Madisoncanread | Cackle

Cackle

Rachel Harrison

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A darkly funny, frightening novel about a young woman learning how to take what she wants from a witch who may be too good to be true, from the author of The Return.

All her life, Annie has played it nice and safe. After being unceremoniously dumped by her longtime boyfriend, Annie seeks a fresh start. She accepts a teaching position that moves her from Manhattan to a small village upstate. She’s stunned by how perfect and picturesque the town is. The people are all friendly and warm. Her new apartment is dreamy too, minus the oddly persistent spider infestation.

Then Annie meets Sophie. Beautiful, charming, magnetic Sophie, who takes a special interest in Annie, who wants to be her friend. More importantly, she wants Annie to stop apologizing and start living for herself. That’s how Sophie lives. Annie can’t help but gravitate toward the self-possessed Sophie, wanting to spend more and more time with her, despite the fact that the rest of the townsfolk seem…a little afraid of her.

And like, okay. There are some things. Sophie’s appearance is uncanny and ageless, her mansion in the middle of the woods feels a little unearthly, and she does seem to wield a certain power…but she couldn’t be…could she?

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Posts about this title from Madisoncanread

Madisoncanread\ \ Madison\ \ • Aug 15 2025

Alright I have made videos in the past for this but I wanted to really sit down and make you a list that should be required reading for spooky season. Fall vibes that will keep you cozy or terrified? Whatever you're wanting! \ \ WITCHY RECS \ \ Cackle by Rachel Harrison: The ultimate cozy read! Annie is going through a breakup and moves to a small picturesque town where she meets a woman named Sophie and the 2 form a bond. I desperately wish I could read this again for the first time! \ \ Maggies Grave by David Sodergren: A woman named Maggie Wall was murdered for being a witch in the 1600s. Now she's back for revenge. If you want INSANE body horror, pick this one up! \ \ Slewfoot by Brom: This one I may revisit this fall. Abitha's husband died under strange circumstances and now his brother is trying to come after their farm. Abitha teams up with an unlikely friend to keep her home.\ \ The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson: Imanuelle has grown up in a very strict cult. She goes into the forbidden woods and finds power within herself. If you read and loved Slewfoot, you have to pick this book up! \ \ Haunted Recs \ \ The Spite House by Johnny Compton: Eric and his 2 daughters live on the run. He accepts a job to stay at a rumored haunted house. This will give him and and his daughters more stability than a life on the run. He'll find out quickly that there's definitely some fact behind these rumors.\ \ The September House by Carissa Orlando: A woman moves into her dream home and refuses to leave even though it's very haunted, the walls bleed every September, and her husband has gone missing.\ \ Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno Garcia: Noemi receives strange letters from her newly married cousin. She goes to check on her and can tell somethings off with her cousins husband's family. \ \ The Reformatory by Tananarive Due: Set in 1950's Florida where a young Black boy named Robbie gets sent to a reformatory school for defending his sister. This place is haunted by it's horrific past.\ \ CREATURE FEATURE \ \ When The Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy: Jess goes home after a shift a the diner she works at and finds a child who has clearly run away and is terrified. Once his dad shows up it is CLEAR why he's so scared. At this point, this is my favorite book of the year! \ \ Eynhallow by Tim McGregor: Agnes lives on an island with her husband and 4 children. She knows that there has to be more to life than what she has been given and she may have found that in the stranger who shows up in her tiny village \ \ Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison: Rory moves back to her hometown. She goes to a bar one night and is on her way home when she's attacked by a large animal. She somehow survives and now she's seeing some changes within herself.\ \ The Shuddering by Ania Ahlborn: A group of friends go on a cabin vacation where there is something in the woods waiting for them.\ \ VAMPIRES \ \ So Thirsy by Rachel Harrison: Rachel Harrison is a Vampire Diaries fan, I just know it! If you love Elijah from The Originals, READ THIS.\ \ A Dowry of Blood by ST Gibson: Letters from Draculas first wife. This is stunning and atmospheric. \ \ The Southern Bookclubs Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix: A group of suburban women start a book club where they read crime novels. They team up when a stranger shows up captivating their town.\ \ THRILLERS SET IN FALL \ \ Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson: Halloween night Jett is brutally attacked leaving her with a head wound that she won't survive. She can get a risky surgery with a small chance to live or she can live for the next week before she dies of aneurysm. She's decided she'll take her last week and solve her own murder. \ \ None of This is True by Lisa Jewell: Alix is a successful podcaster who interviews incredible women. Josie approaches her letting her know she hasn't done anything great, but she's about to. Alix agrees and then Josie has turned her podcast into a true crime podcast. \ \ Jackal by Erin Adams: Liz returns to her small hometown for her best friends wedding. She's tasked with watching her best friends daughter at the wedding and she goes missing. Now Liz is on hunt to find out who took her and who is responsible for young Black girls going missing in this town year after year. \ \ ON MY TBR \ \ The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia\ \ The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones\ \ We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinbrough\ \ The Good House by Tananarive Due

ULTIMATE SPOOKY SEASON TBR

22 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

Sunny's Book Truck\ \ CJ\ \ • Jun 21

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[Hi nerds,\ \ Last night we held our recurring event, Sunny's Salon. This month the prompt was to come prepared to talk about your favorite queer read for Pride month. Below you will find 20ish book recommendations gathered from the Yuma community.\ \ \ \

The Song of Achilles: A thrilling, profoundly moving, and utterly unique retelling of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan War from the bestselling author of Circe.\ \
Homosexual Intifada: A groundbreaking anthology amplifying queer Palestinian voices through art and storytelling that reclaim identity, resist erasure, and challenge stereotypes.\ \
Muñeca: A vivid, surreal Gothic about a queer, Latine, working class witch who sets out to rescue a bespelled heiress and loses control of her powers and her heart in the process.\ \
Cleat Cute: A sapphic rivals to lovers rom com for fans of Ted Lasso and A League of Their Own, where two soccer teammates are at odds before falling in love as their team gears up for the World Cup.\ \
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: The award-winning, internationally renowned book that is a “tender, honest exploration of identity” ( Publishers Weekly) and distills lyrical truths about family and friendship through the unlikely connection between two teens.\ \
Dogs of Summer: My Brilliant Friend meets Blue is the Warmest Color in this lyrical debut novel set in a working-class neighborhood of the Canary Islands—a story about two girls coming of age in the early aughts and a friendship that simmers into erotic desire over the course of one hot summer.\ \ \ \ \
I'll Give You the Sun: The radiant, award-winning story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal for fans of John Green, Becky Albertalli, and Adam Silvera.\ \
What Move the Dead: A gripping and atmospheric reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” from Hugo, Locus, & Nebula award-winning author T. Kingfisher.\ \
Cemetery Boys: A trans boy determined to prove his gender to his traditional Latinx family summons a ghost who refuses to leave in Aiden Thomas's paranormal YA debut.\ \
The Black Flamingo: A fierce coming-of-age verse novel about identity and the power of drag, from acclaimed poet and performer Dean Atta. Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Jason Reynolds, and Kacen Callender.\ \
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth: Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph White’s much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity.\ \ \ Open Throat: A lonely, lovable, queer mountain lion narrates this star-making fever dream of a novel.\ \ \ \
Pumpkin: Return to the beloved world of Julie Murphy’s #1 New York Times bestselling Dumplin’— now a popular Netflix feature film starring Jennifer Aniston — in this fabulously joyful, final companion novel about drag, prom, and embracing your inner Queen.\ \
Herculine: A “witty, often-chilling, compulsively readable” ( Vogue) horror debut following a woman who seeks refuge at an all-trans girl commune only to discover that demons haunt her fellow comrades—and she’s their next prey!\ \
Stag Dance: In this collection of one novel and three stories, bestselling author Torrey Peters’s keen eye for the rough edges of community and desire push the limits of trans writing.\ \
D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding: D'Vaughn and Kris have six weeks to plan their dream wedding. Their whole relationship is fake.\ \
Wife Shaped Bodies: Sorrowland meets Manhunt in this literary horror debut in which an isolated newlywed, covered in fungal fruiting bodies, strikes a precarious balance between following her husband's strict rules and pursuing an intense connection with a woman who makes her question everything.\ \
Astrid Parker Doesn't Fall: An interior designer who is never without the perfect plan learns to renovate her love life without one in this new romantic comedy by Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care.\ \ \ \ \
Cackle: A darkly funny, frightening novel about a young woman learning how to take what she wants from a witch who may be too good to be true, from the author of The Return.\ \
Giovanni's Room: James Baldwin’s groundbreaking novel whose frank exploration of sexuality and self-acceptance was decades ahead of its time—named one of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the past 100 years.\ \
Strange Beasts: In this fresh-yet-familiar gothic tale—part historical fantasy, part puzzle-box mystery—the worlds of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes collide in a thrilling exploration of feminine power.\ \
Looking for a Sign: A newly single queer woman moves to New Orleans and sets off on a mission to find her most compatible match by going on a date with someone of each astrological sign in this rom-com from the Lambda Literary Award–nominated author of Queerly Beloved.\ \
Saturn Returning: A smoldering, soul-splitting debut that tracks three friends through the celestial chaos of adulthood, love, and queer identity.\ \
Legends & Lattes: The much-beloved BookTok sensation, Travis Baldree's novel of high fantasy and low stakes.\ \ \ \ Love what we do? Become a paid subscriberfor less than a cup of coffee a month. Your ongoing support helps us plan ahead, fund causes we care about, and create meaningful programming for our community.](https://sunnysbooktruck.binderybooks.com/item/qhqwdGtxh5zmTWfKXN0w/)

What our community is reading for Pride

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22 books

Kurryreads\ \ Kerry\ \ • Sep 11 2025

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Ranking Rachel Harrison Books

Ranking Author Books: Rachel Harrison 📖📚 #booktok #booktoker #rankingbooks #bookranking #rankingauthorbooks #rachelharrison #rachelharrisonbooks #blacksheep #cackle #sothirsty #thereturn #suchsharpteeth #books #horrorbooks #horrorreader #arc #arcreader #bibliophile #bookish #weirdbooks #girlypophorrorbooks #ranking #kurryreads #funhorrorbooks

6 books

Madisoncanread\ \ Madison\ \ • Aug 15 2025

ULTIMATE SPOOKY SEASON TBR

22 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Aug 28 2024

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fall book recs

🍁🫣 🎃 two sets of fall book recs for two sets of fall book vibes!

my delightfully spooky bunnicula shirt was gifted from out of print!

9 books

Arcane Nights Press\ \ Cassidy\ \ • Mar 27 2024

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7 Books in 7 Days

I attempted to read 7 books in 7 days! Here’s what happened!

7 books

Boneyard Picnic\ \ Natalie Meagan\ \ • Jan 8 2024

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My 2024 TBR (maybe)

I don't like sticking to lists, I am a mood reader with an aversion to being told what to do - even if I am the one doing the telling. BUT if I did stick to a list this year, this would be the list!

Books Mentioned: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russel We Spread by Iain Reid Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier Book Lovers, Happy Place and Funny Story by Emily Henry The Warm Hands of Ghosts, The Bear and the Nightingale and Small Spaces by Katherine Arden Cackle and Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison Beautiful World, Where Are You? And Normal People by Sally Rooney The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole

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14 books