June HORRORscope
Dear Reader,
HAPPY PRIDE! It is undeniable that horror has always been a welcoming home to LGBTQ+ writers and stories, from Carmilla published in 1872 to Jennifer’s Body showing on movie screens in 2009. This June, Jupiter steps into Cancer on the 9th procuring the perfect opportunity to examine your home, family, security, or even…your bookshelf with some excellent queer horror book recs.
*Please check trigger warnings*
Aquarius
Aquarius, Venus enters the domestic zone on the 6th which means it’s the perfect time to spruce up your home. Sweep in the corners you usually ignore, throw out spoiled food from the fridge, and light the candle you’ve been holding off on to really make your space shine. On your TBR for June, check out Model Home by Rivers Solomon.
Home is where the heart is, or in the case of the Maxwells, the only Black family in a predominantly white gated neighborhood, where the horrors reside. As adults, the three Maxwell siblings have done everything they can to escape their childhood home where things too dark to talk about still haunt their memories. But when news that their parents have died rock their foundation, all three must venture home to deal with the ghosts that have been awaiting their return. Nothing is what it seems in this haunted-house story full of secret histories, queer experiences, and the way grief and familial love can ruin or save you.
Pisces
Pisces, you are the hostess with the mostest this month as Venus moves into Taurus on the 6th. But beware, being too generous this month may result in you depleting your valuable resources. Throw a potluck where everyone brings their favorite dish but know it’s okay to let everyone know when it’s time to go home so you can have some necessary “me time.” On your TBR for June, check out The Faceless Thing We Adore by Hester Steel.
For Aoife, life can’t be going worse. She’s just been broken up with by her not-so-nice boyfriend, is in a dead-end job, and just can’t seem to shake the feeling that she’s never really belonged anywhere. But after a mysterious postcard from a former employee shows up at work, Aoife decides to screw it all and go in search of the dreamy island described in the postcard. At first, the Farmstead, a community that opens its loving arms to her, seems like the place she has been looking for her whole life. A place she can finally be happy. A place where a brilliant and kind woman makes Aoife’s insides explode with butterflies. But the island hides a dark underbelly, one where rot is spreading from all over the island, where the others seem to hide their secrets, where a god waits hungry and eager to devour everything Aoife has grown to love.
Aries
Aries, this month it is especially important to choose your battles wisely. Boundaries are going to be tested when Jupiter interacts with Saturn and Neptune the week of the 15th. On your TBR for June, check out Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir.
Gideon the Ninth has all she needs: her sword, dirty magazines, and a plan to get off a planet littered with the undead. But when her plan fails thanks to her childhood nemesis, Gideon finds herself instead tied to Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of Ninth House, as her swordswoman. As they battle a group of other young necromancers and their swords person to win the spot of necromancer to the Emperor, they will discover that feelings are as easy to hide as bloodthirsty monsters. This book is angsty, queer as hell, and packed with sword fighting that will have you searching lady knight for hours online.
Taurus
Taurus, you are about to feel charming as hell this month when Venus moves into your sign on the 6th. This newfound charm makes it a perfect time to ask your crush on a road trip or spontaneous adventure and maybe, just maybe, confess your feelings. On your TBR for June, check out Full Shift by Jennifer Dugan.
If traversing teenhood, senior year of high school, and a crush on a best friend who also happens to be a girl wasn’t hard enough, Tessa also has to deal with being a werewolf. After confessing her deepest secret to her crush goes horribly wrong, Tessa will rest at nothing to find a cure to make her the thing she wishes for most: normal. But wolf hunters lurk around every corner threatening her family and Tessa must learn that sometimes unleashing the wolf inside to protect the ones you love most is a blessing.
Gemini
Gemini, all eyes are on you as this is your month babe! Your wallet will feel extra full thanks to the Sun’s entry into your money zone on the 20th, making it the perfect time to sort out your summer vacation plans. But if you’ve had thoughts on making your romantic life public this month, it might be best to hold off as Venus slips into the introspection sector of your chart. On your TBR for June, check out It Came From the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror edited by Joe Vallese.
This collection is a smorgasbord of essays by queer and trans writers on the horror media that illuminates their experiences. From commentary on the famous ‘final girl’ trope to the imagery of things lurking in the closet, each of these 25 essays will leave you feeling full happiness at the queer and trans rep that has and always will be here in your favorite horror movies and media.
Cancer
Cancer, Lady Luck is your best friend this month as Jupiter moves into Cancer on the 9th marking the beginning of your “Emerald Year.” Focus on taking risks you normally wouldn’t, make wishes on every eyelash, and make some fun summer plans that might have felt too far-fetched before. On your TBR for June, check out She Is A Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran.
Jade Nguyen is set on her plan: survive five weeks with her estranged father in Vietnam, ignore the creeping feeling of dread the house her father is fixing up gives her, and maybe flirt a little with the cute daughter of a family friend. Unfortunately all of that is thrown out the window when the house they are fixing up turns out to be haunted…and hungry. As Jade races to find the rot at the house’s core while surviving the ghosts that haunt her dreams, she discovers that the key to saving herself and her loved ones means becoming the truth of who she really is.
Leo
Leo, with Mars in your sign, your energy is elevated at the beginning of the month, which guarantees you are going to have a social life full of adventure. Plus, Venus is in your career zone this month, so get ready to attract the attention of higher-ups. On your TBR for June, check out Bunny by Mona Awad.
MFA student Samantha Heather Mackey is a bit of an outsider in her program, but when she receives an invite to a special gathering from the Bunnies, a popular group of girls, she takes a leap down a dark rabbit’s hole. As Samatha becomes more intertwined with the Bunnies and partakes in their twisted workshops, where monsters aren’t just made out of paper and ink, she’ll have to decide if friends are truly forever…or just deadly.
Virgo
Virgo, this month is full of career and social blessings. You may receive lots of invitations to events, concerts, and parties but as the month winds down beware of gabbing too much. The Mercury-Plut opposition on the 29th will test how well you can keep things to yourself and leave the gossip behind. On your TBR for June, check out Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito.
Winifred Notty is not what she seems. On the outside, she is a quintessentially perfect victorian governess, but something dark squirms deep inside her, and it’s ready to wreak havoc on her new inhabitance, Ensor House. From tormenting house staff to teaching her new charges about monsters that eat children, with every day gone by Winifred begins to struggle to keep her bloody thoughts, and something much worse, inside.
Libra
Libra, these past couple of months may have felt you were holding onto your last scrap of resources, emotionally and physically. But fear not, Venus is headed into your joint finances sector of your chart on the 6th, which means you are going to be blessed with an abundance of resources perfect for sending you on your dream vacation. On your TBR for June, check out The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling.
Aymar Castle, once a place of salvation, is now a place of nightmares as those trying to evade the siege going on outside run out of food. Constant Phosyne, nun-turned-sorcerers, got lucky once by solving the castle’s water issue but coming up with a miracle for the dwindling of food proves to be more challenging. After a slew of riots, attacks, and deaths by starvation, a group of saviors show up just in time…but something about these saviors and the glorious feasts they put on seem off. Phosyne, a war hero lady-knight, and a serving girl may be the only hope to keep the castle from falling into the depths of hell.
Scorpio
Scorpio, with Venus in your relationship sector on the 6th, you are about to have a spicy start to summer, but it’s best to still stay frugal as the Full Moon on the 11th will make you extra conscious of your financial situation. On your TBR for June, check out Tell Me I’m Worthless by Alison Rumfitt.
After a night spent in an abandoned house with her two friends, Alice becomes the haunted one not the house. Three years later, one of those friends shows up asking her to return, ignore the KEEP OUT sign, and the darkness that oozes from every inch of the house. Alice knows she must return and face the house that took everything from her and is threatening to do it once again.
Sagittarius
Sagittarius, this month is all about the mind. On the 26th of the month, Mercury will enter your 9th house of travel and higher education, so now is the time to book that writer’s retreat or take a class somewhere while on vacation. On your TBR for June, check out Bury Your Gays Chuck Tingle.
After years of surviving the poison of Hollywood, script-writer Misha is no longer in love with the lights, cameras, and action. When his producers pressure him to kill the gay character in his show, he wants to fight back. But something deadly is afoot and doing what’s right might mean Misha has to worry about not only keeping his beloved character alive…but himself.
Capricorn
Capricorn, you may experience a lot of power struggles this month when the Sun squares Saturn on the 22nd. Try not to let yourself get too fired up. Keeping your cool will reward you with new opportunities to take relationships to a deeper level. On your TBR for June, check out Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin.
In the summer of 1995, seven queer kids will be betrayed by their parents and sent away to a conversion camp deep in the desert, though it might as well be the eighth ring of hell. While fighting for their lives, they must stay true to themselves to escape the horrors that haunt them out on the desert plains. 16 years later, those same survivors will be the only ones who can put an end to the evil that yearns to wear your skin and tear the world apart.
To everyone who celebrates PRIDE, you are beautiful, you are important, and you belong. May you celebrate this month with loved ones and most importantly, in the rules of Ru Paul, “You better READ.”
Till next time!
Yours dreadfully,
Katelynn