It’s March! We made it! Winter might still be clinging on for those of us in the northern hemisphere, but at least the end is in sight. If you want some chilling reads for these last days of winter, though, why not pick up some queer haunted house stories?
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Queer books, BIPOC books, and sex education books continue to be targeted by book banners. We know these can be life-changing — even life-saving — for kids to have access to. That’s why today I’m highlighting EveryLibrary, which helps fight back against book bans. You can donate to help out, sign up as a volunteer, or join the mailing list on their homepage to stay up to date.
You can also check out Book Riot’s book How to Fight Book Bans and Censorship for tips on joining the fight!
Bookish Goods
Glow in the Dark Ghost Pronouns Pin by QueerlyDeparted
Since today’s newsletter theme is queer haunted houses, I thought I’d look for queer ghost merch, and there were so many to choose from! I like this ghost pronouns pin: it glows in the dark! Available in six different pronoun options, include he/they and she/they. $13
New Releases
Unfortunately, this week’s new releases are disproportionately by white authors — do better, publishers.
She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran (Sapphic YA Horror)
This book has been getting a lot of attention ever since that striking cover came out, and now you can finally read it! Jade has arrived in Vietnam to stay with her estranged father, Ba. He’s promised her college money if she stays the summer and helps restore the French colonial house they’re staying in. But Jade becomes convinced the house is haunted, and she teams up with a troublemaking local girl to prove it — before the house devours them all.
The House That Whispers by Lin Thompson (Trans Boy Middle Grade Horror)
Simon is staying with Nanaleen for a week with his siblings, but he begins to hear scratching in the walls and see shadows moving in ways they shouldn’t. It’s time for a ghost hunt. Meanwhile, he’s becoming more sure about he/him pronouns and the name Simon, but he’s not ready to tell anyone yet.
If I Can Give You That by Michael Gray Bulla (Trans Guy, M/M YA Contemporary)
I’ll Take Everything You Have by James Klise (Queer YA Historical Fiction)
Nightbirds by Kate J. Armstrong (Queer YA Fantasy)
The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa (Transmasculine YA Pirate Fantasy)
My Momma Zo by Kelly Allen, Zoey Allen, and Tara O’Brien (Trans Two Mom Picture Book)
For more new releases, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
Since the two releases I highlighted today both have something in common, I thought I’d talk about some more queer haunted house stories!
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
This is a retelling of “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe with a nonbinary main character. Alex’s childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, so they visit the remote House of Usher to visit her. There, Alex finds the house overtaken by fungi and surrounded by strange wildlife. Madeline and her brother both exhibit unsettling symptoms. Along with a doctor and a mycologist, Alex searches for answers.
Gnarled Hollow by Charlotte Greene
Of course, you can’t talk about queer haunted house stories without mentioning The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, and I’m always looking for a book to scratch that same itch. While it’s unfair to compare any writing to Shirley Jackson’s, Gnarled Hollow is the first book I’ve read that I think captures the same vibes as The Haunting of Hill House — but with an explicitly queer main character instead of a subtextual one.
White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
If you like your horror on the weird side, you have to pick up White is for Witching, about three generations of women and the house the binds them together and holds its own secrets. This is a surreal, unsettling read that includes chapters from the point of view of the house itself! And, of course, one of the main characters is sapphic.
All the Links Fit to Click
Your Driver Is Waiting Review: I’m Obsessed With the Swole Bisexual Narrator of This Rip-Roaring Novel
Anita Cornwell Wrote About Black Queer Women with Heart, Rage, and Brilliant Honesty
That’s it for me this week! Until next time, you can find me at my sapphic book blog, the Lesbrary. You can also hear me on All the Books or you can read my Book Riot posts.
Happy reading!
Danika