Love Midsommar? Read These 6 Books

Relentless sunlight. Cults. Vacations gone awry. Small towns with brutal traditions. SCANDINAVIA.

Jul 04, 2025

It’s the height of summer. Summerween just happened and, if you’re in the U.S., the Fourth of July is TOMORROW. (If you’re anywhere else, the fourth of July is tomorrow. Ba dum tush, I’ll see myself out.)

While summer is a common setting for horror–think the Friday the 13th franchise, Cabin in the Woods and the plethora of vacation-based movies it subverted–there’s one movie set in the height of summer that is especially close to my heart: Ari Aster’s sophomore showpiece Midsommar.

Midsommar was a follow-up to Aster’s Hereditary, which many horror fans (myself included) cite as the movie that got them into, or back into, the horror genre. While Hereditary didn’t start the elevated horror renaissance of the 2010s, it does seem to be the pinnacle of it in the minds of the horror community.

But Hereditary is a topic for another, darker, time. Midsommar gets almost as many accolades as its older sibling, and in many ways in surpasses it. It sticks the landing in a way the Hereditary failed to do, with an ending that resonates thematically. Midsommar, unlike most horror movies, takes place in the bright light of day, and does not rely on darkness for the scares to work.

That’s all to say that, if you haven’t watched Midsommar recently, right now is the perfect time. And, if you feel like you want more of that ilk, here are six books to read if you love Midsommar.

My criteria when assembling this list were simple: vacations gone awry. Books set in the summertime. Cults. Folk horror vibes, extra points for Scandinavian elements. Insolar communities with strange customs.

So without further capitulation, here are six books to read if you loved Midsommar!

The Ruins by Scott Smith

Summary (from Goodreads): Trapped in the Mexican jungle, a group of friends stumble upon a creeping horror unlike anything they could ever imagine. Two young couples are on a lazy Mexican vacation–sun-drenched days, drunken nights, making friends with fellow tourists. When the brother of one of those friends disappears, they decide to venture into the jungle to look for him. What started out as a fun day-trip slowly spirals into a nightmare when they find an ancient ruins site . . . and the terrifying presence that lurks there.

Whenever anyone asks me what horror books I recommend, Scott Smith’s The Ruins is always top of mind, though I have to be mindful of whom I’m recommending it to because it is a bleak and brutal read. This book, set in the summer in a foreign country, also matches Midsommar in its brutality.

The Ritual by Adam Nevill

Summary (from Goodreads): Four old university friends reunite for a hiking trip in the Scandinavian wilderness of the Arctic Circle. No longer young men, they have little left in common, and tensions rise as they struggle to connect. Frustrated and tired, they take a shortcut that turns their hike into a nightmare that could cost them their lives.

This is another one of my personal favorites. Like both Midsommar and The Ruins, it centers around a group of friends vacationing in another country–this time in the Scandinavian wilderness, so there’s another connection to Midsommar. The folk horror is strong with this one.

As a bonus, the movie adaptation of this is also great. Honestly I like it even better than the book. Elements of the storytelling and editing have big Mike Flanagan vibes.

Last Days by Adam Nevill

Summary (from Goodreads): When guerrilla documentary maker, Kyle Freeman, is asked to shoot a film on the notorious cult known as the Temple of the Last Days, it appears his prayers have been answered. The cult became a worldwide phenomenon in 1975 when there was a massacre including the death of its infamous leader, Sister Katherine. Kyle's brief is to explore the paranormal myths surrounding an organization that became a testament to paranoia, murderous rage, and occult rituals. The shoot's locations take him to the cult's first temple in London, an abandoned farm in France, and a derelict copper mine in the Arizonan desert where The Temple of the Last Days met its bloody end. But when he interviews those involved in the case, those who haven't broken silence in decades, a series of uncanny events plague the shoots. Troubling out-of-body experiences, nocturnal visitations, the sudden demise of their interviewees and the discovery of ghastly artifacts in their room make Kyle question what exactly it is the cult managed to awaken – and what is its interest in him?

Another Adam Nevill book! This book centers on a cult with vibes similar to the Hurga, and its set in part in the Arizona desert, one of the sunniest places in the world. This book has folk horror-lite vibes, with brutal and esoteric religious rituals.

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Summary (from Goodreads): The Lottery, one of the most terrifying stories written in this century, created a sensation when it was first published in The New Yorker. "Power and haunting," and "nights of unrest" were typical reader responses.

This isn’t the first time Shirley Jackson has been mentioned here at H. is for Horror. Or even the second time. The Lottery centers around a small town with a strange yearly tradition. If you know, you know. If you don’t know–what the heck are you waiting for? Go read it!

Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon

Summary (from Goodreads): It was almost as if time had not touched the village of Cornwall Coombe. The quiet, peaceful place was straight out of a bygone era, with well-cared-for Colonial houses, a white-steepled church fronting a broad Common. Ned and Beth Constantine chanced upon the hamlet and immediately fell in love with it. This was exactly the haven they dream of. Or so they thought. For Ned and his family, Cornwall Coombe was to become a place of ultimate horror.

I haven’t read Harvest Home, but I found it compared to Midsommar multiple times in my research for this post. It seems to tick off the folk horror, small town with strange customs boxes. A classic that’s on my list to be sure.

The Corn Maiden by Joyce Carol Oates

Summary (from Goodreads): “The Corn Maiden” is the gut-wrenching story of Marissa, a beautiful and sweet eleven-year-old girl with hair the color of corn silk. Taken by an older girl from her school who has told two friends in her thrall of the Indian legend of the Corn Maiden, in which a girl is sacrificed to ensure a good crop, Marissa is kept in a secluded basement and convinced that the world has ended. Marissa’s seemingly inevitable fate becomes ever more terrifying as the older girl relishes her power, giving the tale unbearable tension with a shocking conclusion.

Along with Harvest Home, this short story is one of two on this list that I haven’t personally read yet, but encountered in several places being likened to Midsommar. Small town? Check. Strange rituals? Check. Brutality? Check check.

Have I missed any books like Midsommar? Let me know by leaving a comment!

Until next time… stay spooky!

H. H. Duke is a writer, author, and podcaster. Most importantly, she loves horror! Currently, she’s working on a book about a weird cave. OoooOOoo! For scary book recommendations, horror movie reviews, and other spooky things, subscribe to H. is for Horror now - If you dare!