mithen

I asked here a bit ago and I got a ton of great recommendations! So I am back here asking for more. Here are some I've already read and my general thoughts on them.

• Heart Shaped Box: Great for the first bit, lost me when it turned into a whacky road trip book. Overall fairly solid but trying a bit too hard to be pre-accident Stephen King at times. 6 ghost cars/10
• Dark Matter: Exactly what I was looking for in a ghost story. The blooming romance between the main character and one of his companions was heartbreaking. I am still not 100% sure what happened to the ghost other than that he was murdered 9 cold shivers/10
• Thin Air: Like Dark Matter but even better. Unlike in Thin Air the ghost's motivation and cause of death are super clear. Also has some subtle hints of romance but it isn't in the spotlight as much. 9.5 colder shivers/10
• How to sell a Haunted House: Great start. WTF middle. Decent finish. 7/10
• Horrorstor: Meh story but the book's design is some of the best I've seen in literature, EVER. Do yourself a favor and buy a physical copy of this book. 6/10 plot. 10000/10 book design
• Little Strangers: I asked for a book about ghosts and I got a story about a psychic incel ruining the lives of an impoverished patrician family. The real horror is the protagonist's entitlement and audacity 0/10. Not what I asked for.
• Silent Companions: I can't quite tell if the evil entity counts as a ghost or not. Getting chased around by cardboard cutouts didn't really strike me as scary. Pretty okay but the ambiguity of whether there's a ghost or not loses a lot of points for me. overall 4/10.
• October House: The tone at the beginning made me stop reading and didn't get back to it for months. It did get significantly better after the half-way point, and I understand why the tone was more comedic towards the beginning. The story would not have worked otherwise. Still kinda meh overall - 6/10
• 13 Storeys: Varies based on the individual chapter in this pseudo-anthology, but listening to it as an audiobook (with Jonathan Sims the author of this and also part of the Magnus Archives) is the best way to experience it IMO 7/10
• The Reformatory: Very good story, but very, very hard to read because of the extremely graphic and realistic depiction of Jim Crow era racism and racial violence. 10/10 No notes. More of this please!
• Bonus Video Games Section
  • An English Haunting - My favorite ghost related video game of all time.

I've set myself a goal of 6 books before the end of next year because I've been in a reading slump for ages, and I want to get back into reading. Since I'm done with my first one, I figured I'd check this sub for recommendations... However, I find it particularly hard to find my next read in the horror genre.

I am really sensitive to sexual violence content. I keep seeing many books here recommended but unfortunately when I check the trigger warnings, rape comes up in big bold letters in a lot of them.

I just finished Mexican Gothic, and while I didn't really love it, (my poor husband has heard me ranting about my issues with it plenty), I think it is an okay example of what I can handle without going into a PTSD flashback crisis.

I'm sorry, I know maybe I am missing a lot of great books, but I just can't handle it.

Also, nothing to do with PTSD, but maybe no animal abuse or deaths because that just makes me fucking sad.

Do you guys have any recommendations? I've liked small town, supernatural, gothic type of horror. In the past I've read Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle for example, and I really liked them! I also would not mind pulpy and unserious horror, Killer Clowns from Outer Space is one of my favorite movies!

Edit to clarify. I just re-read my post and in the odd chance it is misunderstood, I meant animal deaths lol not deaths in general. Deaths in general is fine, murders, blood, etc. That doesn't bother me to read.

There's just so much of it. Why is the main character creeping on fourteen year old girls and describing it in gross detail? Why is there an entire chapter dedicated to an Irish Nymphomaniac's tragic life that comes across as completely ridiculous? Why are they describing this old man's relationship with a teenage boy?

Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the rest of the novel. The way it's written just comes across as shocking immature. And really clashes with how fun, well-written, and horrible (in a good way) the Rat attacks are. Are all of Herbert's books like this?

hey guys, im looking for a book or even a movie, game or any other piece of work, that focuses on constructing its atmosphere and world building, where the protagonist has to learn the unexplained unwritten rules of their world. i want it to be genuinely eerie and unnerving, like a slow burn. what genuinely terrifies me is the folklore of the Natives of america with their description of stuff like the wendigo, how a lot of tribes would not whistle or speak names after sundown, and other things we may do today without much thought.

also i read a story once in which a young protagonist was on a road trip with their family across the countryside and they hear their someone call out their name from the woods, and right as they are about to turn to look in that direction, they grandmother steps in and blocks their view covering their mouth and eyes commanding them to not utter a word. after passing through the woods she explains to them that they should never acknowledge someone calling out their name in the woods, however the damage has already been done and the protagonist was marked and the story progresses from there. i don’t remember the name of the story anymore or where i read it but i remember clearly just how much time was spent in the build up genuinely making me extremely uncomfortable.

hope yall can provide some good suggestions that match the vibe! thanks for your time!

Hey all, I'm trying to find recommendations for spooky ghost books for my wife for Christmas.

She's a big fan of all of those campy over the top "real hauntings" TV shows and podcasts. She's also a big fan of spooky ghost movies but I'd like to try and avoid anything that is super graphic or deals with any real intense topics (so no kids getting killed or sexual violence, etc) it's a Christmas present I'm looking for after all.

Any suggestions would be really appreciated.