I can most definitely do a part 2, so let me know! 👻🖤

Thanks for these. Emotional violence is often more disturbing then some of the most gory stuff out there. So I totally get what you mean. So glad I found your channel!

I love that you hold the books up so I can move around and find the transitions so I don't hear too much about something I want to read!

I found Tender is the Flesh morbidly hilarious. As a vegan, I read it thinking "is it so hard for people to just eat tofu and beans?" The answer is yes, yes it is.

There’s so many of these on my tbr!!! Great video!! 🖤💀🤍

I’ve been wracking my brain to remember a book I read years ago that has stuck with me for a very very long time because it disturbed me to my core. It’s different than what would be considered a Thriller or Horror. The prose is incredible and it’s very literary- It got great reviews (if I remember correctly) and was BEAUTIFULLY written- Bastard out of Carolina. Serious TW- child abuse, domestic violence, sexual abuse. It’s loosely based on the authors own life and that might have been why I was so disturbed (very realistic because… some of it actually happened). Its hard to recommend (I couldn’t read it again) but for people that can handle the subject matter (I can’t anymore) it’s one of the most beautifully written stories mixed with disturbing/heartbreaking/haunting descriptions of poverty, family dysfunction & child abuse. The writing is on another level. Truly, I haven’t forgotten this book and I read it 20 years ago. I just still haven’t been able to shake it.

Confessions is one of the best books i have ever read, i’m SO happy you mentioned it

Been waiting for a video like this from you!!

So many of those books are on my tbr 😅 I may have to re-evaluate whether I actually want to read them now 😂 This video was super helpful though! I have penpal sitting on my shelf just waiting for me. I'm gonna try to get to it this year! Brother too. I've only read one book from Ania so far but loved her writing style so hopefully I'll enjoy that one too. 🤞 Great video!

I saved many of your recommendations but I am especially interested in reading Dear Laura and that one about the woman in love with a serial killer 😳. I find it so interesting how different people define “disturbing.” I would love a part 2!

Thanks for this! Added a couple more to my want to read list. Just found your channel and have subscribed! Looking forward to your other videos!

Just found your channel today in the wee hours of the morning and I am really enjoying it! I keep seeing Penpal and Gone to See The River Man I have to read them! Love how you describe the books

mmmmm yes!!! I agree with so many of these and added all the ones I haven't read except the resurrectionist (thanks for the animal cruelty TW!)! a few of my favorites were included here including penpal, riverman, and dear laura! would love to see part 2!

Adding these to my wishlist 🙌🏼

5 most disturbing books i have ever read are Anna Karenina, Oliver Twist , prvi put s ocem na jutrenje, crime and punishment and lolita. I know, those books aren't that disturbing but i find them

omg if your taste is the reality in them, try reading The Red Market by Scott Carney. it’s nonfic about trafficking and what people do with organs and things of the nature. reading was like a car crash i couldn’t look away from and dealing with the horror of this being real. also yes i would love a part two, i’m reading dear laura thanks to you 🥰

I remember reading Penpal on nosleep when it was being posted!!!! NEED a full fleshed novel of Left Turn Right Turn

I did dnf confessions once, and I only got like ten pages in. It was the writing style that did it for me. But the way you talk about it I kinda wanna try it again.

I heard "My Dad Finally Told Me What Happened That Day" on NoSleep podcast (still my favorite story from all the seasons so far), then I read PenPal on Reddit, then bought the book and read it. I really crave more of what was done in that story.

this is my first of your videos and i wasnt expecting your choices! you look so innocent but you know what it said about us quiet ones! lol great selection IMO

The character in To Be Devoured sounds like my uncle.

Currently reading "The Girl Next Door" by Jack. Damn, that's some crazy psycho shit. But gotta finish it...

I’ll check out gone to see the river man because I’ve seen so many recommendations of this book! Thanks for the video ❤

just finished Earthlings by Sayaka Murata and that is honestly one of the most disturbing (yet interesting) pieces of media I have ever consumed. Tender is the Flesh is on my priority TBR and I can’t wait to read it!!

I loved Penpal. The ending sent chills down my spine, really disturbing to me. Gone to See the River Man left my jaw on the floor. Superb book.

I have to say the most disturbing books I've read are Stephen kings the dark half and quite recently orochi volume 2 mainly the stories prodigy and key. Which are 2 out of 3 stories. Those 2 stories alone left me with chills down my spine with what orochi and the protagonist had to go through in those stories. With the dark half george stark has to be one of the most disturbing villains I've read about that left me speechless with georges hanious acts towards the people he crosses paths with. Left me 😱😱😱 really enjoyed this vid of yours Erin! 😊❤📚

Thank you, great video

Just by your description I knew Pretty Girls was coming up. Honestly one of my favorites.

Definitely adding some of these to my tbr

I totally gets your point about disturbing = realistic on certain level. I remember been totally freaking out over a simple scene in a trashy thriller movie, it's the scene that the heroine's abusive father calmly dumped her wheel chair (she broke her legs in a car accident and need time to recover) into the lake in front of her face, and they lived in the middle of nowhere. I just freaked out like whaaaaattttttt lol. Cannibal scene cannot do a thing to my cold old heart but that did.

You've gained a subscriber! I love how...idk, cheery I guess, you sound!

Not taking much convincing to resort to cannibalism reminds me of that scene from South Park where some of the characters are only trapped in a room for a couple of hours at most, and they’re just like “we’re gonna have to start eating each other to survive!” XD

@21:50 just like home by Sarah gailey came to mind when you spoke about loving monsters

I know this is totally random Erin, but I'm just wondering what you think about Clive Barker? Personally, I LOVE his writing. I'm very curious to know what do you think? I've never seen you talk about him. Again, sorry for this out of the blue question. :)

To Be Devoured is so beautiful! I need to read Gone To See The River Man! What a great list!

This is an amazing list, I subscribed. It's not only popular books and it's not all gore, so I really get what you're saying, we have similar taste because I've read all of these. The things that disturb me in books is when I can imagine something happening as well, when you realize that here are people walking with similar disturbing thoughts. When I saw The Resurrectionist I thought to myself: "Ok, she's not messing around." He was absolutely vile and believe it or not, they even made a B movie based on this book. I really love Kolesnik's Waif which was terrific and it left a stronger impression, but True Crime is definitely more disturbing. Beside Pretty Girls and japanese authors, there is one thriller author that scared me and disturbed me for life and that's Mo Hayder. Karin doesn't shy away from showing violence, but Mo had a way of going under your skin. Tokyo/The Devil of Nanking is her most well known, but I am forever scared by The Treatment.

Thank you!!

Confessions- totally agree with what you said. It has stuck in my brain since I read it. I think it was brilliant. Sadly I have gifted this book to several friends who are readers and they did not like it or finish it.

My most disturbing book list is: (All books are really disturbing, yet in order from least disturbing to most disturbing.) 5. Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z Brite This book follows two characters Jay Byrne and Andrew Compton. These characters are based on Jeffery Dahmer and Dennis Neilson. You can imagine where this goes. A young Vietnamese man crosses paths with these two killers. 4. Tampa by Alissa Nutting. This is about a teacher who is attracted to 14 year old boys, and the book follows a teacher's relationship with a boy named Jack Patrick. 3. The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum. You already know what this one is about, but you decided not to continue reading. Maybe it's because this book is based specifically on the true crime case of Sylvia Likens. 2. Survivor by JF Gonzalez Follows a woman and her husband that go away for their anniversary. The woman is kidnapped and told that she will be the star of a snuff film. It's what she does to try to survive is what makes this book so disturbing. 1. The Groomer by Jon Athan. This book is about a child predatory organization, and a father's little girl is taken by the organization. The father goes on a vigilante rampage to try to get his daughter back home safely. The character development and plot is very well done. There is a really good story that reads like a crazy thriller. This book really scared me This author combines extreme horror and thriller very well.

I think I remember reading penal when it was a creepy pasta

I love the ‘disturbing ‘ explanation I think anything that’s possible to happen in my life it’s disturbing to me such as ‘marriage pact ‘ , ‘ child called it ‘ things to do with kids ‘ or torture 😅

In The Miso Soup has one of the most disturbing scenes I’ve ever read. We Need To Talk About Kevin would also be pretty high on my list.

What is the book right above Lighting the Wick? Horrors? Looks interesting.

This is an interesting list! I don't really know anyone else who read True Crime or even Dear Laura.

I just ordered Brother before watching this video…now I’m even more excited to read it!

The butterfly garden by dot Hutchison was fairly disturbing and a very real feeling story.

Good list! I love Pen Pal. It's not disturbing to me, but it's definitely very creepy... it has two of the creepiest moments in anything. Resurrectionist... yeah, no argument there, I can't imagine anybody not finding that one disturbing. :) River Man was good, and Pretty Girls was great. Haven't read some of the others, may have to look into 'em. I've had Brother for a while but haven't gotten around to reading it. I know it'll be good, though - I like Ahlborn.

After watching this vid I read “tender is the flesh” and “gone to see the river man” back to back… maybe not the best decision 😂 but definitely two well written and for sure disturbing books. I also loved how they both leave you thinking about human nature in deep ways instead of just being extreme for the sake of it. Right now I need a break from all the disturbing mess but I look forward to reading penpal and dear laura next!

I seriously need to read Brother this year

I have Pen Pal, Dear Laura, and confessions sitting on my shelf waiting for me. I want to read Brother and if I can handle it then I might tackle Tender is the Flesh 😂 I also want to read Riverman, but it scares me a bit lol

I already knew about a lot of these but for those that I didn't... Thank you! I will stay away from them all. 😄

I love and prefer disturbing books to be psychological. Penpal and confessions is two of the most disturbing books I've ever read. My favorite disturbing book this year is absence of pain by sea caummissar. The main character learns that pain isn't always physical in the most twisted ways and I loved it very much. Also Stephen king's revival has one of those endings that will forever stay with me. The more I 🤔 about it lol 😂 the more creepier that book becomes to me. I love horror/thriller books that have plot twists that are psychologically messed up.

80% de vos livres ne sont pas traduits en français et je ne lis pas l'anglais...pouvez vous faire une liste sur vos romans les plus pertubants parmi les grands classiques ?

YES part 2

My first thought was "is she going to include Penpal?" I'm so glad you did. It's been over 2 years and I still think about it. I also loved Gone To See The River Man. Best last line ever. You should check out Kristopher Triana's other books but each one is very different. They're all disturbing, some are extreme. A part 2 to this video would be great!!

I really need to push Penpal up on my TBR I have owned it on kindle forever and idk why I never read it lol

TW: torture & s3xual abuse The most disturbing book Ive read is a supernatural horror mystery fantasy book called "Threads of Malice" that is about a supernatural detective trying to find a victim by talking to ghosts. It includes a horrible torture scene of a young man (like a teenager) who is an artist, who ends of getting kidnapped by a nobleman who hired him, kept prisoner in a barn and hung from the rafters by his fingers, tortured & r*ped, and gets his fingers graphically sliced off by trying to pull himself up to the rafters by his broken wrists and when he grasps ahold of the beams, there are razors along them. I couldnt get through it, it just upset me way too much. Ive never forgotten that scene, it almost made me throw up. I cant imagine writing such a horrible thing.

Another KZfaqr said that “Notice” by Heather Lewis was the most disturbing book he’d ever read. I have not read it

I loved “Penpal”. I had no idea it was a thread on Reddit when I read it. My most recently read disturbing book was “Gone To See the River Man”. ‘That one thing’ that you spoke of made me want to vomit. One of my all time favorite books that I found disturbing is “My Sweet Audrina” by VC Andrews.

I purchased "Penpal" earlier today. Now I'm even more excited about reading it.

Currently reading Tender is the Flesh.

Read Penpal because of this. It was creepy and heartbreaking.

The End of Alice and Child of God are pretty disturbing.

Is the riverman science fiction?

Check out "Into the Wolves' Den" by Jon Athan. Probably his best book. Very gruesome and creepy. Also, "Tamer Animals" by Justin M. Woodward was fantastic.

I know this video is over a year old but I just recently watched it about a week or so ago and I just wanted to say that as today 10/08/2023 penpal is currently trending on kindle!!!!

Is "Gone To See The River Man" a Nick Drake reference? I feel like it has to be.

Take a shot every time Erin says Disturbing 🤣

Was a part 2 ever made? 😢

I love your passion and love for reading and horror! John-Paul from ATL! =^,,^=

GURLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL .... I NEED BROTHER .....Be right back going to Amazon ... OH SNAP It takes place Deep in the heart of Appalachia In a FArmhouse too THIS BOOK WAS SOOOOO WRITTEN 4 ME Thanks for this fabulously awesome You Knock it out the park DIVA much love

I just read Gone to See the River Man and wow 😂 I gave it 5 stars but 😅 it was a lot.

I neeeeed to read Penpal!

Tender is the flesh is a personal favorite of mine as it kindof opened my eyes to the inhumanity of animal agriculture and pushed me to becoming vegan :)

can't wait to read them myself

The long walk

Take a shot every time you hear disturbing 😂 also I’m gonna be broke by the end of this video 😅

try Exquiste Corpse. Poppy Z. Brite

Im Thinking of Ending Things. Very disturbing.

To me, the most disturbing horror book I´ve ever read, is Tintin in the Congo by Hergé. Hergé wrote Tintin to warn future magazine services not to hire journalists like that. And anybody who has read this book agrees it is among the most violent, gory graphic horror stories ever read. We´ve all heard about these thingies called graphic novels. After Hergé published Tintin in the Congo he knew he had managed to hide the truth about Tintin in that book in particular. Absolutely no ´protagonist´ has been as disturbing as Tintin is in this book which nobody realized at the time is not for kids at all. This is a comic book about a psychopath. In 2023, Tintin is still the insaniest of the insane, until I figure out how to create a more mentally disturbed fictional character. The Icelandic translation of Mr. Peter Benchley´s Jaws was seriously disturbing to me, but this goes beyond disturbing. This is so disturbing, even the fictional Sutter Cane could not possibly have come up with an idea of a comic book as disturbing as Tintin in Congo. Tintin is one of the most realistic psychopaths in fiction and also one of the scariest due to his ability to do the things he does and have no remorse for it whatsoever. Thanks for your video. Kind regards from Ásgeir in Iceland.

Cows is probably the most disturbing book I’ve read. It made me do actual 🤮

You should read Red by Ketchum.It's about teens with no empathy.

Brother was brilliant

Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum was disturbing so disturbing

Ok... So when you went on about in To Be Devoured, you mentioned "dead flesh". Meat is dead flesh.

My Dark Vanessa is still the most disturbing book I’ve ever read. No gore, no horror, just fully detailed grooming from the victim’s POV. Hard to read.

The Bible

You convinced me to read penpal

You sold Penpal to me, I'll get it asap

Look into "The Doloriad" by Missouri Williams, which is new this year and includes post-apocalyptic incest and rape among mutated relatives (🤢😾), but is very classically written!! Look into it first, that is, and decide if it's for you! "Confessions" will blow readers away with the first chapter alone, and then there are so many more to come!!

I guess the only disturbing book I've ever read is The Night Inside by Nancy Baker. I don't usually do blind reads but it was one and...yeah I was surprised. The first, I'd say quarter or so, of it is pretty rough to get through but the rest of the book isn't crazy bad.

who can count how many times she says disturbing?

The Poison Tree really messed with my head. It was so realistic in the realm of human nature.