Welcome back to Scare Me! a weekly horror newsletter. Today, I’m sharing a peek at the upcoming horror books from my NetGalley shelf and inbox.

Is there a word for the pain readers feel—that specific desperation to read everything immediately, while knowing that it’s not physically possible to read multiple books in any single moment in time?

If you know, please tell me! Because that’s how I’m feeling as I look ahead at the new horror / weird lit releases coming out this summer and fall. From debuts by Chloe Lauter and Stacey Yu to new books by Keith Rosson, Chris Panatier, Kailee Pedersen, Neena Viel, and so many more, we have a very exciting year ahead.

In this week’s newsletter, I’ve gathered up all the ARCs I’ve lined up for the next few months. I hope it gets you feeling hopeful and excited about horror—and maybe thinking about the library holds and preorders you might want in the not-too-distant future.

I am so grateful to have an opportunity to read these books a little early for my Macabre Daily review gig—but this list barely scratches the surface of all the amazing horror coming our way. It doesn’t include books I haven’t managed to get my paws on, like Rachel Harrison’s Kiss Slay Replay and Chuck Tingle’s Fabulous Bodies…or Elizabeth Kostova’s Mystery Play, which continues the story that began in The Historian twenty-one (!) years ago…Tananarive Due’s old Hollywood horror Mazywood…I could go on and on and on...

But I won’t! Let me know which books you’re most excited to read. I’d love to arrange future newsletter interviews with some of these authors.

Thanks for reading Scare Me! Our monthly Subscriber Spotlight is coming up fast. If you’ve got a project to share with our community, now’s the perfect time to send it my way.

May 26: I’ll Watch Your Baby by Neena Viel

I’m currently reading I’ll Watch Your Baby and it’s making me feel verrrry uneasy. The story unfolds in two timelines—1974 and 1994—and follows two women cope with complicated relationships to other people and the law. I’m loving our 1974 main character’s narrative voice: She’s sociopathic, charming, and often very funny. If you’ve read Chainsaw Man, she reminds me of Power in these early chapters.

I’m not far enough to fully grasp this aspect, but I’ve heard that the novel is in conversation with the real-world history of Linda Taylor. She was a serial con artist whose story was exploited by the Reagan administration, which dubbed her the “Welfare Queen.” Since then, the Reagan-era propaganda has fueled decades of harmful stereotypes about Black women and people who receive government services. (There’s an episode of You’re Wrong About that covers this history if you’d like to learn more!)

June 9: Headlights by CJ Leede

I received Headlights a few months ago, and I’ve been dying to read it. Stephen Graham Jones has complimented CJ Leede’s writing as being “icky,” and sometimes that’s exactly what you want from a novel about a serial killer who’s leaving a trail of body parts behind.

Our main character is a burnt out FBI agent on the brink of quitting the force (relatable)—until he’s reeled back in by an utterly bizarre series of crimes. I need to know what is going on here!!!

June 9: The Other by Annie Neugebauer

As a dedicated Annie Neugebauer fan, I read The Other as soon as I got my mitts on it. The second story in her Outsiders sequence, The Other expands the narrative that began in The Extra. We return to the same loop trail, this time with a couple who encounter their doppelgängers in the woods. It’s excellent. I’ll save the rest of my thoughts for my upcoming Macabre Daily review!

July 21: The Flayed Man by Chloe Lauter

I recently watched Near Dark for the first time and was completely captivated by its yearning romance, waves of blood, and dusty desert setting. The Flayed Man, Chloe Lauter’s debut, promises similar vibes and so much more.

The story centers a mother-daughter relationship that’s complicated by early onset dementia and a family curse. There’s sapphic romance, a fabled monster stalking our protagonists, AND a main character struggling with inherited blood hunger…say less. I’m so there.

July 21: I Do Not Apologize for My Position on Men by Rae Wilde

When publicist Eve Bailey asks if I’m interested in reading a book, I say yes expeditiously. Earlier this year, Eve sent me Annie Neugebauer’s You Have to Let Them Bleed, which instantly become one of my very favorite books.

Rae Wilde’s collection is being brought back into print by Shortwave this summer, and it looks delicious. It features five interconnected stories and a “pick-a-path novelette” that has me intrigued.

I’m declaring 2026 the year of short stories! This will be the second Shortwave collection I’m reading, following Nat Cassidy’s stellar I Know a Place.

August 4: Kitten by Stacey Yu

I began following Stacey on TikTok sometime last year and immediately began taking note of her eclectic, tasteful book recommendations. Her debut novel, Kitten, skews more weird lit than horror—but feelings have always scared me more than ghouls, so I have high hopes that it will get under my skin.

The story follows an adrift twentysomething in a faltering relationship who becomes captivated by her boyfriend’s kitten, Silver. My own twenties were confused and searching, so I’m curious to see how Kitten will chart a course through those tumultuous waters.

August 18: Marla by Jonathan Janz

Several summers ago, I read Josh Malerman’s Daphne—an urban legend / slasher about a disturbing legacy haunting teenagers in a small town. Marla has some similar elements: It’s also a story about a mysterious young woman in a small town beset by unexplained deaths, with the eponymous Marla sparking conflicting rumors about her possible guilt or innocence.

And despite what compassionate onlookers may hope, it seems as though Marla really might be capable of causing terror…

August 18: The Minimalist by Kailee Pedersen

I’ll admit it here: I’m too scared to read Kailee Pedersen’s debut, Sacrificial Animals. I know it opens with animal death and I don’t think I’m emotionally stable enough to handle it right now.

But I’ve heard fantastic things about her writing, and I’m thrilled to have the chance to read her next book. It’s a psychological drama set in the intense world of classical music. Like me, Kailee Pedersen was adopted, and her main character is an adoptee, too. I’m always thrilled to read stories by anyone who shares this very particular experience—and it’s much more rare than you might expect.

Late August: Arson by Design by Tyler Jones

Disturbing artifacts, missing people, gangsters, ghosts, and cryptids: Tyler Jones’s new short story collection’s got it all. Rapture has a well-earned reputation for publishing short story chapbooks, but this trade paperback release is breaking very cool new ground.

“Are you fucking serious?!” were my exact words when founder Mitch Hull shared some of his upcoming plans during our recent interview, and trust me—this is the first of a whole series of exciting events in Rapture’s near future.

September 22: Crone by Keith Rosson

Hot on the heels of last year’s Coffin Moon, Portland author Keith Rosson is back this fall with Crone. The story centers Eli, whose life fell apart after the disappearance of his young daughter. Now, many years later, he’s scraping out a living as an enforcer for a local drug gang.

When the gang boss is murdered, Eli receives an offer too good to pass up: Solve the crime and his debt to the gang will be cleared for good. But there’s something in the woods that doesn’t want to be found…

September 22: Worry Box by Chris Panatier

As foster child Lailah’s adoption approaches the final steps, her intrusive thoughts about harming her new family seem to be growing louder. As an adoptee and OCD sufferer myself, this plot hits close to home!

Adoptees are typically stereotyped as evil interlopers in horror—but with Chris at the helm, I trust that Lailah’s story will be told with all the compassion and warmth I felt from Shitshow. I’m really looking forward to this one.

September 29: Nightjars by Michael Wehunt

It’s pitched as “Memento meets Dracula,” so OF COURSE I will be reading it!! Nightjars is a found footage-tinged story of Luke, whose blind date disappears halfway through dinner one night…leaving behind a photograph of Luke as a child, next to a dead body and a masked man. An event Luke has zero memory of.

I loved Catriona Ward’s Looking Glass Sound, which also features horrifying photographs and serial murders. It’s an effectively chilling combination of elements, and I look forward to solving the mystery alongside Luke.

September 29: Trad Wife by Sarah Langan

2026 really is the year of trad wife horror! Sarah Langan’s take on this bewildering cultural figure involves a picturesque farm house and a journalist determined to unveil its dark secrets. There’s something lurking on Black Swan farm, behind the seven smiling children, scratch-made meals, and acres of farmland…something horrible…

October 6: Amityville Awakens by Robert Ottone

When a haunted house becomes uninhabitable, you demolish it…right? That’s what happens to the famous Amityville house in author Robert Ottone’s new book. But it quickly becomes clear that this was a mistake, as the sleepy New York town falls victim to an outbreak of fungal spores, missing people, and glowing orbs that drift through the night.

Jay Anson’s original book is such a bizarre and kooky classic, and I’m hoping this fresh take will include at least half as many exclamation points. I’ll be interviewing Robert for the newsletter—and if you’ve ever heard him speak, you know he’s an absolute delight. His book’s excellent cover was designed by Trevor Henderson.

This Friday, I’ll be hopping on a call with Stephanie from Books in the Freezer! It’s one of my very favorite horror podcasts—an antidote to reading slumps and a constant source of new recommendations to check out. I got some exciting and related news last week that I’ll share in next week’s newsletter, too. 🎃

P.S. I reviewed Ande Pliego’s The Library After Dark over on Macabre Daily this week!

Scare Me! is a free weekly horror newsletter published every Thursday morning. It’s written by Michelle Delgado, featuring original illustrations by Sam Pugh. You can find the archive of past issues here. If you were sent this by a friend, subscribe to receive more spooky interviews, essays—and maybe even a ghost story or two.