The Star, Hope, and Horror Book Recs with George Dunn

Welcome to episode 6 of This Might Sound Strange, a horror fiction podcast where tarot cards direct the conversation. Today’s guest is George Dunn. If you’ve spent any time on horror Bookstagram or BookTok, you’ve almost certainly run across George’s book recommendations. His handle is “georgesreads” and he’s a frequent book reviewer on FanFiAddict and Darker Times, among other places. He also recently launched a podcast called Why Are You Making Me Watch This?, in which he terrorizes his mom by watching horror films with her. We usually pull three tarot cards for each conversation, but in our new Major Arcana series, we focus on a single card instead. From there, we share some book recommendations inspired by the card’s themes and symbolism. Today’s card is The Star! To be clear and give credit where it’s due: These episodes are our loving homage to Stephanie Gagnon over at Books in the Freezer, which is one of our favorite podcasts. If somehow anyone listening doesn’t listen to Books in the Freezer yet, please pause this episode and go subscribe. You will get the best horror book recommendations of your life. If you enjoy today’s episode, consider writing a review or a comment wherever you’re listening to help others find the show. If you do, send your best mailing address to [email protected]! We’ll put something fun in the mail for you. Until next time…stay strange! xoxo, Michelle & Maya Credits: Logo and artwork by Chris Panatier Music by Tony Morales Book Recommendations Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison Cackle by Rachel Harrison Itch by Gemma Amor Hunger and Thirst by Claire Fuller Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas The September House by Carissa Orlando Darker Days by Thomas Olde Heuvelt Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle Exalted by Anna Dorn The Haar by David Sodergren Coup De Grace by Sofia Ajram Crushing Snails by Emma E. Murray I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones Paradise by Fernanda Melchor The Diving Pool by Yōko Ogawa The Flayed Man by Chloe Lauter Films mentioned Happy Death Day (Dir.Christopher Landon) The X Trilogy - Pearl, Maxine, X (Dir. Ti West) Mulholland Drive (Dir. David Lynch) Dead Lover (Dir. Grace Glowicki) TV Shows mentioned The X-Files (1993) Widow’s Bay (2026) Yellowjackets (2021) Articles mentioned George Dunn, “Backrooms Reading List: 5 Must-Read Liminal Horror Novels”: https://www.phantasmag.com/articles-3/backrooms-reading-list-must-read-liminal-horror-books Anna Dupre, “SpongeBob HorrorPants: Diving into Bikini Bottom’s Greatest Horrors from Season One (1999 - 2001)”: https://www.darkertimes.com/spongebob-horrorpants-season-one/ Stay in touch: IG: https://www.instagram.com/sound_strange_pod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sound_strange_pod Website: https://www.soundstrangepod.com/ Newsletter: https://sound-strange-pod.beehiiv.com/