Spooky Horror Comics to Read Before Halloween
Cryptids and fears and ghosts of ex-wives, oh my
Crooked Reads is a monthly newsletter offering bite-sized reviews of three books fitting to a theme—like weird science or sports romance or realistic financial advice—from a professional book person. The newsletter will always be free, and the best way to support me and my work is by becoming a paid subscriber. But if that isn’t your jam, you can always buy me a book from my wishlist.
Hi, friend.
Happy October! Go get your flu shots and COVID boosters! I’m a few days out from receiving both and *knocks on wood* this is the first time the COVID booster hasn’t made me puke. We love to see progress.
I’m on week two of The Artist’s Way and I get why this is such a holy text for creative people. Spilling my guts into three pages in my trusty speckled composition notebook is so healing. I’m finding myself not needing to verbally process things with friends, emotionally dumping on them, as much as I used to. The pages are the perfect audience.
My original plan for this month was to share some monster romances, but the ones I read weren’t up to snuff. So instead, enjoy some fun and terrifying spoopy comics!
The books
👽 Cryptid Club by Sarah Andersen
Did I spend an hour cackling at this book, sending pictures of pages to my husband every three minutes? You betcha. Cryptid Club is cartoonist Sarah Andersen’s delightful take on cryptids—Mothman, the Loch Ness Monster, Big Foot, and other friends—and what their daily lives look like. Mothman crashes into lit-up windows. Big Foot is bummed that every photo of him is unattractive. Etc.
🤡 Deep Dark Fears by Fran Krause
Fran Krause’s Deep Dark Fears is funny, bizarre, horrifying, and relatable as heck. It’s a collection of comics based on real-life fears from readers around the world. Like being afraid of slipping into wrought-iron gates and impaling yourself through the eye (My version of this is clothing racks in department stores—they’re always right at my eye level). Or that, on cold winter days, when you can see your breath, that also means people can see the little tufts of warm air as you fart.
👻 A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll
I’m not entirely sure I ~got~ this book, but the art is incredible. A Guest in the House feels like Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, but it quickly spirals into something deeper and darker. Abby is newly married to a widowed dentist who moved to town with his daughter after his wife’s death. As she learns more about Sheila and her death, Abby feels uneasy. How did she die, really? Were all her paintings really burned in the fire, or are they saved, hidden and locked away? The ghost of Sheila is everywhere in the house, simultaneously fascinating and tormenting Abby as she pieces together the truth about her husband.
The nightstand
The scoliosis stack begins! This reading has been surprisingly essential for my memoir-in-progress as it sparks memories I’ve had repressed deep in the shadows of my brain. If you told 12-year-old Ashley that she’d one day forget the sound her back brace made as it rubbed together, or the exact shade of grey her body socks turned after a year of sweating in them, she would never believe you.
The backlist
In case you missed ’em, or want to peep the archives:
Thanks for the inbox space! I appreciate you being here. Next month, we’re diving into some cool science books.
xoxo
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I am so excited to read your book. It's gonna be great.
Absolutely love Emily Carroll's books!! Also just recently read Cryptid Club and it was very cute - I also love Fangs by the same author, it's one of my favorites!!