Tell me if this sounds anything like your experience: “Yesterday morning, while getting ready to leave the house, I gave my two sons a kiss and hug goodbye. Then I knelt down and gave my dog a kiss. And then I very nearly walked out the door before realizing I had forgotten to include my husband in the goodbyes,” writes an anonymous mom. Whoops! And her husband is starting to get a little… salty, perhaps. Read it, and see if it’s all too familiar… or if it just makes you want a dog.

— Kelly Faircloth, Executive Editor

Maybe it’s the heat zapping my brain or maybe it’s just the Halloween decor popping up in the stores, but I’ve always found August a little spooky. And so I was delighted to see this list by Katie McPherson! She writes: “While you might think reading a suspenseful story could never make you as terrified as a movie — with all its sights, sounds, and special effects — you’d be surprised. Truly masterful horror writers can get you just as on edge.” And she knows her stuff!