Summer of Horror - "We Are the Thing That Others Fear"

 

I am participating in an informal event created by my friend Tammy over at Books, Bones & Buffy and she is doing a book cover love feature. I am so sad that the Summer of Horror is ending.  Of course, I start spooky season reading in September so you will still see some horror here at Booker T's Farm.  Today I am sharing some awesome covers for one of favorite horror creatures - vampires!  I am splitting them into ones I have already read and then ones I have on my TBR.

First up, the ones I've read:

Here are four I read last year.  I really loved all of them except Night Wing, which was a buddy read, and not as good as I wanted it to be. I recommend Suffer the Children to everyone now.

I've read Salem's Lot twice and really enjoyed it although it isn't my favorite King.  Dark Roots is the first in a series I really need to get back to and Until Summer Comes Around has complete Lost Boys vibes.

I had to add Bunnicula because it was one of my first vampire books and I love it to this day.  In the Valley of the Sun has a different edition with an awesome cover but I didn't feature it because this book did not work for me.

Books on my TBR:

Mr. Barb bought me a copy of Carmilla two Christmas' ago and I still haven't picked it up.

I am pretty sure I first saw Vampire Junction on Tammy's blog, and I can't believe I haven't read The Buffalo Hunter Hunter yet, and I even own two copies and an arc

I'm really hate seeing Tammy's special feature end.  I'm so glad I was able to participate some and can't wait for Summer of Horror 2026!

Better Limit Your Screen Time

 

TITLE: 13 Months Haunted

AUTHOR: Jimmy Juliano

PUBLISHER: Dutton

PUBLISHING DATE: August 12, 2025

PAGES: 384   

SOURCE: ARC 

FROM GOODREADS: Piper Lowery, a public library clerk in charge of liaising with the local middle school, can tell right away there’s something strange about the new girl in eighth grade. Avery Wallace won’t touch any kind of technology, not even the computers at the library, and her mother comes to school with her every day, refusing to leave her side—not even when Avery uses the restroom. 

And then there are the rumors, the whispers Piper hears from kids in the hallway and parents around Avery’s mother is a witch. Her sister and father were killed by something supernatural. A strange virus killed them. 

Seeing how isolated and lonely Avery is, Piper befriends her but quickly realizes it might just be the worst decision she’s ever made. Because there’s something dark inside Avery Wallace, and it’s spreading . . .

MY THOUGHTS: I have had this author's debut release sitting on my shelves since it was released.  I don't know why I chose to read this one first, but I have no regrets and now feel better about circling around and picking up the other.

When the book opens, a young man is attending a family even and discussing his upcoming thesis for college surrounding viral videos.  He learns of a relative he has no memory of who had some strange phenomenon occur to her and sets off to find her.  Enter Piper and her husband.  Piper starts telling the story of when she was a small-town librarian fresh off college graduation and meets a young 8th grader, Avery, and her mother at the local middle school.  Piper befriends them but she soon realizes there is more to Avery than meets the eye.  She is unable to be alone, and her mother follows her everywhere. Avery is picked on in school which makes Piper want to help her even more.  What the reader eventually learns involves possible witchcraft, a cursed computer program and lots of 80's references. This is a far as I will go in order to avoid spoilers.

I really enjoyed this book.  It was fast-paced and unlike many other horror book topics I usually gravitate towards. I liked Piper as a character and although you really have to suspend your disbelief the more the book progresses, it is horror so sometimes you just have to expect that.  I loved all the 80's references, especially regarding music and Napster, and was truly invested in what was happening to Avery.  I will say that while the ending was satisfying, afterwards there was kind of a second ending involving the young man and his thesis which I didn't feel was needed.  But that is just a personal preference and shouldn't impact anyone's overall enjoyment of the book.

Overall, if you enjoy horror and 80's nostalgia, I would highly recommend this book.  One spoiler (I guess I lied) - the dog lives.  And he is a very good boy!  And yes, I had to find the answer to this question about 40% into the arc before I could proceed.  Hey, I wonder if I could convince publishers to put a little tiny pawprint on the cover beneath the title to indicate pet friendly content.  They could "x" it out if the content contained animal abuse.  Just a thought.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - The Way It Haunted Him

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

June 9, 2026

FROM GOODREADS: Michael Stein arrives at the Schechter Institute for Judaic Studies battered and broken after the death of his boyfriend seven months prior. Blaming himself for the accident that killed him, Michael has come to the Institute to complete his boyfriend's dissertation as part of his effort at repentance. While Michael's own past leads him to condemn superstition as a way to mask prejudice and old-fashioned beliefs, his boyfriend's research argues that the folktales told in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe were based in truth, and that demons and other creatures walked the earth, wreaking havoc on peoples' lives.

Instead of the Institute's infamous archivist, Michael is met by his grandson, Jacob Schechter, who has taken over the archive after his grandfather's death. A firm believer in the existence of the supernatural, Jacob explains that the archive plays host to a coterie of household demons. Michael insists that he is a skeptic, but strange and frightening occurrences plague his research, causing Michael to question both his sanity and his view of the world.
 
To cope with his guilt, grief, and the terrifying shadows following him, Michael must reckon with the events leading up to his boyfriend's death—and his role in it—by trusting the enigmatic Jacob to help uncover the truth. As untangling the mysteries of the past bring Jacob and Michael closer together, their respective secrets threaten to tear them apart. Because Michael is not the only one with darkness on his conscience, and if he and Jacob discover the truth of each other, only one of them may survive the fallout.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT: I ran across this cover yesterday and believe it was recently announced.  I immediately added it to the wish list after reading the synopsis and knew I wanted to share it this week.

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???

Book Haul - August 2025

 

I've decided it is kind of easier to do a book haul once a month and then when I start back with my Farm News updates, I can include books that I might have bought or borrowed from the library.  So, these ones will mainly be ARCS I have received.  Similar to last time, I am linking the book titles to their Goodreads page so you can get more details on them, but I will try to at least include a release date here. 

Sundown Girls: L.S. Stratton/01-27-26
The Johnson Four: A Novel: Christina Hammonds Reed/02-03-26
The Hitch: Sara Levine/01-13-26
The Tortoise's Tale: Kendra Coulter/11-04-25

Roots of My Fear: Edited by Gemma Amor/09-09-25

These Familiar Walls: C.J. Dotson/04-14-26

Teenage Girls Can Be Demons: Hailey Piper/09-16-25

Midnight Somewhere: Johnny Compton/12-09-25

Murder Most Haunted: Emma Mason/10-07-25
A Ruff Royal Christmas: Karen Schaler/09-30-25
All's Well That Ends Well: Vivian Kasley/10-31-25
Murder at Holly House: Denzil Meyrick/10-07-25

There you have it - a little bit of everything.  Until next time thanks for visiting Booker T's Farm.

Summer of Horror - There Will Be Blood

 

I am participating in an informal event created by my friend Tammy over at Books, Bones & Buffy and she is doing a book cover love feature. This week I am focusing on books with "blood" in the title.  I know a few of these are more thriller than horror but they are still either books I've read or have on my TBR. 

These four are actually books I've read.  I absolutely loved The Weight of Blood and recommend this Carrie retelling to anyone who loves horror.  I read Bloodlines and a lot of the remainder of the series years and years ago and actually enjoyed it more than the other popular vampire series at the time, Twilight.

These are books which are actually on my active TBR.  I also managed to feature Blood on her Tongue for last week's topic as well.  

At least three of these are older novels and I am sure many of familiar with Clive Barker's Books of Blood.  I believe I have a vintage copy of Blood Snarl somewhere in my house which I really need to find as well. Nightblood is a Paperback from Hell book, so I hope to get to it someday. 

So, there you have it!  I will be able to squeeze one more of these in before the Summer of Horror ends next Friday and I think I'm going out with a bite and showcasing vampire books.  Make sure you stop by!

So, History Does Repeat Itself

 

TITLE: Death in the Dark

AUTHOR: Bryce Moore

PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Fire

PUBLISHING DATE: August 05, 2025

PAGES: 336   

SOURCE: ARC 

FROM GOODREADS: When multiple women are found murdered in their London homes during The Blitz, seventeen-year-old Mary Churchill vows to uncover the identity of the Blackout Ripper, even if it puts her own life at risk. From the author of The Perfect Place to Die and Don't Go to Sleep comes another chilling historical mystery. 

Seventeen-year-old Mary Churchill feels helpless as London is ravaged by air raids and mandatory blackouts. As the youngest daughter of the Prime Minister, she longs to do something important, to help those in less fortunate circumstances. On a night out on the town, she connects with an older woman who is in-between jobs and promises to meet her again the next day. Except she never shows up. Mary has a sense that something is wrong, so she decides to go searching—and finds her brutally murdered. 

Horrified, Mary immediately goes to the police. But there's a war happening, and they don't have enough manpower to fully dedicate themselves to the murder case. So, Mary takes it upon herself to investigate. The deeper she falls into the case, the more shocking murders she finds. All women, all strangled and mutilated. This is her chance to do something to actually help, to find out who is responsible for the murders and make sure they never have a chance to harm anyone else. 

Against the backdrop of bombings and darkness, Mary searches the streets of London for any clues she might ascertain and finds herself in a game of cat-and-mouse with the Blackout Ripper. If only one of them can make it out alive, does Mary have what it takes to make sure it's her?

MY THOUGHTS: Sometimes I forget how much I enjoy a historical mystery, especially when it is set in London. And although this is technically a Young Adult book, I felt it reached outside the typical YA tropes and can stand up against many adult titles similar in plot and theme.

Mary Churchill (yes, her dad is Winston), wants nothing more than to contribute to the fight against Hitler like many of her friends.  However, being a 17-year-old female doesn't provide her with much opportunity to do so.  Mary goes out one night and meets a woman in a club and ends up striking up a lengthy conversation with her.  Mary feels connected to the woman and is very upset the next morning when she finds her murdered.  Mary becomes frustrated because she feels that due to the war, the police do not have the staff to investigate this murder, and several subsequent related murders, sufficiently, so she starts investigating on her own.  Can Mary find out who is doing the killing without getting killed herself?  Will her mother find out what she is doing and pack her up and send her back to the country?  And will the police, who initially were humoring her and "letting" her help realize just because she is 17 doesn't mean she doesn't have a good head on her shoulders?

I really liked Mary as a character.  She was smart, headstrong and showed a lot of initiative.  She feels like she should also contribute to the war efforts and does what she can to do her share any way she can. The murder mystery kept me interested and wasn't overly predictable.  I also liked the war elements that were worked in.  The bombings and atmosphere around the Blitz definitely added to the creepiness of the murder mystery.

I have seen several books by this author, but this is the first I picked up. I will most certainly check out more in the future.  When reading this, I kind of compared it to a YA Veronica Speedwell book so if that's your forte, consider this one as well.  Oh, and as a plus - no romance. Not that I'm opposed to that, but it would have felt contrived with this book and I'm glad the author didn't go there.

MY RATING: 4 PAWS

Feed Your TBR - Temple Fall

 

Can't Wait Wednesday, which I have adapted to better suit my blog as "Feed Your TBR" is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings to spotlight highly anticipated books.  It is based on the Waiting on Wednesday meme which used to be hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

February 17, 2026

FROM GOODREADS: Flynn heads with her boyfriend, Jackson, and a group of their friends to spend the night in Temple Fall, a mysterious house up on the moors with a strange history. Breaking in for a night of drinking and teenage debauchery they instead find themselves trapped in a strange nightmare after a joke seance goes wrong. Suddenly forced into strange acts and behaviors outside their character, the tight-knit group starts to fall apart - and then Jackson falls to his death.

In the aftermath Flynn must confront the traumas of her childhood, her upbringing in captivity with her mother who suffered from crippling paranoia and OCD. As a foster child she has been forced to make her own place in the world, to forge a new family out of the few scraps of hope and compassion she has been offered in her life. And everywhere she looks she sees the ghostly figure of a Victorian woman, that no one else can see.

The woman that pushed Jackson.

Reeling from the tragedy the group find themselves split apart, each grieving and trying to survive on their own. But when they start to die, one-by-one, on the very second of their 18th birthday, Flynn must keep them all together to keep her found family alive. And she must dig into the lost secrets of her family past, to stop the curse being passed down to the next generation again.

WHY I CAN'T WAIT:  I need to know more about the ghostly figure that pushed Jackson.  And let's be honest, that cover is gorgeous!

WHAT BOOK CAN'T YOU WAIT FOR THIS WEEK???