Readers of Underappreciated Books discussion

What horror books would you like to see get more love? I'm always looking for great lesser-known recommendations!

Some of my favorite under-the-radar horror books are:

The Ghost Writer
The Dead House
Nazareth Hill
and my favorite book
Julia by Peter Straub

Short story collection I would recommend are:
A Different Darkness and Other Abominations
Old Farmhouses of the North and
The Black Maybe: Liminal Tales


A couple that fall under the horror category on GR, but really are more literary fiction that I would recommend include one of Shirley Jackson's less-discussed books Hangsaman and my favorite new read this year Bear Season.

Thanks for the great recommendations, Adrienne! I have Bear Season on my TBR. I gravitate toward anything with "bear" in the title. lol. But the synopsis of this book actually looks very good!

I love Hangsaman too, Adrienne! I agree with you that it’s more literary fiction than horror.

Theresa (mysteries.and.mayhem) wrote: "Thanks for the great recommendations, Adrienne! I have Bear Season on my TBR. I gravitate toward anything with "bear" in the title. lol. But the synopsis of this book actually looks very good!"

I'm a sucker for "bear" in the title or a bear on the cover 😄. Bear Season, luckily, lived up to my expectations. It's quite short. I read it in a day and plan to reread it soon. I was really impressed, especially for a debut.

Nora wrote: "I love Hangsaman too, Adrienne! I agree with you that it’s more literary fiction than horror."

So glad others appreciate Hangsaman, Nora! It seems to go largely ignored among Jackson's works, which is a shame.

Adrienne L wrote: "Nora wrote: "I love Hangsaman too, Adrienne! I agree with you that it’s more literary fiction than horror."

So glad others appreciate Hangsaman, Nora! It seems to go largely ignored ..."

I definitely agree with you on this, Adrienne!

Today I was thinking about a book I read a few years ago, The Red Church by Scott Nicholson. Guys! This book was creepy! It takes place in the mountains of North Carolina. There's something not right about the red church. I've been reading a lot of evil books lately (The Exorcist, Salem's Lot) and it brought this book to mind. If you're looking for a truly evil, although underappreciated, book. Look no further! I rated it 5 stars long ago. I need to read it again to update my rating (if needed) and add a genuine review to this one.

Under the radar books - favorites are:

The Exorcist's House

The Malan Witch

Tomb of Gods

Vampire on the Orient Express

I have tons more but thought I would throw a handful out there for now. :)