{"id":7561,"date":"2026-10-14T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=7561"},"modified":"2026-10-14T09:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T09:30:00","slug":"%f0%9f%93%9a-a-big-impact-on-the-genre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=7561","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udcda A big impact on the genre"},"content":{"rendered":"
October 14, 2026View Online<\/a> | <\/span>Join All Access<\/a> | <\/span>Listen<\/a><\/span><\/a>\n

The adaptation pipeline<\/strong> just got more interesting. The Black List<\/a> has added unadapted titles from Spiegel & Grau<\/a> to its discovery database, making it easier for film, TV, and theater industry professionals to identify adaptable properties. Spiegel & Grau is the first independent publisher to partner with the platform. More like this, please!<\/p>\n

Spread the word.<\/strong> Share this email<\/a> with friends.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

THE HEADLINE<\/span><\/a>\n

The best horror books of the century (so far)<\/h1>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Publishing has changed a lot since the \u201990s, but one of the genres that has transformed the most is horror: Black horror, queer and trans horror, and Japanese horror<\/strong> in particular have made a big impact on the genre in recent years.<\/p>\n

Today, we\u2019re sharing our picks for the Best Horror Books of the Century So Far<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n

No single list can contain a genre as vast as horror, of course, but these 50 books showcase the standout titles across subgenres, age categories, and formats<\/strong>, including horror comics, dark fiction anthologies, sci-fi horror, gothic novels, YA horror, and even a scary story picture book.<\/p>\n

They represent the biggest and buzziest <\/strong>horror books of the century, the most influential <\/strong>titles of the genre, and our personal favorites<\/strong>. Here are some highlights.<\/p>\n

Big and buzzy: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Annihilation<\/a><\/em> by Jeff VanderMeer<\/p>\n

Dead Until Dark<\/a><\/em> by Charlaine Harris<\/p>\n

Uzumaki<\/a><\/em> by Junji Ito, translated by Yuji Oniki<\/p>\n

Most influential:<\/strong><\/p>\n

House of Leaves<\/a><\/em> by Mark Z. Danielewski<\/p>\n

Mexican Gothic<\/a><\/em> by Silvia Moreno-Garcia<\/p>\n

The Ring<\/a><\/em> by Koji Suzuki, translated by Glynne Walley<\/p>\n

Personal favorites:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Boys Weekend<\/a><\/em> by Mattie Lubchansky: A \u201cwitty, tender romp through the cosmic horror of being alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Weight of Blood<\/a><\/em> by Tiffany D. Jackson: \u201cIt\u2019s social horror of the best kind, the kind that dares you to even try to look away and where no one gets off easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

White Horse<\/a><\/em> by Erika T. Wurth: \u201cWurth challenges Indigenous stereotypes and offers a unique twist on a ghost story.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Luminous Dead<\/a><\/em> by Caitlin Starling: \u201cIt\u2019s The Descent<\/em> meets The Martian<\/em> meets Killing Eve<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

How many of the best horror books<\/a> of the century have you read?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

ADAPTATION NATION<\/span><\/a>\n

Watch the new Narnia trailer<\/h1>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The trailer for Narnia: The Magician\u2019s Nephew<\/em> has arrived<\/strong>. Get a good look at Greta Gerwig\u2019s spin on the first story<\/a> in the Narnia chronology by watching Netflix\u2019s official trailer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are my first impressions:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cStairway to Heaven\u201d? Tell me it\u2019s rock opera inspired without telling me<\/p>\n

I would like the stats on how many people microdose before showing up to the premiere<\/p>\n

The multiverse is inevitable<\/p>\n

I\u2019m ready for the glitter eyeshadow trend to make a comeback<\/p>\n

Gerwig is laughing at the Millennial Gray dominating cinematography<\/p>\n

Azlan contains multitudes (and Meryl Streep)<\/p>\n

Catch up<\/a> on everything we know about Gerwig\u2019s Narnia<\/em>. \u2013 SZW<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/a><!–<\/a><\/a><\/div>\n
READING PATHWAYS<\/span>\n

Where to begin reading the work of Daniel Kraus<\/h1>\n

Daniel Kraus is having an unbelievable year<\/strong>. His book Angel Down<\/a><\/em> won the Pulitzer Prize in May, he threw out the opening pitch for the Chicago Cubs in mid-September (IYKYK), and the adaptation of his novel Whalefall<\/em> <\/a>hits theaters October 16.<\/p>\n

Kraus\u2019s work has been growing<\/strong> and expanding since his debut, The Monster Variations<\/a><\/em>, in 2009. He is a writer who takes bold risks and always delivers on the promise and premise of his stories. With a catalog packed with books written for different ages and within different styles, where\u2019s a good place to begin with Kraus\u2019s work?<\/p>\n

Whalefall<\/a> <\/strong>is an excellent starting place, as it encapsulates the pulse-pounding, creative storytelling that\u2019s a hallmark of Kraus\u2019s writing. This is about a young adult working through the grief of losing his father, only to be sucked into the belly of a sperm whale. With one hour of oxygen left in his tank, he\u2019s racing the clock for survival.<\/p>\n

Rotters<\/strong><\/a><\/em> is a creepy, grody Midwest horror\u2014and that\u2019s a compliment. It follows a 16-year-old boy sent to live with the father he\u2019s never known. That boy is then brought into his father\u2019s business: graverobbing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Angel Down<\/strong><\/a><\/em> should not work and it should not be the kind of book that\u2019s an entry point into an author\u2019s oeuvre, and yet, it does and it is. Told in a single sentence, this war story is about what happens when a group of soldiers encounters an angel who has been hit by artillery fire. Each wants something from the angel, but she may serve a bigger purpose than any of them could ever imagine.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t go wrong<\/strong> with whatever book you pick to begin your Kraus reading adventures. Chances are, even if you think you\u2019ve never read his work, you\u2019re familiar with it in some capacity: he co-wrote the novelization of the blockbuster film The Shape of Water<\/a><\/em> with Guillermo del Toro, and he\u2019s been crucial in keeping George A. Romero\u2019s work in the public eye following his death almost a decade ago.<\/p>\n

Learn more about Daniel Kraus\u2019s books<\/a> and discover what book of his he<\/em><\/strong> thinks more people should read. \u2013 KJ<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

CLUB CULTURE<\/span><\/a>\n

The big book club picks of October<\/h1>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

From big names to new names<\/strong>, October\u2019s book club picks contain multitudes. Among the highlights:<\/p>\n

Deesha Philyaw\u2019s righteous and riotous The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman<\/a><\/strong><\/em> earned shouts from both Roxane Gay\u2019s Audacious Book Club and Eclectix.<\/p>\n

#ReadWithJenna is taking on love, grief, and the healing part of art with Partita<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Barbara Kingsolver.<\/p>\n

Oprah selected Amanda Rizkalla\u2019s debut novel, Hungered<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, calling it \u201ca provocative and beautiful read.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dua Lipa\u2019s Service95 is reading Klara and the Sun<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Kazuo Ishiguro ahead of the October 23rd release of Taika Waititi\u2019s adaptation.<\/p>\n

Find more book club picks<\/a> that will keep your crew talking.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a><\/a><!–<\/a><\/a><\/div>\n
MYSTERY\/THRILLER<\/span>\n

Con artists, grifters, and assumed identities<\/h1>\n

Grifters and con artists make for thrilling subjects<\/strong>. Just look at the buzz around the adaptation<\/a> of Emma Cline\u2019s The Guest<\/em><\/a> and You Can See Everything<\/em>, the unnerving documentary about Elizabeth Holmes. <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re anything like A24, the production company behind both films, you have your sensors up for stories about cons, and you\u2019re going to find some good ones among mystery and thriller books.<\/p>\n

The con artist can be charismatic, corrupt, deeply troubled, highly organized, or all of the above, and these books deftly plumb their minds and trajectories<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

The Talented Mr. Ripley<\/a><\/em> by Patricia Highsmith:<\/strong> This psychological thriller following con artist Tom Ripley is considered one of the best in the category. Exploring extreme obsession and involving identity theft by way of murder, this is a decidedly chilling grifter tale.<\/p>\n

The Intrigue<\/a><\/em> by Silvia Moreno-Garcia:<\/strong> If you\u2019re looking for con artist noir, you\u2019re in good hands with this versatile and prolific author. Moreno-Garcia\u2019s 2026 release follows a con artist who thinks he\u2019s found an easy mark in Veracruz boarding house owner, Perla. But he\u2019s in for a surprise with Perla and her observant niece.<\/p>\n

Eileen<\/a><\/em> by Ottessa Mosfegh:<\/strong> Though not a straightforward story of con artists and grifters, if you enjoyed The Talented Mr. Ripley<\/em> and mysteries involving assumed identities, you\u2019ll want to pick up this critically-acclaimed thriller about a self-loathing woman and the charismatic colleague who changes her life.<\/p>\n

The Girls I\u2019ve Been<\/a><\/em> by Tess Sharpe:<\/strong> This queer YA thriller about the daughter of a con artist taken hostage during a bank heist combines wit, daring, and a feminist edge. Nora O\u2019Malley, prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of her con artist mom, is trying to lead a normal life, but that\u2019s about to be upended along with her relationships. \u2013 SZW<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

LITERARY FICTION<\/span>\n

This week\u2019s buzziest lit fic\u00a0<\/h1>\n

A couple of weeks ago, I discussed some of the literary fiction <\/strong>coming out in October that the editors at Goodreads were most excited for. This month\u2014this season, really\u2014is the time for big releases, so this week has even more titles for you to add if you\u2019re looking for the latest.<\/p>\n

Below are books by mega bestselling<\/strong>, award-winning authors, one of whom has a book that\u2019s been adapted. <\/p>\n

One book sounds like a deliciously seasonal Dracula-centered gothic<\/strong> mystery, while the other two are decidedly of the arts. No matter which subject you\u2019re drawn to, just know that these are going to be in everyone\u2019s mouths for the next few months (at least).<\/p>\n

Music Against the Night<\/em><\/a> by Yiyun Li<\/strong> \u2013 The award-winning Li\u2019s latest is historical fiction that sweeps across late 18th-century Dublin, England, Russia, and India as it explores the story of the talented pianist Adelaide Percheron and her future husband, John Field (who invented the term \u201cnocturne\u201d), and their lives as ambitious artists.<\/p>\n

Peck & Peck<\/em><\/a> by Bonnie Garmus<\/strong> \u2013 Garmus\u2019 Lessons in Chemistry<\/a><\/em> really had a moment, and I suspect Peck & Peck<\/em> will too. The bestselling author\u2019s latest takes place in 1982 New York City, where Batter Gray gets a job right out of college at a celebrated literary journal. He slogs it as the lowest person in the company, and tries to ascend ranks, even after the editor-in-chief shows a dislike for him. This is essentially Lessons in 1980s Poetry<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Mystery Play<\/em><\/a> by Elizabeth Kostova<\/strong> \u2013 If you are unfamiliar with Kostova\u2019s work, just to give you an idea of its popularity, her 2005 tome, The Historian<\/a><\/em>, has more than 280k ratings on Goodreads. Mystery Play\u2019s <\/em>subject matter is similar: a relic is found with connections to Dracula. This time, it\u2019s a medieval book that was left to Jay\u2019s secretive mother, which he only finds when she passes away suddenly. As he sets out to chase down the clues he finds through the artifacts, he finds out just how dangerous the book is. \u2014EE<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a><\/a><!–<\/a><\/a><\/div>\n
HAPPY BIRTHDAY<\/span>\n

ee cummings, born October 14, 1894<\/h1>\n

Did you know?<\/strong> cummings was also a painter, and the sketch above is a self-portrait.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

CRITICAL LINKING<\/span>\n

You are now free to roam about the internet<\/h1>\n

Dante\u2019s Divine Comedy<\/em> is getting a horror adaptation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to read<\/a> if you loved East of Eden<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Scare yourself silly with movies & TV shows based on Stephen King books.<\/a><\/p>\n

Cast your vote<\/a> for Zero to Well-Read in the Signal Awards.<\/p>\n

Peep the books models were reading<\/a> during fashion month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

END NOTES<\/span>\n

Written by Rebecca Schinsky, Danika Ellis, S. Zainab Williams, Kelly Jensen, Erica Ezeifedi, and Jeff O\u2019Neal. Thanks to Vanessa Diaz for copy editing.<\/em><\/p>\n

Did someone forward you this email? Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Got a tip, question, comment, or story idea? Drop us a line: thenewsletter@bookriot.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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