Someone recently told me that the reason I have so much anxiety is because I read so many dark, horror books and I explained that studies prove that reading horror can actually be good for your resilience and empathy and give you a safe outlet to process emotions. And I added that I’ve had overactive anxiety since I was child. And then I remembered that I started reading Stephen King in Elementary School so maybe that last part isn’t as valid, but still…I love a good horror movie or book and October is a great month for it.
This month in NEW BOOKS YOU SHOULD READ I’m recommending these little jewels:
The Hong Kong Widow by Kristen Loesch : In 1950s Hong Kong, a young refugee of the Chinese Communist revolution struggling to put her past in Shanghai behind her. When she receives a shocking invitation— a competition in one of the city’s most notorious haunted houses, pitting six spirit mediums against one another in a series of six séances over six nights, until a winner emerges. I liked it so much I picked it for the Nightmares from Nowhere Book Club (which you should totally join if you are a horror freak like me.)
Happy People Don’t Live Here by Amber Sparks : In this darkly funny gothic tale, a reclusive mother and her saturnine daughter move into a haunted building brimming with eccentrics—and secrets. A cozy supernatural for those who love eerie without being terrifying. If you’re a member of the Fantastic Strangelings Book Club (join us!) you’ll be getting this book in the mail.
Replaceable You by Mary Roach : You’d think a non-fiction read about human anatomy might be dry but this is one of my favorite books of the year. If you like funny but dark and fascinating stories, this one is for you.
Pick a Color by Souvankham Thammavongsa : A day-in-the-life novel about loneliness, love, labor, and class, an intimate and sharply written book following a nail salon owner as she toils away for the privileged clients who don’t even know her true name.
The Creeping Hand Murder by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper : Seven people receive mysterious letters. Someone knows their terrible secrets. They are summoned to a posh townhouse where one is stabbed right in front of the others, but somehow no one saw a thing. Can you help Scotland Yard solve the mystery?
Intemperance by Sonora Jha : a middle-aged woman starts a firestorm when she holds a contest, based on an ancient Indian ritual, in which men must compete to win her affections in this satirical feminist folktale.
Which one calls to you most?
Mary Roach is incredible. I’ve read and enjoyed so many of her books, but I have yet to check out this one. Added a couple of these others to my reading list, as well.
The person who said that? Doesn’t understand. Dark is sometimes where we need to be, something we might have to roll around in for a while to learn all the things you mentioned. So, everyone, keep on being your dark and horrifying selves.
Good recommendations my favorite October read is A Night in Lonesome October by Rogers Zelazny it’s set in Victorian times and that alternate reality were all pop culture about the period is real and you have a struggle between such characters as Frankenstein Dracula Jack the Ripper the old lady in that house on the hill the sadistic priest all taking sides in the contest that occurs on Halloween to open or close the gates and let the Elder gods in each chapter is one day in October building up to this as the people jockey for position in the meantime various deaths and occurrences are being investigated by Sherlock Holmes as there is a trail of incidents to the event it is so delicious and wonderful
I’ve been anxious since I was a toddler, so it’s got nothing to do with any media I’ve been exposed to. Some people in my family have anxiety, some have depression, and a few have both.
It’s how our brains were wired from birth.
Thank you for the books list, it’s great to have suggestions for the upcoming winter weather cozy time.
They all look good to me.
Oh, I almost forgot, I meant to tell you and your fans about a tv series I just watched that’s got everything we love in it. Ghosts, taxidermy, fantastical fantasy morbid decorating, Halloween lawn displays to freak out the neighbors, pet dogs barking at the ghosts, bats, strangelings family members, it’s all the best thing, obsessive curiosity collectors,
“We bought a funeral home”
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt20221274/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
This family renovates a giant Victorian funeral home that’s haunted in a small town in Middle America. And the community seems to love it and accept them and even contributes to their redecorating.
I think it’s available on demand and streaming.
My husband doesn’t know if but he’s getting the Maureen Johnson thing for his birthday. I love her work, and he’s a librarian in charge of the Mystery section at his library.
Mary Roach was at Harvard on Wednesday night, doing her book tour, and I was able to speak with her afterward. I told her she was one of my favorite authors, including you and Caitlin Doughty, which she appreciated…hmmm…I don’t suppose there’s any way we can get the three of you (and lots of other cool and funny people) together for a mini-convention, is there? Female writers and other artists who share an offbeat sense of humor, and take life seriously but not so seriously they can’t laugh at it when necessary? I’d go! (and hold your hand/look after you if necessary, because that would be important)
I read Mary Roach’s book and second your recommendation!
I tend to do my reading in bed as I prepare to drop off. So I tend to follow issues more passively.
I love Mary Roach and I just ordered her new book today. If you like her, you’ll probably like Sam Kean as well.
Have you read “Vampires at Sea”? Queer comedy horror at it’s best https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221211448-vampires-at-sea
I’ve been so privileged to read so many wonderful books this year. I’m going to have a category for favorites: audiobook, traditional publishing, indie.
Hi Jenny. It’s funny that people blame your anxiety on horror. We have a lot in common in terms of anxiety and adhd and bodies that seem to pop up new diagnosis’s like they are collecting beanie babies.
But I absolutely cannot read horror or anything without a lot tension in it. It winds me up completely, and I love talking with strangers which I know is your basic nightmare. I can see where horror especially the well written stuff is an absorbing place to be that quiets the mind and like a work out for the nervous system, getting excited and then resolving. And you can put it down and walk away when it’s done which we can’t do with our lives and the times we’re living in.
I went from a life longer reader to an internet junkie who couldn’t concentrate long enough to read just before Covid. Life has been tumultuous for quite a while, but I’m coming back to books and while I don’t like horror, I do like mystery and alway wanted to try Maureen Johnson, so I’d start with that one. Thanks for letting me know about it
Scary movies have always been an outlet to alleviate my anxiety. My dad took us 5 kids to scary movies since I was small: Carrie, The Shining, and The Changling (unluckily not Alien, one of my all time favorites) so I feel a sense of nostalgia when I see a horror movies. Like you, I was reading Stephen King in elementary and Jr. High. It all helps my anxiety by taking me away to a different world, like an escape.
Always excited to read Mary Roach, but Intemperance also looks good.
I picked up Happy People Don’t Live Here last week (I’m a Strangeling!) and read it over a couple of days. I really love this one. Interesting characters, excellent writing, and a fun, twisty plot. Highly recommend!
Also saw Mary Roach last week; the book didn’t do much for me but hearing her speak is always funny and interesting.
Just finished “The Wax Child’ by Olga Ravn. I’m not generally a fan of anything later than 18th century, but this fabulously creepy. The narrator is a wax doll!
Oh great. I’ve sworn an oath NOT to add to the hoard of books piled up by the bed and now I have a list of things that MUST be procured. Thanks a lot, Jennie! 🤣🤣🤣
Earlier. I meant earlier than the 18th century.
If I were a real person reading this blog (a horror book fan, someone who also suffers from anxiety, or a fan of the author’s writing style), my comments would focus on agreement, self-questioning humor, or shared experiences with Stephen King.