Emily has a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, MS, and she has an MFA in Creative Writing from GCSU in Milledgeville, GA, home of Flannery O’Connor. She spends her free time reading, watching horror movies and musicals, cuddling cats, Instagramming pictures of cats, and blogging/podcasting about books with the ladies over at #BookSquadGoals (www.booksquadgoals.com). She can be reached at emily.ecm@gmail.com.
If you thought you had to give up your horror reading this season for something light and fluffy and appropriate for the warm weather, think again. Beach reads don’t have to be cozy rom-coms. They just have to be fun. So this summer, you might be wondering what horror novels are going to accompany as you sit out at the beach or laze by the pool.
Lucky for you, July is FULL of excellent new scary books to get excited about. You might be reveling in the warm months or just counting down the days until Halloween. Either way, horror fans, these books have got you covered for the rest of the month.
How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold (Poisoned Pen, July 8)
This novel is a locked-room mystery mixed with a horror story. Mortimer Queen, a legendary horror author, has died, and now seven writers have been invited to her manor for a reading of his last will and testament. Little do they know that the invite is actually the start of a game. All they have to do is solve a riddle, and they will progress to the next part of the house. And if they don’t? The manor will take their life.
All Access members read on for more recommendations!
Emily has a PhD in English from the University of Southern Mississippi, MS, and she has an MFA in Creative Writing from GCSU in Milledgeville, GA, home of Flannery O’Connor. She spends her free time reading, watching horror movies and musicals, cuddling cats, Instagramming pictures of cats, and blogging/podcasting about books with the ladies over at #BookSquadGoals (www.booksquadgoals.com). She can be reached at emily.ecm@gmail.com.
Predatory Natures by Amy Goldsmith (Delacorte, July 8)
After an unfortunate incident upended Lara Williams’ entire life, she’s looking for a reset during her gap year. This is why she takes a job working aboard The Banebury, a luxury train that offers a five-star experience for its passengers. But when two strange passenges come aboard the train, bringing with them mysterious and beautiful plants, Lara can’t shake the feeling that something is off about them.
The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Ray, July 15)
Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s latest horror novel is a witchy tale exploring the story of women from three different areas who get caught up in witchcraft. Minerva is a graduate student, studying the history of horror. When she discovers that horror author Beatrice Tremblay’s most famous novel was inspired by a true story, Minerva becomes obsessed with finding out the truth behind the manuscript. Decades earlier, when Tremblay attended the same university as Minerva, a girl went missing under mysterious circumstances.
Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner (Tor Nightfire, July 15)
Girl in the Creek is set in the Clackamas National Forest, an eerie forest in the Pacific Northwest that is said to be a place of evil. Erin Harper comes to Clackamas looking for answers after her brother goes missing. But he’s not the only one who has been lost in the forest. First, she discovers a girl in the creek, and then that same girl goes missing from the morgue. Later, that same girl’s fingerprints are found at another murder scene.
House of Beth by Kerry Cullen (Simon & Schuster, July 15)
House of Beth is a gothic horror novel with shades of du Maurier’s Rebecca and Bunny by Mona Awad. After both her relationship and her career crash out, Cassie returns to her hometown and reconnects with her high school best friend Eli, now a widowed father of two. But living in a secluded house with Eli and his kids is anything but peaceful. Cassie is haunted by violent dreams, and echoes of Beth, Eli’s late wife, are everywhere in the house. Soon, Cassie begins to hear the house itself speaking to her, telling her its secrets.
Killer on the Road/The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones (Saga, July 15)
Stephen Graham Jones, the world’s most prolific horror author, is back with two horror novellas. The Babysitter Lives is a reissue of a novella previously released as audiobook-only. It follows Charlotte, a babysitter who is shocked to realize she and the twins she is babysitting are not alone in the house. Meanwhile, Killer on the Road is the story of 16-year-old Harper who is being followed by a serial killer down the interstate.
One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford (Gallery, July 15)
Horror fans can always appreciate a new take on zombies, right? This one is set in London where everyone is being infected by a strange virus. The government is doing their best to round up all the sick, but Kesta decides to keep Tim, her infected husband, (un)alive and with her, caring for him with supplies from the hospital. But caring for Tim becomes more difficult as his violent outbursts come more frequently, and people at work are starting to notice Kesta behaving strangely.
DuMort by Michelle Tang (Ghost Orchid, July 22)
In this horror novella, noblewoman Mina Braithwaite feels like an outsider among the other high society people of Mydalla. Especially now with the fear of the mysterious entity who has been at her neck, which has been haunting her and consuming her every thought. Desperately searching for anything to end the agony, Mina turns to Alexandre DuMort, an infamous occultist. She hopes DuMort can help rid her of that which haunts her. What she doesn’t expect is how much she will be pulled into his orbit.
It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest (Poisoned Pen, July 22)
It Was Her House First is a gothic haunted house story set in a cliffside mansion where the ghost of silent film star Venita Rost haunts the halls. Now, the house has a new resident. When the grieving Ronnie Mitchell receives an unexpected inheritance, she purchases the mansion sight unseen. Little does she know what horrors lurk in the shadows of her new home. When a stranger knocks on her door, new secrets about the mansion are revealed.
The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw (Tor Nightfire, July 22)
Rounding out the month’s new horror releases, we’ve got the latest from Cassandra Khaw. The Library at Hellebore is a dark academia novel set at The Hellebore Technical Institute for the Gifted. Alessa Li is kidnapped and forced to attend the school, but she’s promised that on the other side of enrollment is a life of redemption and acceptance. Instead, on graduation day, the faculty begin to feast on Alessa’s classmates. Now, trapped in the library with a few other survivors, Alessa and her classmates must sacrifice one of their numbers to the faculty every night or else they will all die.
Happy reading, horror fans!
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