Iâve loved a good weird, creepy, and/or magical story ever since I first read The Bloody Chamber. Hereâs a few I recommend:
Stranger things happen - Kelly link
white cat, black dog - Kelly Link
her Body and Other Parties - Carmen Maria Machado
The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories - Angela Carter
the Dangers of Smoking in Bed - Mariana EnrĂquez
When Things get dark - Edited by Ellen Datlow
The Frangipani Hotel - Violet Kupersmith
Feb 20, 2024
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My favourite short stories tend to be creepy or magical. I think due to the necessary open-endedness of short stories, it lends itself most to mystery and magic.
Angela Carterâs Bloody Chamber is a great classic creepy feminist story to start with.
Carmen Maria Machadoâs The Husband Stitch continued Carterâs legacy
Iâm a HUGE Kelly Link fan, but her stuff is very strange so might not be for everyone, but my favourite of hers is probably The Specialistâs hat or Skinderâs Veil
Shirley Jacksonâs The Lottery is also a classic, and if you like creepy stories and want a good overview of writers in that genre, I recommend the collection âWhen Things Get Darkâ, a collection inspired by the tone of Jacksonâs work; it features Kelly link, Carmen Maria Machado, Joyce Carol Oates, and loads of contemporary short story writers. I discovered the story Tiptoe by Laird Barron through this and its possibly my favourite creepy short story, it sent full shivers down my spine in a way no other story had.
May 22, 2024
Possibly my 20th Kelly link rec but no one does weird like her. Weird surrealist short stories, fun, creepy, sad, funny. white cat, black dog is also excellent.
May 30, 2024
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oh! hello weird lit pal! i also belong to that club!
a few favorites of mine:
âit lasts forever then itâs overâ by anne de marcken
âsiftâ by alissa hattman
âwoodwormâ by layla martinez
âannihilationâ by jeff vandermeer
âthe membranesâ by chi ta-wei
âthe complete stories of leonora carringtonâ by leonora carrington⌠sheâs the og weirdo and i adore her
this isnât a novella but i love it so much⌠âthe wallâ by marlen haushofer!
i havenât read this one but i heard âiceâ by anna kavan is good!
i hope you find something you enjoy â¨
Dec 31, 2024
Top Recs from @mouse
I am by no means traditionally religious, but I fully understand how being in the presence of beautiful stained glass can feel like being with god. ALWAYS stop off at a church on the way if you think it might have good stained glass. The bluebells in the bottom right corner of this made me loose my breath for a moment.
2d ago
Apr 14, 2025
I used to be envious of people who had âMySpace friendsâ or âtumblr friendsâ. Now I have PI.FYI friends. Thank you capyboppy for your lovely letter and this illustration of a capybara and a mouse with fruit on our heads, it made me weirdly emotional â¤ď¸
Jun 11, 2024