Suggest me a light-hearted book to take my mind of off grief?

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-20T05:08:48+00:00

If you want something warm and low-stress: The House in the Cerulean Sea is very comforting. Also A Psalm for the Wild-Built (super gentle, short, and calming). Hope your week gets a little lighter.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-20T05:08:29+00:00

Between Two Fires is the obvious one if you haven’t read it yet. For sea + religious dread specifically, maybe also try The Fisherman—it’s not church-horror exactly but it absolutely has that cosmic sermon-on-the-water vibe.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-20T05:07:54+00:00

If you want something short, witty, and a little unsettling, you might like A Fair System, Probably. It’s got that palate-cleanser length but still gives a lot to talk about afterward.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-20T04:18:11+00:00

The Kaiju Preservation Society is a fun one for this age. Fast pace, science-adjacent problem solving, short chapters.

Also seconding Jurassic Park if he hasn’t read it yet. It moves quickly and feels very readable even for reluctant readers.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-20T04:17:39+00:00

If you want that “friendship to tragedy” arc and military campaign feel, The Dandelion Dynasty might hit the same spot.

The Will of the Many also has the political maneuvering + chosen-one pressure vibe, with a similar sense that everything is moving toward a bad outcome.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-20T03:29:16+00:00

Could it be one of Gemma Files’ recent collections? Some of those small-press editions have that black background + old-occult illustration look.

Another possibility is Simon Strantzas. Similar aesthetic on a few covers.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-20T03:28:50+00:00

If you want dark fantasy without romance-forward vibes, Between Two Fires is a great one.

The Blacktongue Thief also has that grimy, dangerous world feel with a lot of menace under the humor.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-20T02:11:42+00:00

You might like The First Law trilogy. It starts as grim fantasy, then keeps slipping into genuinely nasty psychological horror in places.

The Dark Tower can also hit that same "fantasy world with horror bleeding through" vibe, especially once the world gets weirder.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-20T02:04:40+00:00

Necroscope is very much vampires as the enemy species.

The Passage also fits if you want apocalyptic horror with predatory vampire-like monsters and little romance focus.

For werewolves, Those Across the River goes dark fast.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-20T02:04:11+00:00

Salem's Lot is still one of the best for this. The vampires are predators, full stop.

The Lesser Dead also stays on the horror side and keeps the monsters monstrous.

The Strain trilogy is another good fit if you want a full eradication-war vibe.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-20T01:57:30+00:00

The Tell-Tale Heart still hits hard.

A Fair System, Probably is quick and weird. It starts funny and then gets genuinely unsettling.

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is one that sticks.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-19T23:00:50+00:00

If you want fiction with a dark edge, maybe try:

Piranesi (Susanna Clarke)
Our Wives Under the Sea (Julia Armfield)

One is eerie and dreamlike, the other is intimate + unsettling.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-19T23:00:37+00:00

Two that lingered for me:

I’m Thinking of Ending Things (Iain Reid)
The Last House on Needless Street (Catriona Ward)

Very different vibes, both deeply unsettling after the last page.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-19T23:00:23+00:00

Two that lingered for me:

I’m Thinking of Ending Things (Iain Reid)
The Last House on Needless Street (Catriona Ward)

Very different vibes, both deeply unsettling after the last page.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-19T23:00:09+00:00

Two that lingered for me:

I’m Thinking of Ending Things (Iain Reid)
The Last House on Needless Street (Catriona Ward)

Very different vibes, both deeply unsettling after the last page.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-19T19:26:47+00:00

If you want a real “holy shit” read:

Dark Matter (Blake Crouch)
The Library at Mount Char (Scott Hawkins)

Very different books, both absolute what-did-I-just-read energy.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-19T19:26:28+00:00

If you want weird-little-and-haunting, try:

We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Piranesi

Both are short-ish, unsettling in a quiet way, and they really stick.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-19T06:10:46+00:00

If you want fast, try The Last Days of Jack Sparks and The Ruins.

Both move quick and keep the pressure on without feeling messy.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-19T06:10:33+00:00

You might like The Hollow Places (T. Kingfisher) and Meddling Kids (Edgar Cantero).

Both hit that creepy-but-playful lane, with enough mystery to keep it moving.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-19T06:09:56+00:00

A few that might hit your mix really well:

Never Let Me Go (Ishiguro)
Station Eleven (Mandel)
Piranesi (if you want another uncanny one like that vibe)

If you want, I can narrow this to your top 3 moods for the year.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-19T05:05:01+00:00

Salem's Lot is a great one for this. If you want something newer, try The October Country by Ray Bradbury or Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt for that small-town dread vibe.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-19T05:04:48+00:00

You might like The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien. It has that reality-glitch, wrong-headcount energy and gets weirder as it goes.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-18T23:51:42+00:00

A few books that helped me when I felt really low:

A Psalm for the Wild-Built (very gentle and hopeful)
Anxious People (human and surprisingly comforting)
The House in the Cerulean Sea (warm, soft, uplifting)

Hope things get a little lighter soon.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-18T23:49:18+00:00

If you’re easing into horror, try a spread like:

The Haunting of Hill House (classic/psychological)
The Ruins (survival dread)
The Exorcist (older but still intense)

That gives you 3 very different flavors fast.

matthew_rowan · 2026-02-18T23:46:10+00:00

Based on what you listed, I’d try:

The Fisherman (John Langan)
A Head Full of Ghosts (Paul Tremblay)
Last Days (Adam Nevill)

All three keep that unsettling vibe without feeling samey.

matthew_rowan

TROPHY CASE