Recs if you like American Rapture...

are you sick of being recommended stephen king when you ask for a horror novel? have you picked up a book expected to be scared, but the scariest thing about it was a woman being needlessly tormented and gaslit? have you read 4627473 books about a man in a haunted house and need something different?

if so, this list is for you :)

a masterlist of horror by anyone who isn't a straight cis white man, started in 2022 and brought to pb in 2026.

Fiction and non-fiction that examines how the Christian cultural hegemony and belief system has been co-opted as a tool of oppression and exploitation throughout history. Speculative works included, so long as the underlying narrative and commentary directly engages with some aspect of religious control as a primary theme. Always open to suggestions! (Please note that this List aims to critique Christianity as a worldwide institution, not to promote hate against individual practitioners)

Books where cults are a significant part of the narrative. Some fiction, some non-fiction.

horror books that revolve around religious ideals or institutions from the mainstream to the mythic. while the title of this list is derivative of the bible, this focus of this list is not on any one religion or religious group.

Fiction & nonfiction books that explore the complexities and traumas of mother-child relationships or in which such relationships play a central role. While many books on this list are what I’d classify as including “mommy issues” there are others that are more about the different perspectives and nuances of the mother-child (often specifically mother-daughter) relationship. Some books center the child, some the mother, some both.

Suggestions are welcome.

Novels for when you want to explore religious trauma and the impacts of religion through fiction. For nonfic, see my list “From saint to sinner: religious deconstruction”

Suggestions are welcome!

sometimes they're running to something, sometimes they're running from something, sometimes they're just running.

Horror books to read just for the aesthetic

Every single Aardvark Book Club book pick since its inception. Updated monthly!

Social commentary under patriarchy

If horror, why hot?

reading diversely is not a trend. it’s the bare minimum. and if your shelves don’t reflect that, you’re missing out.

Books that are just as good as the cover promises. AKA: Fantastic book covers that also happen to be fantastic books! List will be added to in the future because I can’t leave well enough alone. (Suggestions welcome, leave it in the comments.)

Zombie reading list packed with outbreaks, survival, and the occasional accidental bite. Even the apocalypse has its awkward moments.

"an imagined world or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic. many of the people lead dehumanized and fearful lives"

dystopian: relating to or denoting an imagined state or society where there is great suffering or injustice.

Horror books with purple covers!

This is one of my favourite movie genres so I thought I’d make a list for books!