September 2023 Horror Spotlight Shelf Edition: S.L. Coney

Shelf Edition: S.L. Coney

Today we welcome S.L. Coney (with special guest star The Ishy Burrito) to a new shelf edition.

 

Do you have any recent favorite Horror Spotlight books?

Nothing but Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
The Grip of It by Jac Jemc
Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones
Mongrels also by SGJ
The Ghost Sequences by A.C. Wise
Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

Which Horror Spotlight books do you currently have on your TBR?

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle
Never Whistle at Night by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird AND Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Basterrica
The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

Where do you find recommendations? Are there any Horror Spotlight books that have been recommended to you that you loved?

I find most of my books on social media. A mix of Facebook and Instagram mostly. These come from other readers, other writers, and websites like LitHub, Tor.com, etc. Both Mongrels and The Grip of It came highly recommended, and I loved them both.

Are there any upcoming Horror Spotlight releases you're excited about?

I think they’re already released, but I’m waiting on my copies of Never Whistle at Night and Maeve Fly and I’m so stoked to read them. I don’t know if you’ve spotlighted Your Shadow Half Remains by Sunny Moraine, but I’m super excited for that. The Dead Take the A Train looks pretty cool too. 

Let’s get a little adventurous. Answer one or both: What Horror Spotlight book (or story, or movie, etc) would you like to see turned into a Muppet Movie? And/Or Who would play you in a horror movie based on your life?

Okay, who would play me in a horror movie based on my life? Crispin Glover. He captures my weirdness perfectly. Well, him and Melissa McCarthy. Can we split the role between them?

In regards to your own work, tell our readers a little bit about what’s new and/or coming up for you.

I’m currently at work on a novel surrounding a haunting that deals with grief, guilt, and coming out. I also have a couple of short stories in the works and I’m making notes for another novella. 

Where can people find you on social media and/or find your work?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorslconey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s_l_coney/
Blue Sky: @slconey.bsky.social
Threads: s_l_coney
Website: www.slconey.com

 

 

Look for S.L.'s book Wild Spaces out now!

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Teresa creates our Shelf Edition posts. You can find Teresa on Goodreads and on Twitter as @teresa_ardrey.

Fall 2023 Releases on Our TBR

Today we created a Top Ten Tuesday list to celebrate the most anticipated Fall 2023 releases on our TBRs!

Heather

Midnight Is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead

Swarm by Jennifer D. Lyle

Jen

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

Laurie

Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine

The September House by Carissa Orlando

Teresa

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris

Tracy

Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror edited by Jordan Peele

The Ungodly Duology by S.H. Cooper

Ghosts Ghosts Ghosts!

Ghost Hunter Day 

Did you know that the last Saturday in September is National (US) Ghost Hunter Day?  Here's a list of some ghost stories you can hunt down to celebrate! Don't forget to get your EMF Reader ready.

Awake in the Night by Shauna Mc Eleney
The Grip of It by Jac Jemc
The Spite House by Johnny Compton
Inheriting Her Ghosts by SH Cooper
Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfit
Dark Matter by Michelle Paver
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
The Upstairs House by Julia Fine
Beloved by Toni Morrison

Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth
The Screaming Child by Scott Adlerberg
The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by Wendy Webb
Exit Ghost by Jennifer R Donahue
Beautiful, Frightening and Silent by Jennifer Anne Gordon
Into Bones like Oil by Kaaron Warren
The Crying Forest by Venera Armante
You have Never Been Here by Mary Rickert
Beulah by Christi Nogle

Bad Cree by Jessica Johns
A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
Creatures of Passage by Morowa Yejide
The Good House by Tananarive Due
You Should Have Left by Daniel Kehlmann, Translated by Ross Benjamin
The Ruin of Delicate Things by Beverly Lee
Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones
Midnight Lullaby by Cheryl Low
Roser Park by Wendy Dalrymple

 

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo
Drawing Blood by Poppy Z. Brite
The Wild Dark by Katherine Silva
When the Reckoning Comes by Latanya McQueen
Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
The Restoration by J.H. Moncrieff
The Invention of Ghosts by Gwendolyn Kiste
Theme Music by T. Marie Vandelly
The Haunting of Henderson Close by Catherine Cavendish
  

Short Story Collections to Commune with the Spirits

Hotel World by Ali Smith
The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton
Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda Translated by Polly Barton
Element of Doubt by A.L. Barker
The Ghost Sequences by AC Wise

Ghosties Are For All Ages

White Smoke by Tiffany D Jackson
City of Ghosts by VE Schwab
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol
Nightlights by Lorena Alvarez
Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are by Kathryn Foxfield
Camp Scare by Delilah S. Dawson
Seeing Things by Sonora Taylor

Sometimes Ghosts Are More Casper Than Poltergeist

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
The Third Hotel by Laura Van Den Berg
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Translated by Geoffrey Trousselot
Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St James
Man Tiger by Eka Kurniawan, Translated by Labodalih Sembiring
The Sentence by Louis Erditch
Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri, Translated by Morgan Giles
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

 

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Teresa creates the Shelf Edition posts, creates bookish lists and is a contributing reviewer at Horror Spotlight. You can find Teresa on Goodreads, and on Twitter.

Horror Spotlight’s Readalong October 2023

In October we will be reading A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher for the readalong in the Horror Spotlight discord. You can join the discord with this link.
 

A haunting Southern Gothic from an award-winning master of suspense, A House With Good Bones explores the dark, twisted roots lurking just beneath the veneer of a perfect home and family.

"Mom seems off."

Goodreads | Bookshop

The readalong begins October 1, and discussions will take place throughout the month of October on the Horror Spotlight discord server. Everyone is welcome to join. So grab the book from your library or bookstore and we hope to see you there!

What We've Been Reading | September 6, 2023

Today we're sharing two new releases and a backlist title you won't want to miss!

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Wild Spaces by S.L. Coney

Robert R. McCammon’s Boy’s Life meets H. P. Lovecraft in Wild Spaces, a foreboding, sensual coming-of-age debut in which the corrosive nature of family secrets and toxic relatives assume eldritch proportions.

An eleven-year-old boy lives an idyllic childhood exploring the remote coastal plains and wetlands of South Carolina alongside his parents and his dog Teach. But when the boy’s eerie and estranged grandfather shows up one day with no warning, cracks begin to form as hidden secrets resurface that his parents refuse to explain.

The longer his grandfather outstays his welcome and the greater the tension between the adults grows, the more the boy feels something within him changing —physically—into something his grandfather welcomes and his mother fears. Something abyssal. Something monstrous.

Amazon | Goodreads

Jen's Teaser Review

"I loved Wild Spaces. It's growing on me even more the longer it sits in my mind. In Wild Spaces, the main character is an 11 year old boy who I don't believe is ever named. His grandfather who has never been around shows up and things aren't right with the grandfather or at home.

The sea is one of my favorite elements in every single genre that I read. Wild Spaces incorporates the sea and it is disturbing! This novella hits hard at times."

Read Jen's entire review at her blog Book Den.

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No Trouble At All edited by Alexis DuBon & Eric Raglin

Politeness is the glue that holds society together. We are all expected to do our part—a pressure ripe with horror. Rotten, even. Whether we adhere to this contract or defy it, there are consequences. These fifteen stories respond to promises made for us, promises of compliance that cost too much to keep.

Featuring Nadia Bulkin, Shenoa Carroll-Bradd, Ariel Marken Jack, Gwendolyn Kiste, Avra Margariti, J.A.W. McCarthy, R.L Meza, Marisca Pichette, J. Rohr, Simone le Roux, Angela Sylvaine, Nadine Aurora Tabing, Sara Tantlinger, D. Matthew Urban, and Gordon B. White.

Goodreads | Amazon

Teresa's Teaser Review

"Every story is a treasure. I know that sometimes it is nice if a reviewer picks a couple stories as their favorites, but I refuse. Read them all, love them all, devour them all, just make sure you do it with a smile on your face. "

Read Teresa's entire review at Goodreads.

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Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones

A spellbinding and darkly humorous coming-of-age story about an unusual boy whose family lives on the fringes of society and struggles to survive in a hostile world that shuns and fears them.

He was born an outsider, like the rest of his family. Poor yet resilient, he lives in the shadows with his Aunt Libby and Uncle Darren, folk who stubbornly make their way in a society that does not understand or want them. They are mongrels, mixedblood, neither this nor that. The boy at the center of Mongrels must decide if he belongs on the road with his aunt and uncle, or if he fits with the people on the other side of the tracks.

For ten years, he and his family have lived a life of late-night exits and close calls—always on the move across the South to stay one step ahead of the law. But the time is drawing near when Darren and Libby will know if their nephew is like them or not. And the close calls they’ve been running from for so long are catching up fast, now. Everything is about to change.

A compelling and fascinating journey, Mongrels alternates between past and present to create an unforgettable portrait of a boy trying to understand his family and his place in a complex and unforgiving world. A smart and innovative story—funny, bloody, raw, and real—told in a rhythmic voice full of heart, Mongrels is a deeply moving, sometimes grisly novel that illuminates the challenges and tender joys of a life beyond the ordinary in a bold and imaginative new way.

Goodreads | Amazon

Teresa's Teaser Review

"A beautifully written coming-of-age story about a boy who doesn’t really fit in with the world around him, nor does he fit in with his family, but he is walking the tightrope of wanting to fit in while also being himself."

Read Teresa's complete review at Goodreads.

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Thank you for joining us today! We hope you found something to add to your tbr list. Please share your recent reads with us in the comments below.

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Our Reviewers

Jen is one of our Horror Spotlight admins. Jen manages the technical side of the Horror Spotlight website and keeps a spotlight on new horror releases each month.

You can also find Jen on her blog Book Den, Twitter as @bookden, Instagram as @bookdenjen, on Goodreads, and Letterboxd.

Teresa creates the Shelf Edition posts, creates bookish lists and is a contributing reviewer at Horror Spotlight. You can find Teresa on Goodreads, and on Twitter.

Horror Spotlight’s Readalong September 2023

In September we will be reading Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle for the readalong in the Horror Spotlight discord. You can join the discord with this link.

A searing and earnest horror debut about the demons the queer community faces in America, the price of keeping secrets, and finding the courage to burn it all down.

They’ll scare you straight to hell.

Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold.

Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most effective” gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy.

Goodreads | Bookshop
 

The readalong begins September 1, and discussions will take place throughout the month of September on the Horror Spotlight discord server. Everyone is welcome to join. See you there!

September 2023 Buddy Read

We will also be hosting a Buddy Read of Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon. 

 

One of our most iconic childhood games receives a creepy twist as it becomes the gateway to a nightmare world.

I went up the hill, the hill was muddy, stomped my toe and made it bloody, should I wash it?

Justin knows that something is wrong with his best friend. Zee went missing for a year. And when he came back, he was . . . different. Nobody knows what happened to him. At Zee's welcome home party, Justin and the neighborhood crew play Hide and Seek. But it goes wrong. Very wrong.

One by one, everyone who plays the game disappears, pulled into a world of nightmares come to life. Justin and his friends realize this horrible place is where Zee had been trapped. All they can do now is hide from the Seeker.

Goodreads | Bookshop

The Buddy read begins September 15!