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A review by librovermo
101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartmann
informative
I have to be honest: when I picked up this book at the library (because of its amazing title), flipped through it and saw there was a list of the books in the back, I considered simply taking a picture of the list and placing 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered back on the shelf.
I am SO GLAD I didn’t do that because this book is so much more than a list. There is a short spoiler-free summary/review (including general themes, tone, style, and setting) for each book that is so thoughtful and well-written I can just feel Sadie Hartmann (aka Mother Horror)’s excitement and love for every story through her writing. It made me excited to read the books, even the ones I probably wouldn’t usually be interested in. Quick note: when the setting was noted, it would say something like “Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” or “New England,” or something. But one of the featured books takes place in a single room of a house and so the setting said “Bathroom,” and it made me laugh haha
The list is actually 91 specific books and 10 author spotlights. In the author spotlight pages, Hartmann introduces the author and her favorite books they’ve written, then details several of their books for you to choose from.
There are also thought-provoking essays by various horror writers peppered in throughout the book which I really enjoyed, especially the ones about queer representation in horror and what horror means to the queer community.
Also! Hartmann included a good bit of independently published horror, which I’m thankful for. I’m in getting into indie stuff but there’s so much of it I didn’t know where to start. Now I do!
I am SO GLAD I didn’t do that because this book is so much more than a list. There is a short spoiler-free summary/review (including general themes, tone, style, and setting) for each book that is so thoughtful and well-written I can just feel Sadie Hartmann (aka Mother Horror)’s excitement and love for every story through her writing. It made me excited to read the books, even the ones I probably wouldn’t usually be interested in. Quick note: when the setting was noted, it would say something like “Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” or “New England,” or something. But one of the featured books takes place in a single room of a house and so the setting said “Bathroom,” and it made me laugh haha
The list is actually 91 specific books and 10 author spotlights. In the author spotlight pages, Hartmann introduces the author and her favorite books they’ve written, then details several of their books for you to choose from.
There are also thought-provoking essays by various horror writers peppered in throughout the book which I really enjoyed, especially the ones about queer representation in horror and what horror means to the queer community.
Also! Hartmann included a good bit of independently published horror, which I’m thankful for. I’m in getting into indie stuff but there’s so much of it I didn’t know where to start. Now I do!