I became a Sadie Hartmann (aka, Mother Horror) fan after I read her 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered (you can read my review here). Sadie is back just in time for Halloween with her latest book: Feral and Hysterical: Mother Horror’s Ultimate Reading Guide to Dark and Disturbing Fiction by Women.

This is a browser’s delight with over a hundred scary books categorized by subject and themes. Just take a look at the Table of Contents and you’ll see how Sadie Hartmann organized the many books she recommends.

Fair Warning: you’ll find dozens of books you’ll want to read in Feral and Hysterical: Mother Horror’s Ultimate Reading Guide to Dark and Disturbing Fiction by Women. And maybe a few TV shows and movies, too!

What a great way to celebrate Halloween! GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. Foreword by Anna Ahilborn — 6
2. Introduction by Sadie Hartmann — 9
3. What is Vibes Reading? — 11
4. How to Use This Book — 13
5. Twisted Haunted Houses — 15
6. I See Dead People — 21
7. Bloodthirsty — 25
8. Unhappily Ever After: Dark Folklore, Fantasy, and Fairy Tales — 31
9. Don’t Go in the Woods — 37
10. “The Horror is so Close” by Christina Henry — 42
11. Documentaries, Cursed Films, and Found Footage — 45
12. Women vs. The Cult — 49
13. Gothic Secret Societies — 53
14. An Escape to a Beautiful Estate with Unexpected Darkness — 57
15. Gótico Familia — 61
16. The Tropiest Gothic Horror Trope Ever –67
17. If These Walls Could Talk — 71
18. “Damsels and Demons” by Laura Purcell — 76
19. Horrormance — 78
20. Horromantasy — 83
21. Cottage Spells & Family Sagas — 87
22. 50 States, 50 Books by Women — 92
23. Women of Splatterpunk — 101
24. What Women Say About Femicide in Latin America Through Horror Fiction — 107
25. “On Feminist Fiction” by Alexis Henderson — 112
26. Eat Your Vegetables — 115
27. On the Farm — 119
28. Swampcore & Sporror — 123
29. Not Your Dad’s Westerns — 129
30. Exposing Historical Erasure — 132
31. “History and Horror” by Alma Katsu — 136
32. Psychic Trauma — 139
33. Survive Your Living Nightmares — 142
34. Save Yourself from Hell — 145
35. Echoes of Frankenstein — 148
36. Ladies of October: Vintage Horror — 151
37. Dangerous Games — 157
38. The Kids Are Not Alright — 161
39. Sisterhood — 164
40. Motherhood in Extremis — 169
41. Maternal Instincts — 173
42. Like Mother, Like Daughter — 176
43. Behind Closed Doors — 180
44. “Just Like Other Girls” by Rae Wilde — 184
45. Skin Deep: The Ugly Side of Beauty — 187
46. Transformations — 191
47. Book Checklist — 194
48. How to Build Your Home Library (Sustainably) and Read More Books — 199
49. Acknowledgments — 201
50. About the Author — 203
51. Index — 204