Recs if you like The Whistling...
mod-goth (modern gothic novels)
We all love gothic classics, but what is new when it comes to the gothic genre (from the last 20 years or so)?! For fans of Dracula, Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, etc. Please comment with suggestions to add!
Seaside Gothic
Inspired by the sea fog, whistling winds, and the dark sea crashing against the rocks in summer
Feral and Hysterical: Works by Women
List of recommendations included in Sadie Hartmann's Feral and Hysterical: Mother Horrorβs Ultimate Reading Guide to Dark and Disturbing Fiction by Women.
Pairs with 50 States, 50 Books by Women list.
Gab Smolders Horror Book Talk
I can't be the only one who want to remember all the books without jumping around in a video, right?
Scream Queens
A reading list celebrating the women who know exactly how to get under your skin! Thankful for the gurlies!!!
gab smolders 2025 (horror) book talk
what gab smolders read in 2025 as per her book talk video! horror + in tier order from most to least liked by her:
β S TIER: from "night shoot" to "old country"
β A TIER: from "what stalks the deep" to "listen to your sister"
β B TIER: from "the long walk" to "the gathering"
β C TIER: from "banquet for the damned" to "model home"
β D TIER: from "3 streets" to "my darling dreadful thing"
β F TIER: from "basilisk" to "survivor song"
Widows Bay Required Reading
if youβre craving something that feels like the next marthaβs vineyard (iykyk)! books that evoke the same feeling as the magnificent tv show βwidows bayβ
coastal horror
my niche
Islands of Scotland
Fiction set entirely or primarily on the islands of Scotland (Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland, and others)
Open to recs
Goodreads "Horror For Beginners"
Created from the list on Goodreads by Cybil and Sadie Hartmann (September 29, 2025)
Houses: Dark & Eerie
Tags: Horror, Hauntings, Haunted House
Vibes for a Spooky & Cozy Autumn π
Nowhere to run
Horror, thrillers, and mysteries where "island escape" doesn't mean a nice vacation
Feral and Hysterical
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
Thereβs A Ghost Reading Over Your Shoulder
Itβs true. Might as well find an eerie ghost story for you bothβ¦
