CJ Connor is a cozy mystery and romance writer whose main goal in life is to make their dog proud. They are a Pitch Wars alumnus and an Author Mentor Match R9 mentor. Their debut mystery novel BOARD TO DEATH is forthcoming from Kensington Books. Twitter: @cjconnorwrites | cjconnorwrites.com
Don’t miss out on this stunning 20th anniversary edition of the first story collection by #1 New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill, author of NOS4A2, The Fireman, and more. The 20th Century Ghosts 20th Anniversary Edition features trippy sprayed edges and a new Afterword by the author. This collection includes stories made famous by their adaptations into the movies Black Phone and Abraham’s Boys. A modern classic of horror short fiction, this edition of 20th Century Ghosts is a must-have on your bookshelf.
I deeply admire short story authors and especially those who write horror. It takes talent to evoke such visceral fear in a limited number of words. If you’re the same way, you’ll want to read these six short story collections by acclaimed horror writers.
While their themes vary widely, each one holds up a twisted mirror to real-life issues. The stories contained within are perfect for savoring one at a time, or, if you’re really looking for a fright, devouring in a single sitting.
Ghostroots by ‘Pemi Aguda
Set in an alternate Lagos, these twelve short stories follow characters who are quite literally haunted by the past. Each one blurs the line between the strange and familiar, from a woman who begins to resemble her late grandmother to an architect whose latest project hides disturbing family secrets.
The Ones That Got Away by Stephen Graham Jones
You can’t go wrong with any horror by Stephen Graham Jones. If you haven’t read his work before, The Ones That Got Away will show you why. Graham describes the collection as “our own lives, inside out,” with characters who face the darkness lurking within their choices and relationships.
A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enríquez, translated by Megan McDowell
The stories in this translated horror collection explore the macabre side of everyday life. Characters encounter supernatural beings and are irrevocably changed for it (if they survive at all).
Falling in Love With Hominids by Nalo Hopkinson
Falling in Love with Hominids compiles Locus Award-winning author Nalo Hopkinson’s short horror stories written over the previous decades. Inspired by Afro-Caribbean folklore, they follow humans who encounter supernatural beings as dangerous as they are unpredictable.
Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung
Maybe it’s from reading Bunnicula at an impressionable age, but I am a sucker for a cover featuring a sinister-looking rabbit. In these genre-blending stories, Philip K. Dick Award nominee Bora Chung addresses real-life horrors through a speculative lens.
The Sea Gives Up the Dead by Molly Olguín
This collection brings fairy tales back to their roots: eerie and wild. From a drowned saint to a mother determined to find her son’s grave, each story has something powerful to say about longing and grief.
After you’ve added these short story collections to your TBR, catch up on The Best Horror Books of 2025 (So Far). See if your favorites made the list and find more recs like Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker and Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito.
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