My favorite books on being terrorized by things that go bump in the night

Why am I passionate about this?

Hola, I’m Yawatta Hosby, and I have an open mind about monsters, ghosts, and urban legends. I believe they’re real, especially the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot. Earth is too big to only have humans. I have a passion for the topic being terrorized by things that go bump in the night. My book, Urban Legends, plays into that theme. October, the spooky season, is my favorite. Halloween is my favorite holiday. Every year, I watch a horror movie every day for 31 days straight. I also love reading horror books and researching urban legends. I’d like to think I’m an expert in horror, but it could all be in my head haha.


I wrote...

Urban Legends

By Yawatta Hosby,

Book cover of Urban Legends

What is my book about?

Gruesome murders, resembling urban legends, take place in a small college town. Wilk, Elena, and Wayne grow suspicious of their Urban Legends professor when their best friend, Savannah, is found dead in her dorm room with ‘Aren’t You Glad You Didn’t Turn on the Lights?’ written in blood on the mirror. Is Professor Stevens a deranged serial killer? Or just a creepy dude? They must find out the truth before they become the next victims.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Wolf Land

Yawatta Hosby Why did I love this book?

I loved how I got fooled into thinking someone was the main character, but he got an untimely end at the beginning of the book. It was refreshing to see the author not afraid to have a surprising twist. This werewolf story held my interest from chapter one to the end. The author never sugarcoated the werewolf’s victims, describing every tear from limb to limb. He wasn’t afraid to make the story as scary as possible. No room for interpretation–the original werewolves were clever hunters and definitely villains. The bonfire scene was very creepy, in a good way.

By Jonathan Janz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wolf Land as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"...this is what werewolf horror is supposed to feel like: gruesome, bloody, dark, angry, messy, and downright terrifying." - Howling Libraries
Aside from a quaint amusement park, the small town of Lakeview offers little excitement for Duane, Savannah, and their friends. They're about to endure their ten-year high school reunion when their lives are shattered by the arrival of an ancient, vengeful evil.
The werewolf.
The first attack leaves seven dead and four wounded. And though the beast remains on the loose and eager to spill more blood, the sleepy resort town is about to face an even greater terror.…


Book cover of Bird Box

Yawatta Hosby Why did I love this book?

This book was pretty intense from start to finish. The author was brilliant in building suspense slowly, making me have dread for all the characters. The scene–birds in a tree killing each other, dead parts falling in the river, and falling on some characters–stayed with me long after I finished the book. The author did a great job of creating memorable moments in a world with few resources, with characters having to keep their eyes closed for safety. Another interesting scene–the description of blood stains in Malorie’s house. It gave me chills down my spine.

By Josh Malerman,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Bird Box as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Josh Malerman's debut novel Bird Box is a terrifying, Hitchcockesque psychological horror that is sure to stay with you long after reading.

Malorie raises the children the only way she can: indoors.

The house is quiet. The doors are locked, the curtains are closed, mattresses are nailed over the windows.

They are out there. She might let them in.

The children sleep in the bedroom across the hall.

Soon she will have to wake them. Soon she will have to blindfold them.

Today they must leave the house. Today they will risk everything.


Book cover of Porcelain: A Novelette

Yawatta Hosby Why did I love this book?

I loved this short story. The main character picks up an antique doll during one of his travels for his daughter. The doll’s name was Alice, and she was very creepy. I could imagine every feet patter and slam against the door with the author’s great way of describing details in the setting. The doll was on a mission and nothing was going to stand in her way. I enjoyed the twist regarding the bed and breakfast owner.

By William Hage, Matthew Hage (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Porcelain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Out near the Pine Barrens in New Jersey sits the Whateley Bed & Breakfast, home of a wide collection of knick-knacks and antiques for its guests to view, including a beautifully ornate porcelain doll. However, after the Whateley's latest guest purchases the doll as a gift, a horrifying series of nightmarish events begins to unfold.

Porcelain is a 8000 word novelette.

Porcelain can also be found in the collection of stories: Counterphobia A Collection of Horror.


Book cover of Malice

Yawatta Hosby Why did I love this book?

The author did great creating a frightening vibe throughout the book. I was spooked from the very first sentence–"The stranger grinned and his sunken cheeks made his face look like a skull.” I loved that the story was a mystery with Lysander trying to figure out why he was seeing unusual things. I also enjoyed the sarcastic sense of humor in Derek, Sam, and Lysander’s friendship. I was definitely kept in suspense until the last second. Moral of the story–don’t mess with a witch; you may pay for what your ancestors did.

By Griffin Hayes,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Malice as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"The chill-factor was immensely high in Malice! This was a great read." --J.A. Redmerski, #1 bestselling Kindle author of THE EDGE OF NEVER.
Welcome to Millingham, MA, pop. 5000... 4997... 4993...
A serial killer stalks the streets of this small, isolated community. A killer as ancient as the town itself, murdering at will and never leaving a trace.

The sheriff has convinced himself and others that the recent rash of deaths in the town are just suicides, but Lysander Shore knows different. He knows the townsfolk are being hunted by something that shouldn't exist. And the deeper Lysander digs, the…


Book cover of Five Midnights

Yawatta Hosby Why did I love this book?

I was surprised at the beginning because I thought Vico would be a main character, but he ended up being the monster’s victim in the first few pages. A very chilling scene. The author was great at describing Puerto Rico to the point I could picture the setting vividly without ever visiting Puerto Rico in real life. All the scenes were interesting and moved the plot forward. I really liked how the teenagers teamed up to try and solve the mystery of the monster. They each had a past they regretted. My favorite line in the book, "You’ve been watching too many movies. Things just aren’t that interesting in real life.”

By Ann Dávila Cardinal,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Five Midnights as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Ann Dávila Cardinal's Five Midnights is a “wickedly thrilling” (William Alexander) and “flat-out unputdownable” (Paul Tremblay) novel based on the el Cuco myth set against the backdrop of modern day Puerto Rico.

2019 Digital Book World Award Winner for best Suspense/Horror Book

Five friends cursed. Five deadly fates. Five nights of retribución.

If Lupe Dávila and Javier Utierre can survive each other’s company, together they can solve a series of grisly murders sweeping though Puerto Rico. But the clues lead them out of the real world and into the realm of myths and legends. And if they want to catch…


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Flashes of Insight

By Lynda Allen,

Book cover of Flashes of Insight

Lynda Allen Author Of Grace Reflected

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I think of myself as a listener and life in progress. As a poet and author, I’m always listening to the words that move through my heart. I’m also a spiritual seeker, always looking for the Divine in the world around me and almost always surprised by the ways it shows up when I’m paying attention. Yet, there’s another part of me that is a Jersey girl through and through, looking for humor or irreverence in the face of life’s challenges. All these aspects come together in an unusual harmony, creating an openness to being changed by the things that come into my life. Hence, a list of life-changing books.

Lynda's book list on life-changing world-rocking books

What is my book about?

Mood swings and insomnia are one thing, hot flash-induced psychic visions are quite another. When Olivia Wilde realizes the visions she’s experiencing in the midst of hot flashes are actually premonitions, she must learn to understand and trust what she sees in order to help a friend, preserve a piece of history, and save a life.

When Liv’s friend’s antique store in Fredericksburg, Virginia is robbed, she finds herself in the midst of a quest to find a secret cache of priceless letters written by President James Monroe and his wife Elizabeth. With the encouragement of her "Monthly" dinner party girlfriends, Liv begins to learn how to harness her newfound abilities, along with her smarts, to help catch the thief.

Flashes of Insight

By Lynda Allen,

What is this book about?

Mood swings and insomnia are one thing, hot flash-induced psychic visions are quite another. When Olivia Wilde realizes the visions she's been experiencing in the midst of hot flashes are actually premonitions, she has to learn to understand and trust what she sees in order to help a friend, preserve a piece of history, and save a life.

Deftly weaving together elements of history, mystery, menopause, humor, some Jersey girl attitude, a bit of salty language, and a healthy dose of female friendship, Flashes of Insight marks the start of a new "Jersey Cozy"* series sure to deliver laughter, intelligence,…


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