I usually read mysteries, romance, and literary fiction. However, there have been horror books that I have read and enjoyed. In this post, I want to share my favorite horror books as someone who does not tend to read horror.
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What Is Horror and How Is It Different From Mystery?
Horror books are often focused on fear and dread. They can involve supernatural elements like hauntings, monsters, and unexplained events. Mysteries, on the other hand, often revolve around solving a crime or a puzzle. You will follow the main character as they gather clues and uncover secrets to figure out what really happened. There can be overlap between horror and mystery books because both genres can include suspense and the element of the unknown. The main difference is that horror books are intended to make you feel afraid, while mystery books have you solve a puzzle. With that said, here are my favorite horror books about unsettling houses, unexplained events, and the feeling that something is not quite right.
My Favorite Horror Books
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
In How to Sell a Haunted House, Louise returns to her hometown to sell her parents’ home after their sudden death. She will have to reconnect and work with her brother Mark to prepare the home for sale. However, strange things start happening in the home that put a stop to their plans. The home is unsettling. Louise and Mark’s mother was a puppet maker, and there are puppets and dolls all over the home. There are also graphic scenes that add to the dread surrounding the home. How to Sell a Haunted House is a great book that mixes horror and family drama.
Available at Bookshop
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
We Used to Live Here follows Eve, who is flipping an old house with her partner Charlie. While Charlie is away, a man and his family knock at the door. He claims that he used to live in the home and wants to show his family around. Eve reluctantly agrees, but then inexplicable things start happening, and the youngest child goes missing. The setting of the old house is creepy, and there are scary scenes that happen. The overall plot is unsettling and makes you question what is really going on in the home.
I also recommend The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer, which is about Macy, who becomes a caretaker for a home over the weekend, and all she has to do is follow the rites.
Available at Bookshop
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
In Bird Box, there are creatures that lurk outside, and seeing one causes death. The story follows Malorie and her two young children heading down a river blindfolded to a safer place. The plot also alternates between the past, when Malorie found out she was pregnant five years ago, people started dying, and she lived with a group of survivors. The creatures are terrifying because much about them remains unknown. The book has a lot of death due to the creatures, and there are disturbing scenes. However, Bird Box is a good creepy read.
Even though I enjoyed Bird Box, I do not recommend reading the sequel, Malorie. You do learn what happens next with Malorie and her children, but not much happens in the story, and you do not really learn more about the creatures.
Available at Bookshop
Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
Hidden Pictures is about Mallory, who is hired to be a babysitter for a five-year-old boy named Teddy. However, Teddy begins drawing sinister pictures, including a man dragging a woman’s body in a forest. There are supernatural elements in the story, and you do not know what is going on until the end. Hidden Pictures is an unsettling read.
Available at Bookshop
Strange Houses by Uketsu
Strange Houses follows a writer whose acquaintance wants to buy a home. However, the floor plan shows a dead space between the walls. The writer then meets with an architect who notices more strange spaces in the home. Strange Houses has visual elements where you will look at the floor plans and uncover the terrifying secrets as the story progresses.
I also recommend Strange Buildings, which is considered a sequel to Strange Houses. In the book, there are 11 strange buildings with eerie stories that share a secret. Lastly, I read and recommend Strange Pictures, which begins with a university student who finds a blog with a pregnant woman’s drawings that have a chilling warning.
Available at Bookshop
Hide by Kiersten White
The last horror book I recommend is Hide. In Hide, 14 contestants join a reality show involving a hide-and-seek competition in an abandoned amusement park. Each day, two contestants will be found, and the last contestant wins $50,000. The book mainly follows the perspective of Mack, who experienced a traumatic situation, and the money would help her tremendously. However, she soon realizes the competition is much darker than she could have imagined. I enjoyed Hide, but there is one downside. I found that there were too many contestants from the start, but as they get eliminated, it is easier to follow along. That said, Hide has a great premise for a horror book.
Available at Bookshop
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