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The Ruins
Scott Smith
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NATIONAL BESTSELLER
Trapped in the Mexican jungle, a group of friends stumble upon a creeping horror unlike anything they could ever imagine in “the best horror novel of the new century” (Stephen King). Also a major motion picture!
Two young couples are on a lazy Mexican vacation—sun-drenched days, drunken nights, making friends with fellow tourists. When the brother of one of those friends disappears, they decide to venture into the jungle to look for him. What started out as a fun day-trip slowly spirals into a nightmare when they find an ancient ruins site ... and the terrifying presence that lurks there.
“The Ruins does for Mexican vacations what Jaws did for New England beaches.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Smith’s nail-biting tension is a pleasure all its own.... This stuff isn’t for the faint of heart.” —New York Post
“A story so scary you may never want to go on vacation, or dig around in your garden, again.” —USA Today
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Posts about this title from ash.reads.horror
ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Jul 12
\ \ Photo Credits\ \ Welcome back to Goosebumps Bookclub. Today we are diving into some readalikes to Return Of The Mummy. The books below all feature some kind of ancient evil awakening--just like a mummy ;D\ \ \ \ The Reddening by Adam L.G. Nevill-- A journalist and lone parent investigate strange happenings in a coastal town, uncovering ancient horrors and facing their own personal demons.\ \ \ \ The Hollows by Daniel Church-- Folk horror meets ancient gods in a remote snowbound Peak District town where several murders take place…\ \ \ \ The Ruins by Scott Smith -- Trapped in the Mexican jungle, a group of friends stumble upon a creeping horror unlike anything they could ever imagine...\ \ \ \ Ararat by Christopher Golden- - When an earthquake reveals a secret cave hidden inside Mount Ararat in Turkey, a daring, newly engaged couple are determined to be the first ones inside...and what they discover will change everything.\ \ \ \ The Anomaly by Michael Rutger - -Nolan sets out to retrace the steps of an explorer from 1909 who claimed to have discovered a mysterious cavern high up in the ancient rock of the Grand Canyon. And, for once, he may have actually found what he seeks. Then the trip takes a nasty turn, and the cave begins turning against them in mysterious ways.\ \ How is everyone enjoying the book?](https://ashreadshorror.binderybooks.com/item/r0XyWLnnYse9N0jt1iLN/)
GOOSBUMPS READALIKES: RETURN OF THE MUMMY
5 books
3
ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Jul 8
Five Horror Subgenres to explore this Summer
25 books
ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Jan 6
\ \ I kicked off this year reading the fantastic Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature edited by Becky Siegel Spratford.\ \ You can find my review HERE, but I wanted to take this space to dive a little further on my own personal Horror journey.\ \ I'm often asked "What's the scariest book you've ever read?" And this is a very valid question. But it's also a loaded question as well, because what is scary to me may not be scary to you. This is because horror is subjective.\ \ What scares me? I think what gets under my skin the most is bleak horror. When there's no hope. One book that does this well is The Ruins by Scott Smith. It's a survival horror about four friends that take a vacation to Mexico and wind up getting stuck in some ancient ruins. One by one the characters are picked off, with hope dwindling with each life lost. While the characters annoyed me in this book, the hopelessness really got to me.\ \ Where did my love for Horror start? Let's take a journey into the past. As stated in my Instagram post, watching my dad play Resident Evil One really stuck with me as a kid. The scene with the giant snake truly traumatized little me. Looking back on it now, it makes me laugh. Everything was so cringy. The graphics weren't great and the dialogue was corny. But its a classic for a reason and I still love it dearly. "You were almost a Jill Sandwich!"\ \ Another instance was when I was flipping through the channels, looking for something to watch. Stephen King's IT was on television. My young, innocent mind believed that someone would truly make a movie involving kids playing Tag Your It...So you best believe I was in shock when I see a clown holding balloons, inviting children to float. Then blood spewing out of the sink all over Beverly's bathroom. You best believe I hit the guide button on that TV remote and figured out that it was rated R. I ran to my room in terror as my mom laughed at me. And yes Child's Play did the same thing to me too. Who knew a movie involving a doll was actually a slasher in disguise.\ \ So what made me stop being such a scaredy cat? Honestly, I think playing Resident Evil 4 made me start appreciating horror more. I slowly started building myself up, until I could handle movies like Sinister (WHICH PHEW terrified me a lot). Final Destination also terrified me. To think that near death experiences had become a death sentence had me on the edge of my seat. And death definitely gets creative when taking back what it's owed.\ \ I love chasing that rush I feel when watching something scary. I love looking in the background for something subtly creepy (i.e. Haunting of Hill House ghosts in the background). I feeling my heart race as I wait for the jump-scare to pop up on the screen, or the fake out to cue the scare when I least expect it.\ \ So what books got me into reading horror?\ \ Well of course Stephen King kick started me. Now you may think I'm going to mention The Shining. While that is a FANTASTIC book of his and an all time favorite, Misery was one of my first and favorite works.\ \ When I joined bookstagram, my world was opened to all kinds of horror novels. I never knew so many horror books/authors existed.\ \ Some of the wonderful books I've discovered and will forever recommend are as follows:\ \ Come Closer by Sara Gran\ \ The Reformatory by Tananarive Due\ \ Below by Laurel Hightower\ \ I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid\ \ Mary by Nat Cassidy\ \ Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven\ \ Bat Eater and Other Names by Cora Zeng\ \ Night Film by Marisha Pessl\ \ We Used To Live Here by Marcus Kliewer\ \ Slewfoot by Brom\ \ The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher\ \ Eynhallow by Tim McGregor\ \ ...and so many more books!\ \ I love that Horror has a little bit of something for everyone.\ \ Love Romance? How about a gothic horror with a dash of romance on the side?\ \ Love Thrillers? So many horror books toe the line of thrillers.\ \ Love History? There are so many historical horrors out there to try out.\ \ Your favorite genre has a place in horror. There is a horror book out there for everyone! Want a rec to get you kickstarted? As for a rec on my profile page.\ \ Thanks for coming to my TED talk lol.](https://ashreadshorror.binderybooks.com/item/eSRBVSlLmBBDQSFv3TEq/)
15 books
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ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Nov 29 2025
\ \ Welcome to DIRECTOR'S CUT, my new review series that lets you dive a bit deeper into my thoughts on books I'm reviewing. I'll do my best to keep everything spoiler-free here.\ \ \ \ Today I'm diving into Laurel Hightower's latest release via Shortwave Publishing-- The Long Low Whistle. Here's some quick stats before I dive in.\ \ Title: The Long Low Whistle\ \ Author: Laurel Hightower\ \ Page Count: 220\ \ Genre: Horror\ \ Subgenre: Grief Horror, Survival Horror\ \ Themes/Tropes: Group goes exploring and things go bad, Small town secrets, Spooky caves/mines, Cryptids, Claustraphobia\ \ Comps: The Descent (Movie), The Ruins (book)\ \ Series? Part of the VHS collection via shortwave.\ \ Setting: A Kentucky Mine\ \ Other works by this author: Below, Day of the Door, The Silent Key, Crossroads\ \ Now that we know the basics, let's go cave diving!\ \ Patricia (aka Trish) has spent the past eighteen years searching for answers on her father. Tragedy struck her small town when the mine collapsed killing several people--including her father. The town tried to stick the blame on him, but Trish knows he was innocent. She desperately wants to explore the mines and prove his innocence. When she hears of a group of cryptid hunters that have found a brief clip showing what happened in the mine, Trish teams up with them to get some evidence of their own. But something is lurking down in the mines. Something deadly. Trish's curiosity may wind up costing her her life.\ \ This was a fast paced read that kept me engaged the entire time. The only reason I didn't finish it in one go was because it was Thanksgiving and I had guests over...Plus a full belly of turkey that knocked me out later that night.\ \ The book immediately sucks you in with Hightower's beautiful storytelling. Hightower is an expert at grief horror. Her other novel, Crossroads, was one of the best books tackling the weight of grief I've read in a while. Grief affects everyone differently. Some people shut others out and turn inward, some keep pushing on and keep themselves busy, and some, like Trish, turn toward obessesion and answers.\ \ Losing her father became a roadblock that Trish was never able to get over. Eighteen years later she's still searching for answers. I was happy to see that by the end of the novella Trish did have her questions answered and was finally able to close that chapter of her life.\ \ I loved the tie-in to Hightower's other novella, Below. The nod made me happy. It also tempted me to pick up the book again. Cryptids are another of Hightower's strong suits. I won't spoil what you as the reader will find down in that cave, but if you've read Below, I can say that one creature from that novella is lurking within these pages.\ \ Just be warned that this novella is addicting. If you are looking for a quick novella you can finish in one sitting filled with cryptids and claustaphobic tunnels, look no further. This book is well worth a read!\ \ My rating: 4.5/5](https://ashreadshorror.binderybooks.com/item/xgloMXge8IJgyZAAykel/)
DIRECTOR'S CUT: The Long Low Whistle by Laurel Hightower
5 books
Posts about this book from across Bindery
ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Jul 12
GOOSBUMPS READALIKES: RETURN OF THE MUMMY
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ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Jul 8
Five Horror Subgenres to explore this Summer
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Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • Jun 21
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Summerween Recommendations for Summer Solstice
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ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Jan 6
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ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Nov 29 2025
DIRECTOR'S CUT: The Long Low Whistle by Laurel Hightower
5 books
Kurryreads\ \ Kerry\ \ • Aug 14 2025
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Ultimate Guide to Spooky Season Reading v2
Replying to @Kerry | Booktok 📖 Ultimate Guide to Spooky Season Reading - Version 2 📚👻🔪 Timestamps: 00:28 Stranger Than Fiction 00:39 Witchy 00:47 Creature Feature 1:03 Dark Past-Potentially Paranormal 1:14 Possession 1:19 Slashers 1:32 Haunted House 1:42 Eco Horror/Plant Horror 1:48 Supernatural 1:57 Demonic/Occult 2:06 Cosmic 2:13 Folklore 2:26 Speculative 2:35 Young Adult 2:46 Paranormal 2:55 Psychological 3:03 Crime 3:13 Historical Fiction 3:29 Cult 3:43 Vampires 3:51 Weird Girl/Feminine Rage 4:00 Sci-Fi 4:08 Cannibalism #guidetospookyseasonreading #spookyreads #horrorbooks #cultbooks #paranormalbooks #hauntedhousebooks #possessionbooks #creaturefeature #booktok #booktoker #bookrecommendations #whattoread #vampirebooks #speculativehorror #youngadulthorror #folklorebooks #ecohorrorbooks #scifihorrorbooks #slasherbooks #scarybooks
55 books
2
Kurryreads\ \ Kerry\ \ • Jul 9 2025
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Q2 2025 - 5 star reads 📚 Books mentioned: Such Quiet Girls by Noelle W Ihli, Too Old for This by Samantha Downing, It Should have Been You by Andrea Mara, The Ruins by Scott Smith, & Hide and Seek by Andrea Mara #Q2reads #Q2favoritebooks #Q25starreads #5starbooks #5starreads #favoritebooks #bestbooksof2025 #twistythrillerbooks #bestbooks #thrillerbooks #horrorbooks #bookworm #bibliophile #booktok #booktoker #bookish
5 books
1
Kurryreads\ \ Kerry\ \ • Jul 9 2025
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June Reading Wrap Up📖 30 books 📚
June Reading Wrap Up📖 30 books 📚 #whatireadinamonth #monthlyreadingwrapup #monthlyreadingrecap #whatiread #readingwrapup #junereads #bookrating #booktok #booktoker #rateingbooks #bookworm #bibliophile #bookish #thrillerbooks #horrorbooks #whattoread
30 books
1
Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • Jun 20 2024
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[Here is everything I read, watched and listened to over the last week.\ \ 1. The Ruins by Scott Smith\ \ This is a eco horror novel that I brought with me on vacation to Yosemite because I wanted to read a book about travel outdoor horror when I was traveling outdoors. I listened to the audiobook and it was INTENSE. This is probably the scariest book I've read all year. It was gory and psychological and gets your heart racing.\ \ On My TBR\ \
- Toxic Bloodlines, by E.E. Ossai\ \
- The Ritual, by Adam Neville\ \
- Black Sun, by Rebecca Roanhorse\ \ \ Watched\ \ 1. The Ruins (rented Amazon Prime)\ \ I love watch the movie after I've read the book and here is a time when the movie can stand on it's own. I enjoyed both and I think (spoiler alert) this might turn into my first long form Youtube video!\ \ 2. Tarot The Movie (rented Amazon Prime)\ \ This is a movie that follows a group of teens on a cabin stay. One of the teens reads the cards for all her friends and they end up cursed. This is probably one of the worst movies I have ever seen. The story was silly. The acting was mostly awful. I could not recommend this to anyone.\ \ 3. Evil (TV Show, Netflix)\ \ I started this new series on Netflix. The show\ \ The actor who played Luke Cages teams up with a psychologist and they get cases and need to determine if spirits and demons are involved or if it is the problem for a real world doctor. I've only watched a couple of episodes so far, but it's great fun for those looking for something spooky.\ \ Listened\ \ 1. Chappell Roan, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess\ \ I listened to this album and felt like this artist was a good combo of Kesha and Lady Gaga. Her songs were fine but there were none where I felt the need to repeat. Maybe I'm just old.\ \ 2. Kendrick Lamar and Friends (concert, amazon prime live)\ \ If you're not following the Kendrick and Drake beef, I'm sorry you're missing out on a masterclass on how to be the pettiest mf alive.\ \ Kendick is one of the greatest rappers of all time and this concert was a love letter to la, hip hop and black culture.\ \ What are you reading, writing, listening to?\ \ \ \ \ \ ](https://boozhoo.binderybooks.com/item/8ambaIBAGe43qomiSmny/)
Weekly Reading, Watching and Listening June 10, 2024
Everything I have read, watched and listened to over the last week.
4 books
3
Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • Jun 10 2024
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[Here is everything I read, watched and listened to last week.\ \ 1. Exhibit: A Novel by R.O Kwon\ \ This is a short novel (around 200 pages) about an Asian woman who works as a photographer. She tells her husband she wants to be hit during sexy time and he does not understand. She finds excitement with an injured ballerina.\ \ Literary fiction. Lush poetic prose. Heavy on character, light on plot. I enjoyed both of the female characters passion for their art and for each other. Highly recommend.\ \ 2. The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy\ \ This is a 1950s gothic thriller about a psychic housewife, an abusive husband, a murdered girl and a paranoraml psychologist.\ \ I read this one for my Women in Horror book club on Fable. I loved this book! Very atmospheric. I would highly recommend for fans of Shirley Jackson and Simone St James. Very quited, understated gothic horror. I appreciated the author's note discussing the books that she read for research. That is always a huge plus for me. Would love to see a sequel about her daughter and her inherited powers and the salons she held in the 70s.\ \ Wachting\ \ 1.** Interview With The Vampire- Episodes 4-5. (amc plus)**\ \ I don't think there is a better show on TV right now. Acting, set design, writing. I am warming up to Armand, though Lestat dominates when he is on screen. I'm curious on what the show is going to bring as Armand seems to be the scary one and the detective warns us that Louis is worse. I didn't read the books so I am not sure how closely the show is following the books.\ \
- First Omen (available on Hulu)\ \ This was probably the best horror movie I have watched this year so far. I have not watched the original series so I am going to start that this week. Good writing, great images, great score. Not a lot of jump scares, which I appreciate.\ \ Listening\ \
- **Noah Kahan **\ \ 6 months into the year, Noah Kahan and Hozier still dominate my playlists. I am thinking that I need to branch out and listen to a new artist/album every week because I easily fall into the habit of just repeating the same album (last year it was Florence and the Machine) I think this week I will start with Chappel Roan. Feel free to suggest some music below. Much like my reading style, I really do like it all.\ \ This Week's TBR\ **1. Braiding Sweet Grass, Robin Wall Kimmerer (**Indigenous Non-Fiction)\ **2. The Davenports, Krystal Marquis **(Ya Historial Romance)\ **3. The Ruins, Scott Smith **(survival horror)\ \ What are you reading?\ \ ](https://boozhoo.binderybooks.com/item/74hYNf1RkEGQ8kmliKni/)
Weekly Reading, Watching, Listening Update
An Update On Content Consumed Last Week
5 books
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