Thursday, October 31, 2019

October 2019: Monthly Recap

During the month of October, the Ladies of Horror Fiction celebrated the Halloween season with lots of recommendations. Thank you so much to Damien Angelica Walters and Ann Dávila Cardinal for contributing some amazing guest posts this month! Be sure to check them out as well as all of our LOHF reviews and features.

Reviews

What We’re Reading #22

What We’re Reading #23

What We’re Reading #24

What We’re Reading #25

News and Announcements

October 2019 LOHF New Releases
Each month the Ladies of Horror Fiction team posts all of the books we are aware of that will be releasing during that month.

Special Topics and Guest Posts

Guest Post

Blog Tour: The Dead Girls Club: The Power of Women Writing Horror by Damien Angelica Walters
“The default is male. Always. From crash test dummies to superheroes to medical research subjects, half the population is regularly shunted to the back burner.”

Guest Post:Zombie Bait & Screaming Bimbos: Diversity in Horror By Ann Dávila Cardinal
“Sadly, the concept of diversity in horror is more of a fantasy than a reality.”

8 Days of Halloween Spooky

8 Days of Halloween: Spooky
Each day during the 8 days leading up to Halloween we posted a list with Halloween recommendations. Today we are giving our recommendations for books that are spooky!

8 Days of Halloween: Creepy

8 Days of Halloween: Creepy
What makes a story creepy? The LOHF gang think that atmosphere is what really makes a book creepy.

8 Days of Halloween: Weird

8 Days of Halloween: Weird
The definition of weird is “a strange or extraordinary character: odd, fantastic.” Each book on this list ticks all our boxes for weird.

8 Days of Halloween: YA & MG

8 Days of Halloween: YA and MG Horror
This year a number of us started really delving into the realm of Young Adult and Middle Grade horror. This is a huge list of things that the LOHF gang would recommend

8 Days of Halloween: Poetry

8 Days of Halloween: Poetry
In the last couple of years there has been some amazing horror poetry being written by women. If you think that there isn’t any horror poetry this list is for you.

8 Days of Halloween: Short Stories

8 Days of Halloween: Short Stories
Short stories are kind of like potato chips, once you start you can’t stop. These bite sized stories come with a bite.

8 Days of Halloween: Bloody

8 Days of Halloween: Bloody
There are some days that you want some blood with your horror. These next amazing set of authors will give you that and a whole lot more.

8 Days of Halloween: On Our TBR

8 Days of Halloween: On Our TBR
With so many amazing books being released every month our TBRs are overflowing! Check out what is on our TBRs at the moment!

Horror Movie Maven

Horror Movie Maven: Plan a Halloween Movie Marathon
One of the best parts of Halloween month is that everyone else condones the dark and weird stuff you like year round, which includes good old fashioned horror movies!

Young Adult and Middle Grade Horror Spotlight

YA/MG Horror Spotlight October 2019
The Ladies of Horror Fiction team is putting a spotlight on Young Adult and Middle Grade horror each month.

More 2019 Monthly Recaps

September 2019: Monthly Recap
August 2019: Monthly Recap
July 2019: Monthly Recap
June 2019: Monthly Recap
May 2019: Monthly Recap
April 2019: Monthly Recap
March 2019: Monthly Recap
February 2019: Monthly Recap
January 2019 Monthly Recap

8 Days of Halloween: On our TBR

With so many amazing books being released every month our TBRs are overflowing! Check out what is on our TBRs at the moment!!


Dreamfall – Amy Plum
Dreaming Darkly – Caitlin Kittredge
The Furies – Katie Lowe

The Haunted – Danielle Vega
Remember Me – Chelsea Bobulski
The Tenth Girl – Sara Faring

The Toll – Cherie Priest
The Twisted Ones – T. Kingfisher
The Wicked Deep – Shea Ernshaw

The Beauty – Aliya Whitley
Tinfoil Butterfly – Rachel Eve Moulton
Whispers in the Dark – Laurel Hightower

Wilted Lilies – Kelli Owen
Reception – Kenzie Jennings
Dark Carnival – Joanna Parypinski

The Dead Girls Club – Damien Angelica Walters
Infernal – Cheryl Lowe
Guest: A Changling Tale – Mary Downing Hahn


If you have any recommendations please let them in the comments!!

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

YA/MG Horror Spotlight October 2019

The Ladies of Horror Fiction team is putting a spotlight on Young Adult and Middle Grade horror each month. Below we are featuring the books that were released in October as well as what our team has been reading and reviewing.

New Releases

Now Entering Addamsville by Francesca Zappia

Zora Novak has been framed.

When someone burns down the home of the school janitor and he dies in the blaze, everyone in Addamsville, Indiana, points a finger at Zora. Never mind that Zora has been on the straight and narrow since her father was thrown in jail. With everyone looking for evidence against her, her only choice is to uncover the identity of the real killer. There’s one big problem—Zora has no leads. No one does. Addamsville has a history of tragedy, and thirty years ago a similar string of fires left several townspeople dead. The arsonist was never caught.

Now, Zora must team up with her cousin Artemis—an annoying self-proclaimed Addamsville historian—to clear her name. But with a popular ghost-hunting television show riling up the townspeople, almost no support from her family and friends, and rumors spinning out of control, things aren’t looking good. Zora will have to read between the lines of Addamsville’s ghost stories before she becomes one herself.

Published October 1st 2019 by Greenwillow Books | Amazon | Goodreads

The Beautiful (The Beautiful #1) by Renée Ahdieh

In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans provides her a refuge after she’s forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent along with six other girls, Celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. She soon becomes embroiled in the city’s glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group’s leader, the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of La Cour des Lions, Celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about Sébastien’s guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

When more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, Celine and New Orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose—one Celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. As the murders continue to go unsolved, Celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about Celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

At once a sultry romance and a thrilling murder mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet: The Beautiful.

Published October 8th 2019 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers | Amazon | Goodreads

Cold as Marble (Weeping Willow High #2) by Zoe Aarsen

Look out for the original series—starring Peyton List, Brent Rivera, Liana Liberato, Ajiona Alexus, and Dylan Sprayberry—now streaming on Hulu!

McKenna’s mission to save her friends from their predicted deaths continues in the second installment in the Light as a Feather series that’s perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina!

The deadly game continues…

Olivia and Candace are dead, both casualties of Violet’s deadly game of Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board. McKenna and Mischa are the only ones left, and having failed to locate and destroy the source of Violet’s power, her curse still abounds, eager to claim more lives.

What does Violet want? And how can she be stopped? Armed with a mysterious package containing clues, as well as a little help from the beyond, McKenna hopes to end this once and for all…before it’s too late.

Expected publication: October 8th 2019 by Simon Pulse | Amazon | Goodreads

Young Adult Books Reviewed

Last month the Ladies of Horror Fiction team lead a readalong of Dawn Kurtagich’s Teeth in the Mist. Be sure to check out Laurie’s review (“It is an atmospheric creepfest of the creepiest order.”).

This month we hosted two readalongs and Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand was one of them! You can read Emily’s review here (“There were some good creepy scenes, and I loved the setting of the story.”)

Laurie also read and reviewed The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein. Be sure to check out Laurie’s 5 star review (“It’s a brilliant story of survival and self-preservation and I can’t recommend it highly enough.”)!

This month Emily also read Ann Dávila Cardinal’s Five Midnights. You can read Emily’s thoughts here (“I loved the setting, and this is the first time I’ve read a horror story set in Puerto Rico.”)

Audra and Emily both read The Babysitters Coven by Kate Williams. Be sure to check out Audra’s review (“This is a witty, modern mashup of all the best dramatic and best friend elements of The Babysitter’s Club series, the black humor and witchery of The Coven, and the crime-fighting badassery of Buffy.”) and Emily’s review (“I highly recommend picking this one up if you need a fun novel with horror tones that is a little on the lighter side”)!

The second readalong we hosted this month in the Ladies of Horror Fiction Goodreads group was Here There Are Monsters by Amelinda Bérubé. You can check out Emily’s review here (“If you enjoyed Gillian French’s The Missing Season, this book has similar vibes, and I recommend picking it up!”).

Middle Grade Books Reviewed

Doll Bones by Holly Black

Toni read and loved Doll Bones by Holly Black this month. Be sure to check out her review (“There are some wonderful themes of friendship and the changes that you go through as you grow up.”)

Upcoming Reviews

This month Toni also read The Girl in the Fort by Tracy Fahey. Stay tuned for Toni upcoming thoughts. Toni and Jen read Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand, and also upcoming is Emily’s review of The Furies by Katie Lowe!

Currently Reading

Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab

Emily is currently reading Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab so stayed tuned for her review for that as well!


Have you read any of the books we read or reviewed this month? Let us know what YA or MG books you have read recently!

8 Days of Halloween: Bloody

There are some days that you want some blood with your horror. These next amazing set of authors will give you that and a whole lot more.


Afterage – Yvonne Navarro
Skin – Kathe Koja
Dear Laura – Gemma Amor

Gardens of Babylon – Sara Brooke
Theme Music – T. Marie Vandelly
When I Arrived at the Castle – Emily Carroll

The Eighth – Stephanie Wytovich
Cats like Cream – Renee Miller
Without Condition – Sonora Taylor

The Sadist’s Bible – Nichole Cushing
Sadie the Sadist – Zané Sachs
The Bride Wore Brains – Emily Wesley Stringer

Teeth – Kelli Owen
Stranded – Renee Miller
Zombieville – C.V. Hunt

Twin Lakes: The Autumn Fires – Michelle Garza and Melisa Lason
Howl – Renee Miller
Mr. Suicide – Nichole Cushing


If you have any recommendations add them to the comments below!!!

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Plan a Halloween Movie Marathon

This is the month, y’all, we made it to October, where it’s Halloween every day, and no one can persuade me otherwise. One of the best parts of Halloween month is that everyone else condones the dark and weird stuff you like year round, which includes good old fashioned horror movies! So, if you don’t already have big party plans for the big day, why not plan a creepy, cozy movie marathon? If you’re staying home, you know you’re not going to be able to stray far from the living room as the parade of ghouls lines up at your door for candy, so I’ve got some great picks for your All Hallow’s Eve partying needs!

What’s for Dinner?

Before trick-or-treating on Halloween, you definitely want to eat a hearty meal. And as any good horror fan knows, you might be the one on the menu! These cannibalistically inclined films will start your night off with the right frights.

Raw

dir. Julia Ducournau | 2017 | Amazon | Vudu

Honestly, you might want to wait to eat until after watching this one (the finger!). A coming-of-age horror tale of a vegan at med school and a hazing gone awry. She isn’t who she thought she was. . .

Ravenous

dir. Antonia Bird | 1999 | Hulu | Amazon

I’m partial to this one since it’s inspired by real stories of Colorado cannibalism. A dark and atmospheric survival thriller that brings the cannibal trope to an Old West setting, this gruesome tale will definitely fill you up!

Monster Mash

Maybe you’re feeling a bit left out, looking at all the trick-or-treaters in their awesome costumes, wishing you’d dressed up. Or maybe you’re just feeling out of it because you don’t get any of the pop culture references and have to keep asking everyone what they are? (Who’s Lizzo? Doesn’t anyone dress up as a werewolf anymore?) These movies will help catch you up to speed.

The Babadook

dir. Jennifer Kent | 2014  | Amazon | Hulu

This tense and dramatic mom-against-beast story is still one of my favorites. The film is gorgeous to watch, and I love the psychological aspect: is there really a monster, or is she just losing it? If you like it dark and moody, this one’s for you.

Jennifer’s Body

dir. Karyn Kusama | 2009 | Amazon | Vudu

If you maybe aren’t that big on horror but want to plan a good movie night with friends, this should be your pick. It’s Mean Girls teen comedy meets monsters hungry for flesh and is hilarious as well as bloody. The best movie (by far) that Megan Fox has ever been in.

Trick or Treat!

No Halloween night is complete without some treats . . . or tricks! Slasher films are the classic crowd pleaser. Because who doesn’t like to see some dumb, horny, unsuspecting teens meet their maker in increasingly ridiculous ways? I know it makes me feel better about my own mortality. . .

Slumber Party Massacre

dir. Amy Holden Jones | 1982 | Tubi | Amazon

I mean, the title says it all. You can’t go wrong with a classic slasher from the ’80s! This one also gets extra points since Amy Holden Jones not only directed, but also wrote and produced the film.

Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare

dir. Rachel Talalay | 1991 | Vudu | Amazon

There’s something about a classic that really brings out the holiday spirit. Do you need to watch all the other Nightmare on Elm Street flicks first? (There are five before this one!) Honestly, not really. This one starts over with a whole new cast of unfortunate teens, so all you really need to know is Freddy is the guy with the knife hand, and he’s out to kill you in your dreams.

8 Days of Halloween: Short Stories

Short stories are kind of like potato chips, once you start you can’t stop. These bite sized stories come with a bite. Whether; it is an anthology or a collection the LOHF has you covered.


Sing Your Sadness Deep – Laura Mauro
Mouthful of Birds – Samanta Scweblin trans. by Megan McDowell
Sleeping with the Monster – Anya Martin

Something Borrowed, Something Bloodsoaked – Christa Carmen
Garden of Eldritch Delights – Lucy A Snyder
Collision – JS Breukelaar

The Samhanach and other Halloween Treats – Lisa Morton
Dead Girls and Other Stories – Emily Geminder
Everything That’s Underneath – Kristi DeMeester

And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe – Gwendolyn Kiste
Her Body and Other Parties – Carmen Maria Machado
Get in Trouble – Kelly Link

Little Paranoias – Sonora Taylor
Black Magic Women – edited by Sumiko Saulson
Cruel Works of Nature – Gemma Amor

Monstrous Domesticity – R.J. Joesph
Fright Into Flight – edited by Amber Fallon
Furnace – Livia Llewellyn

Daymares – Kenya Moss-Dyme
Fist of the Spider Woman – edited by Amber Dawn
Ghosts of You – Cathy Ulrich

The Houseguest: And Other Stories – by Amparo Davila trans. by Audrey Harris and Matthew Gleeson
Revenge – Yoko Ogawa trans. by Stephen Snyder
Things we Lost in the Fire – Mariana Enriquez trans. by Megan McDowell

New Music for Old Rituals – Tracy Fahey
This House of Wounds – Georgina Bruce
Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery – edited by Christopher Golden and Rachel Autumn Deering


If you have any recommendations leave them in the comments.

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