Recs if you like Thin Air: A Ghost Story...

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.

does it matter if you’re shivering from fear or the cold?

Fiction stories about Haunted houses and other locations. Maybe it’s ghosts, maybe it’s cursed, maybe it’s ancient gods or creatures? All kinda of supernatural haunts and creatures attached to homes, objects, or locations.

includes contemporary fiction, scifi, horror, speculative fiction and nonfiction

Horrors and thrillers set in winter (21st December to 20th March, but I will count earlier December as winter too to make things easier) or in a really cold place that reminds of wintertime.

The list will contain both more known books that you've probably already been recommended and some that I've seen have had less attention, at least over here. I have not read them all, but I want to complete this list myself too during the next Christmasses.

horror books that take place in winter or where winter is a big plot point.

Tight spaces. Heavy air. The creeping realization that escape may not be possible. These are stories designed to make you feel trapped.

Recs welcome!

what gab smolders read in 2025 as per her book talk video! horror + in tier order from most to least liked by her:

★ S TIER: from "night shoot" to "old country"

★ A TIER: from "what stalks the deep" to "listen to your sister"

★ B TIER: from "the long walk" to "the gathering"

★ C TIER: from "banquet for the damned" to "model home"

★ D TIER: from "3 streets" to "my darling dreadful thing"

★ F TIER: from "basilisk" to "survivor song"

You go on a trip and get much more than you bargained for.. or would have liked. From actual holiday/adventure trips that escalated, to trying to do your job at a resort; this one is an all-inclusive package of GOOD LUCK TRYING TO GET OUT OF THIS ONE ALIVE. 🧚‍♂️

Antarctica, Patagonia, Alaska, Canada, upper Great Lakes, somewhere in the mountains, wintertime, etc. (fiction and nonfiction)

List of fantasy, sci-fi and supernatural horror books and series where main character isn't involved in any romantic relationship during the course of the book or it is not prominent. No romantic subplots involving main point-of-view character(s).

'Things are not where you left them. You can hear but cannot see critters crawling through the house. Is that a person watching you or just an illusion?' These books blur the line between hallucination, insanity, and the supernatural. Is the narrator really reliable or denying reality? Is there a monster stalking the group, or are they all suffering from exhaustion and lack of sleep? Is it a man or something worse?

books i have read or want to read that give me winter vibes.

Put on your hiking boots and crack these open for some fresh air, majestic peaks, and a (large) spoonful of climbing drama (Welcoming suggestions!)

It’s true. Might as well find an eerie ghost story for you both…

Endlessly searching for another ghost story to beat my all-time favourite, 'Dark Matter' by Michelle Paver. Haven't found it yet...