Spooky season is here at last! We’re all ready to dive into creepy, scary, unsettling books, but if you’re like me, you’re always looks to diversify your reading even within subgenres. Have I got the list for you: here are a few killer books featuring queer people that are perfect for burrowing under your blankets and scaring the pants off yourself.
Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey
Each of Gailey’s books takes on a different genre, and Just Like Home is their take on a gothic thriller. The imagery in this book is chilling, and not only is it a story of creeping dread and creepy crawlies, but it also takes shots at the strange worship of serial killers in pop culture.
If you’re looking for spooky but still missing summer, The Honeys is the book for you. Set at a seemingly idyllic summer camp for the children of the elite, it quickly becomes clear that more is going on there than meets the eye, and genderfluid protagonist Mars finds himself losing grip on reality as he tries to uncover what really killed his sister.
Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino
Not Good for Maidens is a retelling of the tale of the goblin market featuring kidnapped women, forbidden love, and horrifying consequences for breaking the rules. Not only is this book heart-poundingly tense, it’s also an exploration of many types of love. Bonus: the two POV characters are openly asexual and bisexual, but the story doesn’t hinge on queerphobia for either of them.
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
Fans of gothic tales rejoice: Catherine House is claustrophobic and suspenseful: dark academia with a sci-fi twist. Main character Ines is a fantastic disaster bisexual, ready to burn everything to the ground to find out what on earth is going on at her school.
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado
Her Body and Other Parties is a collection of short stories that spans and mashes up a variety of genres. Most stories have some element of horror or the psychological, but there are also hilarious moments and just full-on weirdness, all of it deconstructing what it’s like to live in a woman’s body in this world.
Guest Author: Casey – Bookstagram ambassador for 2022
