Horror
February 2026

Recent Releases
A Box Full of Darkness
by Simone St. James

Eighteen years after the sudden disappearance of their six-year-old brother, Ben, the Esmie siblings return to their childhood home in upstate New York at the urging of Ben's ghost, hoping to find answers. For fans of: Model Home by Rivers Solomon.
Focus on: Short Stories
A Sunny Place for Shady People: Stories
by Mariana Enriquez; translated by Megan McDowell

Argentine author Mariana Enriquez (Our Share of Night) offers 12 creepy and darkly humorous tales starring women in contemporary Buenos Aires confronting horrors both mundane and supernatural. Try this next: Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird: Stories by Agustina Bazterrica.
Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology
by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. (editors); introduction by Stephen Graham Jones

Incorporating social commentary and elements of folklore and traditional beliefs, this compelling anthology features 26 original horror tales from new and established Indigenous authors including Darcie Little Badger, Tommy Orange, and Brandon Hobson. For fans of: After the People Lights Have Gone Off: Stories by Stephen Graham Jones.
Queer Little Nightmares: An Anthology of Monstrous Fiction and Poetry
by David Ly & Daniel Zomparelli (editors)

Penned by 32 authors, this diverse and irreverent collection of short stories and poetry deconstructs the "monster" and reinterprets it through a queer lens. Try these next: Other Terrors: An Inclusive Anthology edited by Vince A. Liaguno and Rena Mason; It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror edited by Joe Vallese (nonfiction).
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror
by Jordan Peele (editor)

Edited by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jordan Peele (Get Out), this creepy anthology collects stories from lauded Black authors including N.K. Jemisin, Tananarive Due, Caldwell Turnbull, and more. It's "essential reading for any horror fan" (Publishers Weekly). Try this next: The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar by Robin R. Means Coleman and Mark H. Harris (nonfiction).
Mother Knows Best: Tales of Homemade Horror
by Lindy Ryan (editor) 

This twisted and disturbing anthology of 27 short stories and poems explores the horrors of domestic life and motherhood. For fans of: thought-provoking maternal horror novels like Mothered by Zoje Stage and Tantrum by Rachel Eve Moulton. 
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Gail Borden Public Library District


Main Library
- 270 N. Grove Ave., Elgin, IL 60120 - 847-742-2411

Rakow Branch - 2751 W. Bowes Rd., Elgin, IL 60124 - 847-531-7271

South Elgin Branch - 127 S. McLean Blvd., South Elgin, IL 60177 - 847-931-2090

http://www.gailborden.info/


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