I used to be obsessed with horror books. And now I’m obsessed again.

I grew up on horror. Books and film alike. R.L. Stein, Stephen King, Pumpkin Head, Tales from the Crypt, Twilight Zone, Ghostbusters.

Then I became an adult, too grown, too dogmatic or too busy with “important” things called life and work. Too embarrassed to admit that reading was my favorite hobby. Too guilty for reading fiction, even guiltier for reading horror. Too many toos. So, I just stopped all together.

I tried again in my early 30s with authors like Stephen King, James Patterson and Tarryn Fisher (psychological thriller). But the feeling of guilt struck once again. As if life was all work, no play. So, I stopped reading fiction and spent almost a decade reading only self-help/non-fiction. I’m glad I did though because a mind conditioning and self-development was exactly what I needed and has proven to be highly beneficial.

By September 2024, 44 years old and better at not giving a shit what people think, thanks to the reconditioning of my mind, I refused to spend another minute denying myself the things that bring me joy.

I’m reading thrillers, I’m reading horror, I’m reading spice!

I told my friend Rueben I wanted to get back into fiction and he recommended The Housemaid (2022) by Freida McFadden. We met up at this cute little bookstore in Texas, called, Nowhere Bookshop. Had a glass of wine, sat at one of their window seats and read my new book. I kind of stopped my whole life that week to read both book 1 and 2. They were fast paced, full of excitement, mystery and twists. Exactly what I needed to welcome me back home to fiction.

I was reading everything. Thriller, fantasy, literary & historical fiction, romance, poetry & autobiographies. I can’t believe I was missing out on all this fun. Easy, inexpensive, low maintenance fun.

I tried to read You Like It Darker (2024) by Stephen King, a collection of twelve short stories. I guess I waited too long because I couldn’t get past the second story. I enjoyed both stories 1 & 2, until the end of story 2 (The Fifth Step)…That bench scene offended me hahaha! Couldn’t handle it. Guess I didn’t like it darker. So, I put that book to the side. No rush, baby steps.

August 2025, almost a whole year later of reading multiple genres, mostly thriller, I found myself starting books, pausing them and moving on to the next. They weren’t hard DNFs; I’d finish them eventually, just slowly. Some of them are still open in the background like open tabs, such as, The Good Earth (1931) by Pearl S. Buck that I started January 2025. It’s a great story, but I’m not in the mood to finish it yet.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve found plenty of page-turners that took me 2-3 days to read, but I was shelving more books than finishing them.

I like books that hook me and keep me trapped until the very end. When the number of books I shelve outweighs the number I finish, I know something isn’t aligned. That’s when I decided it was time to switch genres. The only ones I hadn’t truly explored were horror and science fiction.

I decided to read The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. Layered with ghosts, violence, grief, love, HISTORY and so much more. This book is fantastic and beautifully written. It reminded me how much I love and miss horror.

Since then, while still reading other genres, I read Theme Music (2019) by T. Marie Vandelly, a violent psychological thriller with a haunting element. This one is bloody and I love it. Then I read, We Used To Live Here (2024) by Marcus Kliewer, another debut novel, also a psychological horror with a haunting element. Every scene gave me chills. Next, I read Dead of Winter (2025) by Darcy Coates, a survival slasher, isolation horror that takes place in the snowy mountains. Something about being trapped in the mountains during a blizzard heightens the reading experience for me, because oh no, where you gonna go. This one had a great twist.

And then I read a gory horror called, The Troop (2014) by Nick Cutter. A bioengineered parasite? More please. It was raw, dark, icky and extremely entertaining. Once I read The Troop, I knew exactly what I needed. The real hunt began, because there was no denying what I was in the mood for.

Little did I know the treat I was in for.

The back-to-back page-turning horror streak started with Come with Me (2021) by Ronald Malfi. I read five Malfi books in a row. In Come With Me, the main character is telling the story to his dead wife, and you can feel the grief and reckoning in his tone. I was trapped from the beginning. I’ve already written a full review, you can read it here.

Malfi’s writing is hypnotizing with its atmospheric pull. He can turn any horror into something beautiful.

The Narrows (2012) by Ronald Malfi. I enjoyed this one because it felt different from his other work. He’s a master at small-town settings and it comes through here. There’s something creepy in the night and you’ll just have to read to find out what it is.

Ghostwritten (2022) by Ronald Malfi. A collection of four supernatural short stories all set in different locations with different characters but interconnected by a common thread. It was like passing through different nightmares in one dream. I liked them all, but if I had to choose a favorite, I’d choose the Dark Brothers’ Last Ride.

Black Mouth (2022) by Ronald Malfi. A strangely sweet, character-driven horror layered with dark themes of the human condition. The sun did not shine in this story, I don't think the sun shines in any of the books I read, of his. His books are touched with a

Bone White (2013) by Ronald Malfi. This one was a slower burn compared to the other books, but the writing style and the compelling mystery kept me moving forward. It takes place in a small town where everyone is suspicious and something dark and sinister lurks behind every corner.

Devil Of The Pines (2025) by James Kaine. Another small-town mystery about a deadly beast that dates back to the 1700s. It’s told from three different timelines, each one captivating. This was my first book from Kaine and I’m hooked. I read this and Mischief Night in two days. His books are easy to digest and will keep you glued to your seat.

Mischief Night (2025) by James Kaine. Holy shit, I loved it. It’s a short novella, old-school slasher with lots of blood and dead bodies. Everybody is eligible to get murdered in this book. No mercy given! And the ending did not disappoint. I love when they come nicely wrapped in a bow.

Dark Corner (2004) by Brandon Massey. Another small-town mystery. The book is nice and thick which was fine by me because I didn’t want to walk away when it ended. I love how Massey touches on the relationship between the black father and his son. You see the father-son dynamic three times: the villain pair, the protagonist and his father, and the sheriff and his son. This theme added depth to an already really good story. I would tell you more about what it’s about, but I want you to be surprised like me. I’ll give you a hint; creatures in the night.

It opens with a slow burn, laying the groundwork on character depth and backstory, but it was worth the wait.

Backwoods (2025) by Brandon Massey. This one was my favorite, I didn’t want it to end. The story uses contrasting settings, beginning in a world of luxury, then shifting into the backwoods. Something about that atmospheric shift delighted me.

It’s spooky, mysterious and supernatural. It’s also a short read with short chapters but it had me wishing there was more.

There’s this feeling I get when I sit down to read a good book and there’s no other feeling like it. And to experience a back-to-back streak like the one I just did is the kind of joy I signed up for.

What does your reading look like right now?

The Joy of Horror

Nightstand

Come With Me by Ronald Malfi