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The Horror Writers Association (HWA) announces the first annual Summer Scares Reading List. In celebration of National Library Lover’s Day, the HWA joins with United for Libraries, Book Riot, and Library Journal/School Library Journal for this event. The reading list includes titles selected by a panel of authors and librarians, and it is designed to promote horror as a superb reading option for all ages.
The Summer Scares program seeks to introduce horror titles to school and public librarians and to open a dialogue between libraries and readers about the horror genre. A goal of the program is to facilitate the promotion of horror beyond the books on each year’s reading list and encourage reading for years to come.
Along with the annual list of recommended titles for readers of all ages, the Summer Scares committee will release themed lists of “read-alike” titles for libraries to use when suggesting books to readers. Helping libraries forge stronger connections between books and readers, the Summer Scares committee will work with the recommended authors and writers nationwide, providing free programming to libraries. From author visits (in person and virtual) to book discussions to horror themed events, Summer Scares focuses on connecting horror writers with libraries and readers all year.
Each year, three titles will be chosen in the Adult, Young Adult, and Middle Grade categories. This year’s Summer Scares reading list for 2019 is as follows:
ADULT
Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones (William Morrow Paperbacks, 2017)
My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due (Harper Voyager, 1998)
Earthworm Gods by Brian Keene (Deadite Press, 2012)
YOUNG ADULT
Rotters by Daniel Kraus (Ember, 2012)
Slasher Girls and Monster Boys, edited by April Genevieve Tucholke (Speak, 2016)
Devil and Winnie Flynn by Micol Ostow (Penguin Random House Publisher Services, 2015)
MIDDLE GRADE
Doll Bones Holly Black (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2015)
Through the Woods by Emily Carroll (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2014)
The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste (Algonquin Young Readers, 2016)
The Summer Scares program committee includes award-winning author Grady Hendrix (We Sold Our Souls, Paperbacks from Hell), Becky Spratford (library consultant, author of The Readers Advisory Guide to Horror, 2nd Ed.), Carolyn Ciesla (library director, academic dean, book reviewer), Kiera Parrott (reviews director for Library Journal and School Library Journal), Kelly Jensen (editor, Book Riot, author of [Don’t] Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation about Mental Health), and JG Faherty (HWA Library Program director, author of The Cure and Carnival of Fear).
For more information about the Summer Scares reading program, including how to obtain promotional materials and schedule events with the authors/committee members, visit the HWA’s Libraries web page (www.horror.org/libraries), Becky Spratford’s Reader’s Advisory Horror Blog RA for All: Horror (http://raforallhorror.blogspot.com/), the Library Journal, Book Riot, School Library Journal, or United for Libraries websites and social media sites. You can also contact JG Faherty, HWA Library Program Director (libraries@horror.org), or Becky Spratford, HWA Secretary (bspratford@hotmail.com).
The HWA will also host a special Library Day program at its annual StokerCon™ event, which will be held May 9-12 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Several of the authors from the Summer Scares reading list, as well as the committee members, will be in attendance. Authors and committee members will also be available throughout the year for onsite and/or remote appearances at libraries and schools to promote the Summer Scares program.
HWA is a nonprofit organization of writers and publishing professionals around the world, dedicated to promoting dark literature and the interests of those who write it. The HWA formed in 1985 with the help of many of the field’s greats, including Dean Koontz, Robert McCammon, and Joe Lansdale. Today, with over 1,500 members around the globe, it is the oldest and most respected professional organization for the much-loved writers who have brought you the most enjoyable sleepless nights of your life. The HWA is the home of the prestigious Bram Stoker Award® and the creator of the annual StokerCon™ convention.
