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Oh, how I love the fall. And we’re truly almost there. We’re finally in the last throes of summer, and September is right around the corner. You know, in my mind, that means it’s basically Halloween. Wouldn’t you agree? Let’s get ready for everyone’s favorite holiday by talking about some scary stuff.
Bookish Goods
Horror Readers Book Club Shirt by iprintasty
Y’all…we’ve been here together doing this book club for a while. Don’t you think it’s about time we got matching shirts? Show off your love for all things horror with this Horror Readers Book Club shirt. I love it for right now because it’s definitely giving Halloween with the cute little witch and the Jack-o-Lantern. But as I always say, Halloween is year-round, so this is a shirt you could wear in every season. Comes in lots of colors. Starting at $23.
New Releases
Demons in my Bloodstream by Candace Nola
Horror short stories truly have my heart. There’s nothing spookier than bite-sized horror that hits you quickly and leaves you with a sense of dread. And that’s what you’ll get with Demons in My Bloodstream, the debut short story collection from award-winning author Candace Nola. These seven stories tell tales of gardening competitions gone terribly wrong, a mobster’s bucket list, a serial killer hunting for his final kill, and more. These short stories will settle in the dark corners of your mind and won’t let go.
The Queen by Nick Cutter
I don’t know about you, but when Nick Cutter has a new book out, I’m celebrating. The Queen is one that should be on everyone’s TBR this fall. When Margaret Carpenter wakes up to find a brand new iPhone on her doorstep, she turns the phone on and sees a text from her friend Charity Atwater. But Charity has been dead for over a month. At least, that’s what most people assume. There have been so many assumptions about Charity, and now she’s finally ready to tell her story and set the record straight. Here’s the thing. Charity’s secrets run deep. Unbeknownst to even her, Charity is secretly Subject Six, an integral part of the Project Athena gene manipulation experiment. But when Charity’s gene sequencing actualizes at a high school party, everything goes terribly, terribly wrong.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Let’s talk about something truly scary. Being a mom. I’m just a cat mom, and I don’t know how you people who are moms of actual humans do it. And I’m not alone, because there are so many horror novels about moms out there in the world. Here are two of my favorites from last year.
What Kind of Mother by Clay McLeod Chapman
What Kind of Mother is a Southern Gothic horror novel that follows 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, which 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.
And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott
And Then She Fell tells the story of Alice, a young Indigenous woman who has just given birth to a baby girl named Dawn and has recently moved to Toronto with her white husband, Steve. Between all these changes in her life and the recent loss of her own mother, Alice feels lost. She has trouble connecting with her daughter, and her feelings of depression and self-doubt are hindering her from moving forward with her own work. When, on top of everything else, she starts hearing voices in her head and starts losing time, her husband tells her it’s all in her head. But Alice can’t help but feel that something is very wrong.
Can you believe it? Next time we see each other, it will be September! Until then, you can follow me (and message me) on Instagram at emandhercat. Sweet dreams, horror fans!
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