Moira

what else... I read Dathan Auerbach's Penpal. It's interesting and beautifully made. It's similar to Triana's Gone to See the River Man in that the story isn't that unusual or out of the way (for horror) but the way it's told is extremely effective. #horrorlit

this is Extreme Horror, just to be clear--beware

More trans horror! Willow Heath's short story collection Managing and Other Lies is excellent, eerie and unsettling. You can watch Willow's entertaining, trustworthy book reviews on www.youtube.com/@WillowTalks.... I love her so much 💙. #horrorlit

Samantha Allen’s Patricia Wants to Cuddle is pure goofy fun, absolutely adored this. I looooooved David Sodergren’s The Haar. Sheer perfection, highly recommended. Elias Witherow’s The Black Farm is, like, Boy’s Own Adventure extreme horror. It’s kind of goofy. #horrorlit

The two best short stories I read were P. H. Lee’s The V*mpire (I sobbed my face off, holy shit), read it for free on reactormag.com and Laird Barron’s Tiptoe (when I tell you this story sneaks up on you yiiikes. I’m still scared wtf.) Read it for free on electricliterature.com. #horrorlit

LOVE IS REAL buckaroos! I read 2 Chuck Tingle novels: 1.) Bury Your Gays, a scary, funny adventure, and 2.) Camp Damascus, with an autistic protagonist 💙. He's a great writer, warm, witty, heartfelt, occasionally gory, and sincere, which I love. #horrorlit

Did you know there’s such a thing as cozy horror? John Wiswell’s fantasy Someone You Can Build a Nest In is a particular joy to read if you’re neurodivergent and I absolutely adored it. Very fun read. I’m not a big romance girlie, but the romance in this story is LEGIT. #horrorlit

A new writer for me is Andrew Joseph White; I read You Weren’t Meant to be Human and… yikes. More trans horror (a bit too close to home for me: forced pregnancy NO THANK YOU), it really got me. It’s very well written, clear, vivid, and a page-turner. #horrorlit

One that sticks in my mind is Alison Rumfitt’s anti-fascist haunted house Tell Me I’m Worthless. This is another trans horror story & it’s GRIM, super uncomfortable; toward the end it explodes into a howling misery of stream of consciousness. Memorable & affecting. #horrorlit

I’m afraid to read Tananarive Due, her work is terrifying and haunting, but she is the actual best and I love her. Her writing is precise, vivid, & honest. The latest Due I read was The Reformatory. It’s a difficult read but worth it. Highly recommend. #horrorlit

2.) The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, I don’t even have anything to say about this book except it’s perfect and you should read it immediately. (It is easier to read than his other stuff.) #horrorlit

One of my other top faves was Nat Cassidy’s When the Wolf Comes Home. Loved this—I love when books turn out to be a different story than they at first appear. Glorious, fun, and eventually deeply disturbing. (Cassidy’s short stories are also awesome; I loooved Rest Stop.) #horrorlit

Another top fave was Kylie Lee Baker’s horror mystery Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng. I know this book is super hyped, but it really is that good and you should read it if you haven't yet. #horrorlit

In the deeply disturbing category, we have Kristopher Triana’s Gone to See the River Man. If you are going to read it, it’s important that it doesn’t get spoiled for you because the way Triana tells the story is extremely effective. All the content warnings I AM NOT KIDDING. #horrorlit

Then I re-read Felker-Martin’s Cuckoo because when I first read it I couldn’t stomach it & skimmed. Wouldn’t you know, it’s still too much for me and I skimmed again. The story is parents send their LGBTQ kids to this conversion camp & they return… different. Horrific, upsetting. #horrorlit

also the best comment section I have ever seen 💙