This was the list : 1) Twisted summer - Willo Davis Roberts. 2) In cold blood - Truman Capote. 3) Dracula - Bram Stoker. 4) The Hallowed ones - Laura Brickle. 5) Penpal - Dathan Auerbach.
I've already told you about the one that scared the crap out of me (Ring by Koji Suzuki - seriously, you have to find it and read it!!) but since you've heard about that one, I'll amuse you with a story my mom told me about a book that scared her roommate when she was young. When my mother was about twenty-ish, she was living with another girl about the same age and, due to budget constraints and some poor life choices, they decided that they would share a room and get bunk beds in their single bedroom apartments. (Side note: This was not a good decision. I've heard other horror stories from my mother about this that I won't post online but take my word for it.) Anyway. This was before the internet and TV wasn't really that great back then so at night, the most common activity they did when they weren't partying was read in bed. My mom was on the bottom bunk while her roommate was on the top reading The Shining. They were initially reading in silence when my mom hears her roommate go "fuuuuuuck!" Mom: "Something wrong?" Roommate: "Just the book I'm reading. It's nothing." Two minutes later. Roommate: "Fuuuuuuck! Oh shiiiiit! Holy fuck no!" Mom: "Seriously, what the hell are you reading?!?" And that was how my mom was introduced to The Shining! (If the timeline is correct when she read it, it might even been her introduction to Stephen King!) Anyway: Hope you enjoyed my mom getting scared by her roommate who was getting terrified by Stephen King.
@@NightmareMaven It's a slow burn, even for Stephen King. That said, I loved it. And my mom's story was a good reminder that everything you're reading is going to pay off and I assure you, it totally does. The end is brutal but remember to enjoy the ride up the coaster, is all. ;)
I was in grade school when Stephen King became a big deal….I think Carrie was the first one I read, then ‘Salem’s Lot, then The Shining. I loved that I read all three before the movies were made, because reading them without the influence of the films, I had my own ideas and visions of the characters and settings. I loved The Shining, but ‘Salems Lot was by far the scariest one. That one and The Stand are probably his best books.
Your first reading reminds me of my first experience with psychological horror: Coin Locker Babies by Ryu Murakami I still remember how couldn't stop thinking about the book, I still do!
House Of Leaves seriously creeped me out, it's not an easy read but once you get into it it really starts to get under your skin, but the book that scared me the most is Naomi's Room by Jonathan Aycliffe that I read when I was around 11 or 12 years old. It was the first adult horror novel I'd ever read & to be honest I should not have been reading that book so young as it was definitely not one for the easily scared, which I unfortunately was as a kid, so of course it scared the hell out of me & to this day I've still never been able to get through the entire book again when I've tried rereading it.
Penpal is SO good!! I remember reading the nosleep posts and impatiently waiting for the next part. I re-read it last year and I loved it just as much!
This video is legit making me want to read more of my books I haven't gotten around to reading. A couple of my favorites are The Killer Inside Me and Heart Shaped Box. Both scared the hell out of me!
I think I know what scene in Penpal scared you, and let me say, hard same!! I'll quickly go through the books that scared me the most; Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan messed me up as a kid, and I had to wait a year before I continued the series :') I don't find it terrifying anymore, but I'm including it because of the memories! In recent years, some of the scenes in the Lockwood and Co series by Jonathan Stroud and The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson gave me sleepless nights, and made my heart race when I read them at night. They actually made me feel like someone had poured cold water on me when the spooky scenes reached their peak, because the build up was so good! Haunted house/ghost scares done right in my opinion! Then there's the backstory to one of the characters in The Moor by Sam Haysom, it's not ghost-scary, but really unnerving and unsettling. Dark Matter by Michelle Paver also has some good mindfuck-y ghost-scares. Takes place on Svalbard, and I live on mainland-Norway, and even though it's not dark 24/7 (only about 20/7 lol) in the winter where I live, I could still relate to the fear of the dark and the cold and the snow. Lastly, a Norwegian classic: De Dødes Tjern by Bernhard Borge (pseudonyme of famous Norwegian poet and author André Bjerke), I don't think it's available in English, unfortunately :( A group of students/20-somethings go to a cabin in the woods by a lake/pond where the brother of one of them slowly wrnt insane with paranoia and left a diary about how he was haunted by a crow, and there's a story of how a man killed his wife and her lover in the pond, and they all slowly start to lose it because of the pond and the diary. Good stuff! Book is from 1942, so way before the cabin trope in American horror movies ;)
The book i read that creeped the crap out of me was The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo. I know its not technically a horror book. But it has some creepy ass crap in it. The 1996 Disney movie is one of my child hood favorite movie and years later i learned it was inspired by a book i checked it out nd holy crap what a creepy read it was. I recommend it
Of all these, I have only read In Cold Blood and Dracula, I have the unabridged version, don’t know what is different about that version or if it is any different…but really a good book. PenPal looks interesting…I had a stalker of my own when I was younger, never found out who it was, so the subject is definitely creepy to me. Mostly I like to read ghost stories, especially the short ones, many from as far back as Victorian times.
Two books that come to mind are that scared the shit out of me as a teen are: 'Weird USA' which is a series of documentations and locations around the united states that have or had strange occurrences. I remember reading this alone at home in Daylight and after reading countless stories about 'doorways to hell' and serial killers..I kept my door open and kept glancing in the other room whenever I heard a sound! The other book is called '172 hours on the moon' by Johan Harstad. Its a young adult book about 3 teens who win a lottery for a chance to go to the moon. Once there, they become cut off from communication with earth and its just them and a few staff in the dark silence of a compound and something is hunting them...
jonathan lethem = good // shirley jackson's the lottery = existential dread. (i never read in cold blood, but i did a 10th grade book report on helter skelter 😏 i was not a big beatles fan but i listened to the white album during that time. i have no idea whether bugliosi is a decent writer, but people love to shit on him)
I gotta be honest...I DNF'd Helter Skelter HARD last year. Not that I thought the writing was bad, it was just very cut-and-dry and technical for me lol Just not my cup of tea.
@@NightmareMaven no quarrel from me -- the pooping on bugliosi's account goes waaaayyy back -- might even be books about that topic for all i know 😀-- i bet most of these famous defense lawyers are polarizing characters in general -- and all of the living ones are glad they're not dershowitz right now 😂
Twisted Summer, In Cold Blood, & The Hallowed Ones sound good Why is ICB not in the true crime section? "Stoked" 😂😜 Dracula worth reading? I love how you're like, "FICTIONAAALL book!" Point at book Eyes: "Fictional guys! Don't @ me!" Lol
In True Blood was also my first true crime book. Funny enough I read it for school (we were allowed to pick from a list and I picked it) and it's stuck with me all of these years. I loved Penpal! I know it's hit or miss for people but it really creeped me out, especially when everything came together in the end.
@@NightmareMaven oh it is lol, check out the channel Night Mind when you're done he did some good vids on it. Have you read Red Dragon? If not read the first couple of pages, it gave me chills and got me hooked.
This was the list :
1) Twisted summer - Willo Davis Roberts.
2) In cold blood - Truman Capote.
3) Dracula - Bram Stoker.
4) The Hallowed ones - Laura Brickle.
5) Penpal - Dathan Auerbach.
I've already told you about the one that scared the crap out of me (Ring by Koji Suzuki - seriously, you have to find it and read it!!) but since you've heard about that one, I'll amuse you with a story my mom told me about a book that scared her roommate when she was young.
When my mother was about twenty-ish, she was living with another girl about the same age and, due to budget constraints and some poor life choices, they decided that they would share a room and get bunk beds in their single bedroom apartments. (Side note: This was not a good decision. I've heard other horror stories from my mother about this that I won't post online but take my word for it.) Anyway. This was before the internet and TV wasn't really that great back then so at night, the most common activity they did when they weren't partying was read in bed. My mom was on the bottom bunk while her roommate was on the top reading The Shining. They were initially reading in silence when my mom hears her roommate go "fuuuuuuck!"
Mom: "Something wrong?"
Roommate: "Just the book I'm reading. It's nothing."
Two minutes later.
Roommate: "Fuuuuuuck! Oh shiiiiit! Holy fuck no!"
Mom: "Seriously, what the hell are you reading?!?"
And that was how my mom was introduced to The Shining! (If the timeline is correct when she read it, it might even been her introduction to Stephen King!)
Anyway: Hope you enjoyed my mom getting scared by her roommate who was getting terrified by Stephen King.
I still have The Shining on my TBR shelf right now!!! But your story makes me want to read it right now!!
@@NightmareMaven It's a slow burn, even for Stephen King. That said, I loved it. And my mom's story was a good reminder that everything you're reading is going to pay off and I assure you, it totally does. The end is brutal but remember to enjoy the ride up the coaster, is all. ;)
Is it the same ring that came out as movie
@@gururajkodkani1984 "Ring" is a remake of "Ringu". Also recommend "Audition".
I was in grade school when Stephen King became a big deal….I think Carrie was the first one I read, then ‘Salem’s Lot, then The Shining. I loved that I read all three before the movies were made, because reading them without the influence of the films, I had my own ideas and visions of the characters and settings. I loved The Shining, but ‘Salems Lot was by far the scariest one. That one and The Stand are probably his best books.
Your first reading reminds me of my first experience with psychological horror: Coin Locker Babies by Ryu Murakami I still remember how couldn't stop thinking about the book, I still do!
House Of Leaves seriously creeped me out, it's not an easy read but once you get into it it really starts to get under your skin, but the book that scared me the most is Naomi's Room by Jonathan Aycliffe that I read when I was around 11 or 12 years old. It was the first adult horror novel I'd ever read & to be honest I should not have been reading that book so young as it was definitely not one for the easily scared, which I unfortunately was as a kid, so of course it scared the hell out of me & to this day I've still never been able to get through the entire book again when I've tried rereading it.
Penpal is SO good!! I remember reading the nosleep posts and impatiently waiting for the next part. I re-read it last year and I loved it just as much!
This video is legit making me want to read more of my books I haven't gotten around to reading. A couple of my favorites are The Killer Inside Me and Heart Shaped Box. Both scared the hell out of me!
Yay more reading! LOL And I've wanted to read Heart Shaped Box for a while now!
@@NightmareMaven It's sooooo good!
Really enjoyed this video!! Glad that Dracula was on the list I found the atmosphere of the book quite creepy and sinister.
Thank you so much!! Yeah the dread in that book is insane, it really starts to get to you after a while LOL
Loving the personal stories behind each book! Awesome video. Love Book Content! 📚
Thank you so much!
Thank you for the awesome list, Vicky! I have never heard of twisted summer or the hallowed ones but they are on my list now!
Yay!!! I hope you like them!!!
I think I know what scene in Penpal scared you, and let me say, hard same!! I'll quickly go through the books that scared me the most; Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan messed me up as a kid, and I had to wait a year before I continued the series :') I don't find it terrifying anymore, but I'm including it because of the memories! In recent years, some of the scenes in the Lockwood and Co series by Jonathan Stroud and The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson gave me sleepless nights, and made my heart race when I read them at night. They actually made me feel like someone had poured cold water on me when the spooky scenes reached their peak, because the build up was so good! Haunted house/ghost scares done right in my opinion! Then there's the backstory to one of the characters in The Moor by Sam Haysom, it's not ghost-scary, but really unnerving and unsettling. Dark Matter by Michelle Paver also has some good mindfuck-y ghost-scares. Takes place on Svalbard, and I live on mainland-Norway, and even though it's not dark 24/7 (only about 20/7 lol) in the winter where I live, I could still relate to the fear of the dark and the cold and the snow. Lastly, a Norwegian classic: De Dødes Tjern by Bernhard Borge (pseudonyme of famous Norwegian poet and author André Bjerke), I don't think it's available in English, unfortunately :( A group of students/20-somethings go to a cabin in the woods by a lake/pond where the brother of one of them slowly wrnt insane with paranoia and left a diary about how he was haunted by a crow, and there's a story of how a man killed his wife and her lover in the pond, and they all slowly start to lose it because of the pond and the diary. Good stuff! Book is from 1942, so way before the cabin trope in American horror movies ;)
😲😲😲😲 My wallet hates you right now, but I LOVE all the recommendations THANK YOU!! I can't wait to read some of these!
My Mom loves books. My family owned a used bookstore. Great video!
Ughghghgh I'm so jealous! I would love to own a used bookstore!
@@NightmareMaven it was a great business until Kindle happened!
The book i read that creeped the crap out of me was The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo. I know its not technically a horror book. But it has some creepy ass crap in it. The 1996 Disney movie is one of my child hood favorite movie and years later i learned it was inspired by a book i checked it out nd holy crap what a creepy read it was. I recommend it
I feel like some of the best scares I've experienced weren't from horror novels...case and point this video LOL only two of the books are "horror"
True That
Great list! Outside of Dracula, all of these books are new to me. Am especially intrigued by Penpal!
Out of all of them, I recommend Penpal the most!!! It's VERY VERY scary!
I love old books, especially if they got mileage !
Old books are the best books! I love a new and pretty cover, but the worn, well-loved ones have more stories than just the ones written on the pages
I know Pen Pal because of listening to the Creepypastas, and love it.
Of all these, I have only read In Cold Blood and Dracula, I have the unabridged version, don’t know what is different about that version or if it is any different…but really a good book. PenPal looks interesting…I had a stalker of my own when I was younger, never found out who it was, so the subject is definitely creepy to me. Mostly I like to read ghost stories, especially the short ones, many from as far back as Victorian times.
Two books that come to mind are that scared the shit out of me as a teen are:
'Weird USA' which is a series of documentations and locations around the united states that have or had strange occurrences. I remember reading this alone at home in Daylight and after reading countless stories about 'doorways to hell' and serial killers..I kept my door open and kept glancing in the other room whenever I heard a sound!
The other book is called '172 hours on the moon' by Johan Harstad. Its a young adult book about 3 teens who win a lottery for a chance to go to the moon. Once there, they become cut off from communication with earth and its just them and a few staff in the dark silence of a compound and something is hunting them...
I've heard of the Weird USA book, but that SECOND ONE!?! That sounds like such a cool idea for a novel! I'll have to try and get my hands on it!
DAMN I did not know PenPal turned into an actual book
It did! And it's so freaky!!!!
This was a great video! I'm glad Dracula made the list.
Thank you so much!
Just listen to "amish paradise" by weird al and you'll learn everything you need to know about amish.
🤣🤣
jonathan lethem = good // shirley jackson's the lottery = existential dread. (i never read in cold blood, but i did a 10th grade book report on helter skelter 😏 i was not a big beatles fan but i listened to the white album during that time. i have no idea whether bugliosi is a decent writer, but people love to shit on him)
I gotta be honest...I DNF'd Helter Skelter HARD last year. Not that I thought the writing was bad, it was just very cut-and-dry and technical for me lol Just not my cup of tea.
@@NightmareMaven no quarrel from me -- the pooping on bugliosi's account goes waaaayyy back -- might even be books about that topic for all i know 😀-- i bet most of these famous defense lawyers are polarizing characters in general -- and all of the living ones are glad they're not dershowitz right now 😂
I have read Dracula almost 5 times. Def my favorite novel ever
It's so scary and kind of underrated in that way??? I never hear anyone talk about how terrifying it is 😲
@@NightmareMaven it gets lots of It follows vibes when it comes to Lucy and Nina
I highly recommend "Borrasca" as a nosleep story, it is in my opinion a horror masterpiece.
OOOoooo thank you!!!
I love Dracula I don't know how many times I read it have you seen the new mini series on the BBC?
I haven't seen the new mini series! Any good?
@@NightmareMaven oh yeah it is me and my girlfriend watched over 3 nights each episode is like a movie there an hour and a half each.
Twisted Summer, In Cold Blood, & The Hallowed Ones sound good
Why is ICB not in the true crime section?
"Stoked" 😂😜 Dracula worth reading?
I love how you're like, "FICTIONAAALL book!" Point at book Eyes: "Fictional guys! Don't @ me!" Lol
Apparently, Capote embellished certain parts of the novel and even fabricated some quotes in the book, so it's not a 100% factual account
@@NightmareMaven Ohh ok, well still sounds interesting.
Is Dracula worth reading?
Love your hat!
Pen pal is soooo goood!
In True Blood was also my first true crime book. Funny enough I read it for school (we were allowed to pick from a list and I picked it) and it's stuck with me all of these years. I loved Penpal! I know it's hit or miss for people but it really creeped me out, especially when everything came together in the end.
Yeah, I've seen some negative reviews of Penpal, guess it just comes down to what you find scary....definitely scared the crap outta me 😂😂
Red Dragon, House of Leaves.
House of Leaves is on my list for this year! I hear it's a real trip!
@@NightmareMaven oh it is lol, check out the channel Night Mind when you're done he did some good vids on it. Have you read Red Dragon? If not read the first couple of pages, it gave me chills and got me hooked.