Horror Books to Read in One Sitting This Halloween

In this satirical graphic novel, a transfeminine person named Sammie is invited to an old friend’s bachelor party. The party is at El Campo — think Las Vegas turned up to 11 on a floating island. This is a dystopian capitalist world where you can hunt your clone as casual entertainment. There, Sammie seems to be the only one who notices a creepy cult slowly converting all the other members of the party, while everyone else tells them they’re overreacting. Even without the supernatural elements, though, the constant misgendering and micro- and macro-aggressions Sammie experiences are pretty upsetting. Luckily, they are always able to call their wife and queer friends for advice and support. There are plenty of over-the-top elements, but the emotion is grounded, and Sammie felt like a defiant character who refused to be swept up in the cult of cisheteromasculinity around them. —Danika Ellis

Task #4: Read a novel with a main character who uses they/them pronouns

Cynthia Gómez’s debut horror novel packs a big punch in under 200 pages. This sapphic Gothic horror novel is set in 1968 and follows Natalia “Nati” Fuentes, a young woman who has learned all about witchcraft from her grandmother. So when she finds out the young and beautiful heiress Violeta Miramontes has been paralyzed by a mysterious illness, Nati suspects black magic, and she thinks she might have the cure. From the very first page, you know that Nati and Violeta will fall for each other, but the way their romance unfolds will surprise you. —Emily Martin

Task #6: Read a gothic novel published in the last ten years