What I'm Reading: Library Journal October Horror Reviews and 31 Days of Horror Begins Its 10th Year!

Normally I ease into this month of daily posts, but not this year. There is too much going on. My new book is out in the world and Horror is HOT.

And today marks the 10th Anniversary of 31 Days of Horror which began inauspiciously with this post  and the anticipation of the 2nd Edition of my second book coming in early 2012.

10 years has gone by in a flash and thankfully Horror is only grown more popular! Library Journal knows that too, as they made my October Horror reviews live BEFORE October even began.

I know there is still a lot to explain about what 31 Days of Horror is, how to use this blog as a resource, and more. Over the weekend, I will circle back to some of my more typical introductory posts. I will give a tutorial of this site and how to best use it, while also explaining what you can expect here every single day for the next 31 days.

Don't worry. I've got you. But today I am too excited to start, and I already have 8[!] reviews to share.

No more waiting.  Let's look at these excellent upcoming titles right now including at least 1 that will be in the end of the year "Best" conversation. [I know this because I had said conversation with my editor at Library Journal earlier this week.] Together these reviews make up my October 2021 column in the print edition of Library Journal. 

You can use the links for each title to see details from my Goodreads account which includes links to the final LJ reviews as well as bonus info on some titles, including the original notes I took when reading the books and preparing the formal reviews.

Here are the three star reviews:

• Malerman, John. Pearl [gory fun, high octane, statement about treatment of animals]
• Piper, Hailey. Queen of Teeth  [body horror, thought provoking, immersive]
• Rocklyn, Zine E. Flowers for the Sea [captivating, disquieting, all senses engaged]

And five more excellent must buy titles:

• The Best Horror of the Year Volume 13. Edited by Ellen Datlow [full range of scares, year in review, new voices]
• Dark Stars: New Tales of Darkest Horror. Edited by John F.D. Taff [epic, genre expanding, imaginative]
• DeMeester, Kristi. Such a Pretty Smile [dueling timelines, thick unease, mental health]
• Quigley, Lisa. The Forest [engrossing, folk horror, thought provoking]
• Tem, Steve Rasnic. Thanatrauma: Stories [slightly askew, universal fears, unsettling]