Biblio File

You Think a Pandemic is Scary? Contemporary Horror Picks by Isaiah Pittman, Adult Librarian, Inwood LibraryApril 24, 2020

Hankering for some horror from home? Turn your house into a house of horrors with these diabolically distracting purveyors of darkness and dread! Here are some of my go-to horror authors as well as an essential pick for each guaranteed to keep you up at night.
 
Essential pick: If you are the kind who can breeze through an entirely trilogy in one sitting, look no further than The Hexslinger Omnibus. Western + horror + dark fantasy = a big old "YES!" from me!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Essential pick: Heart-Shaped Box is a non-stop thrill ride story pitting an aging rockstar, his stripper girlfriend and their two attack dogs against a ghost with hypnotic powers. 20th Century Ghosts is a collection of brilliantly-realized short stories, ranging from scary to sad to sweet. Both are available in this Hill-sized omnibus.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Essential pick: Get in Trouble. A fantasy/horror collection nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction? Sign me up, please!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Essential pick: The Anno Dracula series. This succulent buffet of espionage, warfare and the undead is set in an alternate historical timeline, populated by classic literary characters and just about every single vampire to ever make an appearance in writing or film. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Essential pick: The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All: These eerie tales mix the pulpy genre pleasures of hardboiled crime novels with the deep-seated alien monstrosities of cosmic horror.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Essential pick: North American Lake Monsters. Monsters, hauntings and supernatural elements aren't the focus of these stories; rather, they accentuate the domestic strife and existential turmoil of Ballingrud's hapless characters, like a physical manifestation of the darkness within. Sometimes terrifying, often heartbreaking, always brilliant.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Best Horror of the Year
Honorable Mention:

Ellen Datlow

Editor of The Best Horror of the Year, as well as a wealth of other anthologies. Chances are, if you discover you like one of the authors listed here, you'll find they've got some extra tales tucked away in some anthology or collection. Here are just a few to get you started .
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!

View all posts by Isaiah Pittman

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Scary Books

Submitted by Richard D Simms (not verified) on August 15, 2021 - 9:07pm

Horror novels are great "fun." But the scariest book I've ever read is "Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders" by Vincent Bugliosi. Delving deep into the psychoses of Manson and his "family" this book had me trembling with real fright. The subsequent films based on this book (as well as other Manson films) don't begin to convey the atmosphere of pure evil that pervades this recounting of one of the 20th centuries most horrofic cimes.