The most recommended haunted house books

Who picked these books? Meet our 181 experts.

181 authors created a book list connected to haunted houses, and here are their favorite haunted house books.
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What type of haunted house book?

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Book cover of Diavola

Lindsay King-Miller Author Of The Z Word

From my list on horror novels with messy queer protagonists.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a queer reader and writer of horror, I have little interest in anything that could be deemed ā€œpositive representation.ā€ Horror is most compelling when it gets honest and ugly about the bad, selfish, cruel, or simply unwise choices people make when theyā€™re truly scaredā€“and that includes queer people. I love queer stories that arenā€™t primarily romantic or neatly resolved. I like messy groups of friends, toxic emotional entanglements, and family dynamics that donā€™t fit in a Hallmark card. These days there are lots of stories in other genres about queer people becoming their best selves, but horror also has space for us at our worst.

Lindsay's book list on horror novels with messy queer protagonists

Lindsay King-Miller Why did Lindsay love this book?

This audiobook had me laughing and cheering out loud, especially toward the end. I was totally enamored of Anna Pace, a disaster bisexual along a quieter vein than my beloved Nell Talbot. Anna doesnā€™t start bar fights with biker gangs; sheā€™s just quietly done with all this shit, and itā€™s surprisingly endearing.

This classic haunted house story is rounded out with cutting depictions of dysfunctional family dynamics and dry humor. Lots of otherwise very good horror novels whiff the ending, but this is where this book cements its claim to greatness, with an unexpected but incredibly satisfying resolution to both the haunting and the family drama.

By Jennifer Thorne,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Anna has two rules for the annual Pace family destination vacations: Tread lightly and survive.

It isn't easy when she's the only one in the family who doesn't quite fit in. Her twin brother, Benny, goes with the flow so much he's practically dissolved, and her older sister, Nicole, is so used to everyone - including her blandly docile husband and two kids - falling in line that Anna often ends up in trouble for simply asking a question. Mum seizes every opportunity to question her life choices, and Dad, when not reminding everyone who paid for this vacation, justā€¦


Book cover of Diavola

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