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A Chilling Halloween Read: Mexican Gothic

28 Oct

So with Halloween close upon us, it’s about the time that many of us start seeking out reads that will send a chill up our spines, something that makes us stay up at night or look over our shoulder. There are quite a few different types of horror one can explore and for many, they may want something with a gothic, creepy feel rather than something that’s filled with gore.

That’s where Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia comes in. After receiving a desperate letter from her newly wed cousin, Catalina, Naomi Taboada heads out to High Place, an ancient English Mansion in the center of the Mexican countryside to investigate and bring Catalina home. From the moment she arrives, everything about High Place unsettles her, from the manor itself to the members of the Doyle family that live within, save one, the gentle and shy Francis Doyle, brother to Catalina’s husband.

Through the book, we are woven a narrative of dark family secrets, ghosts that roam the halls, and everything one would look for in a gothic-horror novel. The fear factor slowly creeps in on you with well crafted prose and pulls you into a world that keeps you looking over your shoulder. While a good chunk of the novel is spent focused on the creepier side of things, there are parts that will bring in blood, its handled in a way that doesn’t come of as merely shock factor.

So if you’re looking for something spooky to read to put you in the mood for Halloween or the Mexican holiday Día de Muertos, Mexican Gothic is one that is highly recommended. It is available as ebooks and digital audiobooks from eLibraryNJ and eBCCLS!

Written By:
Lauren Lapinski
Circulation Assistant

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Subtle Horror: House of Salt and Sorrows

22 Jul

Whenever anything horror related is connected to fantasy, it often falls under the genre of grim-dark, things like The Witcher, A Song of Ice and Fire, The First Law series, and The Broken Empire trilogy just to name a few. All of these have elements of violence and some semblance of horror to them. But for all of the ones that have these elements out on full display, how many fantasy ones use it in a more subtle way? Horror can be a utterly shocking, but it can also be used to build up a quite atmosphere of dread and fear throughout the story it’s telling.

This is where House of Salt and Sorrows comes into play. Written by Erin A. Craig, it tells the story of the Thaumas sisters, once known as the Thaumas Dozen, four of them having died a tragic death prior to the book’s beginning. Our protagonist, Annaleigh, one of the remaining sisters is attending the funeral of the fourth latest dead sister when the book starts. When she starts to receive hints that the death of her sisters maybe no accident, she starts to investigate who could be behind the possible murders.

Part retelling of Grimm’s The Twelve Dancing Princesses and part horror suspense novel, Craig weaves a fantastical tale that will satisfy those looking for a story with strong fairy tale horror vibes.

Written By:
Lauren Lapinski
Circulation Assistant

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