CHICAGO — As temperatures rise and families gather near lakes and grills, book experts confirmed Monday that nothing pairs better with summer than existential dread, childhood trauma, and a light snack. Stephen King’s latest picks promise warm-weather page-turners with just enough body horror to pair nicely with iced tea.
Duma Key kicks things off with a casual head injury, ghost paintings, and property damage. Critics call it “beachy” if your beach is haunted by dead children and your towel smells faintly of paint thinner and despair. Ideal for readers who love seascapes and slowly unraveling minds, this one screams summer without needing to scream.
YOU LIKE IT DARKER offers short stories perfect for poolside consumption between sunscreen reapplications. One tale explores a man who can smell death, which book clubs nationwide agree is “relatable if you’ve ever been on public transit in July.” Great for quick reads between bites of grilled meat or moments of quiet panic.
JOYLAND, set in a cheerful amusement park with ghosts and murder, brings the sunniest serial killing you’ll find in paperback. Experts recommend it to anyone nostalgic for cotton candy, unprocessed grief, and mid-’70s horndogs in polyester. It’s a carnival of emotions that will leave your soul slightly stickier than your hands.
BILLY SUMMERS, a hitman with a heart of gold and a deep love of Hemingway, is for readers who like their protagonists morally complicated and available for barbecues. Think of it as a summer romance, if the romance is with revenge and everyone involved has access to firearms and trauma bonding.
HOLLY, King’s newest girlboss detective, battles both killers and pandemic denialism with equal disdain. Fun for readers who’ve ever suspected their neighbors were fascists and needed a gentle fictional confirmation. It’s the feel-good crime thriller of the season, assuming your feelings are mostly paranoia.
THE INSTITUTE closes out the list with telekinetic kids imprisoned by shadowy agents in Maine, which readers say is “exactly like summer camp, except with less trust falls and more government-sanctioned torture.” Perfect for readers who want to remember that no matter how bad mosquitoes are, at least they can’t read your mind.
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