Books with: Horror but not Particularly Gory

[Ashley]

I love reading scary supernatural horror but not when the author piles on the gore. I enjoy creepy and eerie situations, but don't care for torturing children, blood and guts, or general sadism. (I once picked up a mystery by James Patterson thinking "the Women's Murder Club" would be safe, but it began with a fellow shooting a baby, on purpose. Yikes).

Does anyone have some great suggestions? Or can point me to a list of this kind of cosy horror? I don't mind the occasional death, I just don't want to feel like the author is expecting me to enjoy their account of the victim's suffering. I don't. I feel horrible for them.

I loved Straub's Shadowland, Carroll's The Land of Laughs, Levin's Rosemary's Baby, and Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes, and McCammon's Boy's Life.

I hated Rothfuss' The Thing Beneath the Bed, everything by Clive Barker, and Hawkin's The Library at Mount Char.

[Eric]

You might like books by F G Cottam.

[SamSpayedPI]

We Have Always Lived in the Castle and other titles from Shirley Jackson
Someone Like You(short stories) by Roald Dahl Going over a few of the titles, maybe not.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

[Pamela]

Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow Sorrow's Knot

[Ashley]

SamSpayedPI wrote: "We Have Always Lived in the Castle and other titles from Shirley Jackson
Someone Like You(short stories) by Roald Dahl Going over a few of the..."

I do like Shirley Jackson and have read much but not all of her; she's on my to-read list. I've read Stephen King and he's betwixt-and-between ... often it starts well (the beginning of Needful Things) and then gets all stabby.

I do enjoy Roald Dahl as well, and the similar John Collier (whose short stories are similarly twisted—not always "horror" but often Twilight-Zone-ish).

[SamSpayedPI]

Ashley wrote: "I've read Stephen King and he's betwixt-and-between ... often it starts well (the beginning of Needful Things) and then gets all stabby."

I picked The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon deliberately for its lack of blood and guts (view spoiler)[(with respect to humans, anyway. There is a bear and its "victims") (hide spoiler)].

[CraftyChara]

Horrorstör

The Claw In the vein of Goosebumps

The Magnus Archives: Season 1

What your looking for is called Non-Gore

[Capn]

Krabat / The Satanic Mill for a teen option. It's like 100% atmosphere. Didn't scare me, but was certainly something a little different. And it's short. ;)

[CraftyChara]

Here are some junior gothic books
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

[Capn]

Chara's Craftsations wrote: "Here are some junior gothic books
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1..."

Thanks, Chara - I didn't know of that list. ;)

[Capn]

ClaireMicklem wrote: "Fantastic work-from-home opportunity for everyone…Work for three to eight hours a day and start getting paid in the range of 13,000 to 19,000 dollars a month…Weekly payments…And the best thing is....."

(Someone needs to write a horror where the spammers get it. I don't care +/- gore, I'll read it!) XD

[CraftyChara]

Capn wrote: "ClaireMicklem wrote: "Fantastic work-from-home opportunity for everyone…Work for three to eight hours a day and start getting paid in the range of 13,000 to 19,000 dollars a month…Weekly payments…A..."

LOL! I would also love to read that type of story as well.

P.S.
I already flagged "It" and all the other threads that it spammed.

[Alex]

I can’t recommend Darcy Coates enough if you like paranormal horror. She usually has a good mystery/twist to her stories as well. is definitely my favorite!

[...cats?]

The Pallbearers Club
The Auctioneer
The Turn of the Screw
The House Next Door

[Ashley]

Thanks again, everybody, I'm busy adding to my to-read list. Cats?, I loved The House Next Door (read it years ago), like The Turn of the Screw well enough, and The Auctioneer is already on my to-read list, so I trust that The Pallbearers Club will be just the thing.

[Deanne]

I will suggest some, but based on what you've mentioned, I'm guessing you have read them already. Mostly I'm doing this for others who have the same interests...and to be sure I stay updated on this thread:) (Something Wicked and Boy's Life are two of my all time favorite books...Bradbury's Dandelion Wine rounds out the top three, and it is (I think) borderline supernatural.

Anyway...
Ghost Story by Peter Straub Sort of a spoiler, but read this first: (view spoiler)[The beginning might put you off, but try keep in mind the prologue isn't what it appears to be. (hide spoiler)]
A Stir of Echoes by Richard Matheson (and his short story collections and other books are really good, even if they are dated).
The October Country by Ray Bradbury (short stories).

Also, not necessarily supernatural, but still creepy-not-gory:
The Stepford Wives and The Boys from Brazil by Ira Levin

[MJ]

Berkley Street https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Haunted house, but some to the characters are kids. I’m not a fan of gore, but what’s here doesn’t bother me.

[Ashley]

So many great books, and Deanne, you've inspired me: there should be a list! So I made one, and added most of the books I could vouch for from this list there, and will add more from my own reading soon:

"Spooky but Not Gory

You can add your own books and upvote others (I think that's how it works). There are a lot of lists already out there, but they don't seem to specify non-gore, they're just horror, halloween reads, etc.

[Deanne]

I’m there! Thanks!