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: Dollface by Lindy Ryan

 

From the publisher:

Barbie meets Scream with a 90s nostalgia twist in this horror romp from Bless Your Heart author Lindy Ryan.

Horror author Jill has just moved to suburban New Jersey, hoping to fit in with the new PTA moms and maybe not weird everyone out with her Final Girl coffee mug. You know. Make some real friends.

But then a plastic face-masked serial killer begins slashing their way through town, one overly made-up mom at a time. The police are incredulous. The moms are indignant. And Jill is slowly wrapped into a killer’s murderous spree, until she might just be the last woman standing.

A delightfully murderous novel that is equal parts scathing and salacious, Dollface will win you over with its gossip and gore, one body at a time.

"A juicy, irreverent and bloody twist on the genre." - Variety

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed the book. I've enjoyed other things that I had read by Lindy Ryan, so I went into it thinking that I might enjoy this book as well. I like my horror a little on the light side. This was perfect for me. There were some scenes that were horrifying to be sure, but it all came together to make one good book.

From the minute that Jill has to answer the door in her bathrobe for her overly friendly new neighbor to the final scene, the book delivers on its promise. There is 90s nostalgia and horror trivia. There are mean girls. All that Jilly wants is to fit in and get her book written. The attacks and the growing friendship she has with Darla keep the book moving forward. It moves along at a good pace, right up until the final scenes with the plot twists. While I did guess at some of what was going on, I didn't predict all of the twists. That makes it a good book. It was unique. 

I gave this book 5 stars. I would recommend it to people who enjoy light horror and aren't too squeamish. There are a few scenes that are rather descriptive when it comes to the actual attacks.If you enjoyed other writings by Lindy Ryan, you will most likely enjoy this as well. Also, if you enjoyed Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer, you might enjoy this one as well.

Dollface by Lindy Ryan was released February 24, 2026 from Minotaur Books.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinions.

Happy Book Birthday and a Teaser from Dollface by Lindy Ryan

 

From the publisher:

Barbie meets Scream with a 90s nostalgia twist in this horror romp from Bless Your Heart author Lindy Ryan.

Horror author Jill has just moved to suburban New Jersey, hoping to fit in with the new PTA moms and maybe not weird everyone out with her Final Girl coffee mug. You know. Make some real friends.

But then a plastic face-masked serial killer begins slashing their way through town, one overly made-up mom at a time. The police are incredulous. The moms are indignant. And Jill is slowly wrapped into a killer’s murderous spree, until she might just be the last woman standing.

A delightfully murderous novel that is equal parts scathing and salacious, Dollface will win you over with its gossip and gore, one body at a time.

"A juicy, irreverent and bloody twist on the genre." - Variety

Dollface by Lindy Ryan is available today from Minotaur Books.

A Teaser for you:

This is a lie. I will not be going anywhere near the furnace. Horror author or not, I don't do basements-- or dusty attics, or backyard pools. (location 177 on my Kindle)

What are you reading? Is there a book out today that you've been waiting for?

Teaser Tuesday: Another Fine Mess by Lindy Ryan

 

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 is 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 (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.

And from under the lab door, the steel guitar twang of a television theme song, the barest filmy glow of the silver screen, and the sound of slurping. 

Nana Lenore slipped a dagger from her cardigan. "Get behind me," she whispered. 

"No way," Luna whispered back. 

Together they crept toward the lab door.

-page 93

Another Fine Mess by Lindy Ryan was released April 15th, 2025 from Minotaur Books. It's the second book in the Bless Your Heart series.

What are you reading? We'd love to know. Share it in the comments. Or share your teaser or a link to your teaser to give us a taste.

Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #530: Another Fine Mess by Lindy Ryan

 

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: 

From Lindy Ryan, "one of the “most electrifying voices in the horror genre” (Gwendolyn Kiste), Another Fine Mess brings the Evans women back around in this unputdownable, crackling, rollicking mystery of humor, heart, and horror.

Making sure dead things stay buried is the family business ...

For over a hundred years, the Evans women have kept the undead in their strange southeast Texas town from rising. But sometimes the dead rise too quick–and that’s what left Lenore Evans, and her granddaughter Luna, burying Luna’s mother, Grace, and Lenore’s mother, Ducey. Now the only two women left in the Evans family, Luna and Lenore are left rudderless in the wake of the most Godawful Mess to date.

But when the full moon finds another victim, it’s clear their trouble is far from over. Now Lenore, Luna, and the new sheriff—their biggest ally—must dig deep down into family lore to uncover what threatens everything they love most. The body count ticks up, the most unexpected dead will rise–forcing Lenore and Luna to face the possibility that the undead aren’t the only monsters preying on their small town.

Another Fine Mess by Lindy Ryan is expected out April 15th, 2025 from Minotaur Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? I enjoyed reading the first book in the series, Bless Your Heart. So, when I saw this one coming out I added it to my TBR list right away. Thanks to Barb at Booker T's Farm - Books and Nails and Puppy Dog Tales for showcasing it last week and bringing it to my attention. In the first book I enjoyed that it is women in a family business fighting the things that go bump in the night. And they do it with humor and genuinely care for each other. This time around it looks like the sheriff will join forces with them. 

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 out TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Book Review: Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan

 

Ducey, Lenore, Grace, and Luna Evans know there are the dead, and then there are the restless dead. The Evans' funeral parlor is the only one in town. So it seems sooner or later they all come through there. But the general population of this small southeastern Texas town know nothing about the restless dead. That includes the Deputy Roger Taylor who is lead investigator on a string of murders and disappearances. The coroner has said that it may be some kind of rabid animal. Deputy Taylor has his doubts. And he thinks the Evans have something to do with it. He just isn't sure what. 

I loved the cover and title. But, I thought the cover was a little misleading. It looks like it's going to  be a vampire book, but it really isn't. The monsters they face, the strigoi, are for the most part zombie-ish in nature. In fact, Ducey refers to them as ghouls.

The main plot is about the ghouls and what's going on with them in terms of the townspeople and the Evans family. There is a subplot about Luna finding out about her heritage since she is only half Evans. Plus she needs to find out more about the family business.

The story is told from alternating points of views. This includes all of the Evans women, the sheriff, Deputy Taylor and at least one more. It's a lot, but it works. It's coherent and easy to follow as each chapter starts with the name of whose viewpoint it is from.

Lighter moments are juxtaposed with horrific deaths. There[s a mystery as to who the master strigoi is. There is a dog, Belle, and she doesn't die in the end. There are more deaths than I expected. The ending did surprise me. I did not guess in advance who the master strigoi was. 

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's generally well written. The world building in terms of how the restless dead work was interesting. I liked the Evans women. And I find I am looking forward to the next book in the series. If you like your horror with just a dash of lighter moments, then this could be a good book for you.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my review.

What I'm Reading

 

So last week I finished reading A Midnight Puzzle by Gigi Pandian and I reviewed it. Then, I continued reading Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk. And I started reading Off the Air by Christina Estes and Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan. All three books are good so far. Thirst and Bless Your Heart  have vampires while Off the Air  is a straight up mystery. I have one book on my phone, one on my kindle, and one on my tablet. I always have a book with me no matter where I am. Back in the day, I used to carry a paperback in my purse. It's so much easier now. And I can carry a smaller purse lol. 

So, what are you reading this week? I hope you are enjoying it. Let us know in the comments. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Reading! And Happy World Book Day!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #467: Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan

 

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: It’s 1999 in Southeast Texas and the Evans women, owners of the only funeral parlor in town, are keeping steady with…normal business. The dead die, you bury them. End of story. That’s how Ducey Evans has done it for the last eighty years, and her progeny—Lenore the experimenter and Grace, Lenore’s soft-hearted daughter, have run Evans Funeral Parlor for the last fifteen years without drama. Ever since That Godawful Mess that left two bodies in the ground and Grace raising her infant daughter Luna, alone.

But when town gossip Mina Jean Murphy’s body is brought in for a regular burial and she rises from the dead instead, it’s clear that the Strigoi—the original vampire—are back. And the Evans women are the ones who need to fight back to protect their town.

As more folks in town turn up dead and Deputy Roger Taylor begins asking way too many questions, Ducey, Lenore, Grace, and now Luna, must take up their blades and figure out who is behind the Strigoi’s return. As the saying goes, what rises up, must go back down. But as unspoken secrets and revelations spill from the past into the present, the Evans family must face that sometimes, the dead aren’t the only things you want to keep buried.

A crackling mystery-horror novel with big-hearted characters and blood-soaked Southern charm, Bless Your Heart is a gasp-worthy delight from start to finish.

Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan is expected out April 9th, 2024 from Minotaur Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? I like the idea of a southern vampire novel. It sounds like this one has humor as well as horror which is a good combination. I'm wondering what besides the dead the ladies would like to keep buried.

What book are you waiting on this week? 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!

Book Review: Into the Forest: Tales of the Baba Yaga edited by Lindy Ryan

 

From the publisher:

Deep in the dark forest, in a cottage that spins on birds' legs behind a fence topped with human skulls, lives the baba yaga. A guardian of the water of life, she lives with her sisters and takes to the skies in a giant mortar and pestle, creating tempests as she goes. Those who come across the baba yaga may find help, or hinderance, or horror. She is wild, she is woman, she is witch—and these are her tales.

Edited by Lindy Ryan, this collection brings together some of today's leading voices of women-in-horror as they pay tribute to the baba yaga, and go Into the Forest.

My Thoughts: This is an interesting anthology. They come at it as if Baba Yaga is a kind of being as opposed to only one witch. The foreward by Christine Henry is interesting regarding this.

There are 23 stories in the anthology. Some I liked better than others, but as I rated all of them I was pleased to find that most of them fell into the 4 and 5 out of 5 star range. There was only one story that I gave a 3 to and that was  because while pretty much well written, I kept waiting for the action to start.

The short story,"Last Tour into the Hungering Light" by Gwendolyn Kiste I loved for among other things the language and imagery. A few stories had Baba Yaga posing as the witch in Hansel and Gretel. These were interesting. I liked the one where the Baba Yaga is slightly morally ambiguous and one of the bad guys is a parent. There are other stories that are definitely straight up horror for things like depiction of cannabalism. The blurb from the publisher states that sometimes Baba Yaga is a help. While this is true, there is always a price. Sometimes the price wasn't clear until after the protagonist received the aid. Other tales tackled the hut and its origins. And one story has Baba Yaga as a romantic interest. All together, these tales make for interesting and entertaining reading.

Into the Woods was released November 8th, 2022 from Black Spot Books. I received a copy of this book as an arc from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Overall, I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. The stories are interesting and imaginative. If you enjoy witchy tales and fairy tales, I think you should check out this book.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #421: Into the Forest ed. by Lindy Ryan

 

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 collection of new and exclusive short stories inspired by the Baba Yaga. Featuring Gwendolyn Kiste, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Mercedes M. Yardley, Monique Snyman, Donna Lynch, Lisa Quigley, and R. J. Joseph, with a foreword by Christina Henry.

Deep in the dark forest, in a cottage that spins on birds' legs behind a fence topped with human skulls, lives the baba yaga. A guardian of the water of life, she lives with her sisters and takes to the skies in a giant mortar and pestle, creating tempests as she goes. Those who come across the baba yaga may find help, or hinderance, or horror. She is wild, she is woman, she is witch—and these are her tales.

Edited by Lindy Ryan, this collection brings together some of today's leading voices of women-in-horror as they pay tribute to the baba yaga, and go Into the Forest.

Into the Forest ed. by Lindy Ryan is expected out November 8th, 2022 from Black Spot Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? I like the idea of the exploration in fiction of the baba yaga. It seems to be her year. Last week I highlighted a book that explores the idea of what if she passed and had American heirs. And there is another on the horizon entitled The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore due out September 20th, 2022. This book seems like it will explore the baba yaga from different perspectives. And it is female horror writers doing it. I look forward to seeing how they handle the topic.

What book are you waiting on this week? 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!