The Summer Solstice is upon us! And with it comes plenty of new books and lots of warm weather and natural light to read them in.

Below are some titles that I am personally looking forward to checking out this Summer, most of which land in the science fiction, fantasy, horror, roleplaying, historical fiction, and non-fiction categories and their respective subgenres. The first list of books is presented in order of release date from May 2026 through August 2026. After this main list, I’ve included some older titles to read before their new movie/TV adaptations come out. Finally, you’ll find a bonus section featuring themed Cookbooks, Craftbooks, Guides, Coloring Books, Sourcebooks, Card Sets/Games, Journals, and Accessories that are perfect companions for your Summer reading adventures, and also make great gifts. This guide contains links to each item; for books, I’ve included print, ebook, and audiobook editions.

Continue on to check out my list of Summer 2026 Book Recommendations & Gifts…

Play Nice
Hardcover | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Rachel Harrison
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: September 9, 2025

A social media influencer plans to turn the fixer-upper she inherited from her late mother into a moneymaking opportunity, but thanks to her repressed childhood memories, she doesn’t realize that the demon haunting the home is still there and is awaiting her return.

In Play Nice, Rachel Harrison‘s latest supernatural tale, 25-year-old Clio is a stylist living in New York City, enjoying the nightlife and the perks of her side gig as a social media influencer. She’s the youngest of three daughters, who were raised by their father and stepmother after their mother, Alexandra, had a breakdown and lost custody of them, leading to a lengthy estrangement.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
Hardcover | Paperback Large Print | Kindle | Audiobook
By Grady Hendrix
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: January 14, 2025

After being secreted away at a home for wayward girls, a desperate pregnant teen turns to witchcraft for help unaware of its severe consequences in Grady Hendrix‘s captivating new body horror, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls.

Neva Craven was an average 15-year-old girl living in the American South in 1970, socializing with friends in high school and landing the lead in the school play. She even had a boyfriend on Valentine’s Day for the first time. But when Neva learns she’s pregnant, her family sends her away to a secluded Maternity Home to finish out her pregnancy in secret. After giving birth, she’s expected to give her baby up for adoption, then return home to her old life as if nothing ever happened.

A Haunting in the Arctic
Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By C. J. Cooke
Publisher: Berkley
Paperback Release Date: February 27, 2024

The mysteries of a shipwreck off the coast of Iceland are at the center of A Haunting in the Arctic, the arctic exploration horror novel from author C. J. Cooke.

This atmospheric tale intertwines two major timelines, each dealing with the enigmatic Ormen, an arctic whaling ship that was refitted as a research vessel that eventually became shipwrecked off the coast of Iceland and now scheduled to be destroyed.

The Hitchcock Hotel
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
By Stephanie Wrobel
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: September 24, 2024

An imitate reunion of former college friends at a secluded Hitchcock-themed hotel leads to a deadly weekend in The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel.

Alfred Smettle has been obsessed with Alfred Hitchcock films since childhood, when he used to watch them with his mom, who named him after the famed Master of Suspense. His encyclopedic knowledge of all things Hitch could be somewhat annoying and off-putting, but in college he managed to make friends with some likeminded classmates who regularly met for Film Club. That is, until something happened that alienated him from the group.