Halloween 2026- My Black Ass Reading List

The world is on fire….we might as call a thing exactly what it is. So yes, this is my black as hell, black as f*** (for those who might be taken aback), black ass Halloween reading list. Now, I know it’s been a LONG time since I’ve written anything on my own, so I’ll catch you all up my with one of my many areas of interest.

Reading is kind of my jam. No, I’m not one of those BookTok, look at the 40 books I read this year, folks. I’m a working mom and can pull off a modest list of books that are marked “READ” on my Goodreads account by the end of the year (usually under my goal). Life in fact lifes, but although I’m not curled up with a book on a nightly basis, I still love a good story.

Like most things in life, my taste in literature has evolved over the years. I’m far from my “self-help”…”get my shit together” phase of reading. I’m now looking into a mix of fiction and non-fiction that relates to African American culture or other minority groups. I will admit that I have a tendency to reach for a non-fiction text first because who can honestly say they had a thorough overview of history in their K-12 (or beyond) days? But after being stuck on Chapter 6 of “They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South” for far too long, I decided to give myself a break. I think the book is worth reading and I will finish, but the writing style has been hard for me to get through after a day work and school drop-offs and pick-ups. I’ll get back to it, I promise!

So if I’m not digging into historical texts, then what in the hot hell am I going to read? Sure, I’ve read (or listened to…..audiobooks matter too) a few of the popular books by black authors, but I wanted to go a bit beyond my “norm”. In comes the itch to revisit a genre I tapped into last summer….horror (or anything that gives me the creeps a little).

Last summer, I did that thing you’re not supposed to do and judged a book by it’s cover and decided to give “Ring Shout” by P. Djeli Clark a try. A historical fiction that showcases black women hunting the Klan?! Count me all the way in and the read was worth it!

Remembering how enjoyable that experience was, I decided to seek out other books with the same vibe with a splash of thrillers. Some books are full novel commitments and some are a collections of short stories, for the super busy or even those who struggle with long form content (slight shade). I will not share too much and spoil this book or any of the others that I mention in this post. We are just casually mentioning some dope books that I’ve read or have on my list and where to learn more.

So here is my ‘Black Ass Reading List’ for this Halloween season. And yes, it’s deemed “Black” because we like to highlight black authors whenever we can.

For those who love historical fiction with a horror twist

• Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark: Group of black women hunting the Klan “Ku Kluxes” during the Jim Crow-era

• American Nightmare by Kelly McWilliams (2026 Release): A light-skinned Black man goes undercover for the NAACP to investigate lynchings whilst navigating a supernatural evil “the Nightmare”

  For those that love a thriller

• Model Home by Rivers Solomon: Estranged siblings return to their childhood home in a wealthy, white community. By the way, the house is haunted.

• Honey by Imani Thompson: A thriller about a graduate student who goes on a killing spree. I’ll have to leave it at that so I don’t ruin the plot.

  For my fans of Short Stories

• GhostRoots: Stories by ‘Pemi Aguda: A collection of short stories set in a reimagined Lagos, Nigeria.

• Out There Screaming edited by Jordan Peele (various authors) : Short stories that explore supernatural horror with a good dose of social commentary.

  Of course this is only a short list of the books within this genre, so feel free to explore and share with me what books you’ve read or want to read. Also, this is a safe space and I will not judge you with you READ read the books or indulge in an audiobook while navigating a crazy commute. Give your self the gift of a temporary escape from this crazy world, even if for a short spell.

  NOTE: I might update this post as I work through my list! Happy Early Halloween!