Tag: BOOK BLOG

Spooky Book Recs for You and Your Book Club in 2025!

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If you’re looking for recommendations for your spooky book club read, look no further! I’ve read a number of spooky books over the years, and these are my recommendations for a meaningful conversation.

I’m reading God of the Woods by Liz Moore for our next book club meeting. Whilst I’m yet to try it, Meg has already devoured the book in audio format and can’t wait to chat about it!


Spooky Book Recs

Dark Academia

If We Were Villains

If dark academia is a genre you and your book club love to read, If We Were Villains is a spooky book that’s right up your alley.

A group of talented theatre students, specialising in Shakespearean performance, find themselves embodying the characteristics of Shakespeare’s traditional heroes and villains. However, their last year at the school will challenge the roles and dynamics of the group, with deadly consequences.

Even if you aren’t a fan of Shakespeare, or like me struggle to understand the language, it’s not strictly necessary. I think this is the kind of book that is approachable for readers regardless of their understanding… but for those that do, maybe there are hints and Easter eggs that can make the narrative more interesting.

I really enjoyed this story, and I hope you do too!


Horror

Imaginary Friend

Imaginary Friend may be a stretch for most book clubs due to the length of the book. At just over 700 pages, I’d recommend this spooky book to committed, die-hard horror fans.

It’s disturbing anyway, but especially because the protagonist affected is a child. It’s honestly a seriously spooky read. I read this book 6 years ago now. Whilst reading the book in sunny Spain didn’t quite fit the vibe (my home town wet and windy weather is much more appropriate), Imaginary Friend has a strong, sinister atmosphere.

 

Classic

Pet Sematary

A supernatural horror classic from the King is Pet Sematary. Admittedly, this was one of the first horror books I read and I loved it!

Pets are a relatable subject for a lot of people. I never really grew up with them, but even still, the affection for family pets is something we are all familiar with. Maybe I should re-read the book now I do have a cat…? Or not 😂 My boy has nothing in common with Church!

Even then, this book held its power over me. It’s a spooky book with an unreliable narrator. If that’s your cup of tea, you’ve just found your next read!


Short and Sweet

Carrie

At 272 pages, Carrie is both a well-known classic and a short book. If your book club can’t make a huge time commitment for your next read, Carrie is ideal!

Stephen King is a well-known author and an interesting pick. The only caveat is that this book touches a lot on religion and extreme parental discipline. If you want to discuss these themes in your group, make sure you know each other well and it’s a safe space to share views.


Psychological Thriller

The Housemaid

Psychological thrillers are a huge and popular genre. I love it, so I was pleased when my book club picked The Housemaid earlier this year.

In the shoes of then Millie and then Nina, immerse yourself in a twisty story where the apparent suburban dream is not all it’s made out to be. Again, fans of unreliable narrators will have a great time with this story! It’s dark and leaves you questioning everything you think you know.

If you and your book club want a short, fast-paced spooky book, The Housemaid is perfect. It’s also a series. If you are the type of reader to binge read a series, that’s an option here too!


Summary

Hopefully you’ve found a spooky book recommendation in today’s post! If not, have you read any of these books? Would you have any other spooky book recommendations for readers!

If so, drop a comment below with your recommendations!

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The Spring Cleaning Book Tag

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Hello everyone and welcome to today’s Spring Cleaning Book Tag. I saw a version of this post over on Kristin Kraves Books and I wanted to do my version. Now, it’s taken me a little bit longer than I expected to answer some of these questions. I’ve had to think about them quite a bit, but, I hope you enjoy the post and if you have any fun answers to any of the questions let me know in the comments!

 

1. The struggle of getting started: a book/book series that you have struggled to begin because of its size.

the eye of the world

I’m not one to struggle with large books. I would say that I generally prefer them. If I’m going to invest my time in a book then why not into a large series that I can really delve into and enjoy at length? However, there are some exceptions. One particular book and series I have struggled with in the past comes recommended by a friend. I do want to try this again sometime, as I do trust my friend’s recommendation and I think that I was trying to pick this up at the wrong time. This particular book and series is the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.

 

2. Cleaning out the closet: a book and/or book series you want to unhaul.

Infinite Sacrifice

I have recently ‘unhauled’ a book called Infinite Sacrifice by L. E. Waters. I downloaded a copy of the book a few years ago (it was free at the time) however having read the synopsis again I’m not sure that this is something I fancy right now. I’m quite good in that if I’m not sure about a book or if I’m trying something new I won’t purchase a copy until I intend to read it. It saves the awkward situation of owning a book that I don’t want to read anymore!

 

3. Opening windows and letting fresh air in: a book that was refreshing.

I really enjoyed rereading the first two books of the Harry Potter series this year. I’ve called and refreshing as they are relatively short rates and they are very easy to get into. A lot of the later depth to the series comes in during and after book 4 in my opinion but these early ones are really approachable and quick reads as well!

 

4. Washing out sheet stains: a book you wish you could rewrite a certain scene in.

A slight variation in answer to this question but it’s the only thing I can think of right now. This isn’t so much a scene I would re-write but rather a certain aspect of what I now expect to be several instances in audiobooks that just need to be re-recorded. I’m listening to A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin at the moment and have just been introduced to the character Brienne of Tarth. I really, REALLY hate how the narrator pronounces her name!! So much so, I’m not sure if it’s going to prove a deal breaker or not! If I had the power to change anything, it would be that.

 

5. Throwing out unnecessary knick-knacks: a book in a series that you didn’t feel was necessary.

I was really disappointed with the ending of The Singing by Alison Croggan. The series itself was really good and I enjoyed all the books leading up to the end. However, the end was just so anticlimactic and disappointing that I wish I hadn’t read it! It would have been better to leave it and let my imagination fill in the blanks. The whole series is around 1500 pages and that’s a lot to invest in for a rubbish ending. I’m sorry I’ve put it like that, but it was rubbish.

 

6. Polishing the doorknobs: a book that had a clean finish.

I love a book series but equally a standalone can be just as good! My recent read of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is one of those examples. I really like that the events of the book were all wrapped up in a nice neat bow at the end. Finished. Done. You knew what to expect at the beginning and enjoyment of the book was the journey to get there. In my opinion there is nothing worse than a book that leaves a cliffhanger… Especially if you don’t know when that cliffhanger is going to be addressed!

 

7. Reaching to dust the fan: a book that tried too hard to relay a certain message.

In the end, I had to put down Lord of the Flies by William Golding because I just couldn’t get into it. I really like dystopian themed novels but I just really struggled with this one. The premise of the book relates to society and civilisation and what happens when that breaks down. I think this particular book spent so much time focusing on this that I couldn’t actually relate to any of the characters and I just wasn’t enjoying it!

 

8. The tiring yet satisfying finish of spring cleaning: a book series that was tiring yet satisfying to get through.

Reading the Game of Thrones series is a massive undertaking. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the books, but committing to reading the whole series is massive! So, the amount of time it took qualifies as tiring because it takes several months (in fact I think it took me over a year to read on and off) but equally it was satisfying to get up-to-date the series again!

 

So there you have my version of the Spring Cleaning Book Tag. I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and I look forward to seeing you on the next one!

 

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