[LIST] DEAD LEAVES: DEAD OF SUMMER

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Summer is tough for goths, vampires, and other characters from horror movies. It’s hard to rock an all-black wardrobe and avoid the sun during a nationwide heatwave… but on the flip-side, some of horror’s best stories happen in broad daylight, on vacation, or at the pool. So if you’re still under the Strawberry Moon’s spell, lean into it! Embrace the terror and tyranny of the sunniest season with these fresh-meat reads. Click through titles to purchase through your local indie bookstore, or search in libraries via Worldcat. Happy reading, ghouls!

Graphic Content

Bad Dreams in the Night by Adam Ellis: Original stories from webcomics star Ellis (Books of Adam, Fever Knights) take readers back to the halcyon days of watching Are You Afraid of the Dark? with your cousins. Urban legends and ghost stories abound–bring this graphic novel collection on your next camping trip to read by the light of a dying campfire. For fans of: Stranger Things, “The Green Ribbon,” and ill-advised hitchhiking.

In Utero by Chris Gooch: Also heavy on the nostalgia bombs, Gooch‘s third standalone is set in an abandoned mall, perfect for 90s kids. Beneath monstrous trappings and a cosmic-horror backdrop lies a poignant examination of girls’ relationships, to mothers and to each other. For fans of: 10 Cloverfield Lane, Aunt Beast, and ruin porn.

Tender by Beth Hetland: A woman with the perfect life goes a little crazy keeping up with the Joneses. Hetland‘s predominant blue ink calls to mind ballpoint pens, a perfect metaphor for the mundane unraveling at speed; unexpected doses of fever-pink heighten this graphic novel’s nauseating impact. For fans of: Nightbitch, Hereditary, and trichotillomania.

Ripped from the Headlines

Grim Root by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam: Good girls go bad in this dark twist on dating shows… plus a sapphic plotline! If you think you could last a week in a haunted house–or if you’d rather win the house’s affections than the handsome man’s–this book is for you. For fans of: UnREAL, niche dating apps, and queering the Gothic.

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman: The biggest name on this list, Bird Box author Malerman delivers another instantly-adaptable slice of family trauma. Maybe it’s not the demonic Other Mommy haunting this house; maybe it’s the family themselves. For fans of: Coraline, Skinamarink, and couples counseling.

Youthjuice by E.K. Sathue: What if Patrick Bateman was in the wellness industry? A queasy foray into TikTok-era cults of personality, Sathue‘s debut puts a topical spin on Dolly Parton’s famous quip “there’s no such thing as natural beauty.” For fans of: pore-cleansing videos, hate-reading Gwyneth Paltrow profiles, and Camp Green Pine.

Match My Freak

Brat by Gabriel Smith: A little Junji Ito and a dash of James Joyce make for a post-post-postmodern masterpiece. The old saga of the prodigal son takes on dizzying dimensions, as autofictionally-named narrator Gabriel searches for answers among the wreckage of his childhood home. For fans of: found footage films, This Young Monster, and that other brat.

Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima: Hook up with Satan one time and he’ll haunt you for the rest of your life (just ask Milton!). Lucky for readers, such a tryst results in a kaleidoscopic set of intertwined tales from Brazilian poet Lima. For fans of: Samanta Schweblin, Legend, and monsterfucking.

The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim: Ever stuck your hand into a bowl of peeled grapes at a Halloween party? Dial up that sensation by a thousand, cross it with the emotional heft of Everything Everywhere All At Once, and you’ll approach Kim‘s debut. For fans of: campus novels, sister acts, and Bedevilled.