#19: Read a horror novel by a BIPOC author.

[Jessica]

Natasha wrote: "Argentina is in Latin America. They are Latinx and, therefore, POC."

I think a lot of Argentineans would be surprised to be considered POC!

[Jen]

ChezJulie wrote: "I'm thinking about Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia.

I found this list useful: https://bookriot.com/horror-books-by-..."

Loved Mexican Gothic. I am not a horror fan and this one wasn't too "horror-y." Such a good book.

[Sarah]

M wrote: "I do have Stephen Graham Jones but I'm also considering White Smoke. A YA horror might be more my speed."

I second White Smoke. I'm not into horror at all, but I've been wanting to read this.

[Kumiko]

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

[Brittany]

I'm planning on reading Mirror Girls by Kelly McWilliams when it comes out

[Alyssa]

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

[ekr]

As I narrow things down: Would My Sister the Serial Killer or The Other Black Girl count, or are those both thrillers? (I read My Sister after seeing it on another horror list, but after reading it, I’m not sure I’d call it horror. But if it is horror, then I highly recommend it! esp for wimps like me—the humor helps to ease the tension)

Is The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina horror? And if so, how scary is it?

Lastly, a suggestion: The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez, a Black lesbian vampire classic (might also count as a queer retelling?)

[Teresa]

Goddess of Filth or Fledgling

[Maelia]

Dawn wrote: "rae wrote: "Can someone recommend something that’s not scary?"

Me too! I've read plenty of this genre. This wouldn't be stretching myself; it would just be torture. I don't want to leave the promp..."

I wish they would stop including these horror and thriller prompts, or make them optional. For me it's just not worth the nightmares reading this kind of stuff gives me. I don't watch suspenseful or frightening films either, and nobody says I need to do so to expand my outlook.

[Dani]

Maelia wrote: "Dawn wrote: "rae wrote: "Can someone recommend something that’s not scary?"

Me too! I've read plenty of this genre. This wouldn't be stretching myself; it would just be torture. I don't want to le..."

There's definitely horror that isn't scary! (Mexican Gothic, for example, or Cemetery Boys).

I'm glad they try to include as wide of a breadth as possible - some people might object to romance, for example, and personally the world leader category last year was agonizing for me, but it gets you to read books you would never read otherwise!

You can always stretch the category a little to something you're a little more comfortable with, like reading a halloween- or paranormal-themed book that isn't explicitly horror!

[Bonnie G.]

Dani wrote: "Maelia wrote: "Dawn wrote: "rae wrote: "Can someone recommend something that’s not scary?"

Me too! I've read plenty of this genre. This wouldn't be stretching myself; it would just be torture. I d..."

I am also glad this is included, though I don't read horror or like to be scared. The killer for me last year was the SFF anthology, but I read one and it was interesting. I can't say I am going to start reading a lot in the genre, but it exposed me to a couple of writers who impressed me. For this one perhaps something more literary that typical horror. I loved Her Body and Other Parties: Stories. And also so many black authors have been writing great horror with historical and social context. Maybe something like The Changeling would work?

[Angela N]

I started Lovecraft Country, last year, and haven't finished it yet. I had a book by Tananarive Due downloaded, but I had to send it back, so I'll just put it on my list again.

[Caroline]

I've changed my mind and decided to go with Cherish Farrah for this!

[Nicole]

Goddess of Filth is SO GOOD!

[Ashley]

Amy Alice wrote: "Can anyone recommend a novella (200p or fewer?) in this category? I realllly can't do horror!!"

Ring Shout
The Ballad of Black Tom

[Young]

Horror is my absolute least favorite genre. Can anyone recommend one that fits the criteria and also is not overly violent or eerie? A children's book maybe??

[ekr]

For other folks who are squeamish about horror, I recommend looking up the books you’re considering on The StoryGraph (sorry to name a GR competitor!), which has user-submitted content alerts. It really helped me figure out what I thought I could handle and what I needed to avoid.

[Shoshana]

I feel like Mexican Gothic could fit the prompt and I didn't find it to be gross or gory.

[Sharon]

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland and its sequel, Deathless Divide are about zombie killing POC girls. The series premise is that the Civil War comes to an abrupt end when all the dead soldiers on the field at Gettysburg rise up as zombies. THE US government's reaction is to conscript young female women (who are technically no longer slaves) and basically train them into being an Army of Buffys. The novel does not shy away from dealing with race and gender, but it is also full of humor and adventure, and a pair of unforgettable Frenemies who find their lives inextricably intertwined. I haven't read the second one, but the first one was not overly graphic.

[Bonnie G.]

I am reading The Trees for this, and it is fantastic.

[Octavia]

I read My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones for this, and I enjoyed it. It's likely to appeal most to people who really love slasher films - the entire narrative is centred around and constantly referencing slashers - so if they're something you like, you'll probably like this too.

[Margie]

Not really a horror reader, but I have read some the past couple of years because of reading challenges.

Would also add my recommendation for The Trees by Percival Everett and The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. They have come up a lot for a reason … both of them have insightful social commentary and really stay with you long after you finish them.

[Alex]

I read The Low, Low Woods and it was quite good! I wish it was longer as the ending wrapped things up too quickly for my taste, but the metaphors were very good. I've found I'm better with feminist oriented horror than general horror.

[Sherri]

I read The Trees. I enjoyed the book. I will read Percival Everett again.

[Tammy]

I just read this interview of Kelly McWilliams, author of Mirror Girls, and it sounds really good. It's horror and historical fiction (1953 Georgia & Harlem), about biracial twins separated at birth. https://www.bookpage.com/interviews/k...

[Chad]

When the Reckoning Comes LaTanya McQueen

[Ron]

This is a topic I decided to expand on.

The term 'Horror' is very general, one I view as an umbrella term so I decided that by going that route and I found all types of sub-genres within the 'Horror' theme:

-Gothic
-Paranormal
-Non-Supernatural
-Comedy
-Dark Fantasy
-Post-Apocalyptic
-Psychological
-SF

*****

And those are just the fiction genres of horror. In looking into nonfiction horror I found:

-Social
-Rural
-True Crime
-Occult
-Psychological

I'm sure there are more topics in the nonfiction category, but these were just the easy ones I could find.

*****

Given all of this, I've decided to find a book on social horror that 'showcases real-life societal oppression,' while having the traditional elements of traditional horror which include 'feelings of shock, fear, disgust', etc.

[Asakosophia]

OKEY friends
I was super intimidated by this challenge as I've never read and never been interested in horror.
I just read This Thing Between Us and am equally proud of myself and surprised at my enjoyment! I highly recommend it!

[Ashley]

I read this one and it's horror but YA so it's not terrifying: Hide and Seeker

[Tammy]

I just finished and am probably going to count Pet by Akwaeke Emezi for this. Quoted as being "genre-bending", only 55 people on GR listed it as horror, though. It is much more frequently labeled as fantasy. Any thoughts? At any rate, I highly recommend it!

[Pam]

I read The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste. Loved it. It’s children’s horror fiction based on Caribbean folk stories. I just can’t read straight up horror.

[Ron]

Sat wrote: "I read The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste. Loved it. It’s children’s horror fiction based on Caribbean folk stories. I just can’t read straight up horror."

I can't read straight up horror either. That's why I decided to find expansions of it since apparently there are more than one type of horror.

[Mandie]

I ended up with Night of the Mannequins for this prompt.

[Emily]

Stephen Graham Jooooooones! I read My Heart is a Chainsaw and The Only Good Indians.

[Allison]

I highly recommend the YA novel White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson, one of the best books I read last year! I'm going to read her newest book The Weight of Blood for this challenge.

[Elizabeth]

Elizabeth wrote: "I'm actually finishing The Only Good Indians before the year is out, so I probably won't read Stephen Graham Jones for this task. I'm thinking I'm either going to read..."

It's spooky season and I'm going through my horror selections.

I ended up reading When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen through audio. The book is great, very creepy as well as an interesting exploration of how we deal with the atrocities of history. The narrator has a great voice for the southern gothic vibes. Definitely would recommend it as either text or audio. (CW for slavery, racism, racist abuse, microaggressions, torture, etc--it isn't super graphic imo, but there's a lot of potentially really upsetting stuff in it, so pull a full content warning list if you're concerned).

I'm also planning on starting Ring Shout in the next day or so, and I'm really looking forward to it as a fan of the author's short fiction.