Can you feel that chill in the air? Spooky season is upon us, and we’re ready to get cozy and settle in with some scary stories. Looking for your next spooky book recommendation? Here is what the Girls Write Now community is reading!
by Olivia Gatwood
On the Santa Cruz, California, waterfront, every house is a flawless glass monolith. Except for one. In a dilapidated bungalow, Mitty and her elderly roommate, Bethel, are the oddball pair who represent the last vestiges of a free-spirited town taken over by the tech elite. But their lives are about to be forever changed when a new couple, Sebastian and Lena, move in next door.
by Francesca Flores
Francesca Flores’s The Witch and the Vampire is a queer Rapunzel retelling where a witch and a vampire who trust no one but themselves must journey together through a cursed forest with danger at every turn.
by Neena Viel
A suffocating and sharp narrative horror novel for fans of Victor LaValle and The Reformatory from “addictive” (Publishers Weekly) horror author Neena Viel, I’ll Watch Your Baby is a haunting reimaginingof Linda Taylor–known as the original Welfare Queen—pursued, scrutinized, celebrated and vilified, and the impact her image has had for generations.
by Lucy Rose
Margot and Mama have lived by the forest ever since Margot can remember.
When Margot is not at school, they spend quiet days together in their cottage, waiting for strangers to knock on their door. Strays, Mama calls them. People who have strayed too far from the road. Mama loves the strays. She feeds them wine, keeps them warm. Then she satisfies her burning appetite by picking apart their bodies.
An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology
Margot and Mama have lived by the forest ever since Margot can remember.
When Margot is not at school, they spend quiet days together in their cottage, waiting for strangers to knock on their door. Strays, Mama calls them. People who have strayed too far from the road. Mama loves the strays. She feeds them wine, keeps them warm. Then she satisfies her burning appetite by picking apart their bodies.
Susanna Clarke
Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls lined with thousands upon thousands of statues. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; and waves thunder up staircases, while rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.
Samantha Allen
“A one-of-a-kind queer horror comedy for people who watch The Bachelor and The X-Files back-to-back.” ―Kirkus Reviews
On this season of The Catch, contestants must compete for love. And their lives.
When the final four women in competition for an aloof, somewhat sleazy bachelor’s heart arrive on a mysterious island in the Pacific Northwest, they prepare themselves for another week of extreme sleep deprivation, invasive interviews, and, of course, the salacious drama eager viewers nationwide tune in to devour. Each woman came on The Catch for her own reasons―brand sponsorships, followers, and, yes, even love―and they’ve all got their eyes steadfastly trained on their respective prizes.
Bram Stoker
When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries in his client’s castle. Soon afterwards, disturbing incidents unfold in England: a ship runs aground on the shores of Whitby, its crew vanished; beautiful Lucy Westenra slowly succumbs to a mysterious, wasting illness, her blood drained away; and the lunatic Renfield raves about the imminent arrival of his ‘master’. In the ensuing battle of wills between the sinister Count and a determined group of adversaries – led by the intrepid vampire hunter Abraham van Helsing – Bram Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing into questions of identity, sanity and the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire.
This piece reflects upon my relationship with my grandfather. His lasting presence in my life is a part of my personal history, one of the many things I hold close.
This piece is about my struggle with depression and mental health.
This is a goodbye letter to all the relationships that shaped me as a person.
As my time in high school comes to an end, I am reflecting upon my strength during times of change. I choose to continue with the resilience I have developed and carry it onward while embarking on my new journey.
In honor of Black History Month, I have written a piece that reflects on everyday reminders of slavery. I draw an unconventional parallel between my life and the experience of an enslaved woman.
For class, I had the task of writing a monologue. But as an avid horror fan, I went off the rails. That’s how sororicide happened. Writing horror serves as an outlet for me, to create a world where this fictional horror is the only scary thing in the world.
This piece unintentionally secured itself a special place in my heart. It reflects my feelings, my aspirations, and my hope that this new country will allow me to embrace my new place in history.
I wrote this piece because I know how difficult it can be to succeed when dealing with unfortunate circumstances, like death or teenage pregnancy. It’s assumed that these events are setbacks. I want people to know that despite hardship and difficulties, they can achieve anything.
Despite dating back to the thirteenth century, Berlin is such a mysteriously modern place. It was destroyed by bombs. And so, in the city, you feel the weight of these ghosts. Their blood suspended in the air: an anti-war cry. An anthem. A glimmer of hope.
Don’t be afraid to get in touch with the deepest of your emotions, even the heartbreaking ones. There are oceans in you if you learn how to swim.
For 25 years, Girls Write Now has been breaking down barriers of gender, race, age and poverty to mentor the…
Visit Profile