We made it. We all know it was a tough year so there's no need to go into everything. It was, however, my personal best reading year. I finished 241 books last year and when I sat down to make my Top 10 I realized the task was impossible. So, I decided that it's my blog so I make the rules. So settle in, it's top 20 time! I picked this list in a very unscientific way, they were not all five star reads but the books that I connected with the most. I randomly sorted this list because I cannot pick favorites from it, I give them all my most enthusiastic recommendation.
💀 Go Down Hard by Ali Seay
Two serial killers face off in a battle to the death or to the bed, whichever comes first. A fun book that doesn't hold back.
💀 Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
An incredible book that blew me away with it's originality.
💀 Reality Bleed (4 serial novella series) by J.Z. Foster and Justin Woodward
Hell on Mars is the first one but I couldn't pick a favorite. The whole story is immaculate sci-fi/horror.
💀 Benny Rose: The Cannibal King by Hailey Piper
The tale of an small town urban legend filled me with nostaglia for old school horror. Filled will excellent characters and wonderful writing.
💀 The Magpie Coffin by Wile E. Young
In my opinion, the best of the Splatter Western series. Excellent and complex characters and brutal violence. Includes one of my favorite death scenes ever put on a page.
💀 The Midnight Lullaby by Cheryl Low
Emotional and full of a deep unsettling creepiness, this is one of the books I didn't question would be on this list.
💀 Dead Girl Blues by David Sodergren
A classic feeling whodunit mystery bathed in blood and sex.
💀 Penpal by Dathan Auerbach
This book legit scared me. I loved it so much.
💀 Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare
Instantly became one of my favorite slashers. Frendo is such a fantastic villain.
💀 Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
Animals are poisonous and society evolves around the consumption of human flesh or "special meat".
💀 Manifest Recall by Alan Baxter
Excellent crime/horror mashup. Eli Carver is like John Wick with ghosts.
💀 Hellhound by Lou Yardley
Perhaps my favorite werewolf book...ever.
💀 Cirque Berserk by Jessica Guess
Totally unexpected and delightful slasher set in an abandoned amusement park.
💀 Maria the Wanted by V. Castro
When Maria is turned into a vampire she sets out on a quest for revenge. This was the first book I read in 2020 and I immediately knew it would be on this list. I loved it so much.
💀 We Need to Do Something by Max Booth III
A family becomes trapped in their bathroom after a tornado. This one room horror story hits HARD.
💀 The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
A vampire moves into the suburbs in the 90's. The neighborhood housewives team up to kill him. Funny and scary with great characters!
💀 Dead Daughters by Tim Meyer
A man gets a poloroid of his dead daughter in the mail, but his daughter is safe in bed. So what the hell is happening? A totally unpredictable and engrossing thriller. Tim Meyer in top form!
💀 Jennifer Strange by Cat Scully
A teenage girl discovers she has secret powers when a ghost attacks her school. Adventure ensues. YA that doesn't shy from the horror. I loved it.
💀 Gone to See the River Man by Kristopher Triana
A woman sent on an errand by her serial killer boyfriend. How far will she go for her deranged beau? Pretty damn far it turns out.
My #1 favorite book of 2020:
💀 Crossroads by Laurel Hightower
An emotionally devastating story about how far a mother will go after the death of her son. Grief horror at its best. Laurel Hightower is a monster.