The most delicious horror stories to devour in one sitting

Why am I passionate about this?

I've been a student of horror since my mother first sat me down in front of the TV to watch the old monster movies with her. It's a genre for the outsiders, the underdogs, which I've certainly felt at several points throughout my life. Good horror is both an escape and a vessel to affect change in the world. Many people in my life believe horror is just boobs and blood, so I feel like it's my job to educate them. This is why I started hosting my horror movie nights, which later developed into my first cookbook. Horror is a major part of my life and I hope it gets the appreciation it deserves.


I wrote...

Book cover of The Horror Movie Night Cookbook: 60 Deliciously Deadly Recipes Inspired by Iconic Slashers, Zombie Films, Psychological Thrillers, Sci-Fi Spooks, and More

What is my book about?

Slay movie night with frighteningly delicious food and cocktail creations inspired by your favorite scary movies, perfect for fans of spooky season and movie buffs alike!

If you’re looking for kitschy Pinterest recipes like coffin-shaped cookies or zombie finger sandwiches, look elsewhere. With The Horror Movie Night Cookbook, you’ll enjoy thoughtful and tasty food and cocktail pairings inspired by the actual content of chilling classics like Jaws, Psycho, Scream, The Conjuring, The Evil Dead, Halloween, and more of horror’s most frightening favorites! This killer cookbook contains everything you’ll need to be the star of your own horror-themed dinner party. So to quote a famous final girl, “What are you waiting for?”

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Hellbound Heart

Richard S. Sargent Why did I love this book?

It is a beautifully gruesome story about love, desire, and greed. Though I found it to be absolutely frightening, I also found it strangely comforting.

As a young gay man in the early 00s, as the AIDS epidemic was slowing down a bit, Barker's depiction of sexuality and openness was quite refreshing. I can only imagine what it must have been like reading this story for the first time as a gay man in the 1980s.

By Clive Barker,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked The Hellbound Heart as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The classic tale of supernatural obsession from the critically acclaimed master of darkness—and the inspiration for the cult classic film Hellraiser

From his scores of short stories, bestselling novels, and major motion pictures, no one comes close to the vivid imagination and unique terrors provided by Clive Barker. The Hellbound Heart is one of Barker’s best—a nerve-shattering novella about the human heart and all the great terrors and ecstasies within its endless domain. It is about greed and love, desire and death, life and captivity, bells and blood. It is one of the most frightening stories you are likely to…


Book cover of 'Salem's Lot

Richard S. Sargent Why did I love this book?

I believe King is at his best in his short stories. This one in particular is masterful in its depiction of a man’s descent into madness.

Full of vivid imagery and interesting characters, this story is primarily told through letters, a device that was new to me at the time and one that works exceptionally well here. In such a short period of time, King is able to create a fully immersive atmosphere that will be burned in the reader's mind forever. I am getting chills just writing this.

By Stephen King,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked 'Salem's Lot as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 BESTSELLER • Ben Mears has returned to Jerusalem’s Lot in hopes that exploring the history of the Marsten House, an old mansion long the subject of rumor and speculation, will help him cast out his personal devils and provide inspiration for his new book.

But when two young boys venture into the woods, and only one returns alive, Mears begins to realize that something sinister is at work.

In fact, his hometown is under siege from forces of darkness far beyond his imagination. And only he, with a small group of allies, can hope to contain the evil that…


Book cover of Manhunt

Richard S. Sargent Why did I love this book?

Described by many, including myself, as a modern horror masterpiece, Felker-Martin creates a grotesque post-apocalyptic world in which transmen and transwomen are on a gendered journey of survival.

While at first glance it may seem a bit on the nose, I couldn't put it down. The horror aspects are handled brilliantly and the characters are as flawed as they are strong. It is shocking, fun, and full of heart, an honest and inspirational tale of a band of outsiders coming together to not just fight for survival but to thrive in a world where everything and everyone seems to be against them.

By Gretchen Felker-Martin,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Beth and Fran spend their days traveling the ravaged New England coast, hunting feral men and harvesting their organs in a gruesome effort to ensure they'll never face the same fate.

Robbie lives by his gun and one hard-learned motto: other people aren't safe.

After a brutal accident entwines the three of them, this found family of survivors must navigate murderous TERFs, a sociopathic billionaire bunker brat, and awkward relationship dynamics-all while outrunning packs of feral men, and their own demons.

Manhunt is a timely, powerful response to every gender-based apocalypse story that failed to consider the existence of transgender…


Book cover of The Cabin at the End of the World

Richard S. Sargent Why did I love this book?

There is so much tension and paranoia built into this quiet story that you won't know what to believe by the end.

I have been thinking a lot about adopting, and I felt really connected to this one. It must be hard to be a gay couple raising a child in a world full of strangers who can burst into your life just to challenge you at any time.

I just couldn't get past the reality of the situation presented here. It could happen to anyone at any time, but the fact that it happened to a gay couple made it all the more relatable and horrifying.

By Paul Tremblay,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Cabin at the End of the World as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Paul Tremblay’s terrifying twist to the home invasion novel—inspiration for the upcoming major motion picture from Universal Pictures

“Tremblay’s personal best. It’s that good.” — Stephen King

Seven-year-old Wen and her parents, Eric and Andrew, are vacationing at a remote cabin on a quiet New Hampshire lake. Their closest neighbors are more than two miles in either direction along a rutted dirt road.

One afternoon, as Wen catches grasshoppers in the front yard, a stranger unexpectedly appears in the driveway. Leonard is the largest man Wen has ever seen, but he is young, friendly, and he wins her over almost…


Book cover of I Know What You Did Last Summer

Richard S. Sargent Why did I love this book?

Don't put off reading this book just because you watched the film. Duncan has expertly written a timeless, gripping thriller that is sure to get your heart pounding.

The characters are both relatable and detestable as they maneuver their way through the out-of-control situation they created for themselves, and much like the dark road they found themselves on, there are twists and turns at every corner.

There isn’t much to not love in this book, and it moves so briskly you won’t know what hit you as you turn the final page.

By Lois Duncan-Arquette,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked I Know What You Did Last Summer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

It was only an accident but it would change their lives forever.

Last summer, four terrified friends made a desperate pact to conceal a shocking secret. But now, someone has learned the truth, and the horror is starting again. There is an unknown avenger out there who is stalking them in a deadly game. Will he stop at terror--or is he out for revenge?

This summer, four friends are going to learn that some secrets just won't stay buried.


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Trans-Mongolian Express

By David L. Robbins,

Book cover of Trans-Mongolian Express

David L. Robbins Author Of War of the Rats

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve penned (so far) seventeen novels, most set during some historical conflict or other, all of them revolving around intense personal relationships (loyalty, love, betrayal, those sorts of profound truths). I tend to read the sorts of books I wish to write. I also teach creative writing at a university (VCU); I tell my students that if they want to really know what a character is made of, shoot at them or have them fall in love. In my own work, I do both.

David's book list on love and war and describing both battlefields

What is my book about?

In the harrowing aftermath of Chornobyl's meltdown in 1986, the fate of Eastern Europe hangs by a thread.

From Beijing, American radiation scientist Lara, once a thorn in the Russian mob's side, is drawn back into the shadows of the Soviet Union on the Trans-Mongolian Express. She isn't alone. Anton, a Soviet scientist exiled for predicting Chornobyl's catastrophe, is on a quest to expose the truth. Amidst them, Timur, a Chechen giant fueled by vengeance, plots to destroy the already crumbling Soviet Union.

Suddenly, a murder on the remote tracks of the Gobi thrusts them into a deadly game of cat and mouse. As Chief Sheriff Bat races to solve the murder, their lives are thrown into jeopardy. Lara finds an unexpected ally in Gang, a reluctant assassin sent to end her life, and an illicit romance blooms amidst the chaos. But Gang isn't the only killer onboard. A hidden menace lurks, threatening to unravel all their plans.

In this electrifying ride across a historical backdrop, suspense and passion collide in an unyielding dance of survival and redemption. Who will survive the Trans-Mongolian Express?

Trans-Mongolian Express

By David L. Robbins,

What is this book about?

In the harrowing aftermath of Chernobyl's meltdown in 1986, the fate of Eastern Europe hangs by a thread.

From Beijing, American radiation scientist Lara, once a thorn in the Russian mob's side, is drawn back into the shadows of the Soviet Union on the Trans-Mongolian Express. She isn't alone. Anton, a Soviet scientist exiled for predicting Chernobyl's catastrophe, is on a quest to expose the truth. Amidst them, Timur, a Chechen giant fueled by vengeance, plots to destroy the already crumbling Soviet Union.

Suddenly, a murder on the remote tracks of the Gobi thrusts them into a deadly game of…


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