Recs if you like Frankenstein in Baghdad...
no stephen king in sight
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.
wonders of the world (translated spec-fic)
Fantasy, sci-fi, & horror translated into English.
Literature of the Global South
Writing and voices from outside of the white Western canon. Fiction and Non-fiction with an emphasis in diaspora, decolonization, global history, and resistance narratives from around the world. Features African, Asian, Central American, South American, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern voices.
Began with many recommendations from Jamin Anderson (@jaminanderson__ on Instagram) and has expanded with the help of the Pagebound community.
assigned by frankie
almost every single book mentioned* on Frankie's Shelf youtube channel because their taste is wild and i love it.
updated as frankie posts. *mentioned as in the book is the focus of the video, listened in the description, or offhandedly said.
Service95 Book Club ✨
Aka Dua Lipa’s reading list. Everyone’s fave popstar on permanent holiday with a massive list of books to read, and she always seems to have incredible recommendations.
I am not part of Service95 or affiliated with Dua Lipa. I am just a fan curating this list based on the @service95bookclub IG account 💋
Spinoffs Galore!
A list for books based on the works of other writers (or: authors copying each other’s homework 🙂↕️). Suggestions welcome!
global south gothic
featuring loosely "gothic" inspired stories from outside of the european / western literary canon (by no means a rigid, all encompassing list or academic designation.)
as always welcome to suggestions !
Asian horror
Horror stories (in all of its forms/subgenres) from Asian authors!
Recs welcome!
Books with ✨Arab✨ flavour
Fiction books by Arab authors and/or books starring Arab characters (and as always, Free Palestine)
SWANA Authors
SWANA authors are authors from South West Asia and North Africa. They currently make up <1% of the trad publishing industry. This list is here to introduce you to their stories.
NOTE: if you find an author who doesn’t belong on this list, please comment & I will remove the book(s) ASAP.
As always, lists are forever evolving🥰
reading around the world: asia
a comprehensive list of books from each country in asia including books I want to read and have read! some countries have multiple books listed, but for starters each will have at least 1.
international booker - all books
winners, shortlist and longlist (this will be a very long list indeed). complete from 2016-2026
Horror Around the World
I love horror and I'm really interested in seeing how the genre shows up in different countries and parts of the world. I am making a list of all the books I have currently collected that take place in countries other than the United States, England, Canada, and Australia. I will add as I find more. Currently, there is just one book per country. For those with more, I tried to add less commonly known books. The current countries included in the list: Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Columbia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, France, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Motswana, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, The Philippines, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Uruguay, Wales
I'll Make a Man Out of You
Apparently, there are several ways to make (or be) a monster! Frankenstein reimaginings
Prize for Arabic Fiction
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction is the most prestigious literary prize in the Arab world.
Its aim is to reward excellence in contemporary Arabic creative writing and to encourage the readership of high quality Arabic literature internationally through the translation and publication of winning and shortlisted novels in other major languages.
Winners listed, with the newest on top. Some missing because the book's not translated .
Science Fiction Between the Lines
The list of books which are science fiction but not exactly.
The "science" part is not that important. Technology, space ships or how to pursue the time travel - obsolete. Truly important are the questions about the human condition.
Hopefully, I'll expand it with time.
Open for recommendations😊
weird and wonderful
weird. strange. off putting. confusing. despite this you cannot put these books down.
Everything Better Than Stephen King
Stephen King is overrated, read these horror books instead.
💬OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS. Just comment and I will add.
The search for meaning
Who are we? Why are we here? What does it all mean? What do we leave behind? What's the point of it all? Read and find out.
Translation in the Spotlight
A list with ALL longlisted titles from the National Book Award for Translated Literature (USA) and the International Booker prize (UK) .
Updated once new nominees are announced.
Currently updated with: • NBA 2018-2025 • International Booker 2016-2026
