Summer Scares: Book Recommendations

Hell on earth (aka summer) is here and it is a scorcher. But don’t forget, this is the time of year we are supposed to ignore the horrifying effects of our carbon emissions and lay out on a beach, a blister from the UV rays, and admire a trash-filled ocean. If you are being forced to leave the comfort of your air conditioner at any point this summer, make sure you at least bring something that will send refreshingly cool chills down your spine.

Summer Scare Book Recommendations

The Perfectly Petrifying Beach Read:

Headed to the beach? Then you need an engrossing book that will also look cute in your Instagram beach pics. Rachel Harrion’s Black Sheep will have you obsessed from page 1.

Vesper left her family farm when she was 18. Having run away from the religious community she grew up in, she did not have the option to return. That is until she received an invitation to her beloved cousin’s wedding. Cynical yet curious, Vesper returns to the farm despite having to reunite with her icy scream queen mother, Constance.

A twisted family secret is uncovered that will turn Vesper’s life and religious beliefs on their heads. Forcing her to reckon with her family ties.

Intriguing and relatable, this novel is perfect for those of us who don’t know where we fit in this crazy world. BUT you can also just let yourself become immersed in the story and the sand.

Summer Thriller:

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn is the quintessential creepy small southern town mystery that will keep you guessing until the very last page.

Journalist Camille Parker returns to her hometown to cover the unsolved murder of two young girls. Struggling with mental illness, confronting trauma from her past, and reuniting with her estranged mother, Camille is eager to finish her coverage of the case. But with each new discovery in the case, she begins to become entangled and obsessed with solving the mystery.

This will be a book that you will want to recommend to anyone you speak to and wish you could read again for the first time. The perfect sweltering summer mystery.

Long Flight:

Buckle up, plug in your headphones, be kind to your flight attendants, and please don’t lean your seat back so much. This is going to be a long flight. Now is the perfect opportunity to pull out that 900-page book (or invest in an Ereader). Stephen King’s sci-fi historical fiction epic, 11/22/63 is perfect for your next never-ending travel day.

The day Kenedy was shot, the world changed forever.

Jake Epping is shown a portal to the past. He can return to 1958 and change history. He must live in the era of Elvis and sock hops all while uncovering the devious plans of Lee Harvey Oswald and company. As 1963 approaches, Epping’s new life becomes entangled with his true purpose. Will stopping Oswald really change the future?

A truly astounding and nail-biting story full of hope, romance, and nostalgia that will have you flying through all 900 pages.

The Loser’s Club Summer:

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix provides the perfect blast of summer nostalgia for when things were simple and all you had to worry about was your best friend was possessed.

In 1988, best friends Abby and Gretchen go skinny dipping in the lake only to get separated. After much searching, Abby finds Gretchen who begins to act strangely.

Abby is determined to be the best friend she can possibly be and uncover the reason behind Gretchen’s strange, erratic, and downright evil behavior.

Skinny dipping, best friends, 80s, demons, and Christian Body Builders. Literally what else do you need?

Bloody Summer:

Short and not so sweet, Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica will make your stomach turn and probably make you at least CONSIDER becoming a vegetarian.

Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. When the infectious virus made all animal meat poisonous to humans and the governments initiated the “Transition,” eating human meat—“special meat”—is legal.

One day he’s given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost—and what might still be saved.

Do NOT read this one if you are planning on attending ANY summer cookouts.

Literature:

In contrast to the popular “coastal grandma” summer aesthetic, John Langan’s The Fisherman offers the less popular, “coastal mourning middle-aged man who only finds solace in fishing and is haunted by folktales” aesthetic. A true masterpiece that begs the question; how far would you go to bring your loved ones back to life?

In upstate New York, in the woods around Woodstock, Dutchman's Creek flows out of the Ashokan Reservoir. It offers fine fishing and the possibility of something too fantastical to be true. When two widowers Abe and Dan who find solace in nothing else but each other and fishing, hear the tale of the Creek and what it may offer, they find themselves drawn to the darkly twisted lore of the Creek.

Ideal for a lake day or cabin getaway excursion. Just don’t follow any strange people into the woods. You can read my full review here.

No matter what your summer bucket list has in store, I hope you can still find time for some horror. And when the summer heat becomes unbearable, just head to your nearest craft store! It already looks like October there!

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