Hide and Don't Seek: And Other Very Scary Stories by Anica Mrose Rissi

 

Hide and Don't Seek: And Other Very Scary Stories by Anica Mrose Rissi - 224 pages

A contemporary collection of original short stories by Anica Mrose Rissi that is sure to elicit chills, laughs, and screams, even from the most devoted fans of 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark'!

A game of hide-and-seek goes on far too long…

A look-alike doll makes itself right at home…

A school talent-show act leaves the audience aghast…

And a summer at camp takes a turn for the braaaains...

This collection of all-new spooky stories is sure to keep readers up past their bedtimes, laughing, gasping, and looking over their shoulders to see what goes bump in the night.

So, if you're feeling brave, turn the page.

Cute short stories, some are actually pretty good

I Know A Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours by Nat Cassidy

 

I Know A Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours by Nat Cassidy - 472 pages

There are locations in this world where the light doesn’t seem to reach. Where, no matter how illuminated the place might be, shadows creep in too strongly to fight back.

A suspiciously empty gas station rest stop in the middle of the night, littered with googley eyes... A doctor’s office, where a bottle of booze and a tear-stained folder wait on the desk... A tech millionaire’s haunted kitchen... A Bible-quoting ventriloquist’s dingy apartment... A yoga retreat in the middle of the desert, silent except for the screaming...

These locations and more are your destination and bestselling author Nat Cassidy will be your guide. Featuring the Bram Stoker Award-nominated, critically acclaimed novella Rest Stop (one of Esquire’s Best Horror Books of 2024), along with a number of other original short stories, some which have never been published before, I Know A Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours is a travelogue down twisting side streets and through alleyways where the darkness has eyes... and teeth.

Let’s hope you make it home in one piece.

I really enjoyed reading these short stories.  Sometimes I read a book of short stories and feel unfulfilled, wanting more closure, but these were great.  My favorite was the one about the rest stop, that one was just messed up, but in a good way.  I enjoyed this book so much that I immediately checked out another book by this author.

Walking Alone: Short Stories by Bentley Little

 

Walking Alone: Short Stories by Bentley Little - 300 pages

From the mind of the man Stephen King calls "a master of the macabre" comes a brilliant new collection of no-punches-pulled horror stories, some never-before-collected and many originals that have never been published anywhere before. Bentley Little can take the innocuous, twist it around, and write a story that will change your way of thinking. Walking Alone: Short Stories is a shining example of his talent to scare you, creep you out, and make you shudder.

This was ok...the stories were interesting but on some the ending fell flat.

The Worst Kind of Monsters by Elias Witherow

 

The Worst Kind of Monsters by Elias Witherow - 482 pages

There's a dog sneaking into your daughter's bedroom and whispering in her ear. There's something horrible in that storm over the ocean. What does "feed the pig" mean? What are those ropes in the sky? Why is Dad acting so funny? In these dark tales you will experience every type of horror imaginable. It is so gruesome, frightening, and demented that only the bravest of readers will make it through these pages.

This book was just OK.  I guess after reading his novels "The Black Farm" and "Return to the Black Farm" that my expectations for this one was a bit higher than it was able to deliver.  I found it a bit redundant story to story; and while some of the ideas were good, the endings seemed to fizzle out for me.

The President's Brain is Missing by John Scalzi

The President's Brain is Missing by John Scalzi, 29 pages

From Amazon: "The question is, how can you tell the President's brain is missing? And are we sure we need it back?"

When I purchased this audiobook, I didn't realize it was a short story. I didn't care for the narrator but the story itself was a fun little ride. 

 

Mischief Night Massacre: Ten Tales of Halloween by Jason Parent

 

Mischief Night Massacre: Ten Tales of Halloween by Jason Parent - 267 pages

Halloween. For the costumed child skipping along a safe, well-lit street, pillow case chock full of candy, it is a night of magic and mischief, delightful frights met with sugar-toothed grins. But for the would-be revelers in these tales, Halloween is a horrifying ordeal the likes of which many will not survive. And those who do make it to November may wish they hadn’t.

In this collection, Jason Parent gathers ten tales that embody the holiday in ways surely to surprise and delight the most avid horror reader. From traditional settings like amusement parks, Halloween parties, and haunted houses to more obscure locales where you might think terror couldn’t possibly find you, each story will have you breathing a little faster, startling at every bump in the night.

I know we're past Halloween but I gave this one a try anyway.  A great book when you're in the mood for scary short stories.  All were pretty good!

Ushers : A Short Story by Joe Hill

 

Ushers : A Short Story by Joe Hill - 29 pages

Martin Lorensen is a twenty-three-year-old counselor for disturbed teenagers. He’s bright, compassionate, attractive, and outgoing. He’s also—and this is the most interesting thing—not dead. Martin has improbably survived not one but two deadly disasters that claimed dozens of lives. The kid is riding one hell of a lucky streak. Two federal agents think there is something darker at play. Now that they’ve arranged to interview Martin, they want answers. Martin is ready to share everything he knows. One thing is for certain: when it comes to escaping death, luck doesn’t figure into it at all.

A great short story and a quick read.  I really enjoyed it.

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology

Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr., 400 pages

Never Whistle at Night is a delightful collection of dark fiction. My familiarity with indigenous culture and storytelling is limited, so this exposure was fresh and vivid.  Some stories were better than others, but most were phenomenal. It horrified me, it creeped me out, it made me laugh, it made me cry. It made me think. Some of it actually gave me sleepless nights. The evocative quality of the stories and writing waxed and waned, but overall packed quite a wallop. 

This anthology's genre is difficult to pin down. Despite what the title suggests, it's not straight horror. There are strong horror elements in many of the stories, but some are just paranormal. 

The Asylum Confessions: Till Death Do Us Part by Jack Steen

 

The Asylum Confessions: Till Death Do Us Part by Jack Steen - 226 pages

They arrive alive. They leave dead.
But first, they give me their confessions and this time - it's all about the couples who kill together.

Inside this book are 4 DeathBed Confessions that relate to things these couples did:
Patient 852 is a Preacher with a past.
Patient 1123 shouldn’t be trusted.
Patient 901 are farmers with buried secrets.
Patient 643 has a thing for soil and gardens.

WHO AM I? I think by now you know who I am...Jack Steen and for those who arrive on my 'death' ward at the Asylum, I'm the last face many will see before they die. I'm the night nurse at the Asylum for the Criminally Insane.

Most of my patients are serial killers and mass murderers and they know me as the Angel of Death. I offer my patients a deal: in exchange for an easy death, I want their story. Not the one anyone can read about in the papers, I want the real story - the one they haven't told anyone else.

Some of these killers have never confessed to their crimes, some kept certain information to themselves...those are the stories I want. If they give them to me, I'll make their death...easier.

They're already dying, that's why they're now my patients. If they play nice, I can make their death less painful. But only if they play nice and tell me their confessions.

The majority of these killers are expert manipulators. I realize they could be playing me and messing with my head. It's a chance I'm willing to take. And now...they might just be playing with yours too.

Not a bad read, I like the back and forth between Jack and the patient.  Decent stories, some are a bit messed up.  Overall an ok read.

The Madness by Jarale Phillips

 

The Madness by Jarale Phillips - 172 pages

Consider this fair warning for all perspective readers. The following stories are not to be consumed in search of symmetry, life lessons, light-heartedness, or happy endings. Proceed with caution, all those who still cling to hope... But to the mad ones? Welcome. And enjoy.

This was OK; it didn't knock my socks off.  I liked that the stories were different but wasn't thrilled with how they ended.  My favorite story was Kevin n' Joe.

Dead Endings by Henry Ben Edom

 

Dead Endings by Henry Ben Edom - 113 pages

Dead Endings, from Finnish author Henry Ben Edom, is a chilling collection that delves deep into realms of darkness and misery, blighted landscapes of macabre malaise and moral terror, black forests of primordial fear where carrion birds cavort with killers by the freshly-churned soil of violated graves where the rotting bodies of teenage suicides languish in Purgatory eternal. 

This is a book of 3 short stories...3 very messed up, not good, poorly ended stories.  Would not recommend.

Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson

Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson -- 71 pages

Princess Ilaria has had it up to her tiara with the paparazzi, her own wild reputation, and the public eye. Trading places with her assistant, Ilaria wants just one blissfully ordinary weekend. Then a handsome photographer with a sexy Scottish burr offers to be her guide. Sparks fly, but how long can they last? Ilaria’s secret has to come out—and it could ruin a perfectly serendipitous romance.

With Any Luck by Ashley Poston

With Any Luck by Ashley Poston -- 43 pages

Audrey Love is cursed to be the person before you find your soulmate, the girl you dump for your true love. So when her best friend disappears hours before his Valentine’s Day wedding, Audrey fears that she did the unthinkable and kissed him at last night’s bachelor party. With help from the best man, she retraces her steps to find the missing groom and, with any luck, a true love of her own.

Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory

Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory -- 40 pages

This Valentine’s Day, Daisy Murray has her heart set on binge-watching rom-coms. Instead, an earthquake traps her inside a bakery with its impossibly rude and insufferably handsome owner and head baker. They already have a history: she’s always smiled, he’s always scowled. Where better to finally get to know each other than amid the disaster? Then again, they have no choice. Besides, it could have its sweet, undeniable, and unpredictable perks.

Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne

Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne -- 44 pages

For a hopeful and hopeless romantic, it’s love at first sight—with a little twist.

Rosie Whittaker and her sister are up for some Galentine’s pampering at a day spa. Getting locked inside a flotation tank is so Rosie. Enter a firefighter hero determined to pry this luckless pearl out of her high-tech shell. All Rosie has to go on is a dreamy voice and a flirty sense of humor. Remain calm, Rosie. This could be what you’ve been waiting for. Is this the man she’s waited for her whole life?

Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez

Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez -- 61 pages

Holly is dealing with the impending death of her grandmother and still reeling from a bad breakup. One bright spot: a Valentine’s Day card on Holly’s windshield—even if it wasn’t meant for her. An amusing mistake soon turns into a lovely exchange of anonymous notes, little acts of kindness, and a growing affection between two strangers. What happens when one of them has to say goodbye?

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren

The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren -- 101 pages

One typo, and a boy and girl connect by chance. Wishing each other a happy Valentine’s Day isn’t the end. In fact, it becomes a friendly annual tradition—with rules: no pics, no real names, nothing too personal. As years pass, the rules for their email “dates” are breaking, and they’re sharing more than they imagined—including the urge to ask…what if we actually met?

 

An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good, Tursten | 173 pages

    It's like a murder mystery, with no mystery... just Maud. Translated from the Swedish, this collection of short stories stars 88yo Maud who lives rent-free in a posh apartment in Gothensburg when she isn't traveling the world.
    I'll be honest, I could hardly put it down, but I'm not entirely sure I liked it! Tursten has a very dry, very dark sense of humor. I'm reminded of Fredrik Bachman's "Your Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry," also translated from Swedish. 

Mestiza Blood by V. Castro

 

⭐⭐✩✩✩

Mestiza Blood by V. Castro - 240 pages

From the lauded author of The Queen of the Cicadas (which picked up starred reviews from PW, Kirkus and Booklist who called her "a dynamic and innovative voice") comes a short story collection of nightmares, dreams, desire and visions focused on the Chicana experience. V.Castro weaves urban legend, folklore, life experience and heartache in this personal journey beginning in south Texas: a bar where a devil dances the night away; a street fight in a neighborhood that may not have been a fight after all; a vengeful chola at the beginning of the apocalypse; mind swapping in the not so far future; satan who falls and finds herself in a brothel in Amsterdam; the keys to Mictlan given to a woman after she dies during a pandemic. The collection finishes with two longer tales: The Final Porn Star is a twist on the final girl trope and slasher, with a creature from Mexican folklore; and Truck Stop is an erotic horror romance with two hearts: a video store and a truck stop.

I like short horror stories but this wasn't my cup of tea; too smutty for my taste.

Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird by Agustina Bazterrica

 

Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird by Agustina Bazterrica - 154 pages

From celebrated author Agustina Bazterrica, this collection of nineteen brutal, darkly funny short stories takes into our deepest fears and through our most disturbing fantasies. Through stories about violence, alienation, and dystopia, Bazterrica’s vision of the human experience emerges in complex, unexpected ways—often unsettling, sometimes thrilling, and always profound. In “Roberto,” a girl claims to have a rabbit between her legs. A woman’s neighbor jumps to his death in “A Light, Swift, and Monstrous Sound,” and in “Candy Pink,” a woman fails to contend with a difficult breakup in five easy steps.

Written in Bazterrica’s signature clever, vivid style, these stories question love, friendship, family relationships, and unspeakable desires.

I read this book because I liked "Tender is the Flesh" by this same author.  I was not impressed with this book of short stories.  I found them to be just odd and uninteresting, definitely not horror.