Recs if you like The Death of Jane Lawrence...

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 w/ full names in the title (mostly fiction)

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!

Historical horror fantasy because I like to be self-indulgent :) Feel free to recommend some!

A list of 100 gothic classics which covers over 250 years of literature, from the high-drama castles of the 1700s to the psychological "New Gothic" of today.

Sci fi, fantasy, and science fantasy books featuring protagonists who are dealing with mental health issues, and/or are neurodiverse in some way - maybe on the autism spectrum, or having ADHD, schizophrenia, OCD, synesthesia, bipolar disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, etc. Suggestions very welcome!

A mix of classics & modern literature, that have to do with the witchy, gothic and horror genres ✨

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

Middle grade, YA and Adult fictional books with canon autistic main characters

wave em, shake em, jazz hands-em

always accepting suggestions for books with hands on the cover

for times when a tall mc might not be what you want, here’s a list of short baddies 😈 what they lack in vertical height, they make up for in other areas 🥵 canonically shorter characters deserve their own list 🙂‍↕️

you know the drill, always taking suggestions!

canon and coded autistic characters

Books that are just as good as the cover promises. AKA: Fantastic book covers that also happen to be fantastic books! List will be added to in the future because I can’t leave well enough alone. (Suggestions welcome, leave it in the comments.)

A collection of horror books about disability or horror books with disabled characters as main characters or important characters. Feel free to recommend any books

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"

horror books with autistic protagonists!

it's not a haunted house, it's a haunted HOME. if you enjoyed monster house as a kid or, like me, still enjoy it as an adult, here are some books about homes that aren't so cozy! feel free to give your own recs to add

haunted houses, spatial horror, and adjacent “something is going on with/in this structure” narratives! including nonfiction about actual places or analysis of the convention

Notes in the margins are a must. — Me, a neurotic literature degree holder