Hello, horror fans!
I missed you last Monday. So glad to be back. It’s June, which means a lot of people are looking to pick up their next beach read or pool-side feel-good book. But you know what makes us feel good? Being scared. That’s why we’re sticking with horror all summer long.
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Bookish Goods
Overlook Hotel Beach Towel by reflectivedesignsUK
I can’t get enough of this pattern from The Shining. It gives me the creeps every time I see it. Now you can bring it along with you to the beach this summer! $32.
New Releases
Flawless Girls by Anna-Marie McLemore
It’s Pride Month, so let’s start with a new queer horror story! The Soler sisters are known around polite society for being brazen and rebellious, which is why their grandmother sends them off to a finishing school called Alarie House, in the hopes of turning them into respectable young socialites. But there’s something strange about the Alarie girls. They’re all just a little too perfect. When Renata returns from the program, she is a little too pleasant to be around. Then she disappears. Determined to figure out what’s going on in the Alarie House and what happened to older her sister, Isla—who left the school almost immediately upon entering—reenrolls to uncover the school’s secrets.
Grim Root by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam
I am such a sucker for reality tv stories, especially when it’s (you guessed it) a horror story. The Groom is a reality TV series where women compete to win the love of a bachelor. In this case, the bachelor is Midwesterner Tristan, and the ladies will have to prove their love by spending the night in a haunted house. But then someone dies on set, and the game becomes much more dangerous than anyone could have predicted. Don’t mess with haunted houses, friends!
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
Like I said, it’s Pride Month, so let’s highlight some more queer horror. This one is SO GAY, so yay. Marion Shaw was raised in poverty and longs to escape the difficulties of city life. When she sees a newspaper ad asking for a bloodmaid, Marion applies, hoping this could be her escape. At the notorious House of Hunger, Countess Lisavet presides over a court of hedonism, and Marion becomes her newest bloodmaid. Marion is eager to please her mistress, who is both charismatic and terrifying. But when her fellow bloodmaids begin to go missing, Marion realizes she must learn the rules of House of Hunger or her own life will soon be at risk.
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
Sorrowland is such a wild story, unlike anything else I’ve read. Desperate to escape the strict religious compound in which she was raised, Vern runs to the woods to seek shelter and solace in the wilderness. After giving birth, she hopes to raise her twins free from the compound’s influence. But the community Vern fled is not going to let her go without a fight, and even in the woods, Vern is being hunted. There is no one Vern can trust, especially after her body starts to transform in inexplicable ways. In order to protect her family and find out what’s happening to her, Vern will be forced to confront the people she hoped to never see again. Solomon also has a new book coming out soon, too, so stay tuned!
Are you feeling all the summer/Pride Month vibes? I hope so! The time has come for me to go, but I’ll be back next week with book recommendations, scary stories, and more. Until then, you can follow me (and message me) on Instagram at emandhercat. Sweet dreams, horror fans!