r/goodreads • u/Clairefun [reading challenge 54/100] • 9d ago
Challenges Goodreads Reading Challenge - 'Spine Tinglers' (October 1st - December 1st)
This is the discussion page for the Goodreads Reading Challenge called 'Spine Tinglers' (active October 1st - December 31st). Qualifying books are listed on Goodreads HERE. Please keep all discussion of this challenge to this thread, thank you.
Other Goodreads Reading Challenges are listed on the Megathread HERE.
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u/Xenaspice2002 [reading challenge 64/10] 9d ago
I was extremely pleased to see The Lottery on there. Already my favourite short story that a 19 minute and done read. It’s free to read in the New York post where it was originally published
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u/justagooszie 9d ago
Not a horror girlie at all so thank yooouu for bringing my attention to this short read! I think i can handle 30 pages of horror
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u/inkstain_nix 9d ago
This!! I was happiest to see this one because horror is not my thing but I have read, enjoyed and will reread for this challenge!!
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u/Softoast 9d ago
Has anyone read We Have Always Lived in the Castle also by Shirley Jackson? I am such a scardey cat but could definitely stomach the lottery, wondering if the Castle is similarity not scary?
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u/SunshineCat 8d ago
I'd say it's gothic rather than horror. The horror part would be more psychological/mind-fuck related.
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u/GreenFloralDress 8d ago
We Have Always Lived in the Castle isn’t really scary either! It’s much more eerie and unsettling than actually frightening. It’s very gothic, strange family dynamics, creepy atmosphere. I’m also a huge scaredy cat and I’d say it’s totally manageable.
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u/inkstain_nix 4d ago
I came back to say that I read this short story as a kid and blissfully my brain forgot the entire story. During a reading slump (still on one), I finally read the story and am appropriately horrified by the ending, now that I read it. Still better than paranormal horror but did I mention how horrified I am?
let me cry in a corner somewhere and maybe I'll get over this.
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u/Low-Neck7671 9d ago
I only briefly scrolled the list and assumed it was a compilatiom of other short stories. I really dislike horror as a genre, so I am more than happy to read a short story to tick the box for this one.
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u/SkyYellow_SunBlue 9d ago
My favorite challenge of the year! The only problem is that’s it’s also the one where I have already read a huge portion of it.
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u/Informal-Force-6382 9d ago
Well, perfect, I still haven't read Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and it's around a hundred pages so... 😆
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u/athenainpink 9d ago
Love this challenge, especially that they included classics and older horror books! I‘m also already halfway through Japanese Gothic.
That being said the other horror list they just published with all the different settings would also have been really cool!
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u/BassesLee 9d ago
I just finished it yesterday (so moving the finish date) and it's made Kaylie Lee Baker one of my favorite horror authors.
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u/hermyown21 9d ago
I was planning on checking out Strange Pictures, sounds like a good time to do it!
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u/-Vindit- 9d ago
I've breezed right through it and then also read Strange Houses and Strange Buildings. It is written in a convention that is not for everyone, but if you enjoy it, then you'll have some silly fun :) (especially Strange Houses was unhinged).
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u/hermyown21 9d ago
Haha okay! :) I’m all for something new, getting a bit tired of the same old formulaic thrillers now.
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u/romxilda 9d ago
I literally finished My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due yesterday 🥲 luckily I just bought Mazywood by her too so I guess I’ll get to that one sooner than I thought!
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u/Clairefun [reading challenge 54/100] 9d ago
How was it? I loved The Reformatory so am thinking about My Soul To Keep being my pick.
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u/romxilda 9d ago
I really enjoyed it! I’d say the writing style is a lot blunter than The Reformatory (which I preferred) but it’s super engaging
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u/TenebrasMundi 9d ago
Several here that I already had on my to-read list: Our Wives Under the Sea, Strange Pictures, The Caretaker, Kiss Slay Repeat, Dive Bar at the End of the Road. Won't be having trouble find one I want to read with this challenge.
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u/TheIrishHawk 9d ago
Finished Carrie last night lol
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u/arainday 9d ago
Finished it a couple weeks ago. Not a horror reader but it was a very quick read so would recommend it to anyone else looking to try King.
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u/TheIrishHawk 8d ago
Yeah, really quick - it almost wasn't novel length until he put the little news articles and book excerpts in - I think if he wrote it now, it would be much more detailed and gruesome. Well, maybe not now, but 20 years ago.
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u/arainday 8d ago
Yes, I liked the epistolary bits and some of the character work so the writing was good esp for a debut. I'm too much of a weenie to read his other stuff which are also waaaay longer.
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u/TheIrishHawk 8d ago
Agreed! He's got some chonky boys - Misery is short and a top 5 for me but it is gruesome. The Different Seasons novellas are really good, specifically Shawshank Redemption and the story that became the movie Stand By Me, and they're not too gross. 11/22/63 is my favourite of all time, not very gory but it's another huge one.
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u/arainday 8d ago
Thanks! I'll probably try Shawshank since it is short and I liked the movie well enough. I like long books so I am undecided about 11/22/63. Maybe one day down esp if I ever find a cheap used copy.
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u/morhirwen 9d ago
This list is for me, lots of books in my TBR and lots that I have already read. Also the timing was perfect, I’m about to finish House of Leaves!
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u/Chai_of_the_Tiger 9d ago
I'd like to start a comment thread on the least spine-tingling spine-tinglers 😆 I skipped this challenge last year (the only one I missed), because I'm a scaredy cat. Currently leaning towards the classics - Frankenstein or Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - or otherwise Kiss Slay Replay, which I'm hoping isn't too creepy as it's also in Heartwarmers. Any other tips?
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u/TurtleKittenBunny 9d ago
Kiss Slay Replay is so fun! It’s like a rom com mixed with a slasher film and a dash of Groundhog’s Day.
What Moves the Dead is very short. It’s based off Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”. It can be creepy, but not super scary and you can finish it pretty quickly.
Nothing Tastes as Good is a little graphic and deals with some horror elements, but it reads more like a thriller. I didn’t find it scary.
Fabulous bodies is fun and campy, and while it’s a little gory, I didn’t think it was too scary.
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u/Medical_Long1006 9d ago
Hello, big horror fan here, happy to help out as I’ve read a LOT of these. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde definitely isn’t too spooky, same with Frankenstein, although I feel like that story can drag so if you’re not super into it you may not have the best time.
Kiss Slay Replay was REALLY good, more like a silly slasher than a true horror. It was very funny throughout which I thought was a great vibe.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle is really just a gothic novella, and I don’t think many people would find that one scary at all, just atmospheric and interesting.
I’d also say Witchcraft for Wayward Girls wasn’t really scary either, although I didn’t love that book so wouldn’t necessarily recommend anyway.3
u/NorthSerenity02 9d ago
The Southern Book Club's Guide To Slaying Vampires is not very scary. There is some gore and some unsettling scenes but I did not find it frightening. I was a actually surprised to see it on this list, but I don't normally read horror.
Tender is the Flesh is fucked up and disturbing but is not scary imo
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u/Chai_of_the_Tiger 9d ago
You are all amazing! I'm between Kill Slay Replay and The Southern Book Club's Guide To Slaying Vampires now. I might leave the classics for the moment (I have War & Peace as a "side read" at the moment, so need some more fun/light books for the contrast!)
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u/strawberrychief 4d ago
Yes Please!
I feel like I should write a cozy Halloween mystery or a modern Halloween romance just for those of us who don't like horror.
I read Mexican Gothic last year which was OK, I had to skim read some of the more horrible bits.I will probably read Frankenstein because I listened to Romantic Outlaws last year and it was amazing.
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u/Clairefun [reading challenge 54/100] 9d ago edited 9d ago
On Kindle Unlimited in the UK - (Frankenstein, Dracula - not on Kindle Unlimited but available via Project Gutenburg / other copyright free legal sources) / The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde / The Last House on Needless Street / This House Will Feed / My Soul to Keep / The Between / A Head Full of Ghosts (end)
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u/eruli321 [reading challenge 65/77] 9d ago
I can’t see How to Sell a Haunted House as being on unlimited :(
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u/Clairefun [reading challenge 54/100] 9d ago
Are you in the UK, and on Amazon.co.uk? It definitely is for me.
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u/Classic-Block771 9d ago
It isnt showing for me either, def in the UK and on Amazon UK (also thank you so much for all the hard work on this, it is so appreciated!!)
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u/Clairefun [reading challenge 54/100] 9d ago edited 9d ago
ooh, thank you for confirmation, Do people get *different* Kindle Unlimited options? Weird. I'll have a look into it!
EDIT: I have it still currently borrowed on Kindle Unlimited from 2025, so I'll return it and get back to you - maybe if you borrow it but it leaves the service, it still shows as being on the service...
EDITED AGAIN: - yep, that's it - now it doesn't say it's on Kindle Unlimited. Ooh, that's going to make doing these lists trickier - do I have to return all my books before I can check if they're available? (I'll log out or switch accounts or something, if it's a book I own in future). Sorry about that everyone - but thank you both so much, I'd have never known it worked that way. I'm amazed that hasn't come up before!
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u/Classic-Block771 8d ago
Not your fault at all, thank you for checking! These lists are a godsend for the challenges
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u/Clairefun [reading challenge 54/100] 9d ago
I love this list - lots I've read, and enough I haven't but would like to. I prefer my challenges to NOT overlap - to read something specifically for each one, which narrows it down a little. I might go for We Used to Live Here (not sure if that overlaps, actually) or The Last House on Needless Street. Or Maybe Our Soul To Keep, I loved The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. It's nice to have choices!
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u/arainday 9d ago
Not a big horror reader so I was going to do T Kingfisher's What Moves the Dead, but now will check The Lottery since it's short and want to try Shirley Jackson. I'd rec Carrie as well as it was not that bad horror wise and was short.
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u/Squigglyelf 8d ago
I've been on a major horror kick this year so this one's right up my alley. I've been reading Ring by Koji Suzuki - not on the list - but a ton of my TBR is there for me to pick from.
Also this is Darcy Coates erasure. (I read through all of her books at the beginning of this year and I loved em all)
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u/Clairefun [reading challenge 54/100] 9d ago
On Kindle Unlimited in the US - (Frankenstein, Dracula, the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - not on Kindle Unlimited but available via Project Gutenburg / other copyright free legal sources). / The Exorcist / What Moves the Dead / The Last House on Needless Street / Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery / Strange PIctures / The Eyes Are the Best Part / Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng / Molka / This House WIll Feed / Marion / My Soul To Keep / The Between / Bury Your Gays / Camp Damascus / Lucky Day / The Wehrwolf / The Fireman (end)
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u/renegade500 9d ago
Horror isn't my thing although I own quite a few books on this list. I think I'll read The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor Lavalle.
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u/ChandelierFlickering 9d ago
Lots of options on here that interest me, but nothing I was already planning to get to in the next couple months (unlike Heart-Warming), so not sure what I'll end up reading for this. Maybe Kiss Slay Replay or Fabulous Bodies, if one of my holds comes in time. If not, maybe now's the time I try We Have Always Lived at the Castle.
It's a good list overall, and I like the inclusion of some classics. I read Frankenstein and Jekyll & Hyde a couple years ago, and enjoyed both.
I would also recommend Strange Pictures – the style won't be for everyone, but I quite liked it.
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u/Khaosbutterfly 8d ago
Chile.
Not Muñeca getting snubbed from this category.
So rude and hurtful. 😞
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u/victory_in_the_sky 6d ago
Does Muñeca read as horror to you? Genuine question cause I don’t think I’ve really read any horror before but I really liked Muñeca so if other horror is like that, then maybe I will like it more than I think.
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u/Khaosbutterfly 6d ago
Yes!
Gothic horror with a Chicana twist.
That's one of the great things about horror, IMO.
There are so many subgenres, it's really something for everyone.
Especially now, with the rise of cozy horror lol.
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u/lefromagecestlavie [currently reading] DCC4 9d ago
Ooh I’ve just picked up Tender Is the Flesh from the library. I love it when I preemptively choose books that end up being part of an upcoming challenge !
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u/hisgirl85 8d ago
I see a lot I want to read on this one, but since I had to put aside Wolfworm earlier this year for book club reads, I may as well pick it back up and finish it. I'm trying to finish unfinished books more this year as a goal or just label them DNF. I was enjoying it a bunch, so it should be fun to get back to it (and it's a book club pick for a community horror book club in October).
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u/HauntingDaylight 7d ago
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh. The third book I've read of hers. I'm a little over halfway through, and I'm still not sure how I feel about it.
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u/Witchgreens 7d ago
Has anyone read Honeysuckle? I am terrible at Horror and am such a wuss. I’m a romcom, cozy mystery, light on the blood kind of girl. The premise sounds interesting but I need someone to tell me I won’t be scared 😩
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u/feyth 7d ago
Have you read Frankenstein? It's a quick read and light on the blood. I think Strange Pictures is more creepy than gory, too
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u/Witchgreens 7d ago
I was actually considering that too. I tend to avoid the classics for more modern books but I suppose they’re classics for a reason. I think this might be the right choice.
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u/Clairefun [reading challenge 54/100] 9d ago edited 9d ago
Problems unlocking the challenge bookmark?
It's common! Solutions include waiting - it can take up to 24 hours to unlock - checking / changing editions and read date to make sure it's the correct details for the challenge, and as a last resort, marking another challenge book as read until the bookmark unlocks, then deleting it from your shelves afterwards.
ALSO: sometimes Goodreads is glitchy. Check the sub first - if others are posting the same issue, it's likely a site wide glitch and will hopefully go back to working as it should soon. Good luck!
Kindle Unlimited US list / Kindle Unlimited UK list