Are you a fan of the creepy, spooky, unnatural or grotesque? Looking for a book that will freak you out a little? Make you laugh at the absurdity of horror that borders on comedy, or tremble with suspense?
Then I have the books for you!
I’ve been reading a lot of horror this year and can’t seem to get enough of it. It’s not a genre for everyone and even I have my limits. I can’t stand horror films! I cover my eyes and block my ears, thank you very much. But horror books...give me all of them! If horror movies happen to be your thing, check out these free to stream horror films on Kanopy.
For the horror squeamish I have also added a handy rating system for the approachability of these titles; 1/10 being the lowest on the spooky scale, meaning you can easily approach this book, it’s not very scary or intense but is still ‘horror’. A 10/10 rating would be very scary/gory/difficult for the horror averse, these ratings are incredibly subjective so always have a look at reviews and content warnings if you are not sure if a book is for you!
Without further ado, here is a list of horror that I have loved and would highly recommend!
The Trees Grew Because I Bled There by Eric La Rocca
This horrifying short story collection by Erica La Rocca is fast-paced, moody and engagingly written. Each story is packed with a tense, suspenseful energy and high impact body horror that is not for the faint of heart. As always with short stories there were some that landed a little flat and others that I wish could be expanded to a whole novel. I was pleasantly surprised with this collection as I hadn’t read anything by this author before; and we luckily also have their debut collection Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke if you are eager for more once you’ve read this one!
Spook Approachability: 7/10, not super approachable for those new to horror!
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Also available in Large Print, eAudio (Libby), eBook (Libby). 
Stephen Graham Jones blends explorations of identity, culture, death and grief perfectly within the horror slasher genre. A group of young Native Americans from the Blackfeet Nation make the mistake of hunting and slaughtering a pack of elk on forbidden land, ten years later they are being hunted and haunted by their actions. This is a great read, although the writing style became a little tedious or overly drawn out at times, it still felt worth it overall. Some crazy stuff happens in this book, and I was audibly gasping at parts that shocked – a sure sign that you have stumbled across some good horror!
Spook Approachability: 9/10, this book has strong slasher elements.
Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology
This anthology was quite long as it boasted a large collection of stories by a wide range of diverse authors, therefore making it a little more difficult to review. Some of the stories really stood out to me and grabbed my attention, whereas others I found a little too flat and found myself even skimming through some that I could tell I wasn’t going to enjoy at all. Overall, there are still some really great stories in this anthology, and I would even recommend it just for the introduction/foreword that very elegantly described the way through which marginalised communities have been able to use horror as a literary device to depict their experiences of alienation and being “othered”, hence the title, “Other Terrors”!
Spook Approachability: 6/10, not very scary but still has occasional heavy depictions of body horror and violence. Seasoned horror fans may find these stories a little flat but will still have fun, and there are some great horror authors in this book that many will recognise!
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buelhman
This is an excellent historical horror novel that I look forward to re-reading! Each chapter felt very episodic but still carried and developed the overall storyline in an engaging way. This book is set in 1348 in Europe, with the backdrop of the Black Death destroying most of the population, I really enjoyed how well the historical setting was established by the author. The story follows a young girl and a disgraced knight as they encounter demons, monsters, the greed and violence of men, all as a war is beginning to rage between heaven and hell.
Spook Approachability: 5/10, I feel like this book sits somewhere in the middle, a lot of it is not scary but still happens in the context of a brutal and dangerous period, the horror that is present is very thematic.
Also available as an eBook (Libby).
Cursed Bunny is a genre-bending anthology of horror and magical realism translated from Korean. It is a mix of fable-like tales of vice, exploitation and body horror, as well as modern stories that feel creepy, weird and generally unsettling. Bora Chung also walked the very fine line between comedy and horror within some of these stories, the absurdity of some characters situations was amusing and unnerving at the same time, and I admire this mood that the author was able to infuse into their work.
Spook Approachability: 3.5/10, this is very low-impact horror in my opinion. It wasn’t so much scary as it was impactful and upsetting with some of the themes explored in its variety of stories. If you’re new to horror, you can approach this!
This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
I was gripped from start to finish and entirely captivated by Gus Moreno’s writing style. This story
was not only a well written horror, but it also delved into topics such as technology, how it’s both liberating and convenient but can also be stifling in how it makes us feel dependent. Gus also heavily explored grief in this novel, the way he described the main characters’ emotional turmoil and difficulty with coming to terms with the trauma and loss in their life was just so well written. I would especially recommend this book to people who are fans of the Black Mirror TV series, as it combined elements of tech-horror with a great paranormal element!
Spook Approachability: 8/10, strong themes of grief, death and loss, recommend checking out the content warnings before picking this book up!
Also available in Large Print
Bad Cree is a short, eerie horror novel that follows a young Native American woman from the Cree Nation, while living away from home she begins to experience realistic and dangerous dreams that she can bring physical objects back from, leading her to return home only to discover many women in her family experience similar phenomena in their dreams. This book is a great example of using the horror genre and “monster” as a literary device to explore difficult subjects, for Bad Cree it is family trauma, loss of identity and grief. The characters are loveable, the premise had me gripped from the start and it was overall a super satisfying horror novel!
Spook Approachability: 2/10, super approachable for those new to reading horror!
House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
Also available as an Audiobook (MP3). 
Although this book might classify more strictly as a thriller, I'm still adding it to the list! With a strong leading female protagonist turned final girl, this spooky sapphic tale is full of twists and fraught with tense, mysterious vibes. Set in a disorienting, huge gothic mansion, our main character is a servant to an enigmatic Countess that is not what she at first appears to be...
Spook Approachability: 3/10, has some mild blood and gore, not very scary and leans more towards a thriller with its winding mansion chase scenes and tension between characters.