Emma's Favorites: Spooky & Classic

Rouge

A Novel

By: Mona Awad
Narrated by: Sophie Amoss
Length: 14 hours 42 minutes

“Magnificent, atmospheric, evocative. The ending was so beautiful, but I was genuinely devastated when it was over! My first Mona Awad title and it did NOT disappoint. Read more

Murder Your Employer

The McMasters Guide to Homicide

By: Rupert Holmes
Narrated by: Neil Patrick Harris & Simon Vance
Length: 14 hours 13 minutes

“Wickedly funny is the perfect description for this comedic thriller from Edgar Award-winning author Rupert Holmes. Wicked, because, the premise of this novel is the existence of a secret school dedicated to learning how to commit the perfect murder. Funny, because this novel is filled with word play, dry humor, witty twists, and characters you... Read more

How to Sell a Haunted House

By: Grady Hendrix
Narrated by: Jay Aaseng & Mikhaila Aaseng
Length: 12 hours 59 minutes

“This might be my favorite Hendrix book yet! The layers of family drama and creepy doll horror make for an excellent combination! And the audiobook reader did a voice for Pupkin that haunts my dreams. Read more

Mexican Gothic

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Narrated by: Frankie Corzo
Length: 10 hours 39 minutes

“Mexican Gothic is a fairytale turned nightmare, perhaps with a nod to Jordan Peele’s Get Out. In 1950’s Mexico, glamorous debutante Noemí receives a mysterious letter from her newlywed cousin Catalina. In frantic prose, she pleads for Noemí to visit her at High Place, the family residence of her husband, an English expat whom she has grown to... Read more

Rebecca

By: Daphne du Maurier
Narrated by: Anna Massey
Length: 14 hours 48 minutes

“Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier is my go-to rainy day book. Despite the ambiguity gothic novels thrive on, the characters in Rebecca were fully fleshed out and the haunted manor is beautifully described. It's slow moving at first, but once the tension builds, you'll have a hard time putting it down. Read more

The Haunting of Hill House

By: Shirley Jackson
Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
Length: 7 hours 27 minutes

“The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is THE book to read if you want to feel like you're losing it bit by bit with every page you turn. Eleanor is a fantastically unreliable narrator and I loved how Hill House served as both the villain and the love interest. Read more

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed

By: Helene Tursten
Narrated by: Ann Richardson
Length: 4 hours 52 minutes

“Eighty-eight-year-old Maud will be your new favorite octogenarian serial killer; do not miss this hilariously quirky collection of stories about what happens to those who get in Maud’s way. Read more

A History of Wild Places

A Novel

By: Shea Ernshaw
Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan, Cassandra Campbell, Gibson Frazier, Cindy Kay & Pete Simonelli
Length: 11 hours 58 minutes

In this “riveting, atmospheric thriller that messes with your mind in the best way” (Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author), three residents of a secluded, seemingly peaceful commune investigate the disappearances of two outsiders.

Travis Wren has an unusual talent for locating missing people. Often hired by families as a last resort,... Read more

Wuthering Heights

By: Emily Brontë
Narrated by: Carolyn Seymour
Length: 11 hours 34 minutes

“There's so much to say about Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, most of which has already been said, but it really is the blueprint for gothic literature. It's a dark, layered romance, filled to the brim with unlikeable characters and gorgeous prose. You'll either love it or hate it, but either way, read it! Read more

Her Body and Other Parties

Stories

By: Carmen Maria Machado
Narrated by: Amy Landon
Length: 8 hours 41 minutes

“Her Body and Other Parties: Stories by Carmen Maria Machado is a blend of urban legends and horror stories all focusing on the roles women play in society. Machado writes in the most beautiful, haunting way, and each story is truly unique and almost always a little uncomfortable. Read more

Plain Bad Heroines

A Novel

By: Emily M. Danforth
Narrated by: Xe Sands
Length: 19 hours 27 minutes

“Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth was by far my favorite book of 2021. It's spooky and sapphic and gothic to the extreme. The story switches between a haunted early 1900s boarding school and modern Hollywood with a rotating (and entirely queer) cast of characters. Read it read it read it!!! Read more

The Fifth Season

The Broken Earth: Book #1

By: N. K. Jemisin
Narrated by: Robin Miles
Length: 15 hours 27 minutes

“The Fifth Season is an amazing, dark, and gripping work that will hook you from the first sentence. I cannot express to you how much this book stunned me. Robin's narration is well paced and engaging. While I wish this was a book for everyone to listen to, it isn't; destruction, trauma, and rage follow the women and girls who tell their stories.... Read more

The League of Gentlewomen Witches

Dangerous Damsels: Book #2

By: India Holton
Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden
Length: 10 hours 30 minutes

“As much fun as the English language will permit.”—New York Times Book Review on The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the teahouse. . . .

Miss Charlotte Pettifer belongs to a secret league of women skilled in the subtle arts. That is to say—although it must never be said—witchcraft. The League... Read more

Monogamy

A Novel

By: Sue Miller
Narrated by: Sue Miller
Length: 10 hours 53 minutes

“Monogamy by Sue Miller is the depressing read you've been longing for. It deals with death, infidelity, love, family, all with grace, humor and heart-breaking honesty. Proof that ghosts aren't always people - they can be guilt and grief and possibilities. Read more

Pet Sematary

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Michael C. Hall
Length: 15 hours 40 minutes

“If you're going to read one scary book, let it be Pet Sematary by Stephen King. I don't scare very easily as an avid horror reader, but this one really kept me up at night, and made me highly suspicious of my cat for weeks after. Read more

Persuasion

By: Jane Austen
Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
Length: 7 hours 59 minutes

“I have a favorite Jane Austen book for every season, and there is no fitter pick for fall than Persuasion. It's nostalgic, bittersweet, melancholic, and always read best with a warm mug and soft blanket. Read more

The Night Circus

By: Erin Morgenstern
Narrated by: Jim Dale
Length: 13 hours 38 minutes

“A modern classic and the book that dragged me back into the magical realism genre. I've listened to this book multiple times and still enjoy it on the umpteenth time around. Morgenstern captures that same wonder that you remember from whimsical children's fantasy, but matures it into a complex and emotional tale. Read more

Slewfoot

A Tale of Bewitchery

By: Brom
Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
Length: 14 hours 14 minutes

“A dark and vengeful historical fantasy full of excellent storytelling. This book is both a mystical fairytale, and an intense horror novel that will keep you listening to see what happens next! Fans of Guillermo Del Toro films will devour this book. Read more

The Book Eaters

By: Sunyi Dean
Narrated by: Katie Erich
Length: 13 hours 27 minutes

“This is a fantasy novel that I think readers of all genres will enjoy. It is rare that a book with this compelling of a premise pulls it off so well - but The Book Eaters did just that, and more! I loved listening to this dark fairy tale. Sunyi Dean filled the book with wonderfully complex characters and impeccable world building. The... Read more

Build Your House Around My Body

A Novel

By: Violet Kupersmith
Narrated by: Quyen Ngo
Length: 15 hours 23 minutes

Part puzzle, part revenge tale, part ghost story, this ingenious novel spins half a century of Vietnamese history and folklore into “a thrilling read, acrobatic and filled with verve” (The New York Times Editors’ Choice).
 
FINALIST FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION’S FIRST NOVEL PRIZE • LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION • ONE OF THE BEST... Read more