Friday Favorites: Horror with a Dash of Humor

For Friday Favorites, I will be sharing some books or authors or genres that I find interesting and enjoy. Please feel free to leave a book/blog related comment.

This week's subject is Horror with a dash of Humor. 

It seems from time to time that many people like to read a little horror while others prefer a steady diet of it. I  like it now and then, but don't read it constantly. And I prefer my horror to come with the occasional comic relief. It breaks some of the tension and sometimes sets you up for the next scare. 

Why do people like to read horror at all? There are many reasons. The one I found most interesting was that it gives people control. If it's getting too scary, you can close the book for a while. You can decide how scary the book you pick is. And sometimes this is the best thing we can do when the world around us is crazy. 

Some of my favorite horror/humor authors are: Lindy Ryan, Maureen Kilmer, Grady Hendrix, and Christopher Moore. Although Christopher Moore's books I think are more humor than horror. And full disclosure I haven't read Slayers of Old by Jim C. Hines yet nor Anima Rising by Christopher Moore. And I have just dipped into the anthology Blood Lite from time to time.

I'm looking forward to Slayers of Old. Here's a quotation I found on Amazon from it. "As a Hunter, my body reacted to the presence of unnatural threats: monsters and demons and people who hung the toilet paper roll "under" instead of "over." My duty was to track down and end these threats." 

Lindy Ryan's stories of the Evans women - Bless Your Heart and Another Fine Mess were joined by Dollface this year in the horror with a dash of humor category. Dollface is not one of the Evans women, but it is a story about a serial killer killing off people in the PTA of an elementary school.

Christopher Moore's book, A Dirty Job, asks the question what would happen if you had to raise a toddler while perhaps being the personification of death. The Stupidest Angel - "a heart warming tale of Christmas terror" cautions be careful what you wish for and combines the undead with the holiday season.

If you haven't already, do also check out Maureen Kilmer and Grady Hendrix. For more on horror and humor suggestions, my post from this past October is still available to read, Spooky Season Recommendations. 

Do you like to read horror with or without humor? What are some of your favorite authors or books? Drop a line in the comments. Happy Reading!

Book Review: Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

 

From the publisher:

From Sally Hepworth, the New York Times bestselling author of The Soulmate and The Good Sister, comes a twist-filled, darkly funny mystery about the two kinds of people no one ever expects to be murderers: little girls and old ladies.

Meet Mad Mabel.

Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is eighty-one years old. She's lived on her idyllic street, Kenny Lane, for sixty years--longer than anyone else. Aside from being a curmudgeon who minds everyone else's business, few would suspect that Elsie has a past that she has worked exceedingly hard at concealing. Because when it comes to murder, no one ever suspects little girls or old ladies. And Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, once a little girl and now an old lady, has a strange history of people in her life coming to a foul end.

When a new little girl (talkative, curious, nosy) moves into the neighborhood and stops at nothing to befriend Elsie, her carefully-constructed life threatens to come crashing down as the secrets in Elsie's past start coming to light. Who was "Mad Mabel" fifty years ago? Who is Elsie Fitzpatrick today? And if the past has a habit of repeating itself, who has the most to lose?

Told with Sally Hepworth's twists, humor, charm, and heart, MAD MABEL is novel that weaves past and present together--through the power of justice and redemption, and all the way to its stunning conclusion.

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth was published April 21, 2026 by St. Martin's Press.

My thoughts: Mabel is a very interesting character both in the past and the present. We get to read her creation story as well as what she has become. Her story has plenty of tragedy and death. But, there are lighter moments as well. This is less a mystery and more domestic suspense. I liked Mabel and Persephone. I thought Daphne was interesting as well. 

There are twists and turns that are revealed mostly through Mabel's interview and looking back at her life. There is tension about what she is revealing of her past as well as what's going on in her present.The plot moved along fast enough. Some things in the end were predictable while others were not.

I gave this book 5 stars. I enjoyed reading it. If you like domestic suspense with twists and some dark humor, then this could be a good book for you.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #609: Dead Lift by Clio Evans

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: Lights Out meets Butcher & Blackbird in Dead Lift, a serial killer romcom from beloved author Clio Evans.

Murdering a man isn't hard. Getting rid of the body, though? That’s another story.

Forensic scientist Shelby has a simple plan. Get justice for her sister, kill the men who murdered her, and (hopefully) get away with it. But when a hot himbo with a man bun catches Shelby in the act—her simple plan becomes a lot more complicated.

With her pink hazmat suit and butcher knife, Shelby is the most alluring woman Brad has ever met. He’s in danger, but he’s never felt more alive. He needs to be in her life, even if it means risking his.

Brad offers to be her henchman. Shelby grudgingly decides to spare his life. What could possibly go wrong?

It turns out everything.

Will Shelby finally get the justice she’s sacrificed her future for? Or will falling for her hot himbo henchman ruin it all?

Dead Lift by Clio Evans is expected out January 5, 2027 from Bramble.

Why am I waiting on this book? It's really an absurd way for a couple to meet. The pink hazmat suit is funny. It's going to entail a sizable amount of suspension of disbelief, but it's meant to be entertainment not a how to or how not to book. I want to know if she gets away with it and just what goes wrong. And while it comes out in January 2027, I expect it will find it's way into a few beach bags come summer.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Pants on Fire by Alex A. King

 

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read. 2: Open to a random page. 3: Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author so that other people can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

 

Nat is a Chihuahua, though. She'll never let this go. She's Katie's ride-or-die, and right now she's in her Die! Die! Die! mode. At this rate, Tyler won't be there for his child's birth. Not if she doesn't keep Nat away from sharp things. And poisons. 

p. 12 Pants on Fire by Alex A. King

Pants on Fire was published May 9, 2025. I think it would make a great Beach Read. It's the 10th book in The Women of Greece series and can be read as a standalone.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #608: To All the Men I’ve Killed Before by Katy Brent

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher:

The brand-new novel from the bestselling author of How to Kill Men and Get Away With it. Available to pre-order now!

If a man hurt your best friend – like, really hurt her – what would you do?

Key his car? Or hunt him down and chop him into little pieces? Tough decision, I know.

I’ve tracked this lowlife to LA and brought my little sister Antoinette along for the ride. I'm trying not to be irritated that she's found a taste for murder and is leaving body parts all over our hotel. Because this girls’ trip needs a Hollywood ending.

And of all the men I've killed before, this one will be the sweetest…

To All the Men I've Killed Before by Katy Brent is expected out August 25, 2026 from HQ Digital.

Why am I waiting on this book? It sounds outrageous and like it will be a lot of fun to read. I suspect the urge to commit bodily harm on someone who really hurt your best friend has passed through more than a few minds.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Rich Girl by Julie Mulhern

 

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read. 2: Open to a random page. 3: Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author so that other people can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

 

"Steam exited Frances's ears, swirling around her perfectly coiffed head until it formed demon horns.

The angel on my right shoulder feared for the officer's well-being. The demon on my left rubbed its hands together in anticipatory glee."

p.7 Rich Girl by Julie Mulhern

Rich Girl was published March 10, 2026 by J & M Press.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #607: The Demon Overlord's Retirement Plan by M.H. Foster

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: The Demon Overlord retires to farm turnips in peace, only to find life in a small village far more chaotic than he ever could have anticipated in this laugh-out-loud debut cozy fantasy with teeth. Includes an exclusive bonus adventure coming 8/25/26! 

When destroying the world and killing the hero grows boring, what's a Demon Overlord to do but quit while he's ahead?

Galornus Prime was the Scourge of Nations, Ender of Hope, and Master of the Cardinal Sins. He had done everything worth doing. Some of it more than once.

His retirement plan was simple: get a goat, farm quietly, and avoid accidentally conquering anything. The plan didn't include soul-crushing town halls, after-school combat lessons with children, and a war with perhaps his most worthy nemesis yet: the rose-growing, seventy-three year-old widow next door. 

Even in retirement, evil never sleeps...but it does plant turnips.

When corrupt officials and greedy merchants threaten his infuriatingly loveable neighbors, Galornus faces a new kind of challenge: saving the village without revealing he is the monster parents invoke to make children eat their vegetables.

The Demon Overlord’s Retirement Plan is a cozy fantasy with teeth, where the hardest battle isn’t defeating heroes—it’s staying retired and learning how to live after 444 lifetimes of villainy.

The Demon Overlord's Retirement Plan by M.H. Foster is expected out August 25, 2026 from Grand Central Publishing.

Why am I waiting on this book? I like the premise. What happens to evil when it decides enough is enough? Can it peacefully retire to a small, obscure village? My favorite line from the synopsis though is: "Even in retirement, evil never sleeps... but it does plant turnips." It sounds like it will be an interesting and fun read.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Errands and Espionage by Sam Tschida

 

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read. 2: Open to a random page. 3: Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author so that other people can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

There was something so comforting about a pancake--perfectly round and tan as a buckskin pony. Wanting kids as an adult was a lot like wanting a pony as a child--you couldn't know how much work they'd be until you got them home.

Errands and Espionage by Sam Tschida

This book was published August 6, 2024 by Forever. If you have Kindle Unlimited, it is currently a reading choice there.

And if you enjoy this book, you will most likely also enjoy the Poppy Fields' Adventures series by Julie Mulhern. Book one is Fields' Guide to Abduction.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #606: Silver Fox by Adam Borba

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: A riotous debut spy comedy that follows an elderly retired CIA operative who has to dust off his skills after spotting his old foe at a party, for fans of Slow Horses and Killers of a Certain Age.

Harvey Fox—eighty-three years-old, widowed, and retired from the CIA—has been thrown out of yet another assisted living facility, this time for sleeping with seven different women (nine if you count nursing staff). With nowhere else to go, he reluctantly moves in with his grown daughter, Nancy. Harvey’s greatest skill as an operative was always his ability to charm anybody, but Nancy is frustratingly immune to his charisma. Meanwhile, he’s been sidelined by his granddaughter in favor of teenage drama and subjected to the company of Nancy’s insufferable Silicon Valley venture capitalist husband.

Feeling out of sorts and in the way, Harvey is planning his next move when his son-in-law invites him to a party with fellow VCs. Harvey is stunned to see a familiar face in the crowd—Dmitri Volkov, the KGB agent who'd nearly killed him half a century ago. What is Volkov doing in California? Why is he rubbing elbows with American tech companies with defense contracts? When the powers that be chalk it all up to a bored old man’s delusions, Harvey realizes that he must run one last covert op. But doing so will dredge up memories of the last time he faced off against Dmitri Volkov. Then he had his youth and the weight of the US government behind him. Now Harvey is all alone and losing this battle could cost more than his life.

Silver Fox by Adam Borba is expected out March 30, 2027 from Flatiron Books: Pine and Cedar.

Why am I waiting on this book? l like the idea of the older protagonist. It says that it's good for fans of Killers of a Certain Age. I enjoyed the older women main characters in that book, so I think it's reasonable to think I might enjoy this story as well. It sounds like a fun read.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

 

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read. 2: Open to a random page. 3: Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author so that other people can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

 

Finally, because I had come to see the little old lady, and I was nothing if not a purposeful little girl, I cleared my throat and demanded to know where she was. The dragon looked at me, startled. It said nothing. It winked one eye. It held one finger to lipless jaws as though to say "Shh."

From: When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill. The Kindle edition of the book was released May 3, 2022 from Doubleday. It's currently available for $2.99 on Amazon. This is not an affiliate link.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #605: A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: Detective Ana Dolabra must prove a condemned man’s innocence and confront a terrifying magical technology in this fantasy-mystery from the bestselling author of The Tainted Cup, winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy awards.

The heir to one of the Empire’s most powerful families sits in jail, accused of murder. His hands are covered in the victim’s blood, and he can neither deny his guilt nor explain his actions.

But if the great detective Ana Dolabra cannot save him from the noose, the farming canton of Sapirdad will explode into war, threatening to plunge the whole Empire into starvation and chaos. 

As Ana investigates—her assistant Dinios Kol, as ever, acting as her eyes and ears—she fears her task is even more daunting than it seemed. For this murder is just the latest in a deeper, subtler web of death, woven by a mastermind with an ancient weapon at his disposal.

With their customary skill, Ana and Din pursue their adversary through the canton’s wild ranges, sprawling ranches, and reeking slaughterhouses. Yet even they are not prepared to learn the horrifying secret behind their opponent’s powers.

A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett is expected out August 4, 2026 from Del Rey. This is book 3 in the Shadow of the Leviathan series featuring Ana and Din.

Why am I waiting on this book? I've read the first two books in the series. And I enjoyed them. The character, Ana, is weird and wonderful. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things pertaining to the world in which they live. Some of her knowledge is historical or obscure. She is a genius and yet very human. Din does her legwork and is her eyes and sometimes her ears. I think it's really interesting to watch how they work together to solve mysteries.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: P.S. I Love You ed. H. Jackson Brown Jr

 

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read. 2: Open to a random page. 3: Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author so that other people can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

 “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #604: Philippa Flynn's Year of Panic and Piracy by Jacqueline Firkins

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: When a sinkhole nearly swallows her whole, burned-out history professor Philippa Flynn takes it as a wake-up call. Leaving her carefully planned but unfulfilling life behind, she moves into an old seaside house she inherited from her grandmother, a bestselling author of swashbuckling romances. Philippa expects the clutter, disrepair, proximity to the family she deliberately moved away from, and reclusive writer she’ll be sharing the house with. She doesn’t expect that writer to also be the cover model who personified Iris Flynn’s bare-chested, cavalier-booted pirate king.

While navigating their awkward cohabitation and searching for creative inspiration, the pair discovers the outlines for six more novels they could work on together. But Philippa’s used to facts, Dylan has writer’s block, and neither can craft a love scene while real sparks are flying.

To write the story on the page, Philippa will have to embrace the one she’s living, even if it means swapping tenure for treasure maps and plans for pirate kings.

Philippa Flynn's Year of Panic and Piracy by Jacqueline Firkins will be released September 1, 2026 by Lake Union Publishing.

Why am I waiting on this book? For one thing, the title sounds like fun. Sounds a little like Bridget Jones meets a swashbuckling romance. And I can see where a near death experience would put someone in mind to change their lives. I am hoping for some humorous situations and good dialogue. It's a little different from what I've been reading. Sometimes different is just what you need.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

 

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR! You can also just share what you are currently reading. We make it very easy to play along. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Ambrosia at the Purple Booker.

1: Grab your current read. 2: Open to a random page. 3: Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author so that other people can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!

 On the whole, when it comes to murder, the stats very much favor the men. The odd woman is thrown into the mix every now and again, but she is inevitably perimenopausal (and having been through the change myself, I certainly understand why). But an elderly woman or a little girl committing murder? It's one in a million. 

(1% through on my Kindle)

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth was published April 21, 2026 by St. Martin's Press.

Book Review: Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief by Benjamin Stevenson

 

From Mariner Books: 

I’ve spent the last few years solving murders. But a bank heist is a new one, even for me. I’ve never been a hostage before.

The doors are chained shut. No one in or out. Which means that when someone in the bank is murdered, hostages become suspects.

The Bank Robber, The Manager, The Security Guard, The Kid, The Film Producer, The Priest, The Receptionist, The Patient, The Caregiver, Me

Turns out there was more than one bank heist planned today. There are ten.

Can I solve them all and discover who is not only a thief but also a killer?

Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief  by Benjamin Stevenson was released March 17, 2026 by Mariner Books. This is the fourth book in the Ernest Cunningham series.

My Thoughts: Overall, I thought this was a good book. I have a tendency to go along for the ride rather than figure out all of Ern's clues. Definitely that was the case with this book. Ten heists, ten thieves was a little much to wrap my mind around consistently. Yet, it all makes sense in the end no matter how many twists there are. The thief who only wants one dollar from the vault leaves us wondering what is it he really wants. And there is an addition of a highly unlikely form of death which somehow still occurs in spite of that.

Ernest is still Ernest sometimes even frustratingly so. I did cringe a little at some of the things he did in the name of investigation. And the book did get slow for a little while, but in the end, it's a good book with interesting premises and characters and a really big twist or two.

If you have read the other books in the series, you will most likely enjoy this one as well. If you enjoy locked room mysteries, you will also enjoy this one as the whole bank becomes a locked room since they are being held hostage. This book is worth a read.

I received an arc of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #603: Foundling Fathers by Meg Elison

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From Tachyon Publications: What would a teenage Benjamin Franklin do with an iPhone after he discovers porn? From Philip K. Dick Award winning author Meg Elison comes this ingenious satire of U.S. history and modern technocracy gone terribly, terribly wrong.

“Relentlessly, brutally, scathingly, funny. I’d expect nothing less from the one and only Meg Elison.”
—Sarah Gailey, author of Spread Me

The trouble starts when a curious young man finds a smartphone in his privy. The problem is, it’s supposed to be the year 1750.

The Antediluvian Society—a shadowy cabal of right-wing billionaires—is fed up with a country they cannot fully control or understand. So they have done what any reasonable American patriots would do: Clone the Founding Fathers and raise them in secrecy. The plan, unbeknownst to the boys, is for them to restore America to its “original glory.”

Ben takes his technological discovery to his brothers, Thomas, John, and George. The boys have been raised on an isolated island plantation by Mary Libertas, a firm but kind woman, and Jeff Hancock, their de facto father. But the idyllic life is far too dull for young men. The boys have been chafing at the restrictions upon them (especially Tom, who has impregnated yet another of the servants). Hancock is complaining to the Society that it’s well past the time to tell the boys where they come from and what they must do.

Unfortunately for their keepers, the young men now have a phone…and many other notions.

Seamlessly combining science fiction and history with sharp, witty commentary, Meg Elison has once again shown why she is one of speculative fiction’s most exciting voices.

Foundling Fathers by Meg Elison is expected out 6/23/26 from Tachyon Publications.

Why am I waiting on this book? It's supposed to be funny. And being a mashup of the founding fathers meet technocracy gone wrong, it sounds like it has potential. And this is the perfect year for it.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!