Send us a text It’s that time of year again. A time to reflect, to look back over a tumultuous twelve months, and to talk about the horror books that helped us survive them. 2022 has been a helluva year for the good kind of horror. Far too much for one man to cover. So I’ve drafted in some highly qualified friends – Emily Hughes and Janelle Janson. They have their fingers right on the arterial spurt of the genre – and they have each read far more than me. Together we deliver this year's State of the Horror Nation – talking about big issues in horror, the key books we’ve adored…and the dozens and dozens of titles we’re looking forward to in 2023. We raise a glass to a late and beloved horror icon, we make some new year’s resolutions, and Janelle and Emily get a bit squeaky about their big horror crush. Bet you can guess who (it’s not me!) Thanks for all your support this year. Books picked: Ghost Eaters (2022), by Clay McLeod Chapman – ep. 110 A Child Alone With Strangers (2022), by Philip Fracassi – ep. 120 Echo (2022), by Thomas Olde Heuvelt – ep. 78 Our Share of Night (2022), by Mariana Enriquez All the White Spaces (2022), by Ally Wilkes – ep. 76 We Are Here to Hurt Each Other (2022), by Paula D. Ashe Mary: An Awakening of Terror (2022), by Nat Cassidy – ep. 101 Burn the Plans (2022), by Tyler Jones – ep. 81 Just Like Home (2022), by Sarah Gailey Books anticipated: Don’t Fear the Reaper (2023), by Stephen Graham Jones Silver Nitrate (2023), by Silvia Moreno Garcia Vampires of el Norte (2023), by Isabel Cañas Pinata (2023), by Leopoldo Gout Tell Me I’m Worthless (2023), by Alison Rumfitt (already out in UK) Spite House (2023), by Jonny Compton Lone Women (2023), by Victor Lavelle Everything Darkness Eats (2023), by Eric LaRocca Episode 13 (2023), by Craig Dilouie House of Good Bones (2023), by T. Kingfisher Nights Edge (2023), by Liz Kerin The Edge of Sleep (2023), by Jake Emmanuel The Drift (2023), by C. J. Tudor Bad Cree (2023), by Jessica Johns Maeve Fly (2023), by C.J. Leade A Light Most Hateful (2023), by Hailey Piper Looking Glass Sound (2023), by Catriona Ward The Beast You Are (2023), by Paul Tremblay The Salt Grows Heavy (2023), by Cassandra Khaw Burn the Negative (2023), by Josh Winning How to Sell a Haunted House (2023), by Grady Hendrix Abnormal Statistics (2023), by Max Booth III The Insatiable Volt Sisters (2023), by Rachel Eve Moulton Camp Damascus (2023), by Chuck Tingle Extended Stay (2023), by Juan Martinez House of Cotton (2023), by Monica Brashears Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.