Hi friends! šš» Weāre now into summer in the Northern Hemisphere and I am not looking forward to it. I donāt need to explain how much I hate summer and hot weather in general but my hatred for it just intensifies as I get older (thanks to global warming).
Usually, I centre my seasonal TBRs around specific genres and contemporary has been my summer genre for a long time now, but Iāve been reading so much horror and thriller recently that itās all I want to read really. And that doesnāt bother me one bit because whoever said that horror is only for Halloween? The Texas Chain Saw Massacre took place in the summer, after all.
House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson - Normally I wouldnāt pick a book about vampires for the summertime, but Iāve ended up picking five. Whoops. Iāve had a copy of House of Hunger on my shelves for a little while and since weāre nearing the end of Pride Month, I figured thereās no better time to read it. Because I am a vampire in real life.
The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave - Another sapphic vampire book, but a YA one this time. Iāve never read anything from Kiran Millwood Hargrave since most of her books that Iāve seen are Middle Grade, which I donāt read, but this one caught my interest when it was first released because it tells the story of Draculaās Brides, and I love Dracula. That much should be obvious.
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager - Iāve been on a bit of a Riley Sager kick recently. I read Final Girls last year and really enjoyed it, and I recently read Home Before Dark and loved that one too. I didnāt think that thriller was a genre that I really enjoyed until I picked up his books because they do have horror elements like final girls and “haunted” houses.
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo - I am really bad with pre-orders, even when theyāre for autobuy authors. Itās been a few years since I read Ninth House and I told myself I would read it as soon as it came out, and yet here we are. I could reread Ninth House before going into this one, but nah.
Reluctant Immortals by Gwendolyn Kiste - Another vampire book! This one is a historical novel set in the 1960s and follows Lucy Westenra from Dracula and Bertha Mason from Jane Eyre as vampires in Los Angeles. The cover just screams ‘summerā to me and Iām curious to see how the characters are tackled.
The Southern Book Clubās Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix - Iāve only read one of Grady Hendrixā books so far (The Final Girl Support Group) and I really liked how he took on the trope, so Iām curious to see how he tackles vampires too.
Mina and the Undead by Amy McCaw - Last vampire book! Iāve had this book on my bedside pile for well over a year at this point, which is really bad considering that the sequel has been out since last year. But it takes place in summer, so that makes it a summery book!
My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones - Another one thatās been on my bedside for a while, Iāve heard so much praise about this book and Stephen Graham Jonesā books in general. I know that this one is very much influenced by slasher movies so that really intrigues me.
Youāre Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron - I havenāt really been keeping up with YA releases for a while so I was surprised to find out that Kalynn Bayron had written a horror book. I really enjoyed This Poison Heart and the sequel so I reserved it from our library but I donāt think the order has been sent yet so who knows when itāll arrive.
Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang - I havenāt read any of R.F. Kuangās books because grimdark high fantasy isnāt for me, but I have been interested in this one and have seen some good reviews for it. As of me writing this post, Iām number 3 on the waiting list, so the order of this TBR is very likely to change!
talk to me!
Whatās on your TBR for this season?
Iām definitely a vote for reading horror in summer - maybe just because Iām easily spooked so Iād rather read/listen in the daylightā¦
Enjoy your summer reading š
Author
Being easily spooked is a perfectly good reason for summertime horror reading! š
Goodluck with your tbr, and have fun!
Omg I understand you.. I donāt cope with heat very well to begin with, and my meds makes me overheat faster š so yeah.. recipe for LOTS of heat fatigue way too easily š¤¦š½āāļø
Author
My meds make my body go haywire with the heat too so itās just an all round sensory nightmare for me š
Oh reading horror over the summer seems like fun and Tammy recently posted about how there were more new releases this summer so a lot to pick up from there as well š Iāve heard some good things about The Deathless Girls and I enjoyed The SOuthernās Book Club Guide to Vampire Hunting.
Author
Iāll definitely have to take a look at Tammyās post! š
I have so many horror/thriller titles on my summer TBR (which I did a post about) and I canāt wait to get into Julyās releases. The Southern Book Club is fabulous!
Horror is such a fun genre.
And, yeah, Iām not a fan of summer heat waves either. You are so not alone there.
Here is my Top Ten Tuesday post.
House of Hunger sounds good.
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
Yellowface was so good! Hope you enjoy it - and the other books on this list - when you get the chance to read it.
My Summer TBR
These all sound great! I hope you love them!
I really like Sager, too. Iāve actually read all of his books but FINAL GIRLS. Iām looking forward to his new one thatās coming out soon. Enjoy all your books!
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
I recently saw an ARC of Youāre Not Supposed to Die Tonight at work, and Iām thinking Iām gonna snag it. I love Bayron, and this book would be a fun foray into YA horror for me.
I definitely feel you on the dislike of summer, I like being able to wear all my cute summer dresses (though tbh I do still wear a lot of them in autumn/winter just with tights!) but I donāt like being hot and sweaty all the time and I hate pollen season because of my hayfever so all in all itās not a fun time for me. Anyway, your list looks like a lot of fun, I also have both Hell Bent and Mina and The Undead on my TBR and I havenāt read them yet.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2023/06/20/top-ten-tuesday-425/
I hate summer too. The constant heat makes me crazy. I hope you like The Southern Book Clubās Guide. I thought it was a fun book.
Five vampire books, heck yeah! Vampires year-round lol. Iāve read and loved one Stephen Graham Jones book, but I think it was his one not horror book. Hope you like these!
I agree that you should read whatever you want, whenever you want to. Horror is definitely readable all year long, if thatās what you like. I really want to read Youāre Not Supposed to Die Tonight.
Ohhh Yellowface! I really enjoyed this one, I hope you will, too! š