Ten wintery horror novels

Claudia Guthrie is a writer covering culture, entertainment, and lifestyle content. Her work has appeared in ELLE, The Muse, Food52, and more. Originally from Kansas City, she now resides in Denver, where you can find her reading the newest thriller or knitting sweaters for her cats.

At Electric Lit Guthrie tagged ten wintery horror novels that will chill you to the bone, including:

I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

On a cold winter night, a woman joins her new boyfriend on a roadtrip to meet his parents, despite her doubts about their relationship. Things get more and more eerie as the two drive through the snow and arrive at his parents’ farmhouse, and the woman can’t escape her intuition that something is deeply wrong.

At under 250 pages, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a short read with a twist that packs an ice-cold punch.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue

Five titles where bad things happen in beautiful places

Sandra Chwialkowska is a television writer and producer who splits her time between Los Angeles and Toronto. Most recently, she served as writer and co–executive producer on the Golden Globe–nominated ABC series Alaska Daily, created by Oscar-winning writer Tom McCarthy and starring two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank. Chwialkowska holds a BA in literature from Yale.

The Ends of Things is her first novel.

At The Nerd Daily she tagged "five delicious mysteries and thrillers to feed our obsession with bad things happening in beautiful places." One title on the list:

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

A fast-paced mystery about the disappearance of two siblings, fourteen years apart, at an idyllic summer camp in the Adirondacks. The missing children are no ordinary campers either – they’re the kids of the family that owns the camp and employs the locals.

Read about the other entries on the list.

The God of the Woods is among Midge Raymond's eight books about women keeping secrets and Molly Odintz's eight thrillers & horror novels set at terrible summer camps.

--Marshal Zeringue

Ten titles to make you rethink AI

Erika Swyler is the bestselling author of the critically acclaimed novels Light From Other Stars and The Book of Speculation.

Her new novel is We Lived on the Horizon.

At People magazine Swyler tagged ten favorite books examining the impact of artificial intelligence on our lives and humanity. One title on the list;

Hum by Helen Phillips

Unemployed after being replaced by artificial intelligence, Mae subjects herself to experimental surgery to support her family, and to pay for a moment of escape to a botanical garden in a city rife with surveillance and devoid of nature. The novel’s AI — called hums — are an extension of the ways corporations and governments use surveillance technology, sometimes even taking on the role of caretaker in a literal nanny state. Most striking is the way Philips portrays the impact that tech has on parents and children alike as it considers both the anxiety around being watched, and the comfort in being able to watch and track another.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue

Five top mystery romances

Lynn Slaughter is addicted to the arts, chocolate, and her husband’s cooking. Following a long career as a professional dancer and dance educator, she earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She’s the author of four young adult novels: Leisha's Song, an Agatha Nominee for Best Mystery Novel in the MG/YA category, a Moonbeam Children's Book Awards' Bronze Medalist, and a recipient of the Silver Falchion Award and the Imadjinn Award for best young adult novel; It Should Have Been You, a Silver Falchion Finalist; While I Danced an EPIC finalist; and Deadly Setup, recipient of the NYC Big Book Award, the Maincrest Media Book Award, the Book Excellence Award, as well as a Moonbeam Silver Medalist and a finalist for the M&M Chanticleer International Book Awards, the Silver Falchion, and Imadjinn Awards. Her first adult mystery, Missed Cue, received the Independent Press Award for Distinguished Favorite in the mystery category.

Slaughter's latest novel is Missing Mom.

At CrimeReads she tagged five favorite mystery romances, including:

The Body In the Backyard by Lucy Score

The latest entry in the Riley Thorn mystery series features a madcap cast of characters. Riley’s over-the-top narcissistic ex-husband, Griffin Gentry, unexpectedly shows up begging for help tracking down the person who’s trying to kill him. Not surprisingly, Riley’s sexy private investigator boyfriend, Nick Santiago, refuses to take the case. But he’s overruled by Mrs. Penny, his eighty-year-old business partner, who points out their nearly empty bank account.

Their client’s selfish behavior and endless betrayals have enraged a bunch of people, so even with Riley’s psychic abilities and Nick’s skills as a detective, sorting through all the potential suspects is no easy task. There’s even a support group for women who hate the impossibly self-absorbed Griffin!

Meantime, the roof of the mansion next door has collapsed, and Riley and Nick’s elderly neighbors move in. Nick longs for some alone time with Riley for romance and a marriage proposal, but finding time alone proves to be almost as difficult as identifying Griffin’s would-be murderer.

For readers partial to romantic comedy capers and snappy dialogue, seasoned with a touch of the paranormal, this is a thoroughly entertaining read.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue

Ten top classic retellings

At Fully Booked Meaghan Mains tagged ten of the best classic retellings, including:

Great by Sara Benincasa

Inspired by: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

A young adult take on a jazz-age classic, Great shifts its glitz from Long Island over to the Hamptons. Mysterious socialites and unexpected tragedy shape the story, with a social scene that would make F. Scott Fitzgerald proud. The twists are modern, but the glam is all Gatsby. This readers’ 1920s’ loving heart is all about the Gatsby updates.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Great is among Sadie Trombetta's nine gender-swapped retellings of classic stories, Jenny Kawecki's five top steamy YA New York–set summer stories, Sabrina Rojas Weiss's four top YA retellings of classic works and Dahlia Adler's six great Young Adult retellings of classics.

--Marshal Zeringue

Ten literary adaptations coming to TV & film in 2025

Jalen Giovanni Jones is a Black and Filipino writer from Los Angeles, and is an editorial intern at Electric Literature. His work has been supported by the Tin House Workshop, the Lambda Literary Retreat, and ART PAPERS. Jalen’s work has won the David Madden MFA Award, and has been published by The Offing. He is the Assistant Editor of the New Delta Review, an MFA candidate in Louisiana State University’s Creative Writing Program, and is working on a collection of short stories and a novel.

At Electric Lit Jones tagged ten of the most anticipated literary adaptations coming to TV and film in 2025. One title on the list:

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Longlisted for the Booker Prize and the Carnegie Medal in Fiction, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun follows the solar-powered Klara, an Artificial Friend that carefully watches over Josie, a sickly child that chooses her to be her companion. Directed by Taika Waititi, and starring Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, Mia Tharia, and Aran Murphy, this devastating sci-fi novel’s adaptation gives fans much to be excited about. The film is slated for a 2025 release.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Klara and the Sun is among Sierra Greer's seven top stories of robot-human relationships.

--Marshal Zeringue

Five books that tell complex, hopeful stories about migration

An award-winning teacher, scholar, and documentary film producer, Stanton E.F. Wortham is Charles Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College. A linguistic anthropologist and educational ethnographer with a particular expertise in how identities develop in human interactions, Wortham has conducted research spanning education, anthropology, linguistics, psychology, sociology, and philosophy. He is the author or editor of ten books and more than 100 articles and chapters that cover a range of topics including linguistic anthropology, discourse analysis, learning identity, and education in the new Latino diaspora.

Wortham's newest book is Migration Narratives: Diverging Stories in Schools, Churches, and Civic Institutions.

At Shepherd the author tagged five of the best books that tell complex, hopeful stories about migration. One title on the list:

Border Porosities: Movements of People, Objects, and Ideas in the Southern Balkans by Rozita Dimova

I love how this book documents the many ways in which borders are not nearly as solid as we typically imagine. We tend to think about how migrants move across borders, and they do, but the book traces how people, ideas, and things have moved back and forth between Greece and north Macedonia over the past century.

I was drawn in by the compelling stories of how less dramatic movements of this kind have transformed individuals and societies on both sides of the border.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue

Five historical crime novels with Agatha Christie vibes

Fiona Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of eight historical fiction novels set in iconic New York City buildings, including The Stolen Queen, The Spectacular, The Magnolia Palace, The Address, and The Lions of Fifth Avenue, which was a Good Morning America book club pick.

[My Book, The Movie: The Address; My Book, The Movie: The Masterpiece; My Book, The Movie: The Chelsea Girls; The Page 69 Test: The Chelsea Girls; My Book, The Movie: The Lions of Fifth Avenue]

At CrimeReads Davis tagged "five historical fiction novels that incorporate [Agatha] Christie’s signature moves and will keep you on the edge for the entire ride, and don’t be surprised if the grand dame herself doesn’t show up in one or two." One title on the list:

The Author’s Guide to Murder by Karen White, Lauren Willig, and Beatriz Williams

The Three W’s, as they’re known, provide a fresh take on the infamous Christie closed-circle mystery in their latest collaboration. At first glance, it appears that a trio of nutty American female writers have shown up for a writer’s retreat at a Scottish castle just in time to find their host quite dead. But as the keen-eyed local detective (another Christie trope), dives deeper, the women’s characters—and their motives—turn out to be far more complex than they first appear, and the hunt for the killer becomes a matter of life and death. The novel is chock full of Easter eggs about the publishing world, and a masterful ode to the Queen of Mystery herself.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue

Nine sci-fi and fantasy novels involving tarot

At BookRiot Vanessa Diaz tagged nine top sci-fi and fantasy novels involving tarot. One title on the list:

Nova by Samuel R. Delany

Time magazine described Nova as reading “like Moby-Dick at a strobe-light show” and I don’t know if I can do any better! But since I must try, this space opera follows Captain Lorq Von Ray in his obsessive quest to harvest a “fabulously valuable” power source called Illyrion from the heart of an imploding star, all while locked in a deadly rivalry with a Prince Red of Draco, a rival political unit. Tarot is a major part of this galactic society, with readings being used to plot courses through space, and each major character is also associated with a specific card.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Nova is among Electra Pritchett's five top speculative fiction books featuring tarot.

--Marshal Zeringue

Five top spy novels set in small towns

Ryan Britt is the author of the non-fiction books Luke Skywalker Can’t Read, The Spice Must Flow, and Phasers on Stun! His writing has appeared with Esquire, Den of Geek, and Inverse, where he is an editor. Britt teaches for the Maine Writers and Publisher’s Alliance, and is a guest instructor at Colby College.

At CrimeReads he tagged five great spy novels set in small towns, including:

End Game (2017) by David Baldacci

Set in Grand, Colorado, End Game, is one of several books in David Baldacci’s compelling Will Robie series. In this page-turner, Robie and Jessica Reel are sent to track down…their boss. Like that disembodied voice on the tape in Mission: Impossible, Robie and Reel had always worked with a handler named “Blue Man,” who, in this book, goes missing in the town of Grand. In a way, End Game is the perfect example of a modern thriller that values spy tactics as much as fishing trips.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue

Five of the best novels about women discovering unimaginable strength through tragedy

Melanie Maure holds a Master’s in Counselling Psychology and lives in central British Columbia. She is second generation Irish and spends a great deal of time in Ireland, which is an enduring source of inspiration for her work.

Sisters of Belfast is Maure's debut novel.

[The Page 69 Test: Sisters of Belfast; My Book, The Movie: Sisters of Belfast; Q&A with Melanie Maure]

At Shepherd Maure tagged five of the "best novels about seemingly ordinary women discovering unimaginable strength through tragedy." One title on the list:

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

The narrator and protagonist, Ana, grabbed my heart and imagination immediately. Her tenacity, vulnerability, heartbreak, and clarity brought me into every experience she had throughout the story, one of which was being Jesus' wife. I loved that the experience of being Jesus’ wife was not the epicenter of her being. Instead, the depth of her longing to write and find her purpose in that calling shone through.

This book resonated deeply with me, helping to round out my childhood experience of religion, in particular, the bible being held in a very patriarchal view.

This book grabbed my heart and mind and would not let me go. I cried several times and finished it in a week, which is fast reading for a slow reader like me.

Read about the other entries on the list.

The Book of Longings is among Glennon Doyle's six soulful, life-changing books.

--Marshal Zeringue

The best nonfiction crime books of 2024

One title from the CrimeReads editors' list of the best nonfiction books of 2024:

Abbott Kahler, Eden Undone

In Abbott Kahler’s stranger-than-fiction account of murder in a utopian community, two couples and one throuple flee Nazi Germany to live an idealized existence in the Galapagos Islands. Honestly, the subtitle of the book says it better than I ever could: there is sex! There is murder! And there is utopianism, although it fails to translate into an actual utopia. But the best laid plans, when followed rigidly and put in place by bizarre actors, can’t possibly turn out well.

Read about the other titles on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue