Recs if you like Our Cut of Salt...

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. i've been maintaining it for myself since 2022 and it was time to share the wealth!

was curious, so did some research and found loads and loads!!! happy reading, folks!

A genre-inclusive and diverse list of horror releases coming in 2026. If I missed any or you have suggestions, please let me know. I will update periodically as new books are announced and release dates are solidified.

Source for a lot of the data for this list came from readjumpscares.com, which is a website you should absolutely check out. I’m sure data will come from other places along the way, as well.

Horror books to read just for the aesthetic

Horror stories (in all of its forms/subgenres) from Asian authors!

Recs welcome!

Fiction books by Arab authors and/or books starring Arab characters (and as always, Free Palestine)

fiction books centered around characters processing grief 🦋

This includes books coming out by SWANA* authors in Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Lit-Fic and more!

*SWANA: South West Asia or North Africa (decolonial term for MENA or Middle East & North Africa)

PALESTINIAN AUTHORS & WRITERS (including half-Palestinian or of Palestinian heritage) ❗️includes translated titles ❗️some books are not available on Pagebound; more can be found on my Storygraph & Instagram accounts

Thrillers and horror books with a family setting. This list focuses on relationships between siblings, parent and child etc.

All the Illumicrate, Afterlight, Evernight, Starbright, etc. picks for 2026

I’m really fascinated by cover trends in publishing and this one has felt inescapable this year so I decided to make a list of them all! I feel like I personally see this most often in horror & lit fic, but I’d love to hear if you’ve seen this trend outside those genres or if there’s another trend you see!

Fiction books set in Israel