Books in the Freezer - A Horror Fiction Podcast

Best Horror Books of 2025 with Anna Dupre

Books in the Freezer - A Horror Fiction Podcast

Show Notes

2025 has come to an end, so that means it’s time to break down our standout reads of the year. I am joined by my friend, fellow podcaster and reviewer, Anna Dupre of the Anna Rose Reads Podcast. This was a year full of cannibalism, sweeping historicals, and weird little horny books, so a great year! Books Mentioned: Short Story Collections/ Anthologies

Teenage Girls Can Be Demons by Hailey Piper Mystery Lights by Lena Valencia You Glow in the Dark by Liliana Colanzi (translated by Chris Andrews) The Poorly Made and Other Things by Sam Rebelein Oddbody by Rose Keating PUNK goes HORROR: A Mixtape Anthology edited by William Sterling It’s the End of the World As We Know It: New Tales from Stephen King’s Stand edited by Brian Keene and Christopher Golden

Graphic Novels

A Guest in the House by E.M. Carroll Saint Catherine by Anna Meyer Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees by Patrick Hogarth

Young Adult Horror

Showstopper by Lily Anderson Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins The Overnight (#3) by RL Stine

Middle Grade Horror

Ride or Die by Delilah S. Dawson Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave by Ally Russell Another by Paul Tremblay Broken Dolls by Ally Malinenko

Non-Fiction

Sick Houses: Haunted Homes and the Architecture of Dread by Layla Taylor There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib Scream With Me: Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminism by Eleanor Johnson The Midcentury Kitchen: America’s Favorite Room, from Workspace to Dreamscape, 1940s-1970s by Sarah Archer

Non-Horror

Blob : A Love Story by Maggies Su The Favorites by Layne Fargo The Wedding People by Allison Espach Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan

Horror Novella

Spread Me by Sarah Gailley The Film You Are About to See by Hailey Newlin

Horror Debut

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker The Lamb by Lucy Rose House of Beth by Kerry Cullen Good Boy by Neil McRobert

Horror Novel

Blood On Her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen Immaculate Conception by LIng Ling Huang When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle Play Nice by Rachel Harrison Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones Of Flesh and Blood: The Untold Story of the Cajun Cannibal by NL Lavin and Hunter Burke Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi Demeester What Hunger by Catherine Dang Itch! By Gemma Amor The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson King Sorrow by Joe Hill

Final Girl Song Check out the final girl songs here! Support Books in the Freezer on Patreon to get access to the series, The House at the End of Fear Street, early episodes, polls and more

More from Books in the Freezer - A Horror Fiction Podcast

Oct 13, 2026

This episode originally aired March of 2024, but I think spooky season is always a great time to talk about the effect of RL Stine's Goosebumps series and Brian is always a delight. Shownotes: https://booksinthefreezer.com/2024/03/05/episode-170-goosebumps-readalikes-with-brian-mcauley/

Oct 6, 2026

I was joined by author Sarah Langan to talk about her latest horror novel Trad Wife and horror books that are bringing the Trad Wife vibes. Books Mentioned:

Sep 25, 2026

What if the new boy at school was being accused of your best friend's MURDER?? Kristen and I discuss the dated references and fashion in this snippet of The House at the End of Fear Street. Listen to the full episode on Patreon

Sep 15, 2026

We're talking terror in the airwaves. Jocelyn is back on the pod to talk about radio horror this week. What is your favorite radio horror story? Movies:

Sep 1, 2026

Summer isn't over yet, so I was joined by Brandon Baker (@baker_reads) to talk about aquatic horror! We're talking about what could be lurking in the water, and how sometimes that's none of our business. Movies Mentioned:

See all episodes →