Will I love Diavola?

From beautiful scenery to strikingly engaging writing, this slow burning descent into madness is a thing of beauty. A modern classing of haunting-themed literature. A hauntingly good book. It will haunt you! Choose one but all apply. Recommended.

Most of the books on this list are older. This was one of my favorite recent haunted house reads. This time, the vacation takes place in Italy, in a beautiful villa with an ugly secret. The book comes with a cleverly tongue-in-cheek “Warning: May invoke feelings of irritation, dread, and despair that come with large family gatherings.” It couldn't be more on the money.

The book drew me in immediately and refused to let go. I loved the way it slowly infused the sense of dread into the fraught dynamics of a family that really shouldn’t vacation together. Or stay… show more.

This audiobook had me laughing and cheering out loud, especially toward the end. I was totally enamored of Anna Pace, a disaster bisexual along a quieter vein than my beloved Nell Talbot. Anna doesn’t start bar fights with biker gangs; she’s just quietly done with all this shit, and it’s surprisingly endearing.

This classic haunted house story is rounded out with cutting depictions of dysfunctional family dynamics and dry humor. Lots of otherwise very good horror novels whiff the ending, but this is where this book cements its claim to greatness, with an unexpected but incredibly satisfying resolution to both… show more.