Something we don’t cover too much on BD (but that I wish we covered more) is horror novels. Sure, I love watching a good horror movie just like the rest of us. But sometimes you can’t beat reading a solid horror novel, one that allows your imagination to run wild, conjuring up visuals that are more eldritch and terrifying than anything a movie could produce.

However, even I have to admit that there are some novels that are a bit heavy-handed and, much like Detective Mills from Seven, a good edition of Cliff Notes can come in very handy. But if you’re not the kind of person who wants to read a shortened version of a book and would much rather listen to something that gets the gist across with a fair bit of humor, allow me to introduce you to the YouTube series “Thug Notes“.

Hosted by Sparky Sweets, PhD, the show takes classic (for the most part) literature and goes through the major plot points as well as the themes and key motifs one should keep an eye out for while reading. It’s well put together and it’s damn funny, which is why I’ve grabbed several examples that you can watch below.