The Book Review What to Read This Halloween, According to Two Best-Selling Writers
Leigh Bardugo, bestselling fantasy author of the Grishaverse and Ninth House, and Paul Tremblay, acclaimed writer of psychological horror, share their ultimate Halloween reading lists. They revisit childhood scares, explore what makes dread linger, and recommend gateways into horror for every age. Expect Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, Anne Rice, Mariana Enriquez, Tananarive Due and more, plus thoughts on gothic houses, possession, political horror and literary menace.
51:32
Why Leigh Bardugo Reread The Boogeyman
- Leigh Bardugo was terrified by Stephen King’s “The Boogeyman,” yet reread it once the fear faded.
- She memorized the story and retold it around a campfire, discovering horror’s power to create shared excitement.
The Horror That Silences Your Analytical Brain
- Leigh Bardugo says effective horror can momentarily defeat a reader’s analytical mind and create genuine immersion.
- She praises Michael Wehunt’s “Nightjars” for combining forgotten memories, therapy sessions, shifting perspectives, and uncertainty about reality.
Start Horror With Sarah Waters’s Affinity
- Start horror skeptics with Sarah Waters’s “Affinity,” which blends Victorian ghost story, historical fiction, literary fiction, and mystery.
- Its claustrophobic women’s prison setting and restrained supernatural premise ease readers into fear without relying on gore.
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Intro
00:00 • 3min
Childhood Horror and Halloween Memories
03:16 • 2min
The Stories That First Terrified Leigh Bardugo
05:09 • 5min
What Makes Horror Truly Frightening
09:47 • 1min
Accessible Entrances Into Horror
11:15 • 4min
Haunted Houses, Puberty, and Gothic Horror
15:09 • 4min
Building Dread Through Shame and Absence
19:30 • 1min
Anne Rice’s Lonely Immortal Worlds
20:58 • 4min
Halloween Books for Every Age
24:35 • 3min
Ad break
27:39 • 2min
Paul Tremblay’s Lifelong Fear of Horror
29:22 • 3min
The Story That Changed Paul Tremblay’s Reading
32:37 • 4min
Horror Recommendations for Younger Readers
37:06 • 3min
A Gentle Introduction to Literary Horror
39:55 • 7min
The Scariest Possession Stories
47:09 • 2min
Political and Contemporary Horror Voices
48:39 • 2min
Books of Blood and Argentina’s Political Horrors
50:29 • 3min
Trad Wife Horror and the Politics of Now
53:35 • 1min
Outro
54:41 • 57sec
#40820
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
The Skull
Jon Klassen
#42374
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Elizabeth George Speare
#114256
Afterward
Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton’s “Afterward” follows an American couple who move into an English country house seeking beauty, comfort, and a refined life.
The home’s idyllic atmosphere gradually becomes ominous as the couple confronts an apparition they fail to recognize in time.
Wharton turns aesthetic pleasure and material security into sources of dread.
The story explores guilt, wealth, marriage, and the moral cost of escaping ordinary hardship.
Bardugo praised its reversal of the crumbling-mansion tradition and its carefully sustained mood.
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The Boogeyman
Stephen King
Stephen King’s “The Boogeyman” follows a man recounting the deaths of his children to a psychiatrist.
Each death appears connected to a mysterious boogeyman who may be stalking the family.
The story builds terror through the narrator’s fear, guilt, and increasingly disturbing disclosures.
Its claustrophobic domestic setting makes an ordinary closet feel threatening.
Bardugo described rereading it despite being unable to sleep, emphasizing its lasting psychological impact.
#74760
To Bewitch a Hunter
Luciano Lamberti
Luciano Lamberti’s novel was mentioned as part of a wave of Argentine horror being translated for English-language readers.
Tremblay situated it alongside writers whose work reflects experiences of despotic and murderous regimes.
The book represents the growth of a distinct contemporary horror tradition in Argentina.
Its mention highlighted the increasing visibility of translated horror and diverse international perspectives.
Specific plot details were not discussed in the episode.
#131965
The Black Arts
Megan Giddings
Megan Giddings’s collection gathers fiction that occupies the boundary between literary unease, speculative fiction, and horror.
Bardugo specifically praised the opening story, “The Sixth Door,” for its spectacular writing and ability to draw in readers who may not identify as horror fans.
The collection’s title evokes occult and forbidden knowledge.
Its stories use disturbing premises to examine social and emotional anxieties.
Bardugo deliberately avoided revealing the opening story’s developments.
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Nightjars
Michael Wehunt
Michael Wehunt’s “Nightjars” follows a protagonist whose understanding of his own past is destabilized by a disturbing photograph.
Therapy sessions and shifting perspectives gradually complicate the boundary between memory, trauma, and supernatural threat.
The novel uses uncertainty to keep both character and reader questioning what is real.
Its horror emerges as much from identity and buried history as from overt menace.
Bardugo praised its inventive structure, characters, and Memento-like psychological tension.
#22058
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
Come Closer
Sarah Gran
#89520
She Said Destroy
Nadia Bulkin
Nadia Bulkin’s collection uses horror to examine politics, ideology, violence, and institutional power.
Her stories are formally inventive while remaining emotionally and intellectually unsettling.
The collection’s speculative elements often transform contemporary political anxieties into surreal or monstrous situations.
Bulkin’s background in politics informs the work’s sharp engagement with authority and social systems.
Tremblay recommended her as a major short-story writer deserving a wider audience.
#4713
• Mentioned in 14 episodes
Our Share of Night
Mariana Enríquez
Our Share of Night is a complex horror epic that follows Juan and his son Gaspar as they navigate the sinister world of the Order, a cult obsessed with immortality.
The novel explores themes of intergenerational trauma, love, and the supernatural against the backdrop of Argentina's tumultuous history.
It delves into the darker aspects of human nature and the consequences of violence and cruelty.
#31720
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
The Invisible Parade
John Picassio
Lee Bardugo
#2107
• Mentioned in 29 episodes
Salem's Lot
Stephen King
In 'Salem's Lot, writer Ben Mears returns to his childhood hometown of Jerusalem's Lot, Maine, to write a book about the Marsten House, a place that has haunted him since childhood.
However, he soon discovers that the town is being taken over by vampires, led by the ancient and powerful Kurt Barlow.
Along with a small group of allies, including high school teacher Matt Burke, doctor Jimmy Cody, and young Mark Petrie, Ben must confront the supernatural forces threatening the town.
The novel explores themes of evil, faith, and the struggle against overwhelming horror, culminating in a desperate battle to save the town from the vampires.
#95287
Issues with Authority
Nadia Bulkin
Nadia Bulkin’s collection brings together three novellas concerned with political authority and social control.
Tremblay singled out “Red Skies in the Morning,” which adapts the premise of The Ring into a governmental paracontagion.
The stories combine disturbing supernatural ideas with questions about propaganda, institutions, and public fear.
Bulkin’s work treats horror as a way to analyze contemporary political systems.
Tremblay praised the collection’s intelligence and imaginative force.
#61458
The Nest
Kenneth Oppel
Kenneth Oppel’s middle-grade novel follows Steve, a boy struggling with fear and helplessness while his baby brother is seriously ill.
In dreams, Steve encounters a mysterious queen who offers him a way to solve his family’s problems.
The apparent solution leads him into a terrifying world of insects, transformation, and moral danger.
The novel explores anxiety, responsibility, illness, and the temptation to trade autonomy for certainty.
Mallory O’Meara emphasized that, despite its middle-grade classification, the book is exceptionally scary and suitable for children seeking the most frightening available recommendation.
#16997
• Mentioned in 4 episodes
Bunnicula
Deborah Howe
James Howe
#35621
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
North American Lake Monsters
Nathan Ballingrud
string
#6715
• Mentioned in 10 episodes
The Turn of the Screw
Henry James
The Turn of the Screw is a novella by Henry James that combines elements of Gothic horror and psychological ambiguity.
It follows a young governess who is tasked with caring for two children at a remote country house, where she becomes convinced that the children are being haunted by the ghosts of a former valet and governess.
The story explores themes of isolation, fear, and the blurring of reality and imagination.
#32629
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Down a Dark Hall
Lois Duncan
string
#121755
Wounds
Nathan Ballingrud
string
#26491
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
Books of Blood
Clive Barker
The 'Books of Blood' series is a collection of six horror fiction anthologies written by Clive Barker, published between 1984 and 1985.
The series includes a wide range of stories that blend traditional horror, dark fantasy, and supernatural elements with contemporary settings.
The stories are known for their vivid and often graphic content, featuring everyday people involved in violent, mysterious, and supernatural events.
The series introduced Barker's occult detective character Harry D'Amour in 'The Last Illusion' and has been praised for its imaginative and varied storytelling.
The anthologies were initially published in six volumes and later re-published in two omnibus editions containing three volumes each.
#136271
Mazywood
Tananarive Due
#2138
• Mentioned in 29 episodes
Interview With the Vampire
Anne Rice
#127814
Where are you going, where have you been?
selected early stories
Joyce Carol Oates
A chilling short story exploring themes of innocence, predation, and the dangers of adolescence.
#3450
• Mentioned in 19 episodes
The Haunting of Hill House
Shirley Jackson
The Haunting of Hill House follows Dr. John Montague, an investigator of the supernatural, and his guests—Eleanor Vance, Theodora, and Luke Sanderson—as they stay at the notorious Hill House.
The house, known for its dark history and inexplicable phenomena, begins to exert its influence on the group, particularly on Eleanor, who may be losing touch with reality or possessing a subconscious telekinetic ability.
The novel explores themes of psychological horror, the blurring of reality and imagination, and the haunting nature of the house itself.
#21879
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
The Reformatory
Tananarive Due
string
#9172
• Mentioned in 8 episodes
The Vampire Lestat
Anne Rice
#104081
Affinity
Sarah Waters
'Affinity' is a historical novel set in Victorian England, exploring themes of spiritualism, imprisonment, and forbidden love.
The story follows Margaret Prior, a woman from a privileged background who becomes a 'lady visitor' at Millbank Prison.
There, she meets Selina Dawes, a captivating spiritualist imprisoned for her involvement in a séance gone wrong.
As Margaret becomes increasingly drawn to Selina, she begins to question her own sanity and the true nature of Selina's powers.
The novel delves into the claustrophobic world of the prison, the complexities of female relationships, and the deceptive nature of appearances, culminating in a shocking twist that challenges the reader's perceptions.
#701
• Mentioned in 67 episodes
Carrie
Stephen King
Set in Chamberlain, Maine, 'Carrie' by Stephen King tells the story of Carietta 'Carrie' White, a 16-year-old girl who is ridiculed and bullied by her peers and abused by her ultra-religious mother, Margaret.
Carrie discovers she has telekinetic powers after a humiliating incident in the school locker room where she gets her first period.
The story unfolds through multiple narratives, including newspaper reports, court transcripts, and personal memoirs, detailing Carrie's transformation from a shy and isolated girl to a force of vengeance.
After being humiliated at the school prom, Carrie unleashes her powers, causing widespread destruction and death in the town.
The novel explores themes of ostracism, bullying, and the psychological trauma experienced by its characters.
#18569
• Mentioned in 4 episodes
Off the Reservation
Stephen Graham Jones
#111841
Trad Wife
Sarah Langan
A contemporary horror novel by Sarah Langan, centered on the unsettling implications of domestic identity, social expectations, and gender roles.
#7701
• Mentioned in 9 episodes
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Shirley Jackson
The novel is narrated by Mary Katherine 'Merricat' Blackwood, who lives with her older sister Constance and their ailing Uncle Julian.
The family is ostracized by the local community due to a tragic event in their past.
When their cousin Charles arrives, he disrupts their isolated life, leading to a series of ominous and destructive events.
The novel explores themes of isolation, family secrets, and the sinister undercurrents of small-town life.
It culminates in a dramatic fire and the subsequent rebuilding of the sisters' lives, highlighting their resilience and love for each other.
Halloween is the season for scary stories, but what actually makes a book frightening? And where should you start if you’re not already a horror reader?
This week on “The Book Review” podcast, Gilbert Cruz talks with two writers who know their way around the genre. Leigh Bardugo is the best-selling author behind the Grishaverse series and the Ninth House trilogy, which just concluded with the release of “Dead Beat.” Paul Tremblay is the author of “A Head Full of Ghosts” and this year’s “Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep.”
Bardugo looks back at the books and stories that scared her as a child and talks about why she kept returning to them even after they left her “struggling to sleep for the better part of a month.” She also talks about her love of Anne Rice and recommends horror for readers who might not think the genre is for them.
Tremblay, who describes himself as a lifelong “scaredy-cat,” came to horror fiction later. He talks about the Joyce Carol Oates story that changed the way he thought about reading and writing, and shares some of the books he finds genuinely frightening.
Together, these two authors offer a Halloween reading list that ranges from Shirley Jackson and Stephen King to contemporary writers like Mariana Enriquez, Tananarive Due and Sara Gran.
Books discussed on this episode:
- “The Boogeyman,” from “Night Shift,” by Stephen King
- “Down a Dark Hall,” by Lois Duncan
- “Bunnicula,” by Deborah Howe and James Howe
- “’Salem’s Lot,” by Stephen King
- “Nightjars,” by Michael Wehunt
- “Affinity,” by Sarah Waters
- “Black Arts,” by Megan Giddings
- “The Reformatory,” by Tananarive Due
- “Mazywood,” by Tananarive Due
- “The Haunting of Hill House,” by Shirley Jackson
- “We Have Always Lived in the Castle,” by Shirley Jackson
- “Carrie,” by Stephen King
- “The Turn of the Screw,” by Henry James
- “Afterward,” from “Ghosts,” by Edith Wharton
- “Interview With the Vampire,” by Anne Rice
- “The Vampire Lestat,” by Anne Rice
- “The Witch of Blackbird Pond,” by Elizabeth George Speare
- “The Invisible Parade,” by Leigh Bardugo and John Picacio
- “Our Share of Night,” by Mariana Enriquez
- “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?,” by Joyce Carol Oates
- “The Skull,” by Jon Klassen
- “The Nest,” by Kenneth Oppel
- “Come Closer,” by Sara Gran
- “Off the Reservation,” by Stephen Graham Jones
- “She Said Destroy,” by Nadia Bulkin
- “Issues With Authority,” by Nadia Bulkin
- “North American Lake Monsters,” by Nathan Ballingrud
- “Wounds,” by Nathan Ballingrud
- “Books of Blood,” by Clive Barker
- “To Bewitch a Hunter,” by Luciano Lamberti
- “Trad Wife,” by Sarah Langan
- “Desert Radio,” by Pamela M. Durgin
- “The Flayed Man,” by Chloe Lauter
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