Horror fiction

  • 2025 Horror Fiction Picks

    2025 Horror Fiction Picks

    Explore the world of horror fiction with some of our librarians’ favorites! These titles were chosen as Peak Picks earlier this year and can now be found in our regular collections. They capture a wide range of horror subgenres, from historical to the weird and cosmic. Here you’ll find Gothic tales, witches, carnivals, social and… Continue reading

  • Nightstand Reads with Author and Editor Becky Siegel Spratford

    Nightstand Reads with Author and Editor Becky Siegel Spratford

    Hear Becky discuss her latest book, Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature with Sadie Hartmann, aka Mother Horror, at Central Library this Thursday, November 6th at 7pm. This event is presented in partnership with Charlie’s Queer Books and the Horror Writers Association of America’s Seattle Chapter. Continue on for her nightstand reads!  While… Continue reading

  • Dark and Disturbing: 8 Horror Novels by Women

    Dark and Disturbing: 8 Horror Novels by Women

    In the tradition of local award-winning author Sadie Hartmann’s newest release, “Feral and Hysterical: Mother Horror’s Ultimate Reading Guide to Dark and Disturbing Fiction by Women,” Hartmann and SPL Reader Services librarian Genesee Rickel share two lists featuring chilling tales written by women. As in the book, these lists are curated to work in conversation… Continue reading

  • Washington Horror Novelists

    Washington Horror Novelists

    Spooky stories abound this season, including four recent books by Washington authors. Whether set locally or farther afield, enjoy this scary, atmospheric reads. The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel CañasPlague has broken out in 1765 Mexico, and Alba Díaz has fled with her family to a remote village near the silver mine owned by… Continue reading

  • Horror Stories for Teens – October 2025

    Horror Stories for Teens – October 2025

    Lots of great horror novels for teens have come out in the last year. Here are eight of the best to enjoy this spooky season! (MS = middle school) Gigi Griffis’ creepy novel And the Trees Stare Back follows Vik and her little sister Anna, who has been missing in the cursed forest for five… Continue reading

  • Our New Horror Section . . . It’s Alive!

    Our New Horror Section . . . It’s Alive!

    On Friday the 13th, the Central Library is hosting an exciting after-hours launch party from 6:30pm – 8:30pm for our new adult horror fiction collection, and we hope you join us! Register here. Local authors Tara Campbell and Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann will treat us to an adult horror Story Time and lead us in… Continue reading

  • Horror Stories for Teens

    Horror Stories for Teens

    Halloween is around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than to read these terrifying tales? In The Black Girl Survives This One, edited by Desiree S. Evans, fifteen superb Black authors create ghastly and horrifying stories in which, as you may have guessed, the Black girls survive.  In one, a space traveler must… Continue reading

  • Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Horror!

    Autumn is Autumning, bringing with it moody, creepy vibes – in other words, the perfect time to read horror! And since it’s Hispanic Heritage Month, check out these three titles for a taste of Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Argentinian horror. House of Bone and Rain: A Barrio Noir by Gabino Iglesias “Todas las historias son… Continue reading

  • Cozy Horror: Gross But Also Sweet!

    Yes, Cozy Horror is a THING! Even horror can combine elements of the gory and horrific with the sweet and reassuring. Don’t believe me? Here’s two to try: Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell This surprisingly delightful debut was fun, sweet, AND gross–frequently all at once! Who gets to call something… Continue reading

  • Three on a Theme: Cozy Horror

    ‘Tis the season for terrifying tales! But do they all have to be terrifying? Could they also be cozy? Yes, they absolutely can be cozy! What constitutes a “cozy” horror story is highly subjective, but some common examples that folks reference are The Addams Family, Over the Garden Wall, Scary Stories to Tell in the… Continue reading

  • 1990s Vampires

    The days are getting shorter and colder, the fog is rolling in every morning. Fall has arrived, and with it, spooky season! Many may be familiar with local sparkly vampires, but for horror fans looking for a more menacing take on the creature, check out these three titles. My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due… Continue reading

  • Three on a Theme: Haunted Media

    At our recent author event with Silvia Moreno-Garcia, an audience member requested more suggestions for haunted media. If you are also looking for such suggestions, please enjoy the following three! All feature movies in one way or another. Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Lifelong friends Monserrat and Tristán stumble into an opportunity they can’t refuse… Continue reading

  • Three on a Theme: Mermaids

    With the live-action Little Mermaid in theatres, mermaids are on my mind! Are they on yours too? While they are often depicted as beautiful and sweet in pop culture and children’s fiction, these mythic creatures may haunt your nightmares after reading these three speculative fiction titles. Bonus: included are some relevant categories to help you… Continue reading

  • Teen Thrillers, Horror, and Mysteries: October 2022

    October is the month for costumes and candy and scary stories.  While the little children jump at the word “Boo,” older teens are looking for something a little more, shall we say, visceral? Here are some new books for teen readers hungry for the real thing. In Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare, Quinn… Continue reading

  • Summer Scares

    Summer Scares

    Horror novels aren’t just for October! Whether you’re a die-hard horror fan, or a new reader looking to dip your toe into the genre while it’s still light out in the evening, this summer has several books to entice you. The Pallbearers Club by Paul Tremblay This faux-memoir about a formative, youthful friendship where one… Continue reading

  • Horror: What We Bring Back From the Woods

    I love the way horror novels are often tied to a specific, vividly rendered place: a scary house, a sinister hospital, a remote stretch of woods. Today I’m drilling down on that last one, with a few horror novels where characters bring something unexpected back from their wilderness adventures. These novels also share a focus… Continue reading

  • Horror Comes Home

    Alright, it’s spooky season people! Horror has a long tradition of scary houses and liminal spaces, and this year’s horror novels feature a great slate of haunted properties: from a former plantation in the American South to a condo in Chicago and cabin in Colorado, from an ancestral home in an historic England-like country to… Continue reading

  • 13 Tales for 13 Nights of Halloween

    13 Tales for 13 Nights of Halloween

    It’s that time of year again: time to gather round for a bone-chilling storytime. I’m so sad not to be joining you all at Lotties’ Lounge, Tippe & Drague, Floating Bridge, The Palace Theatre, Capitol Cider, The Pine Box, or any of the other wonderful venues where we’ve done ‘Ales from the Crypt over the… Continue reading