Recs if you like Little Eve...

aka most of the horror I read. Titles on this list are low on gore, body horror, or anything else you'd consider "scary" in the traditional sense. Instead, they focus on atmosphere and eerie vibes to create a horror experience that doesn't need to be shocking to be effective.

don't you want to become a cult leader? there's something especially unsettling about one person who can effectively manipulate an entire group of people. even more so when it's something that could happen to any one of us. tread carefully as you explore these reads, they may just adopt you into their 'family' 🧟

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.)

A reading list celebrating the women who know exactly how to get under your skin! Thankful for the gurlies!!!

Books where cults are a big part of the story. Mostly fictional horror books 🤡

God loves you, but not enough to save you from these stories. Ethel Cain & Preacher’s Daughter vibes/inspired fiction

Come to the cult side, we have cookies (and trauma).

Books set in/around Scotland. Highlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, outer islands, etc.

southern gothic; religious horror; intergenerational trauma; dysfunctional families; obsessive love; cannibalism; rot and decay in a small town

Goth books, watch out though, some might crossover into Vampire territory!

"The Enrichment Center would like to emphasize that there is indeed cake. Please disregard anything your weighted companion cube should say on the subject."

Stories where a character is promised some sort of reward that never comes to fruition. Recommendations welcome!!

Created from the list on Goodreads by Cybil and Sadie Hartmann (September 29, 2025)

Book recommendations from podcasts I listen to: NPR books, Book Reccos, What Should I Read Next?, Book Off, What Page Are You On?, Book Cheat

Past and present winners and nominees of the Shirley Jackson Awards. Frightful reading!

my horror rec list. yes all of them are queer

This is a list of horror books written by women, as recommended by Sadie Hartmann (Mother Horror) in her book Feral and Hysterical. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of Feral and Hysterical because it is so much more than a list of books. There are more lists of books, but also thoughtful essays by women writers. It's worth spending some time with Feral and Hysterical.

"Women are overqualified to write fictional horror. Period." -- Sadie Hartmann

Books that have won the Shirley Jackson Award for outstanding achievement in the literature of horror, the dark fantastic, and psychological suspense.