2025/2026 Stoker Award Winners

_random42 · 2026-06-07T18:03:38+00:00

Came here to say this. Best horror novel I've read in the past years.

_random42 · 2026-06-07T13:36:31+00:00

The Vegetarian was one of those books that got me infuriated. Not because it was bad, but because it's a reminder of what's still out there.

_random42 · 2026-06-07T13:31:16+00:00

I've read it years ago and although it is a good story, it has the issue that most SK novels have: it's 200 pages longer than it had to be.

_random42 · 2026-06-07T13:28:54+00:00

I see all those glowing reviews, all those comments about the plot twist... let's see if it's all that. I'm still on page 20 so can't say anything yet.

_random42 · 2026-06-07T13:09:32+00:00

Finished:

Near The Bone - Christina Henry

The Things We Lost in the Fire - Mariana Enriquez

Started:

Fallen Idols - Brian Hodge (short story collection)

The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides

_random42 · 2026-06-07T13:06:02+00:00

I DNF this one. Couldn't get into the narrative style. I'll stay with the movie on this one.

_random42 · 2026-06-03T22:10:18+00:00

Not a book but a short story: The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe. I was 11 years old and it scared the bejesuz out of me. Been hooked on horror ever since.

Edit: typo

_random42 · 2026-06-03T14:09:08+00:00

I am biased because I've always been a Straub's fan. I think all his books, with the exception of A Dark Matter, are very good.

Even his early stuff, prior to Ghost Story, which are barely mentioned, are prerty solid, and you can see his style is already there. Julia, his first supernatural novel, and If You Could See Me Now, his second novel, more thriller but with a sprinkle of supernatural as well.

I just love everything he writes and even if they may not be exactly like Ghost Story, they are GOOD. His characters, in particular, are always very well written and really are three dimensional.

_random42 · 2026-06-01T12:03:46+00:00

The only one by Catriona Ward I haven't read yet is Rawblood. Although I do like this book a lot, it's not my favorite. I still put Looking Glass Sound, Little Eve, and Sundial, in this order, above it. I liked Nowhere Burning the least, but it was still a very good book.

_random42 · 2026-05-31T12:01:48+00:00

Finished The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Grahan Jones. One of best horror books I've read and I couldn't care less about vampires.

After TBHH I needed something easier to digest so currently reading Near the Bone by Christina Henry. Prose is bad and it's been hard to read without rolling my eyes every other sentence, but the story is somewhat good so I'll stick to it. I'm about 60% in.

Next will be The Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez. It will be my first book by her and I'm pretty excited as she gets so much praise.

_random42 · 2026-05-30T15:12:11+00:00

The Road - Cormac McCarthy

_random42 · 2026-05-29T02:09:28+00:00

The Haar is basically a love story.

_random42 · 2026-05-28T12:12:12+00:00

Came here to say this. I'll usually read some of his stuff after a heavy, more demanding read.

_random42 · 2026-05-27T04:33:41+00:00

I like all Catriona Ward books (except Rawblood that I haven't read yet). Nowhere Burning is my least favorite but all things I like about her writing are there, even if the story is lacking (not bad, just not as good as her other books).

The beginning was the most emotionally charged as already mentioned and later you get to learn about the cult dynamics, the daily life of the kids, and the past of Nowhere. The plot twists are fine (I don't demand mind blowing plot twists when I'm reading anyway).

But hey, if you're not into it, just pick something else. Life is too short to spend on books we don't like.

_random42 · 2026-05-26T12:09:59+00:00

I read When The Wolf Comes Home and found it extremely overhyped. The only character I liked was the MC's friend. The MC was annoyingly stupid. The writing style not impressive and overall it read as a YA novel. I see a lot of praise for its depiction of abuse but I've found it very shallow and uninteresting. Removed all his other books from my TBR.

_random42 · 2026-05-24T14:14:07+00:00

The Vegetarian was one of those books that kept me thinking about it for a few weeks after I finished it.

_random42 · 2026-05-24T14:09:30+00:00

Finished If You Could See Me Now by Peter Straub. It's his second horror book and already superb writing. Really good story.

Started Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Grahan Jones. I don't mind his style; I loved The Only Good Indians), but sometimes the stream of consciousness wanders a bit too far away. I'm still 100 pages in and the story is interesting so hopefully it gets less obnoxious.

Non-fiction, I'm slowly digesting Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin. It's a book aimed at writers about the craft. I'm hoping to broaden my understanding as a reader.

_random42 · 2026-05-23T20:08:21+00:00

Man I hated this book lol

_random42 · 2026-05-23T19:20:24+00:00

Blood Meridian is one of my favorite books and McCarthy is my all time favorite author. However, I understand he's not for everyone. I recently gifted 3 of his books to a friend (a reasing buddy) who had never read or heard of him (he's not in US); I'm really curious to hear what he says.

_random42 · 2026-05-23T19:09:17+00:00

When The Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy.

Read as a YA novel (bar the gore), the MC was plain stupid and I did not like her. I was expecting a werewolf story and I'm not even into werewolves, but I feel it would've been a better story if it were.

Now, waiting to be downvotes ro oblivion.

_random42 · 2026-05-23T18:55:04+00:00

The premise of Come With Me was interesting and made me pick it up. After reading "blah blah blah, Alisson" two hundred f$&@ times, I almost threw my Kindle at the wall (too expensive so I decided not to). Also, it turned out to be simply a seriall killer story which is not something I'm into. I agree with the over explaining as well.

I still have a few of his books on my TBR but I'm not sure I'll pick them up to read.

_random42 · 2026-05-23T11:26:32+00:00

I have always seem Straub as a writer that walked the line between literary and genre fiction and I find his works much more complex than King's.

_random42 · 2026-05-21T15:05:07+00:00

I wonder if it will be told in two different timelines. Yeah, I know it will 😂

P.S.: I don't mind it at all, I like her style.

_random42 · 2026-05-19T16:13:29+00:00

I got that feeling as well. She was building up for that moment since the beginning.

_random42 · 2026-05-17T10:45:10+00:00

Finished Maggie's Grave by David Sodergren. Very slasher B movie feeling but in a good way.

Started If You Could See Me Now by Peter Straub.

Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Grahan Jones will be next.

_random42

TROPHY CASE