“On a long enough timeline, endings are inevitable. Tragedy is inevitable. Fortunately, so is joy.”
Bury Your Gays is a 2024 horror novel by Chuck Tingle, the USA Today bestselling author of Camp Damascus. Tackling one of the most infamous tropes in horror movie history, the story follows Misha, a jaded scriptwriter who has been operating in Hollywood for years, but who has finally been nominated for his first Oscar. But, when his producers pressure him to kill off a gay character for the upcoming series finale, Misha soon discovers that things are not as simple as he hoped. As he becomes haunted by his past and past mistakes, Misha must confront doing the right thing, before it proves to be too late. If you loved Tingle’s story, join us today at What We Reading for the best books like Bury Your Gays brimming with psychological terror, body horror, homages to the classics and messages about queer representation and corporate greed!
The Eyes Are The Best Part – Monika Kim
First up on our list of books like Bury Your Gays is Monika Kim’s The Eyes Are the Best Part. Ji-won’s life has spiralled into disarray in the aftermath of her appa’s affair and subsequent departure. Her younger sister is hurt and confused, her mother is downtrodden and her freshman grades have already begun to tank. Her dreams have become an assortment of blue eyes, the very same eyes possessed by George, Umma’s obnoxious new boyfriend who has already overstayed his welcome.
George doesn’t deserve anything from her family, and Ji-won is prepared to do whatever it takes to make sure of that. No matter how many victims accumulate around her campus, or how many people she must lie to or manipulate, Ji-won’s hunger and fury need to be sated.
So Thirsty – Rachel Harrison
Sloane Parker is not looking forward to her birthday. The last thing she needs is a reminder that she is getting older, or that she’s feeling caught in a rut in her life. Nevertheless, her husband surprises her with a weekend getaway with her best friend, Naomi. Sloane is anticipating a weekend filled with cosy robes, wine tastings and strategically avoiding pressing issues, namely, her husband’s constant cheating.
But, when they arrive at their rental cottage, it soon becomes clear that Naomi has something very different in mind for their weekend. So, she constructs the ultimate night out with a mysterious group of strangers, only for things to take a devastating and horrifying turn that changes Sloane and Naomi’s life forever. One of the best horror books from 2024, So Thirsty is the perfect follow-up to Bury Your Gays for any readers looking for another deliciously thrilling tale of identity and self-empowerment.
Check Out The Best New Horror Novels To Read This Fall
Horror Movie – Paul Tremblay
In June 1993, a group of young guerilla filmmakers spent a month making Horror Movie, an infamous and incredibly disturbing art-house horror film. Only three of the flick’s scenes were ever released to the public; though Horror Movie soon found itself with a rabid fanbase. Thirty years later, Hollywood has come calling for a big-budget reboot.
The man who played the movie’s ‘Thin Kid’ is the sole surviving member of the original cast. He can recall all the secrets nestled within the original screenplay, the strange events that plagued filming and the dangerous events that led to tragedy. But, even if he must navigate the treacherous hours worlds of film producers, directors and fan conventions, he is determined to see filming finished – demons of the past be damned. Like Bury Your Gays, Paul Tremblay’s Horror Movie is an intense psychologically chilling tale that offers a fresh twist on the ‘cursed film’ device.
Heads Will Roll – Josh Winning
After sitcom icon Willow found herself on the wrong side of Twitter and being hauled blind-drunk out of a swimming pool, her agent packed her up and shipped her off to the woodsy confines of Camp Castaway. Tucked away in the rural wildlands of New York, Castaway offers the perfect camp for adults looking to leave behind their mistakes. To her surprise, Willow finds that all her fellow campmates appear to be okay; her favourite actor is even present at the campfire.
But the pleasant and peaceful vibe is soon shattered when a terrifying woman is found shrieking from the wardrobe in Willow’s room. Soon, one of Castaway’s residents vanishes. Terror soon takes hold of the group, and they are soon forced on the run. As paranoia grows internally and disturbing realities from the past come to light, their escapes from their shallow lifestyles may just shepherd them all to early graves in Josh Winning’s Heads Will Roll.
How To Make A Horror Movie And Survive – Craig DiLouie
Another one of the best 2024 horror novels similar to Bury Your Gays, Craig DiLouie pays homage to classic ‘80s slasher flicks in How To Make a Horror Movie and Survive. Max Maury should be on top of the world. Yet, it is the 1980s and he’s found himself stuck making cheap slasher movies for audiences who crave blood, guts and gore over real artistic flair. What’s worse, his slimy producer refuses to fund any of his fresh ideas.
Sally Priest has always dreamt of being the Final Girl. When she meets Max at his latest wrap party, she sets out to impress him and prove her scream queen prowess. When Max unearths an old camera that recorded a very real Hollywood horror, he knows he needs to use it in his next release. The only issue? The camera comes with a cryptic warning and occasionally wails. As Max embarks on making the scariest film ever released, Sally’s time to shine as the Final Girl is about to begin.
Guillotine – Delilah S. Dawson
Thrift fashionista Dez Lane isn’t interested in dating Patrick Ruskin. Instead, she’s much more interested in meeting his mother, editor-in-chief of Nouveau magazine. When he invites her to his family’s annual Easter reunion at their exclusive lake retreat, she’s determined to stomach his arrogance, bat away his advances and find a way of asking Marie Caulfield-Ruskin for an internship.
When they arrive at the grand estate perched on an island at the centre of Georgia Lake, Dez is amazed by how the wealthiest 1% live. For decades, the Ruskins have made their servants sign contracts that essentially exist in servitude to them. But, what happens when these servants, with nothing left to lose, decide to get rid of the Ruskins permanently?
William – Mason Coile
Henry is a brilliant engineer who, after ungodly hours spent in his home lab, has achieved the breakthrough of a lifetime – pioneering the world’s first artificial intelligence consciousness. He christens the half-formed robot William.
No one knows about William. Henry’s intense agoraphobia keeps him locked inside the house and his passion for the project keeps him away from any contact with the world outside, including his pregnant wife, Lily. However, when Lily’s friends show up wanting to meet him, Henry decides to introduce them to William, where things quickly spiral from strange to so much worse. Like Bury Your Gays, Mason Coile’s William is a psychologically intense horror with a timely sprinkling of cyber noir to make for a seriously fresh-feeling haunted house tale.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
