Recs if you like Chouette...

in the first edition of ‘the monstrous-feminine’, barbara creed challenges the dominant representation of women in horror films as victims, arguing that patriarchal ideology constructs women as monstrous because of their sexuality (or lack thereof).

later, creed reinterprets the monstrous-feminine as a being who embraces her body and reclaims her otherness. in line with this contemporary vision, these are books which use horror to redefine notions of ‘womanhood’.

recommendations welcome!

pregnancy horror has been a prevalent form of body horror for decades, popularised by the arrival of rosemary’s baby. this list offers a mix of classics and more niche picks, traversing the many questions of authority, complexities, and subversions of the subgenre. these books explore pregnancy and its aftermath, sometimes literally, and sometimes through metaphor.

apparently there’s a big football game going on in America this weekend so I wanted to put together a list of owl books from across all genres

as always, taking any and all suggestions!

Queerness blurs lines between genders, sexualities, and families. Maybe also...between the human and the animal? Enjoy these fiction books that allow things to get a little fuzzy.

for those who don't conform to the norm.

I love novellas and short stories, I feel like it really gives authors a place to flex their talents on just how much they can reveal of a character or world in minimal page space. These are some I feel really pack a punch. They are weird, unique, and can be read in a day.

For when you need a quick horror fix

All sorts of stories about all sorts of women. Mostly litfic, some horror.

alternate titles broke: weird girl lit woke: weird wildlife lit freak fauna creatures serving cunt in a god-fearing way animals want me, literary fiction fears me

these are not just books about animals. these are books where an owl/crow/deer/shark/bear/genderqueer mountain lion/other concerning critter arrives carrying the entire emotional weight of the novel and nobody does anything about it.

A collection of stories that explore themes of motherhood & mother-child relationships through a darker lens.

Tags: Horror, Motherhood, Matriarch, Matriarchy, Magical Realism, Thriller

What a woman does is open doors, it is not a question of locking or unlocking.

Speculative fiction books with autistic characters, or by openly autistic identifying authors, as put together by Ada Hoffmann from 2011 to 2023 - plus Hoffmann herself, who's also autistic. For books I couldn't find, see comments! If you can add books to GR to add them here, you're welcome to do so (and tell me so I add them to this list)!

(technically motherhood in speculative fiction unless i make a separate list for sci-fi!)

requesting recommendations!

stories where the voices & experiences of mothers are at the center

weird gay shit, lots of genre and gender bending, probably no fantasy

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