Recs if you like How Bad Things Can Get...

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!

Books where cults are a significant part of the narrative. Some fiction, some non-fiction.

Horror (and thriller) books about summer camp, camping, summer holidays and just general summer vibes

Horror books about Cults, where terror is permeated by religion, closed communities and disturbing brainwashing. I will keep and eye open for more recs from the Pagebound club 👁️!

This includes book that have either mystery or thrillers as a primary or secondary genre. If you have recommendations to add please comment and I'll happily add them 💕

survival stories, often but not always set in extreme locations or climates.

I can't be the only one who want to remember all the books without jumping around in a video, right?

who do you become when you’re cut off from the rest of the world?

books in which a person or group of people are physically isolated and have to contend with who they really are.

Destination Thrillers, vacations gone wrong!

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"

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

Nominees and winners of every category of the Good Reads Choice Awards for the year of 2025. Some books overlap so they were only entered once.

Reading list to read everything Darcy Coates has written.

My list of fall reads for 2026; mix of spooky/horror and cozy vibes for fall

As a survivor of a dark cult in my childhood, I have gravitated toward cult books all my life. While I appreciate nonfiction that shows how cults operate and such, what really helped me most were the stories. The real survivor’s accounts, as well as fiction written about cults and secret societies. Stories saved my life and helped me heal.

This list is for fiction and memoir stories that feature cults, secret societies, and/or manipulative leaders.

all books summerween: spooky, scary, and some romance all with the perfect ambiance and atmosphere