Cool Stuff I Found #2
Did I mean for this to be a series? I guess I did. Well, three years in, here’s episode two^^
For October, I’ve got some horror recs for you!
1) This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer – A classic haunted woods story, with a tried and true slew of spooky apparitions and mysterious goings-on, This Wretched Valley is a solid read for anyone who is looking for some good old-fashioned “lost in the woods” horror.
2) Sundial by Catriona Ward – On its face a ghost story, but also a story about all the different ways we can be haunted without any supernatural interference. It expertly weaves its horror into a tale of a highly dysfunctional family, and it was one of the rare few twists of the past few years that I didn’t see coming for most of the book. If you like your horror to be more human than anything else, Sundial is the book for you.
3) Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle – A delightful romp through Hollywood’s seedy underbelly, the looming tech dystopia of generative AI, and some good, disgusting gore to top it off. The cast is beautifully diverse and so very human, which makes the book’s themes work all the better. Just be prepared to have Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer ruined for you for a while.
4) Bridgewater – One of two podcasts I’d like to recommend this time around. An all-star cast is breathing life into a great script, in a story about all things folklore, and how some of it may just be rooted in reality so much more than we could ever hope to understand. The personal drama weaves perfectly through the supernatural storyline, enhancing it rather than distracting the listener from it, which is exactly how I like it.
5) And last but most definitely not least: The White Vault – This one is just fantastic. The way it sets the scene, then slowly descends into a quagmire of supernatural happenings that unfold into a tapestry of secrets and power plays spanning the entire world. Its use of language to evoke scale is excellent, and the creeping dread as you start to understand just how large this web really is is done perfectly. The audio and soundscapes of The White Vault are superb and make the experience that much more immersive.
There you go, five fantastic things to read and listen to this spooky season. If you’re still looking for an atmospheric audio drama or that perfect Halloween read, maybe one of these will fit the bill.
If they’re not your cup of tea, you could always check out my Lovecraftian novella Dark Heart of Ilmoure, in which a young woman returns to her home town after years of absence, only to discover that things have changed in some unsettling ways…
And with that, I hope you have a great autumn and a delightfully scary Halloween! See you in BOOvember 
– Cara
BLADE OF THE CROWN is available in paperback and through Kindle Unlimited! Get swept away with a princess and her royal guard as they find themselves stranded on a strange island, trying to find their way home – and into each other’s arms.
