Show Notes
Our Spooky Season Special! We talk about how we started reading horror, reading age appropriate (and possibly age inappropriate) books, and everything from Jewelle Gomez to Stephen King to William Butler Yates. Come for the dramatic interpretation of the Paperbacks from Hell cover of Stage Fright, stay for the Louise Gluck poem at the end. As always, a cozy mystery recommendation, and our ever-growing list of to-be-reads (all horror this time). Happy Halloween! The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez The Valencourt Book of World Horror Vol 1 ed by James Jenkins and Ryan Cagle Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix Stage Fright by Garret Boatman The Manningtree Witches by AK Blakemore Terrifying Transformations: An Anthology of Victorian Werewolf Fiction ed by Shannon Scott and Alexis Easley The Other by Thomas Tryon Lolly Willowes or The Loving Huntsman by Sylvia Townsend Warner Caught Dead Handed (Witch City Books #1) by Carole J. Perry
TBR: Crota by Owl Goingback John the Balladeer by Manly Wade Wellman Damnable Tales: A Folk Horror Anthology ed by Richard Wells RIP Louise Gluck
More from Shelf Motivated
Happy Spooky Season! That means this is our Annual Spooky Season Reading Episode, so break out some Halloween candy and dig in. We talk about folk horror, classic horror, horror comedy and more. Come for the horror, stay for the shocking realization that our reading tastes and habits shift and evolve over the years! Books discussed include: Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley The Rednexorcist by Frank Sloane (Grady Hendrix) Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix Midnight Pleasures by Robert Bloch Dwellings by Jay Stephens Salem's Lot by Stephen King Ocultos by Laura Perez Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones TBRs: The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne Restoration by Ave Barrera trans. by Ellen Jones and Robin Myers
We're back! After a break, Sharon, Sarah, and Eric are back behind the microphones to bring you episode 33 of Shelf Motivated. Come for the book chat, stay for continued discussion of a movie that Sarah says was better than the book! Here's a hint… we've been talking about this book on the pod since 2024! Sharon explores the darker end of the cozy spectrum, Eric reads one of the most popular books of the year, Sarah reads about kids books, and retired killers (not in the same book…don't worry). All this and more! Books Discussed:
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Happy Spooky Season! This year on the Shelf Motivated Spooky Season Spectacular Special we get into a few classics of American horror from the 1970s, some folk horror, some horror anthologies, and a few British books that are horror adjacent. Come for the horror, stick around to hear Sharon talk about literary fiction that has ghosts, and Sarah take one of her all-time favorite writers to task! Break out the candy!
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