creepy summer book recommendations 🪰 mermaids, dark fairytales, summer camps, haunted woods, horror

[@lindslovely]

Love the "people we meet on vacation" jumpscare in the thumbnail. I'm glad there is another human out there that doesn't like that book! 😅

[@welephantsoup]

wait tea i loved it what’s up

[@happyjellycatsquid]

Excuse me Poppy hatred for hygiene was absolutely unsettling! And I say this as someone who rated Emily Henry’s Book Lovers and Beach Read 5 and 4 stars respectively

[@caricanread]

😂😂😂

[@lindslovely]

@@welephantsoup I have read two of Emily's other books and they're fine. For some reason this one was like watching paint dry. I have 50 pages left and I have no desire to pick it up again

[@ilovemybabyblues]

@@caricanread wait did you not like PWMOV??? I was waiting to hear your thoughts on it in this video and then was confused why it was included after I read the video title 😂

[@TheLilaBrary]

Fun fact! There’s a Korean phrase, 납량 특집, that describes enjoying a horror story to relax during the heat of summer :)

[@readingwarlock]

I remember pausing a few times while reading Annihilation to stare at my bedroom walls and check if they were breathing 😨😅 What an eerie story! I’ll never look at lighthouses the same way again.

[@mimirants7935]

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn is an essential creepy and disturbing summer horror book

[@nathaliabrum2070]

yesss!

[@rubypowell3959]

My favourite!

[@dashingangel20]

Annihilation is that creepy, messes with your perspective, horrificaly good… like its just sends chills down your spine everytime

[@taylorparis7228]

Five Survive by Holly Jackson takes place during spring break and the whole book happens in 8 hours. A fast paced YA thriller, would recommend all of Holly J's books during summer tbh. Her endings are always worth it!

[@caricanread]

Ohh im intrigued!!

[@Sajirah]

The first few pages of Into the Drowning Deep are exactly my kind of horror story.

[@caricanread]

💯

[@lailsful]

With you there on how CREEPY Annihilation is. I've never had an experience like it. So weird. But good!

[@caricanread]

Sooo good!

[@stvrwar]

Summer Sons is one of my favorite book of all time, if you like The Raven Cycle, specifically The Dream Thieves, read it. (Also there’s a typo, the author’s last name is Mandelo!)

[@alexandersage2054]

The Honeys easily became my favorite book after reading it all in one sitting. It was one of the books that after reading I’m like “how am I ever going to feel that way about a book again 😭”

[@weronikalinda4917]

The Honeys sounds amazing! I wish I could read horror but my imagination becomes my greatest enemy afterwards and I freak myself out. I literally get scared to leave my bedroom, even though I'm 27 years old lmao

[@anavargas2837]

You are not alone 😅 same reason as to why I don’t allow myself to read horror even though I am sure I would really enjoy it if my mind didn’t turn on me lol

[@caricanread]

That was 1000% me with annihilation hahhaha

[@questionableexistence410]

i wish i didn't have exams so i could binge read all these

[@caricanread]

🥺 good luck!!!

[@matcha.cinnamon]

this is literally perfect because i was just looking for books to add to my bookstores " summer horror" book display! edit: also if anyone is looking for a sapphic horror book id reccomend our wives under the sea, its slow paced but when the body gore is introduced i had to reread bits of it to make sure i had read it right lol

[@caricanread]

Yesss one of my fav books of the year!

[@mnlxlover00]

Dark and Shallow Lies has always interested me quite a bit… but you explaining the plot like the way you did left me VERY curious about the book haha… 🤭 I’ll have to pick it up after I’m finished reading my latest novel, it sounds like something totally up my alley! 🤍 Also, Happy End of the Summer Cari, colorful leaves and autumnal reads here we come~ 🍂

[@caricanread]

Cant wait for autumn 🥲🥲🥲

[@alva7036]

I started listening to the audiobook version of "Black water sister" by Zen Cho not expecting much but got pleasantly surprised. Don't know why I've never seen anyone talk about it! The main focus is on family drama but it definitely hits the spot if you're looking for a paranormal summer read.

[@marnisenicoleart]

Into the drowning deep was great! The set up and pacing, especially! I need more books like that.

[@annbechtel7113]

Totally agree is was one my favs this year❤❤❤

[@brooklynballen]

The honeys sounds a lot like bunny by Mona awad. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it and her other book all’s well. Would love to hear your thoughts on them! ❤ also, love this video!

[@m8nswell]

not sure if anyone has mentioned it in here already but: as far as I know, Summerween is originally from Gravity Falls (a wonderful episode 🕸) at least that's where i know it from and couldnt find any other information online. 🌻👌

[@SodaPopJX]

Yessss love Gravity falls😭

[@Silverraine1]

Usually when booktubers mention Summerween they are referring to the Summerween Readathon hosted by gabbyreads and oliviareadsalatte , where you read creepy and spooky books for a week.

[@m8nswell]

@@Silverraine1 ohh alright, good to know! thanks! 🌻🌷🌼

[@clairesutliff258]

Small Favors by Erin Craig is an awesome summer one. It's rumplestiltsken influenced. She also wrote House of Salt and Sorrow which is oceanside creepy and also summery, but could be colder seasons too. Lots of body and insect horror

[@caithenry8429]

They Drown Our Daughters was a pretty interesting read for spooky summer season, with a surprising amount of heart and healing without being too sweet or melodramatic. I think this may be more of a Spring Spooky season book, but Little Star has to be one of my favorite horror novels, it's from the same author as Let the Right One In (which is perfect for Winter). Definitely added some of these to my ever-growing list of books to read!

[@pimposaur]

Annihilation is one of my favorite books of all time. Love love love it, her weird journey of self discovery while creepy things are happening kept my attention so well.

[@pimposaur]

I will say I tried reading the second book, didn’t finish. It was less creepy and felt more like politics of the research company/team. But I’m not sure I gave it a fair shot so I might try again.

[@nimbusrex8404]

@@pimposaurThe final 50 pages of the second book (Authority) is so eerie and unsettling, it really picks up and the third book is brilliantly unsettling and surreal too!

[@rowan.27]

LOVED The Honeys!! It's not set in summer but I'm currently reading House of Hollow and it has a very similar offputting eerie strange vibe, highly recommend for fans of The Honeys!

[@nissasbookcorner]

thank u for taking the time and effort to do the captions, ur amazing! :)

[@Renee84]

OH YES! Adding these to my reading list!

[@caricanread]

🙏🙏🙏

[@solmolina2144]

as a southern hemisphere girlie i love this!!! i assocciate halloween with spring so im always looking for scary/creepy books that take place in the warmer parts of the year

[@JulieShuff]

It’s funny because I don’t think I read scary stories in general/scare easily but you found Annihilation super scary which I loved when I read it a few years ago📖 it’s funny how people find different things scary! Love your videos

[@deepseadebris]

This is perfect! I was really wanting to read more creepy books bc theyre my fav but was sad about it being summer and not the same rainy, dark atmosphere of autumn

[@Karmula]

i have been WAITING for this one!!! so excited to settle in with a cuppa and add ten books to my ever-expanding TBR 📝☕️

[@alexataylor46]

Unrelated to the video but I would LOVE a book recommendations video about books set on the east coast. I want to move there some time in the future and think It would be so cool to read stuff about the aesthetics/weather/vibes there

[@kaylacelestesluka7853]

I was obsessed with "Into the Drowning Deep"! It completely surprised me how much I loved it!

[@lott1e]

Carrie it’s 2:30 am in England rn and I’m watching this 😭😭

[@TheNumnutRandomness]

The Twisted Ones was my first T Kingfisher book and it definitely creeped me out way more than I thought it would, especially when the main character saw the twisted stones and she didn't realize that her expression was locking into place. Unfortunately T Kingfisher is more miss than hit for my tastes, but this one was definitely a solid one.

[@1FUCANR3ADTH1SURC00L]

Fuzzy Mud--Louis Sachar The Nest--Kenneth Oppel These are more kids/adolescent books but still loved them as an adult.

[@kendalisber5035]

This is so comforting to me because I read Annihilation and immediately upon finishing had a panic attack lol. I have the second one but haven’t been able to get myself to pick it up (it’s been 2 years).

[@janeslibrary]

I loved the annihilation trilogy!! I made a whole video trying to convince people to read the series bcus it's literally so underrated!!

[@vcackermanwrites]

I love the idea of Summerween! Halloween is so much fun, I wish it lasted longer.

[@jessicawebber4738]

'The Book of Lost Things' by John Connolly is a pretty creepy book where a young boy grieving his mother falls into a world full of dark versions of classic fairy tales. Far darker than the blurb makes out and I found it very enjoyable but haven't seen many people talking about it!!

[@simelly_6813]

A book I read this summer which isn't necessarily very summery, but still kinda fits the 'preparing for autumn' vibes was Fairy Tale by Stephen King. Obviously SK doesn't need any introduction, his works are very well known, but this one wasn't a horror by any means. It was more of a dark fantasy, fairy tale (duh) vibe. It's written in a way where the main character is recalling what happened in his past, and I really enjoyed the style. Very visual, very moody, AND has a dog. Highly recommend (:

[@secretlyamacat]

Finally able to watch as it dropped at 1am my time, very excited to add many books to my TBR 🎉

[@Lara_Ameen]

I have an ebook of THE HONEYS and I’m excited to read it! I loved THE WICKED DEEP when I read it a few years ago! I would recommend THOSE WE DROWN by Amy Goldsmith. A YA horror that takes place on a cruise ship! I loved it! I also loved the YA horror comedy DAMNED IF YOU DO by Alex Brown. Would highly recommend both! I’m also looking forward to TOGETHER WE ROT by Skyla Arndt, which comes out next week! Horror romance! 😍

[@dkotaalynn]

Going on a Barnes & Noble shopping spree as my anniversary present tomorrow, so I’m hereee and taking notes! 📝

[@aidarodriguez6721]

the audiobook for The Honeys is sooooo good

[@bruxifixion]

i LOVED annihilation. jeff vandermeer's work makes me want to climb a wall, it makes me feel so disturbed. the other books in the series have a bit of a tonal change compared to the first book, but i highly recommend them nonetheless. my favorite wound up being the second in the series, and a lot of details of the first book slowly unravel and reform as you read through the later parts of the series. i hear he's working on a fourth! great video, added a few books to my to read from this list!

[@Sharleen91]

Love Summerween! Its a readathon with a bunch of fun props created, and hosted by gabbyreads and oliviareadsalatte here on youtube!

[@amandacoleman1842]

I read Into the Drowning Deep in two days all because of you! I absolutely LOVED it. Kate Alice Marshall's new YA creepy book 'The Narrow' is perfect horror vibes, too. Also! I've read a couple ARCs you should look out for. Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall and Together We Rot by Skyla Arndt are both FANSTATIC creepy reads. I tend to have similar opinions to you, so maybe check em out.

[@caricanread]

Wahhh excited for these!

[@Sthemingway]

I recommend Erin A. Craig's Small Favors. Small town next to the woods. Daily, seasonal routines are interrupted as nature goes weird and neighbors get unfriendly with each other. Not to mention the new guy in town.

[@carolineforrester9625]

I just bought “Our Crooked Hearts”! It was in a bargain section for $6 and honestly, I like the book jacket and the little pink bunny on the hardcover underneath.

[@art.i.schock.e9991]

I just finished reading ninth house in the course of two days, the second book has a 10 week waiting period at my library … I need this now 😂

[@jillianmercado8629]

CARI we literally have such similar reading tastes I bought the honeys yesterday and started it todayyy- only 100 pages in tho and am loving itttt

[@eruben3908]

i love jeff vandermeer!! I would really reccomend his short story collection 'the third bear!" They're wonderful, and dark, and magical!!

[@kellies2229]

Thank you Cari for all the great content lately! Your videos have been wonderful breaks from all the long summer days! I hope you’re doing well and life is being kind to you!❤❤❤

[@caricanread]

Thank you so much! Right back at you!

[@OmnivorousReader]

Thank you for this video: I loved Annihilation! Which is the only one on this list I have read, a couple of the others sound really exciting though, I might have to look out for them! Into the Drowning Deep, especially!

[@rixanoz]

Ooooh yes, this is exactly what I need right now

[@caricanread]

We love a spooky summer 🥺

[@angalayond9744]

This feels like the perfect video to plug my favourite book. Fevre Dream by Geogre R. R. Martin. Gothic horror, southern states in the 1800s, vampires and steamboats. It's actually quite touching at times, but definitely dark as well, and the atmosphere is impeccable. Dark summer vibes for sure.

[@katien3022]

I’m excited to see you talk about annihilation. I almost impulse bought that while book browsing bc the cover caught my eye and it sounded interesting, but I wasn’t quite sure if I needed to buy it…. Maybe I’ll get it from the library.

[@llEMMAll]

I liked into the drowning deep, but some of the dialogue ("I'm already broken"), the made up science ("survival of the fittest just DOESNT WORK!!!") and the final plottwists execution were killing me. Like it was fun, but I kept physically cringing the entire time. 😂😂😂

[@clasocial1175]

every summer i turn into a thriller lover, every without fail i resd the most noir and disturbing books ever, i don’t even know why

[@space__girl]

i LOVE annihilation !! it is such a treat from a speculative biology perspective and has such good world building

[@caricanread]

Yesss!

[@DanielaNo]

Two books that gave me creepy summer vibes are Fake Like Me by Barbara Bourland and The Magus by John Fowles. The former is categorized on goodreads as thriller. It isn’t. It has a mysterious and at times creepy atmosphere and the “twist” at the end is great. The Magus is one of my favorite books of all time, it’s a gorgeously written mindfuck

[@shadowcupcake15]

I recommend The Troop by Nick Cutter. It’s about a group of scouts and their leader who go camping when a very hungry intruder shows up. Heads up that it can get pretty gross!

[@Lavran]

I've read My Best Friend's Exorcism this month! As the plot progressed it was harder and harder to put it away. Definitely gross moments were there 🤢😂

[@norwhals.norwhals]

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran also has creepy summer vibes!! it's this YA Horror about a girl who goes to visit her dad in Vietnam to fix up this old house to turn it into an airbnb kind of thing for tourists but the house is fighting back against their renovations with bugs and monsters and it's basically like a postcolonial response to every haunted house book ever written and it's so good

[@sweetstacks3631]

Yes, seconding this! I'm not finished, but it's so good. I keep thinking about it whenever I'm not reading.

[@Silverraine1]

It's on my TBR 👍

[@julistrange6828]

I was watching you, and while you kept talking…love your voice

[@mimirants7935]

I recommend "She's Too Pretty to Burn", not exactly horror but it's a sapphic thriller with murder and arson in the rebel art scene of San Diego.

[@bookbrain1557]

I really needed the recommendations. I’m suuuper picky about any creepy horror/thriller/scary books. Basically, if they don’t give me nightmares and a paranoia, I don’t want it. 😅

[@michellecgb]

I didn’t need to add more books to my tbr, but here we are! ❤

[@caricanread]

🤍🤍🤍

[@jialin2481]

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher is really good. It's a fantasy novella on Sleeping beauty retelling and the tone is fairy tale-ish sweet and sorrow.

[@Silverraine1]

+1 There was also a pretty creepy scene!

[@exocutionn]

Good on you for actually liking Our Crooked Hearts cause the more I think about it, the angrier I get LMAO

[@CherieLampley]

Loved My Best Friend’s Exorcism. And that cover might be my favorite. I think I liked the Wicked Deep when I read it years ago but I honestly don’t remember. The Guest is on my TBR. And I think I really need to take a look at Into the Drowning Deep.

[@BresBooks83854]

I think you've read some of these already but here are some solid spooky reads I've enjoyed: Small Favors by Erin A. Craig, The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones, House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig (which also has a companion sequel now), and The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab. I don't read many creepy things, but hopefully there's one you haven't tried yet! I know you've read Spells for Forgetting. ;-) Happy reading!

[@realsmosher53]

I read the southern bookclubs guide because of you and I loved it so much!!! Gotta pick up some of these creepy books to keep my horror binge on till Halloween 🎃

[@fancifulimpression]

I would add reluctant immortals to this list - the location and the atmosphere of the book all lend very well to spooky summer vibes.

[@stellabee2026]

Into The Drowning Deep is actually a sequel, which I didn’t realize when I read it because it acts like an aftermath story so well, but the novella Rolling In The Deep is much better as straight horror, largely because it’s far shorter and has less explanations imo

[@annawilhelm9697]

Sounds like really interesting books. I definitely put Annihilation on my list. :) I have a book recommendation for you. The terrors of ice and darkness by Christoph Ransmayr (yes, he's Austrian). It's also not a long book, but very fascinating. I really loved it. The book is about an expedition into the north pole in 1872 and there's also a storyline in the present. It's a mixture between documenting what's happenend back then and also fiction. I think you could like it.

[@Revnedkitty]

Grady Hendrix’s, How to Sell A Haunted House has move out and scary! Loved it! His campy horror is fun to read in the summer!

[@darcy62]

The honeys was good I just thought the pacing was a little slow in the beginning and the end didn’t necessarily tie up all the ends. Definitely worth picking up though!

[@Lillyjoy]

Summerween is also a readathon that Gabbyreads hosts here on KZbin!

[@alvarosager9206]

I love Into the Drowning Deep so much!! For me it wasn't too long, though I agree that it could be cleaned up a bit narratively. Had so much fun though. Regarding Annihilation - I agree that the first book is great and very creepy. In my experience it was not at all worth it to continue on - you don't get the answers you want, and most of the vibes are gone. The second book especially was so dull - it was like office drama, with a slight hint of creepy. You're not in Area X. Just as an FYI. I came out of the trilogy with a bad taste in my mouth, and wish I had left the first book as a stand-alone. (Third book was slightly better than the second one though, so there is that.)

[@britk]

Definitely adding Into the Drowning Deep to my reading list!!

[@caricanread]

🧜‍♀️

[@llEMMAll]

I just read it after Cari mentioned it in a wrapup and it's not that good (cringe dialogue ("I'm broken"), bad science, weird pacing in the finale) it was really fun and not EXTREMELY terrifying but nicely eerie

[@klane2004]

I know I recommend this already but for creepy/atmospheric/magic(but modern day)/mystery, The House of Hollow is SO good. It's YA, but if you like atmospheric writing (kinda like The Night Circus or Caraval-esque) with a cool plot it's a perfect "Summerween" read. The twists are perfectly understated and it's just all-around unsettling but fun. Love it. I have The Honeys in my list but haven't started it yet.

[@sweetstacks3631]

House of Hollow is one of my favorites of all time. I read it at the beginning of the year and I have not been able to stop thinking about it.

[@klane2004]

@@sweetstacks3631 same! I read it a while ago but I think about it ALL the time. It was so good it put me in a reading slump after lol. I'm looking forward to The Honeys though, I think I'll like the vibes.

[@IgnisRex64]

Night Film by Marisha Pessl isn't a summer horror, but it has a lot of the same vibes as some of the others mentioned. The daughter of an infamous horror movie direcotr commits suicide under bizarre circumstances, and an investigative journalist attempts to uncover the truth as he looks into the massive wake this girl leaves behind her. The twists and turns are absolutely wild, and to even say definitively whether or not there's magic is a spoiler. Mystery meets thriller meets psychological horror.

[@tiffanymoton704]

the guest takes place in the hamptons on long island! :) and she lives/is running from NYC (im from long island lol)

[@aadrijadey]

Absolutely loved the reccs! Need more videos of horror book recommendations

[@townfool4682]

my friend read "The Troop" and she said she liked it, though I havent spoken with her since she finished it. It sounded like Lord of the Flies meets monster horror, and it's set just off Prince Edward Island, which I thought was cool

[@rhiannamars1663]

annihilation was one of my favorite movies i should read the series

[@arianamia1413]

you need to read the jasad heir 🙏 i’m dying to know if you’d love it as much as i did

[@orionsbelt25]

I read My Best Friend's Exorcism last year and adored it. It does not hold back on the gross factor, I'll say that. It convinced me to read one of Grady Hendrix's other books, Hörrorstor, which is about a bunch of employees at this knockoff IKEA staying the night to catch whoever's been breaking in at night, but it turns out to be ghosts and generally above their pay grade

[@caricanread]

Omg ahhh cant wait to read all his work!!

[@Aigra]

@@caricanread I highly recommend getting the "IKEA" book in print or Ebook format. The design adds a lot to the experience.

[@orionsbelt25]

@@Aigra ^^ Definitely seconding this! I picked it up because the furniture catalogue design caught my eye

[@Toffi-Fay]

Quinns Ideas goes over the plot of Annihilation very well

[@thecoooleshoveffect9582]

There is an even cooler book written by the dude who wrote Annihilation. Its a short story collection called City of Saints and Madmen. Takes place in a fantasy/regency style city called Ambergris. Its full of like mushroom people and murderous cults and the authors weird obsession with fungus. Its way more fun than annihilation in like a grotesque gothy kind of way. Also i think the audio book is read by the dude who played Balki on Perfect Strangers if your're ancient enough to care about that show.

[@rosiereviewsbooks72]

So many good sounding books.

[@khonrade98]

I’m reading Into the Drowning Deep cause of your wrap up in another vid!! Suffice to say i will now never ever attempt to go to the deep 😃

[@leenakoponen5156]

Mrs England by Stacey Halls is eerie and atmospheric, and will take you to misty Yorkshire in 1904. I also reread The Owl Service by Alan Garner, a strange middle grade fantasy with Welsh legends.

[@irabubu3868]

Dear Cari, thank you for all the reading you do and your book recommendations! ))

[@the_eerie_faerie_tales]

Nice! I've read My Best Friend's Exorcism, Into the Drowning Deep, and I have The Honeys which I'm going to read this month or next. 😊

[@ellamelieb_]

My hot take for a summer read that has horror is my own favorite book: It by Stephen King. There is obviously more time line in the book than just the summer of 1957 buttttt, mostly takes place on Derry, Maine on that specific moment. It's a chunck of a book so if you're into 1000+ novels I'll recommend it. Also, I'm actually re-reading the book right now for the 10th time in my life and I love it even more. Another one I recommend is The Little Friend by Donna Tartt, a thriller that it's settle in the summer of the 60's, anoter 700+ novel page, if you're a fan of Tartt and haven't pick up this novel do it but please keep in mind that, this is not some philosophical-dark-academia-murdering- critique on society thing, I mean like, deff it has murder but it's just that: a thriller, don't espect much more apart from beautiful writting -as always-. All in general it's whole vibe: someone discovering the murder of her older brother and summer in the 60's.

[@hanariix]

for creepy summer book I will always recommend The Ruins!

[@RaddishRabbit]

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero. Quick read that's horror and comedy that I recommend to fit in with your summer horror vibes.

[@joy-dz7oe]

I LOVEEE WHEN YOU POST

[@junelin472]

I really enjoyed (and was creeped out by) The Hollow Places by T Kingfisher! In the same vein as The Twisted Ones, but I think I may have liked it more?

[@eldweena1006]

I DNF Summer Sons but the rest all sound amaaaazing.