2025 Gothic Book Club

Hello lovely little bats!

In pursuit of my goal to influence you in all things related to gothic literature, I've compiled a list of gothic lit I plan to read this year. You'll notice that there is a conspicuous lack of Bram Stoker, because (and you'll never guess) there is a Stoker only reading challenge coming soon. I really do these things in the hope that there is one other person who would search for such a thing.

For the general reading list, I went for a mix of classics, new(ish) releases, and some maybe silly fun books. I still intend to post reviews of other gothic lit, but will go off the rails without some structure. A lot of my selections are available as full length audio books on YouTube. I would also recommend putting Libby holds out for these books now if you're hoping to get them all read in the next year, lest you be forced to use a libro.fm credit when it could have been avoided.

Without further ado, let's look at the roster.

January - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Now listen. I know that I should have read this already. I feel like I may have had a bad experience with the Great Illustrated Classics version (you know the one) and thus avoided this classic for far too long. I will make it right and have included it as my January selection as a sign of good will. This is, of course, not only a classic and a turning point within the genre, but also a girl boss moment for Mary Shelley, so I am looking forward to reading.

February - Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

As I write this, I feel defensive and apologetic that I have not yet read Carmilla. Who could have expected my 2025 gothic reading challenge to make me feel like a fraud? Anyways, for obvious reasons, Carmilla had to be on my list for the new year. When I'm not reading Stoker, I'm reading early vampire literature, and it's really wild that I haven't made my way to Carmilla yet. To add to my shame, it's a pretty quick read and barely longer than a novella. Let's pretend I intentionally put the shortest book with the shortest month.

March - The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

I won't even make excuses this time. I know we need to read this & you know we need to read this. If you're normal and have already read it, you get to pick another book for March.

April - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Perhaps the book I'm looking forward to the most. This has lived on my TBR for years now, but I have had horrible timing with my Libby holds with this particular title. No matter what, I'm reading it in April, and so are you.

May - The Mesmerist by Caroline Woods

I am frothing at the mouth for this book. Set in 1894, three women, MESMERISM (called hypnosis in Dracula but one of my favorite parts of the story), and mysterious disappearances? This book was written because neither God nor Caroline Woods want me to suffer. I'm reading this before May, and then again in May.

June- Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw

Another I am feral in anticipation to read. This is the first in a series, meaning it holds promise, and it is also about a doctor for the undead. I'm hoping for a lighter, more readable Things in Jars.

July - Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

I intentionally chose summer for this book. I started to read it in the late fall and did not finish - not for lack of interest, but because it feels like a book I need to finish in a few days, and in the summer. We're going for an immersive experience here. This is my grandma's favorite book and I trust her with my life, so we should be set for July.

August - Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid

Go listen to Brutus by the Buttress. I know it's the wrong play, but I feel that this is the headspace we need to share before reading Lady Macbeth. I read for actual Macbeth in my English class, and I loved my wife. In seriousness, I love a revisitation of an ages old narrative, and I love an opportunity to be on the girl's side no matter what she did.

September - Specters in the Glass House by Jamie Jo Wright

This is the book I am the least certain about. Amazon subtitles this book "A Haunting Dual-Time Inspirational Gothic Suspense Book," and I definitely like some of those words. It's set in 1921, about a decade too late for me to be really thrilled at the historical element, but if done well, I think the dual time element may redeem this book. Extra points for a potentially unreliable narrator and a mystery killer.

October - Evil Roots: Killer Tales of the Botanical Gothic by Daisy Butcher

It was hard to pick just one book for October, so I cheated and chose a "Tales of the Weird" collection. This not only gets us educated on the prevalence of carnivorous plants within the genre, but also is like a sampler of gothic authors. Brammy is not represented, so this is exempt from being my gothic book of the year, just because I feel spiteful.

November - The Fall of the House of Usher, and other stories by Edgar Allan Poe

Another collection, but this time, I suggest we all cheat - it's a busy month, so maybe just read the 12ish page story and watch the miniseries. Or read the whole collection, if you've managed to find this list and somehow haven't already read the majority of Edgar Allan Poe stories. November is indeed the birth month of Bram Stoker, so really, this should be time to lock in on the Stoker only reading challenge.

December - The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

And we finish the non-Stoker portion of the year with another book I really should have read by now. This is a book that feels a little too perfect to me - Bram Stoker Award Winning author, Southern Gothic in the truest sense, and a really fun cover. It should be a wonderful way to end the year.

As always, much love

xx