Send us a text This week we’re doing something different. No author and no single book. Instead it’s a roundtable discussion, with Sadie Hartmann (AKA Mother Horror) and Emily Hughes, the genius loci behind Tor Nightfire. Together we look back over the last six months – the highs, the not-so-many-lows and all the endless twitter controversies – to address the state of the horror nation at the midpoint of 2021. All three of us talk about the books we have loved the most so far this year, what else we are looking forward to in the months ahead, and what our hopes are for horror writing in general. We also address the concerns around trauma, trigger warnings, twitter subtweeting and the endless, vice-like grip of Goodreads. If you want to get a true sense of the breadth and depth of the horror being created right now, then this is designed for you. Also, if you just want to listen to three horror nerds talk about scary stuff whilst you do the ironing, then it’s also for you. Basically, it’s for everyone. Cos I’m a giver. Enjoy! Emily Hughes’ list of horror books to be excited about in 2021 is HERE. The (huger-than-normal) list of books mentioned in this episode includes: The Picks Hearts Strange and Dreadful (2021), by Tim McGregor Goddess of Filth (2021), by V. Castro Last One at the Party (2021), by Bethany Clift Children of Chicago (2021), by Cynthia Pelayo Star Eater (2021), by Kerstin Hall Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke (2021), by Eric LaRocca Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy (2021), by Hailey Piper In That Endlessness, Our End (2021), by Gemma Files Coming Soon Immortelle, by Catherine McCarthy - July The Book Of Accidents, by Chuck Wendig – July Come With Me, by Ronald Malfi - July Revelator, by Daryl Gregory – August The Glassy Burning Floor of Hell, by Brian Evenson – August Chasing the Boogeyman, by Richard Chizmar - August My Heart is a Chainsaw, by Stephen Graham Jones – August Cackle, by Rachel Harrison – October Reprieve, by James Han Mattson – October Nothing but Blackened Teeth, by Cassandra Khaw - October Something More Than Night, by Kim Newman - November Assorted Others The Library at Mount Char (2015), by Scott Hawkins The Last House on Needless Street (2021), by Catriona Ward Rawblood (2015), by Catriona Ward A Head Full of Ghosts (2015), by Paul Tremblay The Twisted Ones (2019), by T. Kingfisher Starving Ghosts in Every Thread (2020), by Eric LaRocca The Family Plot (2016), by Cherie Priest Boy’s Life (1991), by Robert McCammon Support the show on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/TalkingScaredPod Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected]. Thanks to Adrian Flounders for graphic design. 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.