I agree, so good to know I don't have to worry about encountering those things when checking out these recommendations. Animal harm in particular, I cannot handle!
I guess I'm missing something: why nope out regarding reading about violence against women and animals while reading about cannibalism, childhood murder/children in danger, general murder, sado masochism, etc. can be considered entertaining/just disturbing/thought provoking reading? Seems like splitting hairs.
@@grammardragon8425 Personally (I'm not speaking for anyone else in this thread), animal harm is something I'm particularly sensitive about. So even if I know it's fiction, I can't read about it. It gets in my head and puts me in a bad place. So I'm not condoning any other kind of violence when I willingly read about it (nor am I saying one is worse than the other), it's just that I know myself and I know that this isn't something I want to think about when I'm reading for fun.
I'm so glad I came across your channel when I wasn't even actively looking for anything related to books. I love the vibe you give off, so down to earth. Love the way you speak. It especially comes off as you having a one on one convo with someone. I'm loving it
I dont read a lot of horror but youtube decided that this video was for me and i'm very glad it did. The amount of small booktube channels of such great quality is crazy, subbed
I also am always on the hunt for horror movies that will scare me. For some reason I find it very difficult to actually be scared. But I LOVE it when something actually does it.
Thank you for the recommendations, had not heard about most of these. I am more the Shirley Jackson psychological horror type of reader. Have ordered Naomi’s Room and Come Closer; wanted to start with something “milder” before going to extremes. Highly agree that any type of animal abuse is a big trigger, and no, after seeing your charming miniature Doxie, I can’t blame you for feeling that way.
such a refreshing video from my usual book bubble! and about the books I wouldn't normally read but now I want to!🥰 the extra appeal is the little fluffy dog nose at the bottom of the screen haha
I've read Come Closer & Tender is the Flesh and liked both. I don't think I've heard of your other recommendations. Nice list! I now have some new additions to my TBR list! Thanks! 😀
Happy to see a horror/disturbing books video! 😈 it's not the most disturbing book I've ever read but based on some content you mentioned here, I think you could really love Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid. The most disturbing book I've ever read was probably Zola by D.E. McLusky, very much intentional gross out splatterpunk/extreme horror. Not a great book by any means but very effective in what it set out to do, so props to it for that.
I LOVED Juniper and Thorn, probably one of my favorites I've read so far this year! I have not read Zola yet! ill add it to the list - I've seen the cheese cover lol
I came across this video by chance and I really enjoyed it. So many 'most disturbing books' videos are the same books over and over, which I understand, but they're not offering anything new to add to my tbr list. There were some different ones here that I'm so excited to read, so thank you for that! Throw a cute dachshund into the mix and you got a new sub from me, lol.
@@bookinhand_Hi there! I literally JUST discovered your channel by accident, I have no idea how this video ended up in my "recommended for you" queue but when the words "most disturbing books" caught my eye, I HAD to check it out because I'm a lifelong bookworm! Anyway, as far as "The Girl Next Door" by Jack Ketchum is concerned, I strongly recommend watching that movie in somewhat small and adequately spaced out increments and when you're done, you might want to seriously consider watching SpongeBob(or anything fun, light hearted, and silly)for about, say, 5 consecutive hours. One of the most upsetting and deeply troubling aspects of Sylvia Likens' murder(the real life inspiration for "The Girl Next Door") was not just the simple fact that all of Gertrude Baniszewski's children, as well as several other children from the neighbourhood, subjected Sylvia Likens to such unfathomable horrors, it was also the fact that they committed those acts with a ghastly sense of enthusiasm because, and I quote, "an adult said it was ok". *shudders*
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russle and its sequel Children of God are disturbing and well-written. The Book of Strange New Things and Under the Skin by Michel Faber are also.
Tender: Loved it. Earthlings: not so much. Still Missing: at the library. Bloom: very good. A Botanical Daughter: up next. Hawk Mountain (Conner Habib): most disturbing book I've read. Great content.
Thank you for all the tips, now I finally have a list to work through ❤ The book that disturbed me the most was Let's Go Play at the Adams from Mendal W. Johnson. It was so disturbing to me that I wish I hadn't read it 🙈
I read the girl next door by jack Ketchum first and loved it so much I picked up let’s go play at the Adam’s and I can’t get into it. It reads like a philosophical novel from the 1800s or something 😆. It’s hard to read. It’s written so fancy
Fun Fact: there's a documentary called Earthlings that is downright unwatchable at times. It goes into detail on why most people decide to stop eating meat if that tells you anything ❤ Cows is the scariest or most disturbing book I've read. Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis is a close second.
@@bookinhand_ it's so gross dude. Like I know sometimes it's the icky stuff that peaks my interest but that book....the violence in it is just unnecessary at times. In fact, the story is pretty good, all things considered, but some pages I could barely get through.
I can relate. It's bad enough knowing all the horrible reasons why I've been vegan for years. And Fast Food Nation (book and film) def didn't send anyone I know running to the nearest In N Out Burger.
PS I have wanted to read Naomi's Room for so long! I have read one book by Aycliff and it was The Lost, it was so good, one of the creepiest books I've ever read!
Earthlings is unironically one of my favourite books of all time. Id higely recommend life ceremonies by sayaka murata too!!! Im obsessed with her writing style
I just read this from this specific video (Earthlings) and MY BRAIN IS LEAKING OUT OF MY EARS. Where did that ending come from!?!? 10/10, buying a physical ASAP so I can re-read and annotate.
I keep coming back to the fact that Nutting (Tampa) just wrote child abuse fantasy porn. I don’t know why it was ever given so much attention, it seems to be clearly written for, uh, pleasure, and I really don’t understand why it’s being sold so openly. I don’t know anything about Nutting, but I do hope she’s been investigated. This is legal only by a loophole and may not be a happy story, but seems primarily designed for the enjoyment of those with abusive preferences. Also the cover art is revolting, we all know what it is supposed to imply, and it glorifies abuse.
Tender is the Flesh is the only book on your list and the only one I could borrow. I was more than disturbing to me because, as you said, the premise is not entirely farfetched. Aside from the puppy scene, I did like the book and the ending kind of closed the loop on the premise for me.
This video was my sign to finally read Penpal! I got Exquisite Corpse a few weeks ago, and only made it about 10 pages in. I've never been so revolted by a book before and I've just full stopped.
Locate a copy of “I have no mouth and must scream”. SF short story from ? 1970s? Harlen Ellison. Ellison was once mad at his publisher and sent him a dead animal like 3rd class mail which sat in mailroom.
Tender is the Flesh is such a fantastic commentary on race, class, and the dehumanization and commodification of people under capitalism. To me, it is so much more than "meat industry bad"
Agree with everything you said about Naomi's Room. Read that book back in the late 90s when i was about 11 or 12, & so far no other book has ever managed to leave me feeling as terrified as that book did. I've also read Jonathan Aycliff's other books The Matrix & The Vanishment, & they were both really unsettling as well.
I highly enjoyed Penpal!! And yes the boxes chapter is so unnerving!! Feed the pig was really good too, but borrasca’s ending is DEFINITELY one you won’t forget!!!
I was listening to your video to try and get a recommendation for a disturbing book to read, and as you described Still Missing, I turned the video off and immediately downloaded it lol. Holy crap that poor woman!!!!
there is a French author, Romain Sardou, who's written one of my favorite books but now that I've tried to find the English translation - there is none... it is called No One Will Get Away, and if you ever come across it I think you'll enjoy it! It's a detective story but I was impressed with the level of detail and knowledge that's been put into the plot I also tried to read another book of his several years ago, Forgive Us Our Sins, but I couldn't pass a couple of chapters - it was too disturbing!
Girl, your makeup is gorgeous and, don’t take this the wrong way, you are beautiful. Just saying, us woman need to support each other and appreciate another woman’s beauty.
I don’t know if you’ve got it already (hi, new subscriber here) but I want to recommend Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. I loved it but it’s so weird/disturbing/horrifying I am scared of recommending to people normally as I’d worry what they think of me.
I will be adding most of these to my TBR, except I refuse to read Tampa. I loved the writing in Come Closer and Woom was the first truly disturbing book that I read. I recently read The Woods are Dark by Richard Laymon and even though there were so many dusturbing things in that book, I could not stop reading and finished it in one day.
i don't know if you like mangas but Blood on the Tracks/Trail of Blood (same manga, just different titles) by Shuzo Oshimi is really great if you'd like to read something that has to do with the overprotectiveness/gaslighting/manipulation of a parent towards their kids. it's a heavy one for sure but worth to read it until the end.
Sooooo if you enjoy horror audio books, I think you would thoroughly enjoy the podcast The Dark Somnium!!! Lots of weird and really amazing horror stories.
Wow thank you for the list. I read “penpal” which is so disturbing but great book. Now “tender is the flesh” I hated it, thought it was the most boring, slow, crappy book I’ve read. I agree with you about the puppies’ scene I could not deal with it so I skipped through that ugh. But I am excited to read “come closer” I requested it from my library and “Naomi’s room” thanks for recommending them.
This video deserves a thumbs up for the dog alone! 😍 If I can give some criticism (which is meant as a hopefully constructive one): I didn't appreciate the spoilery nature. When you opened the presentation of the first book with saying "none of them make it out alive" basically in the first sentence, I got nervous. I've read Woom so I knew what it was about and after listening to that segment I basically skipped through the video just to see the authors and titles. 😕
Sorry about that! But, I will say that the synopsis contains that exact phrase, you know going in that it turns out that way. I'll try to call out any spoilerly nature in the future 👍🏼
@@bookinhand_ Yes, blurbs can be quite spoilery, too! I usually don't read those because of that reason! 😅 Or what I do is that I might read a little of the blurb and put it on my list of interest but if I end up buying the book, I won't read the blurb anymore and by the time I pick up the book I might have forgotten it. Anyway, it was just a suggestion. I'm quite allergic to spoilers so other people might mind less. And I'm aware that it can be very difficult to decide what to say and not say in a book review. I _did_ put this one on my list after all. 😉
@@bookinhand_ So, I just looked up the product page for the book at the publisher Coach House Books, and I saw that they seem to market the book based on that one. They only use a few sentences to describe the book and the two sentences that give specifics about the plot are: "Twelve six-year-olds and their three adult chaperones head into the woods on a camping trip. None of them make it out alive." So please let me apologize. The blame clearly lies with the publisher's marketing, not you!
@@jensraab2902 i think you should assume if someone is doing a review of something that there will be spoilers unless they say there won't be, so look for spoiler free reviews instead of criticizing people who are doing something completely normal and expected lol
@@y7awsbe2000 Look, I gave an honest feedback to Book in Hand in what I believe was a polite fashion. I am aware that not everybody thinks like that. What Book in Hand makes out of that is up to her. What you say does not match with my experience. Many reviewers (I'm talking about UA-cam reviewers) will announce that they're going to drop spoilers as a warning for those who do care. Not all do, and not all have the same understanding than I what constitutes a spoiler but many do. So, no, I do not assume that if someone is doing a review of something that there will be spoilers. But I _do_ look for spoiler free reviews. And it is these UA-camrs where I feel most comfortable with to have the same idea of what are spoilers that I will listen to. That's the very reason I gave that feedback: Book in Hand will lose an audience like me if she drops spoilers without warning about them. If she cares about that share of the audience, she will want to amend her reviews accordingly. If she doesn't mind losing that audience, she will not give heads-ups. The decision is entirely up to her. Like I've said before, I meant to give constructive feedback rather than leaving without saying a peep. And in case you haven't read both of my replies, I actually did seek out the publisher's sales pitch and upon realizing that they give away what I think is a spoiler, I apologized to Book in Hand and fully blamed the publisher. I still think it's a spoiler but I now understand better why Book in Hand dropped it.
Woom is the only book I gave 5 stars for, THE writing, story telling and how smooth it flows is top notch 🤩 Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry was disturbing, but not in a way you’d think, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And then there’s Off Season by Jack Ketchum. Kudos to you for actually finishing Tampa, I read 2 chapters before I gave up not because of the content but the writing, it’s like it mimics a male teacher preying on female students, the book or the main character had no personality.
Off season is on my list for sure ! It sounds right up my alley 😂 I did like saving Noah, it was so sad and upsetting and same, it stuck with me for a bit after I finished it
I read "Earthlings" and it was odd. Yuu's capitulation was unexpected but he was helping move the story forward to the vomit ending. The tension was good, but at no point did I think planet ooh poo pa doo was real. I'll gladly check out more of your recommendations if/when the price goes down, (retired and broke, gotta do kindle to boost up the font size.) Kind regards.
Chevy Stevens is one of my favorite authors!! I have read every book she has written and Still Missing was the first book that introduced me to Chevy Stevens. I recommend Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens.
Hi Peyton , i highly recommend " Flowers in the attic" by V.C Andrews. It tells the story of four children being locked up in theyr grandparents attic for many years and theyr fight to survive. Maybe not in the extreme horror genre , but a book you will never forget.
Confessions by Kanae Minato was pretty twisted. I also loved Convenience Store Woman and loved it so I'll be picking up Earthlings (I know the two aren't similar but I love her writing). (I just realized this was a like a 3 month old video. But hey, Ive subd! :) )
Image of The Beast / Blown by Philip Jose Farmer. This is more like modern classic detective/horror, with a unique explanation of vampires, werewolves and many other mythological creatures from around the world. I've read this at least 3 times in the last 40 years. But now I find that not a single library in Ohio has a copy. So... very hard to find.
When I think disturbing books, these two come to mind: Hell by Judith Sonnet and Nipples That Spit by Malika Micucci. I shudder just thinking about those two. Thanks for the list!
I LOVE Things have gotten worst since we last spoke and Tender is the Flesh!! You have to read The Girl next Door by Jack Ketchum if you haven’t already - it’s based on a true story
The most disturbing books ive read come from a auther that i found books from at a yard sale called Richard Lamon i cant remember the book titles but one was about a circus, but ya very disturbing reads but I enjoyed the them!
Wonderful, Wonderful Times by Elfriede Jelinek. Her work is amazing, difficult to read and stomach for many, but she has an interesting way of FORCING Austria to be accountable for its part in WWII. She also wrote The Piano Teacher, and funnily enough, she worked as a piano teacher after the same conservatory, whilst living with her mother.
One book that stands out in memory is "The Kind Worth Killing" by Peter Swanson. My complete Amazon review read as follows: "Two sociopaths and a psychopath. Their paths converge. What could go wrong? LOL Soooo good."
Some non horror, but somewhat disturbing true crime books that I'd recommend would be: My Story Elizabeth Smart A Stolen Life Jaycee Dugard Why Gary Why? Jody Plauche Torture Mom Ryan Green If You Tell Gregg Olsen A Child Called It Dave Pelzer Dismembered Susan D. Mustafa
@@bookinhand_ I've gotten a lot of flak from people online about liking this book, but it did scare me. I liked the way we could see the narrator/protagonist figuring out his past and putting the pieces together.
I read Tender is the Flesh in its original Spanish and I was pissed throughout the whole thing. The ending kinda surprised me but not really because the whole book is, in my opinion and among other things, an allegory to Argentinian’s obsession with carnism (?) so I was y expecting a happy ending. Edit: I also read it around the time I watch this masterful video essay ua-cam.com/video/roRD4F9pg5s/v-deo.htmlsi=LltB1IBt930oiZkn and I just gotta recommend it because boy it helped me process the grieving from that book lmao
I dunno if this counts as horror but one of the most disturbing books I ever read was The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder. I was listening to the audiobook and reading it and by the end I had to shut off the audiobook just so I could read it as quickly as possible to finish it. 😅
Tender is the Flesh more hoffiying than the canniblism, was the deception. He lead us along like he trick the female. I could see through some of it but want a good ending I ignore the red flags. The ending leave me feeling used.
"The Summer I Died" from Ryan C. Thomas is my most brutal, graphic and disturbing book i've ever read.Absolutely shocking. Otherwise books from Edward Lee, Wrath James White, Tim Miller, Kristopher Triana, Jon Athan, but maybe that's too much for a lot of peaople.
@@bookinhand_ Just be prepared. It's a phantastic book in my opinion, but you're really falling down the rabbit hole. I guess i'll NEVER forget this book. Jesus christ...
I appreciate so much the fact that you weed out violence against animals and women ❤
No kidding! I dont like r-pe or animal abuse so she is on-point for me!
I agree, so good to know I don't have to worry about encountering those things when checking out these recommendations. Animal harm in particular, I cannot handle!
I guess I'm missing something: why nope out regarding reading about violence against women and animals while reading about cannibalism, childhood murder/children in danger, general murder, sado masochism, etc. can be considered entertaining/just disturbing/thought provoking reading? Seems like splitting hairs.
@@grammardragon8425 Personally (I'm not speaking for anyone else in this thread), animal harm is something I'm particularly sensitive about. So even if I know it's fiction, I can't read about it. It gets in my head and puts me in a bad place. So I'm not condoning any other kind of violence when I willingly read about it (nor am I saying one is worse than the other), it's just that I know myself and I know that this isn't something I want to think about when I'm reading for fun.
Same. Like why would I want to read about r-pe for enjoyment. How in anyway is it enjoyable to read about that?
That ending to Tender is the Flesh SHOCKED me. The part that shocked me the most was when Marcos was taking an investor on a tour of the plant.
Yeah the puppies and the breeding section, I will not elaborate.
I'm so glad I came across your channel when I wasn't even actively looking for anything related to books. I love the vibe you give off, so down to earth. Love the way you speak. It especially comes off as you having a one on one convo with someone. I'm loving it
@@thatmumof385 thank you 🥹❤️
I really liked Come Closer. Also your lipstick is fire.
Thank you!! NARS Star woman 💫
i absolutely loved come closer!! such a great creepy read.
Great list! A bunch of lists like this tend to repeat the same set of books, but you add a bunch I haven't heard of which is cool, thanks!
I dont read a lot of horror but youtube decided that this video was for me and i'm very glad it did. The amount of small booktube channels of such great quality is crazy, subbed
Thank you! I appreciate it ! 🤗
I've been trying to get into more horror and this was suggested to me so I'm very happy
I loved Penpal too! It gets mixed reviews, but I found it to be really scary. The ending😳
I also am always on the hunt for horror movies that will scare me. For some reason I find it very difficult to actually be scared. But I LOVE it when something actually does it.
@@morganj3970 yes! Exactly!
Thank you for the recommendations, had not heard about most of these. I am more the Shirley Jackson psychological horror type of reader. Have ordered Naomi’s Room and Come Closer; wanted to start with something “milder” before going to extremes. Highly agree that any type of animal abuse is a big trigger, and no, after seeing your charming miniature Doxie, I can’t blame you for feeling that way.
Thank you! ❤️🐶
Naomi's room began reaaaally good. Then, it just turnerd dark and nasty. I felt the nastiness was very gratuitous.
Me staring at the cute little hedgehog on the book cover
“There is cannablism involved…”🤣🤣🤣
@@AS-1724 💀😂😂
That bit in Earthlings when she goes to the teacher's house.. Very disturbing
such a refreshing video from my usual book bubble! and about the books I wouldn't normally read but now I want to!🥰
the extra appeal is the little fluffy dog nose at the bottom of the screen haha
Yes! She is the sweetest ❤️🤗
I concur! I stopped horror moons ago, but I will give some of these a try.
I've read Come Closer & Tender is the Flesh and liked both.
I don't think I've heard of your other recommendations.
Nice list! I now have some new additions to my TBR list! Thanks! 😀
Happy to see a horror/disturbing books video! 😈 it's not the most disturbing book I've ever read but based on some content you mentioned here, I think you could really love Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid. The most disturbing book I've ever read was probably Zola by D.E. McLusky, very much intentional gross out splatterpunk/extreme horror. Not a great book by any means but very effective in what it set out to do, so props to it for that.
I LOVED Juniper and Thorn, probably one of my favorites I've read so far this year! I have not read Zola yet! ill add it to the list - I've seen the cheese cover lol
Zola is........awful. It's gross for gross sake, which is fine I guess but it's just terribly written on top of that.
I read Still Missing based on this video and I loved it. Excellent recommendation!
I came across this video by chance and I really enjoyed it. So many 'most disturbing books' videos are the same books over and over, which I understand, but they're not offering anything new to add to my tbr list. There were some different ones here that I'm so excited to read, so thank you for that! Throw a cute dachshund into the mix and you got a new sub from me, lol.
Same, I’ve read only 2 from the list, so I have a new tbr I am starting asap, idk what but something about disturbing books gets me reading them asap.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it :)
You need to read The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks, it fits right in with these.
Came here to say!
Nah I had to throw that book away. I couldn’t read it because of the constant animal ab.u.se. Pure 🗑️ 💩
I will not be picking up any of these books 😂 but I enjoyed listening to you talk about them!
The Girl Nextdoor by Jack Ketchum got under my skin. It did exactly what it set out to do and I'm never reading it again.
I'm so scared of that one 🫣 the true crime case is brutal enough
@@bookinhand_Hi there! I literally JUST discovered your channel by accident, I have no idea how this video ended up in my "recommended for you" queue but when the words "most disturbing books" caught my eye, I HAD to check it out because I'm a lifelong bookworm! Anyway, as far as "The Girl Next Door" by Jack Ketchum is concerned, I strongly recommend watching that movie in somewhat small and adequately spaced out increments and when you're done, you might want to seriously consider watching SpongeBob(or anything fun, light hearted, and silly)for about, say, 5 consecutive hours. One of the most upsetting and deeply troubling aspects of Sylvia Likens' murder(the real life inspiration for "The Girl Next Door") was not just the simple fact that all of Gertrude Baniszewski's children, as well as several other children from the neighbourhood, subjected Sylvia Likens to such unfathomable horrors, it was also the fact that they committed those acts with a ghastly sense of enthusiasm because, and I quote, "an adult said it was ok". *shudders*
@@MissBaudelaire-z5f yeah I have avoided that one, I don't think I could do it
Woom was my first extreme horror read & I absolutely adored it!
It was mine too 😬😬😬😬
I loved Still Missing and you're the first person I've seen talk about it.
It was so good!! So underrated. I liked it so much more than Pretty Girls
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russle and its sequel Children of God are disturbing and well-written. The Book of Strange New Things and Under the Skin by Michel Faber are also.
Tender: Loved it. Earthlings: not so much. Still Missing: at the library. Bloom: very good. A Botanical Daughter: up next.
Hawk Mountain (Conner Habib): most disturbing book I've read.
Great content.
Thank you! I appreciate it! I've been eyeing Hawk Mountain and Bloom!
Oh Eathlings sounds so good, surprising how the story doesnt match how cute the cover is
Thank you for all the tips, now I finally have a list to work through ❤ The book that disturbed me the most was Let's Go Play at the Adams from Mendal W. Johnson. It was so disturbing to me that I wish I hadn't read it 🙈
I read the girl next door by jack Ketchum first and loved it so much I picked up let’s go play at the Adam’s and I can’t get into it. It reads like a philosophical novel from the 1800s or something 😆. It’s hard to read. It’s written so fancy
the first day of spring was so good. i loved it so much.
great list!
11:24 omg I really enjoyed Tender is the Flesh too, but totally skipped the puppy chapter, I couldn't do it.
Have you read The Troop by Craig Davidson? I love horror/disturbia and I couldn't finish that one.
Fun Fact: there's a documentary called Earthlings that is downright unwatchable at times. It goes into detail on why most people decide to stop eating meat if that tells you anything ❤ Cows is the scariest or most disturbing book I've read. Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis is a close second.
I think I'm way too intimidated to read Cows 🫣
@@bookinhand_ it's so gross dude. Like I know sometimes it's the icky stuff that peaks my interest but that book....the violence in it is just unnecessary at times. In fact, the story is pretty good, all things considered, but some pages I could barely get through.
I can relate. It's bad enough knowing all the horrible reasons why I've been vegan for years. And Fast Food Nation (book and film) def didn't send anyone I know running to the nearest In N Out Burger.
I enjoyed your reviews. I’ve subscribed! Thank you!
@@johnscardina6718 thank YOU! 🫶🏻
Totally off topic but your wedding ring is stunning! Is the stone a tanzanite? Love your book content too, i subbed!📚
PS I have wanted to read Naomi's Room for so long! I have read one book by Aycliff and it was The Lost, it was so good, one of the creepiest books I've ever read!
Thank you so much! It's a sapphire :)
That was the first one I read too!! Sooo good and creepy !
Hey I like your presentation so I subscribed. I’m def going to pick up some of these recommendations
@@Frag-Jitsu thank you! Hope you enjoy ? 🥴
I'm an extreme horror author....and friends with Duncan Ralston. I sent him this video. He loves when reviewers don't totally sh*t on Woom. Lol
@@shaunhupp1836 omg ! Yes! I loved it so much ! I can't wait to read more of his work!
Being a mom, babies/children messes with my head - and of course the first one has 12 six-year old children wanting their mamas. 😅😭
Earthlings is unironically one of my favourite books of all time. Id higely recommend life ceremonies by sayaka murata too!!! Im obsessed with her writing style
I love your videos!!🤗🤗
@@kristianascharrenberg9958 thank you!! I appreciate it 🥰🥹❤️
Earthlings threw me for a lopp lol. Tender is the Flesh was one of my favorites last year. Tampa made my physically ill and I couldn’t finish it.
I just read this from this specific video (Earthlings) and MY BRAIN IS LEAKING OUT OF MY EARS. Where did that ending come from!?!?
10/10, buying a physical ASAP so I can re-read and annotate.
I keep coming back to the fact that Nutting (Tampa) just wrote child abuse fantasy porn. I don’t know why it was ever given so much attention, it seems to be clearly written for, uh, pleasure, and I really don’t understand why it’s being sold so openly. I don’t know anything about Nutting, but I do hope she’s been investigated. This is legal only by a loophole and may not be a happy story, but seems primarily designed for the enjoyment of those with abusive preferences. Also the cover art is revolting, we all know what it is supposed to imply, and it glorifies abuse.
I agree 100000% I know she has more novels out too 😳
Tender is the Flesh is the only book on your list and the only one I could borrow. I was more than disturbing to me because, as you said, the premise is not entirely farfetched. Aside from the puppy scene, I did like the book and the ending kind of closed the loop on the premise for me.
This video was my sign to finally read Penpal! I got Exquisite Corpse a few weeks ago, and only made it about 10 pages in. I've never been so revolted by a book before and I've just full stopped.
I have exquisite corpse on my kindle- maybe I'll read that during that extreme horror vlog lol I hope you like penpal!!
Penpal's amazing
Locate a copy of “I have no mouth and must scream”. SF short story from ? 1970s? Harlen Ellison. Ellison was once mad at his publisher and sent him a dead animal like 3rd class mail which sat in mailroom.
Oh damn 😶 that is on my list for sure !
Tender is the Flesh is such a fantastic commentary on race, class, and the dehumanization and commodification of people under capitalism. To me, it is so much more than "meat industry bad"
Agree with everything you said about Naomi's Room. Read that book back in the late 90s when i was about 11 or 12, & so far no other book has ever managed to leave me feeling as terrified as that book did. I've also read Jonathan Aycliff's other books The Matrix & The Vanishment, & they were both really unsettling as well.
The other book I've read by him was The Lost 😳 I read that around 11 or 12 too and I was so scared ! I need to check out more of his work!
@@bookinhand_ -He certainly knew how to scare the reader. Hope you enjoy the rest of his work.
The first day of spring is genuinely the best book I have ever read. Indescribable read
If you enjoyed Penpal, you should read (if you haven't already!) Borrasca and Feed The Pig
I haven't 👀👀 adding to the list !
I highly enjoyed Penpal!! And yes the boxes chapter is so unnerving!! Feed the pig was really good too, but borrasca’s ending is DEFINITELY one you won’t forget!!!
My favorite book and the most disturbing I've ever read was A Little Life by Hannya... I forget her last name, but I'm sure it is easy to find.
Yes, very upsetting 😭
"The Wasp Factory" by Iain Banks isn't as hardcore disturbing as some of these, but it's definitely messed up and incredibly well written.
Just finished it... very good book.
I was listening to your video to try and get a recommendation for a disturbing book to read, and as you described Still Missing, I turned the video off and immediately downloaded it lol. Holy crap that poor woman!!!!
there is a French author, Romain Sardou, who's written one of my favorite books but now that I've tried to find the English translation - there is none... it is called No One Will Get Away, and if you ever come across it I think you'll enjoy it! It's a detective story but I was impressed with the level of detail and knowledge that's been put into the plot
I also tried to read another book of his several years ago, Forgive Us Our Sins, but I couldn't pass a couple of chapters - it was too disturbing!
Oooo I'm intrigued 👀👀
Found them in French. I haven't read French books in a while, but I should be able to.
Girl, your makeup is gorgeous and, don’t take this the wrong way, you are beautiful. Just saying, us woman need to support each other and appreciate another woman’s beauty.
Awww thank you so much !! I appreciate it 🥲❤️
I fully agree with everything in that comment 🤩
I agree!
I don’t know if you’ve got it already (hi, new subscriber here) but I want to recommend Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. I loved it but it’s so weird/disturbing/horrifying I am scared of recommending to people normally as I’d worry what they think of me.
@@antiagarcia7495 now I'm intrigued 😂👀
I will be adding most of these to my TBR, except I refuse to read Tampa. I loved the writing in Come Closer and Woom was the first truly disturbing book that I read. I recently read The Woods are Dark by Richard Laymon and even though there were so many dusturbing things in that book, I could not stop reading and finished it in one day.
@@meganclemons9604 Laymon is intimidating to me! Maybe I'll try again one day !
i don't know if you like mangas but Blood on the Tracks/Trail of Blood (same manga, just different titles) by Shuzo Oshimi is really great if you'd like to read something that has to do with the overprotectiveness/gaslighting/manipulation of a parent towards their kids. it's a heavy one for sure but worth to read it until the end.
Sooooo if you enjoy horror audio books, I think you would thoroughly enjoy the podcast The Dark Somnium!!! Lots of weird and really amazing horror stories.
@@ash_nobodyy thank you so much!! I need a new podcast !
Wow thank you for the list. I read “penpal” which is so disturbing but great book. Now “tender is the flesh” I hated it, thought it was the most boring, slow, crappy book I’ve read. I agree with you about the puppies’ scene I could not deal with it so I skipped through that ugh. But I am excited to read “come closer” I requested it from my library and “Naomi’s room” thanks for recommending them.
Tampa is easily the most disturbing book I have ever read. I have never physically cringed so hard in my life.
Love your reviews , have you read Butter by Asako Yuzuki? If yes I’d love you to review it .
@@suzetteschultheis8967 not yet! It's on my TBR for this year !
This video deserves a thumbs up for the dog alone! 😍
If I can give some criticism (which is meant as a hopefully constructive one): I didn't appreciate the spoilery nature. When you opened the presentation of the first book with saying "none of them make it out alive" basically in the first sentence, I got nervous. I've read Woom so I knew what it was about and after listening to that segment I basically skipped through the video just to see the authors and titles. 😕
Sorry about that! But, I will say that the synopsis contains that exact phrase, you know going in that it turns out that way. I'll try to call out any spoilerly nature in the future 👍🏼
@@bookinhand_ Yes, blurbs can be quite spoilery, too! I usually don't read those because of that reason! 😅
Or what I do is that I might read a little of the blurb and put it on my list of interest but if I end up buying the book, I won't read the blurb anymore and by the time I pick up the book I might have forgotten it.
Anyway, it was just a suggestion. I'm quite allergic to spoilers so other people might mind less. And I'm aware that it can be very difficult to decide what to say and not say in a book review.
I _did_ put this one on my list after all. 😉
@@bookinhand_ So, I just looked up the product page for the book at the publisher Coach House Books, and I saw that they seem to market the book based on that one. They only use a few sentences to describe the book and the two sentences that give specifics about the plot are: "Twelve six-year-olds and their three adult chaperones head into the woods on a camping trip. None of them make it out alive."
So please let me apologize. The blame clearly lies with the publisher's marketing, not you!
@@jensraab2902 i think you should assume if someone is doing a review of something that there will be spoilers unless they say there won't be, so look for spoiler free reviews instead of criticizing people who are doing something completely normal and expected lol
@@y7awsbe2000 Look, I gave an honest feedback to Book in Hand in what I believe was a polite fashion.
I am aware that not everybody thinks like that.
What Book in Hand makes out of that is up to her.
What you say does not match with my experience. Many reviewers (I'm talking about UA-cam reviewers) will announce that they're going to drop spoilers as a warning for those who do care. Not all do, and not all have the same understanding than I what constitutes a spoiler but many do.
So, no, I do not assume that if someone is doing a review of something that there will be spoilers.
But I _do_ look for spoiler free reviews. And it is these UA-camrs where I feel most comfortable with to have the same idea of what are spoilers that I will listen to.
That's the very reason I gave that feedback: Book in Hand will lose an audience like me if she drops spoilers without warning about them.
If she cares about that share of the audience, she will want to amend her reviews accordingly. If she doesn't mind losing that audience, she will not give heads-ups.
The decision is entirely up to her.
Like I've said before, I meant to give constructive feedback rather than leaving without saying a peep.
And in case you haven't read both of my replies, I actually did seek out the publisher's sales pitch and upon realizing that they give away what I think is a spoiler, I apologized to Book in Hand and fully blamed the publisher.
I still think it's a spoiler but I now understand better why Book in Hand dropped it.
Come Closer pops into my head when I'm falling asleep some nights. Loved it but I'm not sure I will ever read it again.
First Day of Spring!! One of my top books ever.
oh yay! I never see anyone talk about it and its a solid horrific read LOL
Woom is the only book I gave 5 stars for, THE writing, story telling and how smooth it flows is top notch 🤩
Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry was disturbing, but not in a way you’d think, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And then there’s Off Season by Jack Ketchum.
Kudos to you for actually finishing Tampa, I read 2 chapters before I gave up not because of the content but the writing, it’s like it mimics a male teacher preying on female students, the book or the main character had no personality.
Off season is on my list for sure ! It sounds right up my alley 😂 I did like saving Noah, it was so sad and upsetting and same, it stuck with me for a bit after I finished it
No other book, ever, has affected me the way Saving Noah did.
none of the horror I've picked up lately has actually been scary so I'm very interested to check these out :) thank u!!!
I hope you get scared by at least one ! 👹❤️🤘🏼
I’m not a horror movie person. But I love horror books! 📚 ❤
I read "Earthlings" and it was odd. Yuu's capitulation was unexpected but he was helping move the story forward to the vomit ending. The tension was good, but at no point did I think planet ooh poo pa doo was real. I'll gladly check out more of your recommendations if/when the price goes down, (retired and broke, gotta do kindle to boost up the font size.) Kind regards.
Chevy Stevens is one of my favorite authors!! I have read every book she has written and Still Missing was the first book that introduced me to Chevy Stevens. I recommend Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens.
Yay!! I definitely want to read more from her !
Naomis Room is one of my favourite books of all time. I've read it so many times
It's soooo good!!
Hi Peyton , i highly recommend " Flowers in the attic" by V.C Andrews. It tells the story of four children being locked up in theyr grandparents attic for many years and theyr fight to survive. Maybe not in the extreme horror genre , but a book you will never forget.
I read it when I was wayyyy too young lol I would like to revisit.. I think? 🥴
The second one was awful.
@@bookinhand_I read that in Jr. High I think
Confessions by Kanae Minato was pretty twisted. I also loved Convenience Store Woman and loved it so I'll be picking up Earthlings (I know the two aren't similar but I love her writing). (I just realized this was a like a 3 month old video. But hey, Ive subd! :) )
Red head + horror fan = dream girl
Well, can you cook?
Image of The Beast / Blown by Philip Jose Farmer. This is more like modern classic detective/horror, with a unique explanation of vampires, werewolves and many other mythological creatures from around the world. I've read this at least 3 times in the last 40 years. But now I find that not a single library in Ohio has a copy. So... very hard to find.
Great reviews! 👍 😈
Thank you! 😈🤘🏼
laws of the skies sounds like the troop by nick cutter.
The Troop freaked me out
I can recommend Notice by Heather Lewis. Just recently republished. Not for the faint of heart. Great stream!
Yes! That is on my list- nervous but intrigued to read it 😅
I read Doll House by John Hunt recently. You should give that one a try if you haven't. Disturbing and triggering to say the least.
When I think disturbing books, these two come to mind: Hell by Judith Sonnet and Nipples That Spit by Malika Micucci. I shudder just thinking about those two. Thanks for the list!
Adding to this list! I tried No one rides for free by Judith sonnet and made it 20 pages in before tapping out 😂🫣
I LOVE Things have gotten worst since we last spoke and Tender is the Flesh!! You have to read The Girl next Door by Jack Ketchum if you haven’t already - it’s based on a true story
@@mekiiiiiiiiii it's been the most asked about book in the comments LOL I think I'm too scared of it bc I know the real case 🥴 maybe one day !
The most disturbing books ive read come from a auther that i found books from at a yard sale called Richard Lamon i cant remember the book titles but one was about a circus, but ya very disturbing reads but I enjoyed the them!
So glad Earthlings was in this roundup :')
So good !
Wonderful, Wonderful Times by Elfriede Jelinek. Her work is amazing, difficult to read and stomach for many, but she has an interesting way of FORCING Austria to be accountable for its part in WWII. She also wrote The Piano Teacher, and funnily enough, she worked as a piano teacher after the same conservatory, whilst living with her mother.
I've seen the movie! I had no idea it was a book or the authors similarities 😳😳
Oh dear I hope she didn't sleep in the same bed as her. That movie was disturbing
One book that stands out in memory is "The Kind Worth Killing" by Peter Swanson. My complete Amazon review read as follows: "Two sociopaths and a psychopath. Their paths converge. What could go wrong? LOL Soooo good."
@@karinscott4455 I'll add it to my list! Thank you !! 😈
Oh I got some great recs from this. 😈 Earthlings had me mouth open gaping at the ending haha.
same, I was so shocked, I read it over Christmas and felt like it was all I could think about haha
I first experienced “Penpal” on the No Sleep podcast many years ago. Disturbing in a good way.
@@brenthays6539 yes! I had heard it was on there and need to check it out !
Omg read “Gemma” by Meg Tilly! Even more disturbing than Jack Ketchum’s “The Girl Next Door.”
Some non horror, but somewhat disturbing true crime books that I'd recommend would be:
My Story Elizabeth Smart
A Stolen Life Jaycee Dugard
Why Gary Why? Jody Plauche
Torture Mom Ryan Green
If You Tell Gregg Olsen
A Child Called It Dave Pelzer
Dismembered Susan D. Mustafa
You mentions a book, Pretty Girls. Is the author Karin Slaughter?
@@annefaithful9891 yes!
@@bookinhand_ Thank you for the reply! Just found you today. Already subscribed.
Just finished Depraved by Bryan Smith. Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets Wrong Turn. Really liked it.
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell, took me a while to recover.
I can’t read/watch anything where babies/kids get hurt. WOUNDS ME.
I didn't like the ending of Penpal but it made me afraid to go into my basement at night. (The "Boxes" chapter still upsets me.)
@@FormerBaptist yes! That one especially!!!!
@@bookinhand_ I've gotten a lot of flak from people online about liking this book, but it did scare me. I liked the way we could see the narrator/protagonist figuring out his past and putting the pieces together.
@@FormerBaptist same! Its ok to not like the same books y'all !
I read Tender is the Flesh in its original Spanish and I was pissed throughout the whole thing. The ending kinda surprised me but not really because the whole book is, in my opinion and among other things, an allegory to Argentinian’s obsession with carnism (?) so I was y expecting a happy ending.
Edit: I also read it around the time I watch this masterful video essay ua-cam.com/video/roRD4F9pg5s/v-deo.htmlsi=LltB1IBt930oiZkn and I just gotta recommend it because boy it helped me process the grieving from that book lmao
Oh cool! Thank you for sending my way!
Matt Shaw has some great extreme horror
I dunno if this counts as horror but one of the most disturbing books I ever read was The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder. I was listening to the audiobook and reading it and by the end I had to shut off the audiobook just so I could read it as quickly as possible to finish it. 😅
@@SWEETUMS101 that's on my list!!
@ I’m so glad I found your channel! (Subbed!) I’ve added so many things to MY list now! 😆
@ that you so much! I really appreciate it !!🥰🥰
Tender is the Flesh more hoffiying than the canniblism, was the deception. He lead us along like he trick the female. I could see through some of it but want a good ending I ignore the red flags. The ending leave me feeling used.
"The Summer I Died" from Ryan C. Thomas is my most brutal, graphic and disturbing book i've ever read.Absolutely shocking. Otherwise books from Edward Lee, Wrath James White, Tim Miller, Kristopher Triana, Jon Athan, but maybe that's too much for a lot of peaople.
the summer I died is on my list! I really like Triana, il have to check out the others! thanks!
@@bookinhand_ Just be prepared. It's a phantastic book in my opinion, but you're really falling down the rabbit hole. I guess i'll NEVER forget this book. Jesus christ...
@@ytriDlO 😭😂
That first book is the one that stressed my wife big time
Could you please tell me where to get those fantastic earrings? Thank you for all the disturbing recommendations.
Amazon - triple hoop earrings, they come in different sizes- thank you! ❤️
I read Woom in one sitting last night. I saw where it was going from the first page. I enjoyed it. Very fucked up, reminded me of Chuck Palahniuk.
He badman is really good especially if you’ve worked at a grocery store
I recently gave away Needful Things by SK because I’d forgotten the pet murder in it. Not having it!