Books You’ll Need to Stuff in the Freezer
Photo by David Dibert on Unsplash
I am not usually a person who loves to get scared.
I absolutely detest horror movies and have been known to cry if I’m forced to watch one. I blame my overactive imagination. If I see a movie like The Grudge or God forbid The Exorcist, I won’t be able to sleep for a week. I’ll run up the stairs in a blind panic thinking that some dead lady with greasy hair is crab-walking her way up to eat my face.
That being said, I do love a good crime drama. Give me a gory murder spree over a zombie movie any day. (I know, I’m deeply strange.) These are four books I keep returning to again and again when I find myself in search of thrills and suspense.
Read them with the lights on.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
I love Agatha Christie. My mom loves Miss Marple and Poirot, so I grew up with the characters, but this book is just on another plane entirely. I finished it in three hours because I literally couldn’t stop reading, I just had to know what happened next. Ten strangers are summoned to a secluded, private island by a host who never materializes. One by one, they start to die in mysterious ways, leaving the survivors wondering who will be next. It’s a short book, but Agatha Christie manages to pack in so much plot and character and suspense without being overwhelming. This just proves that Christie is the queen of mystery. The writing is so atmospheric; I definitely felt claustrophobic imagining myself on that island with no electricity or communication with the outside world.
2. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
This is quite possibly my favorite book of all time. The narrator is an unnamed young woman who works as a lady’s maid. While staying in Monte Carlo with her employer, she meets an enigmatic widower named Maxim de Winter. The two engage in a whirlwind courtship, and Maxim brings her back with him to his beautiful country estate, Manderley. But the new Mrs. de Winter finds herself haunted by the lingering shadow of Rebecca—Max’s first wife—and a secret that threatens to destroy her marriage, and her life. Everything about this book is stunning. Daphne DuMaurier’s writing is gripping., and the characters are all distinct and well-developed. The whole book is steeped in this feeling of eeriness and foreboding. Bonus: The 1940 Hitchcock adaptation starring Joan Fontaine brings this book to life spectacularly. If nothing else read the first sentence of the book, and see if you’re not tempted to find out more: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”
3. Misery by Stephen King
Full disclosure: I just read this book last week, but it was so good I had to include it. Paul Sheldon, a bestselling novelist, wakes up from a horrible car crash with two broken legs. Instead of finding himself in a hospital, he learns he’s trapped with the dangerously unbalanced Annie Wilkes, who declares herself to be his “number one fan.” This book is an epically oogey butt-clencher. It was so creepy and disturbing and I loved every second of it. Annie Wilkes just comes alive with King’s writing; there were several times when I had to look over my shoulder to make sure she wasn’t lurking behind me with an ax. It’s a testament to the power of King’s storytelling ability that a book that features two characters for the majority of the book can be so utterly engrossing.
4. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
This is a bizarre, spine-tingling story that you should definitely read only in the cold light of day. After Noemí Taboada receives a cryptic letter from her cousin Catalina, she travels to High Place, the dilapidated mansion that belongs to Catalina’s darkly charismatic new husband, Virgil Doyle. Upon arriving, Noemí is immediately plagued by nightmares; as she begins to uncover the dark secrets of the Doyle family, she realizes that there is something lurking in the house that may not let her leave. I’m already a sucker for gothic novels, but this book kicks it up a notch. Moreno-Garcia weaves psychological horror with Mexican folklore to create something entirely new. You’ll never look at mushrooms the same way.