This week we’re doing something different. No author and no single book. Instead it’s a roundtable discussion, with Sadie Hartmann (AKA Mother Horror) and Emily Hughes, the genius loci behind Tor Nightfire. Together we look back over the last six months – the highs, the not-so-many-lows and all the endless twitter controversies – to address the state of the horror nation at the midpoint of 2021.All three of us talk about the books we have loved the most so far this year, what else we are looking forward to in the months ahead, and what our hopes are for horror writing in general. We also address the concerns around trauma, trigger warnings, twitter subtweeting and the endless, vice-like grip of Goodreads. If you want to get a true sense of the breadth and depth of the horror being created right now, then this is designed for you. Also, if you just want to listen to three horror nerds talk about scary stuff whilst you do the ironing, then it’s also for you.Basically, it’s for everyone. Cos I’m a giver. Enjoy!Emily Hughes’ list of horror books to be excited about in 2021 is HERE. The (huger-than-normal) list of books mentioned in this episode includes:The PicksHearts Strange and Dreadful (2021), by Tim McGregorGoddess of Filth (2021), by V. CastroLast One at the Party (2021), by Bethany CliftChildren of Chicago (2021), by Cynthia PelayoStar Eater (2021), by Kerstin HallThings Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke (2021), by Eric LaRoccaUnfortunate Elements of My Anatomy (2021), by Hailey PiperIn That Endlessness, Our End (2021), by Gemma FilesComing SoonImmortelle, by Catherine McCarthy - July The Book Of Accidents, by Chuck Wendig – JulyCome With Me, by Ronald Malfi - JulyRevelator, by Daryl Gregory – AugustThe Glassy Burning Floor of Hell, by Brian Evenson – AugustChasing the Boogeyman, by Richard Chizmar - AugustMy Heart is a Chainsaw, by Stephen Graham Jones – AugustCackle, by Rachel Harrison – OctoberReprieve, by James Han Mattson – OctoberNothing but Blackened Teeth, by Cassandra Khaw - OctoberSomething More Than Night, by Kim Newman - November Assorted OthersThe Library at Mount Char (2015), by Scott HawkinsThe Last House on Needless Street (2021), by Catriona WardRawblood (2015), by Catriona WardA Head Full of Ghosts (2015), by Paul TremblayThe Twisted Ones (2019), by T. KingfisherStarving Ghosts in Every Thread (2020), by Eric LaRoccaThe Family Plot (2016), by Cherie PriestBoy’s Life (1991), by Robert McCammonSupport the show on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/TalkingScaredPodCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com.Thanks to Adrian Flounders for graphic design.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/talkingscaredpod)