Icy Fingers (Read horror)
December 16, 2021
The long nights of winter have made horror stories a seasonal favorite since the Victorian age. Take advantage of the atmosphere by reading one of these chilling tales, then chase away the icy fingers up your spine with a warm drink and a cozy blanket.
The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher
Kara discovers a hole in the wall at her uncle’s house, and through that hole is a mysterious dimension, a bunker, and the words “pray they are hungry.” This is a modern retelling of the classic Algernon Blackwood short story “The Willows,” and has enough chuckles mixed in with the scares to keep you reading throughout the night.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Noemi is a 1950s debutante in Mexico City who heads to the country to save her cousin, a newlywed who has fallen mysteriously ill in her new country home. When Noemi arrives, she finds a failing manor, unsettling in-laws, and an atmosphere that invades her nightmares.
Devolution by Max Brooks
Max Brooks is best known for bringing zombies to terrifying life in World War Z, and now he brings the same treatment to bigfoot in Devolution. This terrifying story, told through a series of diary entries, isn’t for gentle spirits or weak stomachs, but it should satisfy fans of vicious massacre tales.
Book / Large Print / eBook
Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline
The traditional Métis legend of the Rogarou, a werewolf-like creature, combines with elements of a marriage in trouble, a missing person, and a native community that still has links to the old ways. This is a book for fans of rich, smart writing with horror nipping at its heels.
Book / eBook / Audio eBook
The Return by Rachel Harrison
A group of friends decides to have a reunion at a quirky, remote hotel to celebrate the sudden reappearance of Julie, who vanished two years ago and has no memory of what happened to her. As happy as they are to be back together, Julie’s changes in appearance, appetite, and habits have her friends concerned. And eventually terrified.
Home before Dark by Riley Sager
Maggie’s family is famous because of the book her father wrote: a memoir called House of Horrors. It tells the story of the night 25 years ago that Maggie’s family fled their haunted home. Maggie was too young to remember the events, and now that she’s grown she doesn’t believe a word of it. When she inherits Baneberry Hall, the house in question, she doesn’t hesitate to move back in and start the renovations that could reveal the house’s dark history.
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
Clark takes the real history of the Ku Klux Klan and weaves a story where a group of resistance fighters is facing the threat of Ku Kluxes: not hood-wearing humans, but actual monsters who use fear and violence to awaken Hell on Earth.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
Four Blackfoot men with a shared experience from their youth find that experience coming back to haunt them. One by one the men are hunted by something out of Blackfoot legend that is bent on terrifying, violent revenge.
Book / Large Print / eBook
Tiny Nightmares by Lincoln Michel & Nadxieli Nieto
If you’re up to try some scary stuff this winter but are nervous about taking the full plunge, these super short horror stories are just what the doctor ordered. In just a few pages a night you can get your frights while also having plenty of time left over for episodes of your favorite sitcom to chase away the shadows.
Kill Creek by Scott Thomas
This haunted house story is truly a horror fan’s horror novel. It draws together four iconic horror writers (see if you can identify their real-life inspirations) to spend Halloween night in an infamously haunted house – all streamed live on the internet. Needless to say, the ghosts have other plans.