On Book: The Horrors! — 5 Not-So-Scary Picks for October + Author Events

Chase D. Anderson October 4, 2024October 4, 2024

Spooky season shows up every year. But what if chills and cliffhangers aren’t your thing? Here are new releases to ease you into horror season without (m)any scares.

Plus, some great events from authors, both local and touring, around Seattle this month — see below.

Great Reads: 5 Picks

Morbidly Yours
Ivy Fairbanks

Book club event this month (see below)

Ireland would be my clean slate, unless they went digging. But I wasn’t going to be handing out shovels.

If October romance means finding warmth amidst the cold, Ivy Fairbanks’ debut novel is the perfect fall for fall.

Desperately seeking distance from the life she’d built up back in Texas, Lark Thompson crosses an ocean to get away from death. Too bad she runs straight into a funeral home. Adamantly opposed to finding love again, she sure didn’t expect to fall for its reclusive mortician, either.

Not that this extroverted American invasion was on his bingo card for the year, either. But Callum Flannelly has his own ghosts; most pressingly, a mandate from beyond the grave that he’d better get out and find love if he wants to keep the family business alive. But the only candidate on his horizon — as an endearingly awkward, introverted demisexual with a stutter, he isn’t exactly throwing himself out there — has made it eminently clear she’s not on the market, no matter how well they seem to hit it off.

There’s plenty of heat, both in the tension between the two and in their burn for justice on their respective (and combined) quests, as they face down the horrors of rejection, workplace harassment, social gaffes, failed dates, and loves lost. Surrounded by death but full of charm and humor, Morbidly Yours is perfect to break the fall chill.

Local book club: The Radical Romance book club at Third Place Books (held virtually) picked Morbidly Yours as its October read. Join other readers online on 10/14 to discuss the book. See info here.

Release date: 8/20/2024, from Putnam (Penguin Random House); 352 pages. See book info here.

A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer
Maxie Dara

Being newly dead always seemed to bring out the worst in people.

As hard as it might be to explain to loved ones (not that she’s ever tried), Agent Kathy Valence’s job is actually quite simple: hustle to the scene of a natural death, make off with the deceased’s soul before the body collectors get there, and be home safe in time for dinner.

Leave it to a surly teenager to make everything complicated. Right around the time a surprise pregnancy by her ex is complicating things, too.

Seventeen-year-old Conner Ortiz’s soul has run off, and when Kathy finally catches up with him, he angrily explains why. The company got it wrong, he claims; he’s no natural death at all. To Kathy, the slander on her company’s perfect record is more than audacious; it’s impossible. And yet his outrage is so specific — could it be true? Kathy’s stuck with finding out, with her job (the only thing she’s ever managed not to screw up, in her estimation), not to mention the kid’s soul, on the line.

Meanwhile, she’s got her own life to figure out: the ex thing (he still adores her), the work stuff (is it her imagination, or is her boss really out to get her?), and the stalker problem (someone is willing to take her down, and they’re getting increasingly personal about it).

There are enough pursuits and little twists woven in to ensure this sweet read’s a thrilling ride, and that’s true for this reader even though I’d figured out the mystery from the start (and you might, too). The real suspense is concern for the characters you’ve grown attached to, and the horror that any one of them might not make it out. All against the backdrop of office mundanity ready-made for a sitcom, rattling the life of a woman who’s content to be in the background.

It’s the warmth and relatability of the characters, even with an otherworldly mystery as the through-line, that makes this a standout read. Somehow, A Grim Reaper’s Guide packs the warm fuzzies of a TJ Klune novel into its bumbly, fallible, and ultimately winning characters. Deftly combining mystery, magic, romance, and sentimentality, plus belly-lurching humor, this is an A+ debut.

Release date: 10/1/2024, from Berkley (Penguin Random House); 352 pages. Book info here.

The Z Word
Lindsay King-Miller

Well, maybe you just haven’t found the right Seabrook yet.

Corporatization of Pride shifts from metaphor to actual invasion in this relatable zombie tale. Accustomed to lurching through their usual foes (messy relationship drama, maliciously inadequate healthcare systems, selling out), a fractured group of queer friends has to leap into action when their enemies suddenly get a lot more fierce.

Now they’re dealing with all the same threats while also trying not to get their brains sucked out.

There’s a definite eeriness about this book — how can the familiar go oh so wrong? — but the gore score is mercifully low. (Indeed, the most physically cringe-inducing parts of the book were, for me, a couple short but graphic descriptions of a character chomping on her nails … vom.) And while zombie attack brings to mind a certain dystopian bleakness, this tale’s components — its place, its characters, and how they all relate to one another — feel so recognizable.

Friendships we’ve had, house parties we’ve been to, bad decisions we’ve made, except now also staving off a fast-spreading zombie plague? Let’s do this.

Release date: 5/7/2024, from Quirk Books (Penguin Random House); 256 pages. Book info here.

Horror for Weenies
Emily C. Hughes

If a horror movie has stuck with us for years or decades, there’s something there worth examining, critics be damned. Let’s go for a ride.

From The Exorcist to Get Out, here they are in mezzo-gory detail: the movies you don’t want to watch (necessarily), but can enjoy a perceptive wit dishing on for a while. For the horror-curious, Emily C. Hughes plays pop-culture commentator exceptionally well. That’s delivered through poppy little bits (sections called “You might actually want to watch if …” and “But you should definitely avoid if …” serve their stated purpose in punchy one-liners), single-sentence synopses, and the full reel in excruciating detail that somehow stays snappy, followed by a little run-down of what exactly makes this movie an iconic one. (On that point, horror fans will no doubt find plenty of debate springboards.) A plus for avid readers, it wraps up each film with a section of book picks (“Can’t watch it? Read these instead”), which might appeal as much to fans of the film as it does for avoiders.

Hughes, a self-described reformed “weenie,” has a real gift for engaging the material in a way that’s at once geeky and familiar, an expert and a conversationalist. Just because it’s called Horror for Weenies doesn’t mean horror fans shouldn’t dig in; you might find a kindred here. As for me, I can happily follow along with movies I have no intention of watching, remember the ones I enjoyed in my ~~stupider~~ bolder teenage years, and maybe — just maybe — hear about one I’d watch now. (And I’m already applying my learnings to the important things in life. Just this week, I understood a reference on the cartoon Everybody Still Hates Chris: My dad was like Candyman. But we summon him by saying ‘It’s not fair.’)

In content and style, for those who want access to the horror club without necessarily watching them, Hughes provides an extraordinary guide.

Release date: 9/3/2024, from Quirk Books (Penguin Random House); 272 pages. Book info here.

Rachel Weiss’s Group Chat
Lauren Appelbaum

People only pulled out their phones to record complete strangers if it was a real train wreck.

It’s easy to yell at the idiot on the screen. But the idiot on the screen doesn’t know they’re in a horror movie.

Such is the case with Rachel Weiss, proving horror can take many forms. Here, it’s not being stalked by a slasher or other typical spooky fare. It’s that Rachel’s life is already a hott mess, virtually all from her own making; and, increasingly, she’s the only one who doesn’t realize it.

Trying to cast this one as a romance novel would be a mistake, as would leaning into the modern Pride and Prejudice riff — it’s not likely to appeal to readers looking for either of those. This isn’t a romance, exactly. It’s a redemption story. A coming-of-age story where the age is 30, in her case; or 40, or 27, or 55, or any age you just come to realize that something went really off the rails. You have to start somewhere. Here, the main character is a mess, in a self-centered orbit, fueled by gushing extroversion and way, way too much booze. So many bad choices, so little time. Underneath it all, a big and giving heart, not just for her (inevitable) love interest, but for anyone she attaches herself to, from longtime besties to one-night drinking buddies. Suffice it to say, I’ve got a couple people like Rachel Weiss in my life, and occasional messes aside, they’re the quickest to wanna be your ride-or-dies.

As for Rachel specifically: I don’t wanna hang out with her, her besties, her family, or her boy toys. But debut novelist Lauren Appelbaum’s way with words in creating (and redeeming) this life in a state of wreck shows a mature understanding of good hearts at their worst times. That recognizable pattern, mixed with a (not very realistic, of course) romance trope, some messes pulled straight from the headlines, and plenty of very relatable descriptions of Seattle neighborhoods (it helps that the writer’s a local), is a recipe for a very fun read — like a Where’d You Go, Bernadette? for the pre-func crowd.

If your horror of choice is reality TV, this one’s for you.

Release date: 9/24/2024, from Forever (Hachette); 320 pages. Book info here.

Loving These Picks?

Here are three more to check out this month:

This Cursed House by Del Sandeen. Soon to be the second release from Berkley’s inaugural Open Submission program (of which A Grim Reaper’s Guide is the first by a week), Sandeen’s debut novel is a Southern gothic horror blending crisp writing with themes of Get Out, Passing, and weighty family history. Release date: 10/8/2024. Book info here.

Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London. The author of One to Watch is back with her long-awaited second novel. Keeping the humor and wit from her debut, this time the set turns to the pages of a vampire fantasy novel rather than the whirlwind of reality TV. Release date: 10/1/2024. Book info here.

It Came From the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror edited by Joe Vallese. In this collection of shorts, 25 queer writers relate favorite horror films to their real-life stories. Release date: 10/4/2022. Book info here.

Around Town

There are loads of author events happening all the time, especially at the usual suspects, but here are a few of special note this month. Most events are free.

For more, including a list of indie bookstores, see NWT’s new On Book section.

Book festivals this month include:

October 11-12: Deaf Spotlight presents the brand-new Deaf Lit Fest, showcasing writing and graphic novels by Deaf authors. Included are visits with Sara Nović (author of True Biz), graphic novelist Awet Moges, and writers Ross Showalter, Elsa Sjunneson, and Jonaz McMillan; drag queen storytime by Deaf drag artist Anastasia Di’Nitta; and a character development workshop with Deaf writer and actor Kalen Feeney. Held at Hugo House on Capitol Hill; ticket prices vary. Event info here.

October 26-27: Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair, the annual magnet for collectors, returns to the Seattle Center Exhibition Center. Enthusiasts of collectible books, prints, maps, autographs, photographs, posters, postcards, manuscripts, broadsides, fine bindings, and ephemera will find plenty to shop here. Admission is $10 at the door. Event info here.

Bookstore events this month include:

October 17: Editors Elaina Ellis and Amber Flame co-founded Generous Press, and here they speak about the new Row House Publishing imprint’s first work: Someplace Generous: An Inclusive Romance Anthology, which came out in May and collects 22 stories of desire from “a chorus of voices historically excluded from romance narratives.” (Two more books on the imprint are due out next year: Losing Sight by Tati M. Richardson, and Nearly Roadkill by Kate Bornstein and Caitlin Sullivan.) They’re joined in conversation by writers Jasmine Silvera, Britt Ashley, and Sinclair Sexsmith. At Elliott Bay Book Company. Event info here.

October 21: A recent anthology, edited by Frank Abe and Floyd Cheung, “recovers and reframes” the writings of the West Coast’s Japanese Americans taken away and imprisoned during World War II. The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration collects dozens of works of fiction, poetry, essay, memoir, and correspondence, together with government documents that contextualize the works in history. Abe will speak, joined by UW professor Vince Schleitwiler. At Third Place Books (Seward Park). Event info here.

View lots more bookstore events here.

See other events of interest to readers at the City of Literature calendar here.

Big-stage, ticketed events this month include:

Sandra Cisneros at Town Hall Seattle & online (Seattle Arts & Lectures series) (10/8, tickets here); Malcolm Gladwell at Benaroya Hall & online (Seattle Arts & Lectures) (10/16, tickets here); Hillary Clinton (with Maria Semple) at Paramount Theatre (10/20, tickets here); Sharon McMahon at Neptune Theatre (10/30, tickets here); Casey McQuiston at Rainier Arts Center & online (Seattle Arts & Lectures) (10/31, tickets here).