As Covid bites, things like transportation; shipping, unloading, distribution, takes its toll on getting all my beautiful pukapuka delivered. They are arriving slowly, slowly and it seems I must have had a look at the Horror collection and decided we needed more 😊 So, if you are in need of a tense nailbiter maybe some of these might do the trick. The covers are disturbing enough for me. At least it’s not real….

Horror Hotel / Victoria Fulton & Faith McClaren

“This YA horror about a group of teen ghost hunters who spend the night in a haunted LA hotel is a Blair Witch Project for the TikTok generation. A group of teen ghost hunters travel to a haunted hotel, the site of an infamous LA tragedy, to spend the night and secretly film after dark. It's just one night...what's the worst that could happen? But when they stumble upon a dead body in the former room of a notorious killer, they quickly realize that they're in over their heads. Sometimes it's the dead who need our help and the living we should fear.” – Wheeler’s website. Seems like this book was inspired by the true story of a notorious Los Angeles hotel inhabited by all sorts of unsavoury people over the years, and where a student went missing, leaving a mystery to be solved. The mystery (not this book) has been made into a Netflix 4-part docuseries “The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” and also a Podcast.

Netflix https://www.netflix.com/nz/title/81183727

Podcast https://you-cant-make-this-up.simplecast.com/episodes/crime-scene-the-vanishing-at-the-cecil-hotel-l0_Zr6wc

Room Service / Maren Stoffels

From Dutch author Maren Stoffels, who also wrote Escape Room. This title segues nicely with the Hotel as a go-to venue for scary things to happen in doesn’t it?

“No parents, no rules. Fender, Linnea, Lucas, and Kate are celebrating Kate’s birthday in a luxury hotel. They’re here to have fun and make forever memories. They all know not to bring up what happened last year, especially on this weekend. All that matters is having the most epic time ever. But the party is over. Someone is leaving messages at their door. Someone who knows exactly what happened a year ago. Someone who wants revenge.” – Goodreads website

The girls are never gone / Sarah Glenn Marsh

Ok – we now move from haunted hotels to haunted houses …

Seventeen-year-old podcaster Dare takes an internship in a haunted house and finds herself in a life-or-death struggle against an evil spirit. The Arrington Estate is known for its dark past, notably the mysterious death of Atheleen Bell, a teenager who drowned in the lake thirty years prior--and whose body was inexplicably skeletal when it was recovered only hours after her death. Along with the rumours of ghosts on the premises, this is the perfect subject for Dare's new paranormal investigative podcast. As she digs deeper into the mystery with the help of Quinn, the new homeowner's daughter, and as her podcast gets more popular, it becomes clear that someone--or something--doesn't want Dare getting too close to the truth. Soon, Dare will have to reckon with the possibility that ghosts could be more real than she thinks. Because there's something lurking in the lake... - adapted from Goodreads

I have read some reviews and all recommend reading this one during the day…

Ace of Spades / Faridan Abike-Iyimide

This one is NOT a horror – but it is a twisty thriller and an atmospheric mystery with a solid 4.3/5 star rating out of 37,205 reviews. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42603984-ace-of-spades?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=csZbAevwqK&rank=1

This means it’s a goodie. Themes of racism, homophobia, and elitism. Brief synopsis: Two teenagers band together to track down whoever is maliciously targeting them.

“Welcome to Niveus Private Academy, where money paves the hallways, and the students are never less than perfect. Until now. Because anonymous texter, Aces, is bringing two students' dark secrets to light. Talented musician Devon buries himself in rehearsals, but he can't escape the spotlight when his private photos go public. Head girl Chiamaka isn't afraid to get what she wants, but soon everyone will know the price she has paid for power. Someone is out to get them both. Someone who holds all the aces. And they're planning much more than a high-school game... “ – Wheelers website

And you can access the library website here at any time to see what else is new, search for items, reading lists and links to Research and Academic databases.