Top Ten Tuesday

#TopTenTuesday: Flirting with Fear

Dini @ dinipandareads59 Comments

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week’s topic is a: Halloween Freebie! 🎃

Surprisingly absolutely no one, guess who hasn’t got herself together enough to write this post in advance? 🐼 Hi. Even though today was a freebie, I was almost tempted to go rogue because it’s 9pm and I’m only just getting started on my post!

However, I’ve decided to highlight some of the horror books that have recently made it onto my digital shelves. This is completely new for me because I’m a massive scaredy and I tend to let my overactive imagination rule me when it comes to this genre. It’s rarely ever a fun time and if I end up reading all of these, I know they’ll live rent free in my nightmares long after I’ve turned the last page. 🙃 That said, I don’t know what’s happening with me, but I’m very curious about them and I’m keen to give them a try. So, of course, when I saw them go on sale, I scooped them up immediately!

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones — I’m cheating a bit with this first one because I’m currently reading it. Not to say that the content isn’t horrific and gruesome, but if this is horror, I’ve definitely found a kind that I really enjoy and I’m thrilled. Seriously, I’m obsessed!

House of Monstrous Women by Daphne Fama
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
Eerie Basin by Ivy Pochoda
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig
Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes
Model Home by Rivers Solomon
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
House of the Beast by Michelle Wong

Are you a horror reader? What’s some good “horror lite” that you would recommend to a scaredy cat who’s curious about the genre?

59 thoughts on “#TopTenTuesday: Flirting with Fear”

      • Into The Drowning Deep is definitely written in a specific style (which I’ve heard some people don’t enjoy) but for me the way it was written made it less scary (though it is definitely still horror). It’s definitely a m(urd)ermaid classic as far as I’m concerned.

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  10. I’ve only read Into the Drowning Deep but I loved it. It’s a perfect horror story – very creepy but kind of fun too. I’ve heard good things about Isabel Canas, Stephen Graham Jones, and Rivers Solomon. I hope you enjoy these! Silvia Moreno-Garcia is great too.

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    • I’ve heard so many good things about Drowning Deep and now that I’m dipping my toes in horror, I’ve finally been tempted to add it to my TBR! I hope it doesn’t scare me too badly 🤭 I’ve read Rivers Solomon’s literary sci-fi and loved it, so I’m curious about their horror. I just finished my first SGJ this weekend and I can’t wait to read more by him! I loved his book so much 😍 I’m excited to try all these authors’ horror!

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  11. Dinnniiiii… what is a happening?!?! HAHA! I do enjoy Silvia Moreno-Garcia.. and I’ve read a few on other lists I’ve seen today. I guess, we are expanding our horizons. haha. I did read a Grady Hendrix one a few years ago and I did not love his writing. I hope you enjoy these when you get to them!

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    • Hahaha, GIRRLLL I DONT EVEN KNOW!!! Who even am I wanting to read all this horror?!?! 🤣 You mentioning that you didn’t enjoy Hendrix’s writing does make me a little worried though, considering how well our reading tastes align, but I hope I end up enjoying it! 🫣

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      • Yeah, I could have just been in a mood at that time though. I just felt there were a lot of misogynistic things in the book I read. I hope you enjoy this one!!

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  14. I loved Witchcraft for Wayward Girls and Into the Drowning Deep!

    I hope you have a spooky week and a Happy Halloween!  🎃💀👻

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  17. Into the Drowning Deep was a lot of fun, in a sci-fi horror-thriller kind of way. Obviously everyone’s brains work differently, but that’s definitely the kind of horror I can cope with, as my psyche doesn’t latch on and insist that somehow it’s going to transition into the real world and get me, LOL!

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    • I’ve heard a lot of good things about it over the years and I hope that I find it as enjoyable as everyone else! 🤭 I think I’m still trying to figure out what my horror max is but I think that I’ll be able to handle this. Maybe I won’t go swimming for a while (especially in the ocean?) but sci-fi horror-thriller sounds like a great combo, haha.

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    • I’ve heard so many good things about both books and the number of comments I received on this post mentioning how much people have loved both books further convinces me that I should read them asap! I just realised that after reading The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, I am pretty okay with gory/grotesque descriptions, so hopefully I’ll be able to handle Hendrix’s brand of descriptive horror 🤭 Thanks for the heads up though! Haha

      I still haven’t explored all of Kingfisher’s backlist but many of their books are on my TBR and I can’t wait to check them out.

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    • I’m still very tentatively exploring the horror genre—I don’t think anything I’m reading so far would really be classified as more than “horror lite” and I’m more than happy with sticking to the less spooky reads, lol.

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  23. Love this Dini! I think if you enjoy Buffalo Hunter Hunter you will love Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, they’re quite similar in that a lot of the horror lies in the human side of it, and I’m also obsessed with Canas’ horrors. I hope you enjoy any of these you pick up.

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    • Ooh, I love that! Thanks for sharing the insight 🤭 And I did love Buffalo Hunter Hunter. My gosh, I loved it so much it’s one of my top reads of the year! I’m even more excited to read Witchcraft for Wayward Girls now 😍 I’m also excited to try Cañas’ horrors but they’re defo more on the supernatural/paranormal side, right? Lol

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      • Ahhh I’m so happy you loved it! It’s definitely making my top reads of the year as well. Yes, they absolutely err more towards the paranormal, and I would say might be a little more scary… you need to check out Rachel Harrison though, I think you’d love her books!

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