Tara

25/2026

The Astral Library by Kate Quinn

Neat premise, kind of annoying characters. A bit of a wash but fun enough.

24/2026

Beast of the North Woods by Annelise Ryan

Not my favorite despite a really neat creature. Just some weird character actions throughout.

23/2026

Death in the Dark Woods by Annelise Ryan

Sasquatches kinda. Another fun entry.

My son plowed through it! So clever! The Mysterious Benedict Society books are another more modern, puzzle focused series as well if Westing Game sparks anyone's interest!

22/2026

Murder Road by Simone St. James

Properly spooky. A few odd coincidences but I enjoyed it

21/2026

Ghost 19 by Simone St. James

A short story and a bit thin for it. Not my favorite

20/2026

She Made Herself a Monster by Anna Kovatcheva

A beautiful book. Not very scary but still great.

19/2026

Matchmaking for Psychopaths by Tasha Coryell

Super quick read, nothing earth shattering but some fun surprises along the way.

18/2026 A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James

Another solidly spooky offering. Set in Fell, NY again which leaves some fun Easter eggs.

17/2026

Hollow by Celina Myers

Possibly the worst book I've read in ages. Thin characters, weird pacing, laughable, rushed ending. Just bad.

16/2026

Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer

This book was wild--surprisingly gory.

15/2026

Nat returns again but this time in the South Pacific and it doesn't work. Stupid people doing stupid things and the ending is almost offensively bad.

14/2026

Shadow of the Sasquatch by J. H. Moncrieff

Nat returns and so do the sasquatches. I liked this one too! Another fun, spooky, easy read.

13/2026
Return to Dyatlov Pass by J. H. Moncrieff

I'll read almost anything about Dyatlov Pass and this was good, creepy fun. Liked the characters and story. Easy read.

12/2026
Sunshine by Robin McKinley

What an absolute delight! A little meandering at times but great characters and lore. Totally wish there was a sequel!

11/2025 8114 by Joshua Hull

Super obnoxious main character in a truly creepy supernatural trip home

10/2025 A Death in Door County by Annelise Ryan

Easy fun with a touch of cryptids. Sort of!

9/2026

The Patient by Jasper Dewitt

This went places I wasn't expecting but was interesting enough I guess.

8/2026

Autobiography of a Traitor and a Half-Savage by Alix E. Harrow

What a beautiful, poetic slip of a short story. I'd follow Oona's stories to the end of wherever she ended up

7/2026

He'll House by Richard Matheson

A classic of the haunted house genre. Very 1971 but still spooky.

6/2026

Blood Slaves by Markus Redmond

Slaves turned into vampires lead to bloody revenge so was always going to be brutal. The violence against women was particularly rough but I'm sure was the point. Interesting lore on the particular kind of vampire though.

5/2026

The Reddening by Adam Nevill

Mixed bag here. Some was properly spooky folk horror but it was definitely too long. Still enjoyable overall.

4/2026

The Wax Child by Olga Ravn

What strange book. Set in 16th c. Denmark and narrated by a wax doll created by the protagonist who was historically accused of witchcraft. Lots of archival work included but definitely more of a vibe than a narrative.

3/2026
The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates

Goofy, overly-dramatic fun as most of Coates's books are!

2/2026

Fallen Gods by Rachel Van Dyken

So dumb I don't even know why I finished it. The characters and their decisions were nonsensical. Almost nothing happened until the end. Plus the geography bugged me!

1/2026

The Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry

An okay book, quick to read and relatively fun: a haunted house in a neighborhood of great characters and their history. But the main character was actively obnoxious for most of the book.

73/2025

God's Junk Drawer by Peter Clines

What a wild book to end the year on: spaceships, dinosaurs, cavemen. Fun though!

72/2025

Angel Down by Daniel Kraus

A story with a conceit that could easily be a gimmick but is instead utterly relentless made more so by its style.

Plus a surprising amount of heart by the end.

I love her books! Also I so want to know Una's real name!

71/2025

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

Lady knight and time loops and in-world history and yearning. So much yearning--for eternity. Plus dragons!

What a beautiful book!