What I'm Reading: January 2026 Library Journal Horror Review Column

      

My January 2026 Horror Review Column is now live on the LJ site and in the current issue of the print magazine! 

In this post I have gathered the titles with my three words and links to my full draft reviews on Goodreads. Click on the titles for readalikes and more appeal information. 

I am also giving away 2 of these books to 2 winners on the Horror blog today. Click here to see that post with the rules on how to enter.  

Back to the January 2026 reviews. First this month's 2 STARS: 

• Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker (two time frames, dreamlike/nightmarish, strong sense of place)
• My interview with the author also appears in this issue. Link to be added when it goes up online.
• Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher (Bug-Body Horror combo, Gothic with teeth, strong sense of place)

And the other 6 excellent titles: 

• Trad Wife by 
  Saratoga Schaefer (
  conversational narration, influencer horror, disquieting)
• The Glowing Hours by Leila Siddiqui (Gothic, retelling, menacing)
• The Fortune Tellers of Rue Daru by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore (menacing, political intrigue, historical) 
• Dead First by Johnny Compton (Supernatural Detective Horror, Emotionally Charged, Original Monster story)
• The Midnight Muse by Jo Kaplan (cursed bands, liberal use of ephemera/foreshadowing and flashbacks, monster in the woods)
• The Body by Bethany C. Morrow (religious cult horror, secrets and trauma, supernatural thriller)