The Reading Lounge: 15 Riveting "In the Woods" Books
'Don't go in the woods' certainly applies to some of these fiction/nonfiction books
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THE WOODS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOK SETTINGS
During the day a wooded trail is my happy place for walking, but you will not find me there after dark! I do, however, love to read books set in the woods or forests and the creepier the better. I’m not sure what it is about this setting in books that entices me so much, but I suspect it has to do with the fact that there’s so much that can go wrong in the woods. In the woods, people get lost and sometimes are never found. If someone (ie murderer- yes I read a lot of thrillers with this premise) is on the run they can easily hide amongst the trees, and often the animals in some wooded areas are not the kind that are more afraid of us than we are of them- both of these scenarios always increases the suspense factor. There’s a reason we hear the phrase “don’t go in the woods” in so many horror movies!
I thought it would be fun to put together a list (with star ratings) of some of my favorite books set in the woods. I recommend all of these for the right reader….even the one in the bunch that made me want to throw it across the room when I finished! I' will say, I read that one YEARS ago and I’m tempted to do a re-read to see if I still have such strong feelings. I’ll make note if I listened to the book so you can add it to your audiobook tbr:)
My “In the Woods” Recommendations
The Mountain King by Anders de la Motte 🎧 5 ⭐️ - One of my top thrillers of 2024, this Nordic thriller is the first in a series that’s reminiscent of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (loved) - also, it has a chilling opening scene in the woods!