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Book cover of The Sentence

sally2

From Sally's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Unknown Author Why Sally loves this book

Anything by Louise Erdrich is worth buying and reading.

By Louise Erdrich ,

Why should I read it?

12 authors picked The Sentence as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2022
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE NIGHT WATCHMAN

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In this stunning and timely novel, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author Louise Erdrich creates a wickedly funny ghost story, a tale of passion, of a complex marriage and of a woman's relentless errors.

Louise Erdrich's latest novel, The Sentence, asks what we owe to the living, the dead, to the reader and to the book. A small independent bookstore in Minneapolis is haunted from November 2019 to November 2020 by the store's most annoying customer. Flora dies on All Souls' Day, but…


Book cover of Tamsin

Jeff Fleischer Author Of Animal Husbandry: And Other Fictions

From Jeff's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Journalist History nerd Border-Aussie dog dad

Jeff's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Jeff Fleischer Why Jeff loves this book

There were a lot of contenders for the last spot on this list, but I’ll go with this engrossing magic realism work by Peter Beagle. 

This book is about Jenny, an American girl whose mother remarries and moves them to a manor farm in Dorset, in the English countryside. Jenny is a modern teenager thrown into the context of a Victorian ghost story; soon, she meets the titular character, a teenage ghost who has blocked out how she died. The world-building and mythology are wonderful, introducing the audience and Jenny to Tamsin’s experiences in life and to the other ghosts and creatures who have related and unfinished business. There’s a mystery element, too, as Jenny tries to learn about Tamsin’s death and what happened to the suitor whose fate Tamsin can’t recall. 

Beagle’s The Last Unicorn was one of my favorite fantasy stories since I saw the movie as a…

By Peter S. Beagle ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Tamsin as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Arriving in the English countryside to live with her mother and new stepfather, Jenny has no interest in her surroundings until she meets Tamsin. Since her death over 300 years ago, Tamsin has haunted the lonely estate without rest, trapped by a hidden trauma she can't remember, and a powerful evil even the spirits of night cannot name. To help her, Jenny must delve deeper into the dark world than any human has in hundreds of years, and face danger that will change her life forever.


Book cover of Abandon

Patrick Keithahn Author Of Thesis of Evil

From my list on supernatural novels to feed your spooky imagination.

Why am I passionate about this?

I suppose it began at age 10 as a transplant to Southern California from Minnesota. That awkward transition begged for an escape, and I found it in the supernatural. I watched the original Twilight Zones, tore through The Chronicles of Narnia one summer, discovered Ray Bradbury and Stephen King, and then picked up a pen and wrote. Creating new worlds became a calling. Then life and adulting got in the way, as they do, but over time, I’ve written three novels dealing with the supernatural. They’re the books I would have loved as a kid. They’re a leap into my head—care to try? It’ll be fun, he says.

Patrick's book list on supernatural novels to feed your spooky imagination

Patrick Keithahn Why Patrick loves this book

History and the supernatural are my literary biscuits and gravy—it doesn’t come around often, but I readily devour it when offered. (Well, now I’m hungry, dang it.) I haven’t often encountered a tale like this featuring an abandoned mining town (thus the book’s title) that isn’t exactly abandoned. I could tell things weren’t going to go well in this novel, but like a gawker at a car accident, I went ahead and looked anyway. I’m really glad I did.

I loved the premise of a crew investigating an abandoned mining town. Folks, I can’t think of many uglier places to have lived in history than a mining town, and that’s bound to leave some residue. Needless to say, the setting was amazing, and the action was intense. A setting like that is begging for the supernatural to come out, and yes, it does.

By Blake Crouch ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Abandon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

On Christmas Day in 1893, every man, woman and child in a remote gold mining town disappeared, belongings forsaken, meals left to freeze in vacant cabins; and not a single bone was ever found. One hundred and thirteen years later, two backcountry guides are hired by a history professor and his journalist daughter to lead them into the abandoned mining town so that they can learn what happened. With them is a psychic, and a paranormal photographer - as the town is rumoured to be haunted. A party that tried to explore the town years ago was never heard from…


Book cover of Midnight is a Lonely Place

SC Skillman Author Of A Passionate Spirit

From my list on supernatural with a creepy sense of unease.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been fascinated by the paranormal since I was young: always a lover of ghost stories, I have long felt the spiritual resonance in certain places; the energy and spirits of the past remain trapped within the fabric of certain buildings and the land, waiting for the sensitive to come along. I developed this passion by reading classic and modern-day ghost stories, going on ghost tours, and visiting haunted places. I listen to and record people recounting their experiences of real-life encounters. I write nonfiction books about the paranormal, specifically about Shakespeare’s ghosts and spirits in his county of Warwickshire, and novels that develop this theme. 

SC's book list on supernatural with a creepy sense of unease

SC Skillman Why SC loves this book

I imagined myself in the desolate place on the Essex coast where the main protagonist had gone, and I felt an invidious sense of dread as the atmosphere built up. The air of supernatural menace seems to breathe out of this story: the threat and the fear crept into me as if I were there myself, knowing something terrifying would happen, willing the main protagonist to get out and save themselves but knowing that I, just like them, would be held fast by those invisible and supernatural tentacles. 

By Barbara Erskine ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Midnight is a Lonely Place as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Don't miss this stunning novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Lady of Hay - a gripping tale of secrets, betrayal and revenge...

After a broken love affair, biographer Kate Kennedy retires to a remote cottage on the wild Essex coast to work on her new book, until her landlord's daughter uncovers a Roman site nearby and long-buried passions are unleashed...

In her lonely cottage, Kate is terrorized by mysterious forces. What do these ghosts want? Should the truth about the violent events of long ago be exposed or remain concealed? Kate must struggle for her life against earthbound…


Book cover of Haunted Virginia: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Old Dominion

Pamela K. Kinney Author Of Haunted Virginia: Legends, Myths, and True Tales

From my list on paranormal to scare up myths and legends.

Why am I passionate about this?

Long before I began writing my first fictional story and way before I researched for my first nonfiction paranormal book, I gave up ignoring the voices in my head and began writing horror, fantasy, and six nonfiction books on the paranormal in Virginia. Besides learning a new piece of history or legend I never knew before, the research for my nonfiction books and articles inspired me to incorporate it into my horror or fantasy fiction. I enjoy writing fiction, but I believe I learn as much as my readers when I write nonfiction. 

Pamela's book list on paranormal to scare up myths and legends

Pamela K. Kinney Why Pamela loves this book

Before other authors (including me) published books on Virginia’s ghosts and legends, it was L. B. Taylor who’d written many spooky tales that haunted the Old Dominion in a long span of books, including this one. Not just Virginians, but as someone who moved here in 1985, I learned about the state’s many ghosts, monsters, and legends that taught me a new view of the state. No one needs to live in Virginia to enjoy reading this book.

By Jr. Taylor, L. B. ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Haunted Virginia as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Old Dominion has been one of the nation's most embattled states. Serving as center stage for both the American Revolution and the Civil War, it is also one of the most haunted. In addition to the sagas of the tragic spirits from these wars, this volume includes stories on the female stranger of Gadsby's Tavern in Alexandria, the mysterious stone showers in Newport, the ghost hound of the Blue Ridge, Mad Lucy of Williamsburg, and the spirits of native sons Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee, and Edgar Allan Poe.


Book cover of Comes the Blind Fury

Why am I passionate about this?

I've been fascinated by cultures shrouded in secrets and mystery since childhood, a fascination that intensified when efforts to unravel the mystery and expose the truth were stonewalled, leading to frustrating dead-ends.  I spent decades trying to uncover the truth history obscures through research that included travel to the lands of secrets, mystery, and sometimes outright lies. As a writer, I draw from experience, education, and imagination because I know it's sometimes necessary to wrap truth in fiction to protect it. The books I've selected speak to that reality.

Elizabeth's book list on suspense stories with characters driven by passion and twists and turns that keep you guessing til the end

Elizabeth Maxim Why Elizabeth loves this book

I've had a fascination with small New England towns since childhood, intrigued by how they are portrayed as romantic yet forbidding if not outright hostile to outsiders.

Comes the Blind Fury beautifully satisfies this fascination as John masterfully weaves a tale of secrets small-town residents collude - willingly or not - to hide, uncovering a motivation that proves even one bad apple can destroy a crop and burying your head in the sand does not release you from guilt.

A riveting tale that leaves you guessing who is friend and who is foe right to the dramatic end.

By John Saul ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Comes the Blind Fury as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A century ago, a gentle blind girl walked the cliffs of Paradise Point. Then the children came -- taunting, teasing -- until she lost her footing and fell, shrieking her rage to the drowning sea... Now Michelle has come from Boston to live in the big house on Paradise Point. She is excited about her new life, ready to make new friends... until a hand reaches out of the swirling mists -- the hand of blind child. She is asking for friendship... seeking revenge... whispering her name...


Book cover of The Thief of Always: A Fable

D.J. MacHale Author Of Beyond Midnight

From my list on supernatural that will scare you witless.

Why am I passionate about this?

To understand why I write macabre stories, you could ask my therapist if I had one. I’ve had this bent since my mother read me Dr. Seuss’ What Was I Scared Of? (A title that inspired the title of my TV series Are You Afraid of the Dark?) Blame it on her. My reading was dominated by the short stories I mentioned and magazines like Eerie and Creepy. I also consumed a steady diet of Twilight Zone and Saturday matinee horror movies. Why? I believe it’s because these stories offer imaginative conflicts that are far removed from reality yet told through the perspective of common experience. And they’re always wrapped in a compelling mystery.

D.J.'s book list on supernatural that will scare you witless

D.J. MacHale Why D.J. loves this book

Like Stephen King, Clive Barker has an impressive list of horror-themed novels for all tastes, ranging from fantasy to deeply disturbing and graphic horror tales like Books of Blood. This book skews more toward fantasy but still has its share of scares and disturbing imagery.

A young boy is sent on a whimsical and horrifying imaginative adventure. It’s like a modern-day Grimm fairy tale, right up my alley.

By Clive Barker ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Thief of Always as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

The horror story your students have been asking you for! The only children's story by the master of horror.


Book cover of The Widow's House

Tara Laskowski Author Of One Night Gone

From my list on thrillers with incredibly spooky atmosphere and mood.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was born on Halloween, so I’m officially a card-carrying member of all things creepy, right? However, I’m definitely drawn to books with mood and atmosphere over outright horror and gore. I find the subtle aspects of fear so much more interesting—how is it that one person’s reality can be so different than another’s? I write domestic suspense because I think the people we are closest to and the places we think are safest are often the ones that can hurt us the most. Where a story takes place is so very important. I need to know the geography, the feel, the history of a place—then I can put people in it and make bad things happen.

Tara's book list on thrillers with incredibly spooky atmosphere and mood

Tara Laskowski Why Tara loves this book

I will never look at apples the same way again after reading The Widow’s House. Set in the Hudson River Valley in Upstate New York, this winner of the Mary Higgins Clark Award is a modern Gothic suspense filled with atmosphere. From snakes in mailboxes, to rotting apples, to a creepy old professor and a suspicious husband, this book will give you goosebumps and keep you guessing. Read it on a rainy dark night—but make sure the doors are locked.

By Carol Goodman ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Widow's House as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This chilling novel from the bestselling, award-winning author of The Lake of Dead Languages blends the gothic allure of Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca and the crazed undertones of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper with the twisty, contemporary edge of A.S.A. Harrison's The Silent Wife-a harrowing tale of psychological suspense set in New York's Hudson Valley. When Jess and Clare Martin move from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to their former college town in the Hudson River valley, they are hoping for rejuvenation-of their marriage, their savings, and Jess's writing career. They take a caretaker's job at Riven House, a crumbling estate and the…


Book cover of A Natural History of Ghosts: 500 Years of Hunting for Proof

Nina Dodd Author Of Witches, Giants and a Ghost Cat: A travel guide to the mystery tales of Dunster

From my list on Britain’s haunted village of Dunster.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a Finnish-born writer-journalist and photographer who, for the past 12 years, has lived in and around Dunster, traditionally described as one of the best-preserved medieval villages in the UK. The title of Dunster being “Britain’s most haunted place” came about after the British media got wind of my book launch in September 2023. I was brought up in a family where my mother, aunt, and grandmother strongly believed they had had otherworldly encounters. With such a background and armed with an MA in English Literature, Cultural History, Comparative Religions, and Journalism, it is no wonder that the first book I wrote focuses on these “long-term” interests of mine.

Nina's book list on Britain’s haunted village of Dunster

Nina Dodd Why Nina loves this book

This title drew me in right away, and the contents did not disappoint. This is a well-written and thoroughly researched book with interesting first-hand accounts of ghost hunts by an English author who, as a child, lived in a haunted house, yet has never actually seen a ghost.

The approach to the subject is also right up my alley: why do people fear the supernatural, and why are some cultures and people more likely to encounter ghosts than others?

Ghost stories are fascinating in their own right, but exploring how people in different times and places reacted to these encounters is even more interesting. 

By Roger Clarke ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Natural History of Ghosts as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A natural history of the supernatural from Roger Clarke, lifelong investigator into England's creepiest real-life ghost stories

'Is there anybody out there?' No matter how rationally we order our lives, few of us are completely immune to the suggestion of the uncanny and the fear of the dark. The subject of whether ghosts exist has fascinated some of the finest minds in history and it remains a subject of overwhelming interest today.

This is the first comprehensive, authoritative and readable history of the evolution of the ghost in the west, examining as every good natural history should, the behaviour of…


Book cover of 77 Shadow Street

Vicki-Ann Bush Author Of Alex McKenna and the Geranium Deaths

From my list on paranormal books for talking with the dead.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since I was very young, I’ve had experiences with the paranormal. Whether it be a soft graze along my cheek or a spirit standing in front of me, I’ve always been drawn to things behind the veil. Joining the world of the living with the dead comes natural for me, and reading the genres of paranormal and fantasy is like a cup of hot tea on a chilly winter afternoon.

Vicki-Ann's book list on paranormal books for talking with the dead

Vicki-Ann Bush Why Vicki-Ann loves this book

I’m an avid Koontz reader and long time fan, but I particularly liked this book because of the elements of paranormal mixed with time travel, two of my favorite genres.

The characters were just what you’d expect they might be like in a disturbing, confusing, and terrifying situation, which was extremely relatable. I felt as if this were really happening, I might do the same exact thing as one of the residents of the tower, a component I really enjoy in books.

By Dean Koontz ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked 77 Shadow Street as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Heart-stopping thriller from the master of suspense. Bad things are starting to happen at the Pendleton, an eerie building with a tragic past.

The Pendleton stands on the summit of Shadow Hill, a palace built in the late 19th century as a tycoon's dream home. But its grandeur has been scarred by episodes of madness, suicide and mass murder. Since being converted into luxury apartments in the 70s, however, the Pendleton has been at peace. For its fortunate residents - among them ex-marine Bailey Hawk, songwriter Twyla Trahern and her young son Winny - the Pendleton is a sanctuary, its…