makes the long journey from San Francisco to Charleston in order to sort out her parents’ affairs, but she dreads the entire process. Most of all, she dreads seeing her brother Mark, who was coddled by her parents and never forced to grow up and take responsibility. Now, he’s a grown man who acts like a teenager, and Louise dreads having to take care of him, too. Then, settling their parents’ estate proves to be more complicated than they expect, and Louise is faced with the prospect of cleaning out a house stuffed to the rafters with her mother’s dolls, puppets, and deranged artwork. Dealing with Mark is the least of her worries because it’s becoming clear that there’s something inside the house that doesn’t want to leave.
I loved Louise’s character, and I think a lot of readers can relate to her—she’s grieving the loss of her parents, she’s upset and angry with her younger brother and his approach to the funeral and arrangements, and she’s at a loss as to how to help her young daughter process the loss. The last thing she needs is evidence that her parents’ house is haunted. The clues and signs are subtle at first, but as soon as Louise discovers what’s really going on in her parents’ house, things escalate dramatically and take some sharp and scary turns. Louise and Mark are forced to confront their childhood animosities, secrets, and half-buried memories and face the truth before it destroys them all. I love how Hendrix’s setups are always a bit weird and wacky but downright creepy, and this one is no exception. If you hate dolls, this storyline will give you nightmares! I also love how the horror of this book is wrapped up in shared experiences with siblings you don’t really relate to or understand, and Louise and Mark are forced to face the truth of a past they weren’t fully capable of comprehending at the time. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll shiver in terror—but you won’t want to miss this one!
Bonus: The audiobook narrated by Jay Aaseng and Mikhaila Aaseng is excellent!
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Happy reading!
Tirzah
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