I’m looking for something in the Kids on Bikes without sexual content featuring minors. ala, IT and Summer of Night (gives me the ick to read an author describing a girl’s breasts)

So I’m trying to read She Wakes by Jack Ketchum but I’m struggling.

Is it going to get more exciting or interesting at some point?

What are you all reading?

Holy shit did I love this book. I was a big fan of *The Troop* but disliked *The Deep*. This one has everything I wanted and more. For anyone who hasn’t read it yet do yourself a favor and skip the prologue, it’ll add a lot to the rising tension as you unravel the mystery of what happened to Margaret’s bestie.

Anything with a similar vibe, but if someone has another horror book rec with a masochist protagonist I’d be happy to hear!

What the title says really, I love special editions but even new releases would be good. Like twisted retreat but without the heavy shipping fee 😆 thanks!

I read "September House" that was my very 1st horror novel. I was amazing... I am happy I got to read it. But I need something that has a bit more eire vibe to it. Ghosts that have a haunting past and a present where the haunting are really thrilling.

Please suggest me something of that sort. Thanks!

I read "The Unworthy" by Agustina Bazterrica a couple of months ago and LOVED it. Also loved "Tender is the Flesh." Do you have any recommendations in a similar writing style, as I know Bazterrica doesn't have any other novels out? Especially related to cults, but not necessary.

So, I work on two farms, both horse farms, and i'd like some books that won't scare the ever living crap out of me, since I am a huge wimp. i'd love some books that don't involve these things being scary, please.

Woods(one of the farms is essentially in the woods.)

animals, especially horses and cattle.

being isolated with something, because i'm usually alone on the farms for atleast part of my shift.

Parasites, no leeches, nothing inside of anyones brains or bodies, no maggots eating (alive)people, i've read that before and the moment I found a grub in my boot at work I freaked out real bad.

No devil/demon summoning stuff being a big part of the plot please.

Please, no 'this thing goes inside people homes/closets/under beds', It's fine if its just a haunted house that has ghosts and stuff in their house, but if theres something that just goes in random houses, I will convince myself it is in my house.

I also don't love psychological thrillers.

Sorry, i'm a little picky! I do really like horror, but I'd like a book I can listen to at work and not too scared to walk across the property alone. For reference, the only other horror book ive listened to at work, was about 2 years ago, it was The Haunting of Hill House, and I was completely fine.

Bonus points if,

It has sea monsters

Fast-ish paced

On libby

Thank you:)

There is one author I find gets talked about in here a lot, and that is Stephen Graham Jones.

Loads of people talk about his releases as if they were instant classics. The Only Good Indians is praised for being one the diffinitive folk horror stories. Loads of commenters recommend I Was A Teenage Slasher and it's ilk under every slasher recommendation. And his latest release, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, has gained an instant following.

But unfortunately due to a past experience with his literature I can't quite bring myself to be exited about any of these.

You see last year I picked up My Heart Is A Chainsaw. One of his most popular releases, and to say I didn't like it would be an understatement. Because out of all the books I DNFed that book was only one that felt like a slog. No other piece of literature has made me feel the things I felt about MHIAC.

I have already gotten into why I hated this book in previous posts in this sub. But to summarize, the main two gripes are how the mc of the novel seems to be fully outside the plot for at least ​a good part of the book (I wouldn't know) and how it leans into slasher troupes and references like a crutch.

But after reflecting on the reasons I hated that book, I can't help but wonder if I'm missing out on some great stories by going on a Stephen Graham Jones embargo. I want to try to read his stories that seem to be centered around great ideas, but I also don't want to waste my time with yet another stinker.

So I'm asking you all should I give Stephen Graham Jones another chance?

So today I had a really interesting conversation with my girlfriend. We were watching a local YouTuber who was critiquing a silly book released by a TV character. At the end of the video, he mentioned that he was also reading some extreme novels, like Cows, Gone to See the River Man, and others, and asked the community if they would be interested in seeing critiques of those books as well. That’s when my girlfriend asked me why some people would want to read things that involve extreme topics like child abuse, animal abuse, gore, etc. From there, we started sharing our points of view.

On her side, she is a very sensitive person, and she really dislikes knowing details about dark or disturbing things that happen in the world. For example, when there is a shocking murder or accident in the city, she avoids learning more about it, because it reveals a world of possibilities that were invisible to her before. She also mentioned people who watch gore videos, and told me how much she hated it when, back in school or while hanging out with old friends, they would suddenly start sharing that kind of content. She finds it traumatizing to suddenly become aware of those atrocities. She described it as crossing a border or tearing down a wall in her mind, allowing horrible images to enter and remain in her memory. She also said that afterward she can’t stop thinking about those things, and that it makes her feel sad and anxious about the world. She would much rather learn about acts of benevolence or solidarity than about horrific ones.

In my case, I’m also a sensitive person, but I’m very aware of the atrocities that exist in the world, and I feel fascinated by them. I don’t experience pleasure in a morbid way when watching gore or reading extreme content, it affects me too. But in a strange way, being able to imagine the evil that exists makes me, by the end of a movie or a book, appreciate even more the goodness and kindness that are also real. There’s also something addictive about feeling discomfort, fear, and displeasure, and then realizing that you’re safe at home and that you’re not a monster like the one depicted in the artwork. It’s something I tend to compare to extreme sports or eating very spicy food.

What do you think about this? What is your point of view on this phenomenon of people being interested in extreme topics? What motivates someone to voluntarily expose themselves to traumatic images? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you everyone for this great community. You are the best!

Okay so not your basic horror? But holy fuck im terrified. I started getting scared 19 pages in and at pave 24, I got so nauseous I had to stop.

Has anyone else read this book? And successfully finished it?

Edited for spelling: also to mention i get dizzy with medical stuff but find it so so fascinating.

That's me. I can't take anything that's too bleak, too bloody, too much suffering and pain.

I love the encounter with the unknown--monsters, ghosts, Eldritch entities. I love the rational skeptic seeing behind the veil, I love demons and unknown things.

But literally all the best horror lately has been stuff I'm too much a wimp for.

I read the summary of Tender is the Flesh. Sounds amazing! Definitely not going to read it. Buffalo Hunter Hunter? Awesome plot and meaning, but no thank you. Kids and animals die? No thanks, I'm good.

I can't be the only one, right?