Tuesday Tomorrow
The Salt King by Natasha Pulley
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"An apocalyptic novel about belief, religion, and the power of myth that blends the gripping, end-of-the-world storytelling of The Passage with the biting wit and epic queer romance that makes Natasha Pulley's books "delightful" (The Washington Post).
Jesuit priest Avelyn Brocken was born into a mining family in Hreodwater, a small, totally isolated salt town in the Fens of England. At age 16, he fled, abandoning his faith in the god of the mine - the Salt King - and the mythology that killed his whole family.
When a fellow priest is miraculously healed only to then be turned to salt after a visit to Hreodwater, Avelyn is sent by the Vatican to investigate. But in Hreodwater, the town's gentle doctor, Jericho, tells him that the priest is not the only one experiencing strange cures - and may not be the only one in danger from a substance in the mine that the locals call "salt light."
Avelyn and Jericho team up to protect the world from the salt light - but they may already be too late: strange happenings are occurring at mines all around the world. At an archaeological dig on the Dead Sea, electrical devices froth salt; at another salt mine in Russia, a KGB officer finds the bodies of five tourists who seem to have turned to salt; and at the huge salt works at Wieliczska in Poland, all communication is lost, and rumors circulate of total annihilation.
As salt light spreads, devastating cities around the world, Avelyn must decide what and who to believe - and whether his faith is strong enough to withstand an apocalypse."
I will read whatever Natasha Pulley writes. Bonus points for tormented priests.
And the Sea Gave Up the Dead by William Friend
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"For fans of Jennifer Thorne's Diavola and We Have Always Lived in the Castle comes William Friend's latest stunning novel where grief, mystery, and something undead haunt a young woman and her family, and soon, a dark history will repeat itself.
Some grief echoes. Some grief knocks.
When Morwenna receives a troubling call from her reclusive Aunt Bethan, she reluctantly returns to the family's crumbling chateau by the French seaside. Bethan has lived there alone for years - ever since her husband vanished in circumstances the locals are still gripped by. Some whisper she killed him. Others claim something older, and far worse, took him.
What Morwenna finds is a house warped by grief. Rooms shift when no one is looking. Time seems to shift there, too. And the deeper Morwenna digs, the more the chateau seems aware of her presence...hungry for it. Worse, it seems drawn to her children.
Local folklore speaks of revenants rising from the sea, of creatures returning when the veil thins and old hungers wake. As strange events escalate, Morwenna must uncover the truth about her uncle's fate and the beings the villagers believe still haunt the estate - before history repeats itself. Because if the tales are true, something long buried is stirring...and it has been waiting for her family to return. The dead are not done with this house."
If H.P. Lovecraft went even more Gothic.
The Halls of the Dead by S.M. Hallow
Published by: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A queer, gothic horror romance set in a necromancy-tinged London, sure to entrance fans of The Death of Jane Lawrence and Mexican Gothic.
London, December 1849
Irene Shallcross Haley has dedicated her life to necromancy, a forbidden, reviled art that is passed along through sentient grimoires bound in human skin. With her undead husband St. John - a marriage of kindred spirits and platonic convenience - she has been protecting the knowledge of generations of witches that came before her. Like any magic, it has come at a cost: her reputation, her relationship with her sister, and her soul. But when Irene's love, Agnes, is hanged for witchcraft, Irene refuses to let Agnes be one more thing that is taken from her.
A true resurrection has not been achieved in two thousand years, but Irene is determined. With the help of St. John, Irene bangs on the doors of the Halls of the Dead, demanding the third part of their triumverate back...or did she? Because the Agnes that awakens comes with both a hunger for raw flesh and a malignant ghost tied to her soul.
Necromancy is the art of saying no - no, I won't let you go; no, I won't let you be destroyed - and Irene's work is not yet done. She must find a way to bring Agnes back to her true self, she must navigate her feelings for her resurrected lover as well as St. John, and she must do all of this without catching the attention of Sir Silas Underhill, the man who sentenced Agnes to death.
Death is not the end of love. But Irene may realize it can actually be the beginning."
Well, if a resurrection goes bad, I do think it's the end of love...
The Last Day of H.P. Lovecraft by Romuald Giulvo and Jakub Rebelka
Published by: BOOM! Studios
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 144 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A gothic meditation on legacy and mortality from the world of Lovecraftian horror.
Translated for the first time from the acclaimed French graphic novel, this imaginative blend of fiction and reality reimagines the final hours of the literary icon through a haunting, dreamlike lens.
As Lovecraft confronts the legacy of his life's triumphs and regrets, his world becomes an otherworldly cathedral of memory and reckoning - filled with cosmic echoes of the mythos he helped shape.
Written by Romuald Giulivo (Le Sourire De Sang) and with breathtaking art by Jakub Rebelka (Origins, Judas), this collection presents the thrilling five-issue limited series in one complete volume.
Collects The Last Day of H.P. Lovecraft #1-5."
Being such a fan of Jakub Rebelka because of the art in When I Lay My Vengeance Upon Thee, this is a must buy.
Never Whistle at Night, Part II: Back for Blood edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Aist Jr.
Published by: Vintage
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The bestselling Indigenous dark fiction anthology returns with a new selection of even more daring and sinister stories. From monsters to mutilation, Never Whistle at Night is back for revenge.
Featuring stories by:
Jessica Doe • P.C. Verrone • Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. • Jim Terry • Jessica Johns • A.J. Eversole • Sonia Marie Barry • Shane Hawk • Stephen Graham Jones • Alicia Elliott • Mat RudeWalker • Shaawan Francis Keahna • Billy-Ray Belcourt • Jake Arrowtop • Alina Pete • Debra Magpie Earling • Joshua Whitehead • Tommy Orange • Ramona Emerson • Erica Tremblay • Kimberly Blaeser
They're baaaaaaaaaack!
As any savvy horror fan knows: the monster never truly dies. The team that brought you the bestselling dark fiction anthology Never Whistle at Night has risen, hungry, from the grave to summon more dark delicacies for your delectation. In these twenty-one brand-new, groundbreaking, gruesome stories - authored by both established and newly unearthed Indigenous talent and illustrated by renowned Cheyenne and Arapaho painter Brent Learned - the contributors are fully embracing horror: both supernatural horrors and the everyday horror of living under colonialist rule.
Featuring stories of unspeakable yet satisfying terror, from twisted psychological tales to gore-filled monster hunts, this new selection of sinister stories will sate your darkest appetites and leave you slavering for more. Never Whistle at Night, Part II: Back for Blood is a further celebration of Indigenous survival and the enduring tradition of transforming adversity into art."
Embrace the power of the written word!
The Sleeping Sisters by Jennifer Givhan
Published by: Little Brown and Company
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A threatened mother and a relentless detective collide when a series of murders awaken something long buried in the New Mexican desert in this mesmerizing novel of literary horror, perfect for fans of Carmen Maria Machado and Stephen Graham Jones.
A mother's love is the oldest curse.
Fortuna Miércoles has finally moved her family to a better neighborhood across the Rio Grande, desperate to outrun the curse that's stalked her bloodline since her greatest grandmother crossed the desert with a cactus thorn splitting her throat. But burying a family's violent legacy - or her own haunting secret - isn't so easy. Twenty years ago, girls and women vanished into the Albuquerque night, their bones later unearthed on the mesa. The so-called Reaper was never caught. Now, beneath the dormant volcanoes called the Sleeping Sisters, the killings have begun again, and they've called forth something in Fortuna that she has long fought to keep buried...
Detective Jeanette Palacio has spent decades promising justice to the ghosts of her murdered cousins - alongside the memory of the other women she couldn't avenge. When a new body turns up in Fortuna's backyard, both women are pulled into a dangerous, ancient plot. Are the Sleeping Sisters awakening - or has someone in Fortuna's family set a trap?
Inspired by true events, The Sleeping Sisters begins as a taut mystery shot through with myth and a Chicana-Indigenous reimagining of the legend of the headless woman - but by its cataclysmic end has spiraled into a fevered, feral hymn to motherhood and a mesmerizing portrait of trauma and the monstrous bargains we make to protect those we love."
True events!?! Tell me more.
These Walls Remember by Del Sandeen
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"When two estranged sisters inherit a home possessed by the horrors of its dark past, they must work together to survive in this viscerally chilling Southern gothic novel from the critically acclaimed author of This Cursed House.
Do not go into the attic, the note warned.
But that's exactly what sisters Mickie and Delilah do when they inherit a distant relative's house in Savannah, Georgia. They intend to sell the property, divide the proceeds, and go their separate ways once and for all.
But 724 Hartford Street has other plans.
As the sisters learn about this house and its history, past wounds begin to fester and spill into the present: strange visions, memory lapses, unexplained accidents, and surreal echoes of the house's previous inhabitants - some of whom disappeared after living in the home. The sisters suspect the residents of the sleepy Savannah neighborhood know more than they're saying about what really happened there.
And then Delilah, once adamant about selling and never looking back, develops an uncanny attachment to the house, her personality changing in alarming ways. Mickie knows that she'll have to pull her sister from the home's clutches or they will both succumb to that which hungers in its walls."
As much as I would love to inherent a house I'm sure it would be haunted and try to kill me, so thanks but no thanks.
The House That Eats the Dead by Max Doty
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A family moves into their dream home - only to discover that it hides an insatiable hunger - in this dread-laced and darkly outrageous domestic horror novel.
The new house is a fresh start for Claire and her family. It's a move away from the cityscape of a declining San Francisco and towards the quiet suburban life she has craved since her turbulent childhood; a step up the corporate ladder for her husband, Tom; and a safe haven for their two children.
Yet as they unpack their boxes, she senses something is wrong. Fresh flowers dry up, store-bought eggs are inexplicably hollow, and her daughter's favorite toy disappears. Claire soon confronts a series of impossible truths: The house is hungry. It's devouring anything that was once alive. And only Claire and Tom, the owners of the house, will remember that this "food" ever existed.
When Claire exploits the house's power in a moment of weakness, she and the house forge a fragile bond. But as its hunger intensifies and Claire loses control, she fears who else might be drawn to her home - and what sinister appetites they'll bring."
I mean, feeding the house is viable depending on how nice it is and the school system...
A (Dead) Thing Like Me by E.G. Young
Published by: Holiday House
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A teenage ghost in love with life becomes bound to the house of the grieving artist who summoned her via Ouija board in this darkly funny YA paranormal.
One hot dog with banana peppers. That's all Hot Dog wants. An invisible teenage ghost, she haunts a food cart outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Until one night, she's accidentally summoned via Ouija board to a house party in Florida...where finally finally finally, people can see her.
All the party guests scatter, except for Logan: the cool artist girl who doesn't just see Hot Dog, she actually wants to talk to her. Logan, who isn't scared of Hot Dog's stitched mouth or chattering dress. Logan, who's grieving her own dead BFF - and called Hot Dog by mistake.
Hot Dog wants to prove it's not a mistake.
She can be Logan's new best friend. She can go to Logan's Halloween party. She can eat snacks, have sleepovers, and hang out. She can definitely smile without scaring people. Exactly like a real, human girl.
There's one problem: Hog Dog's not a real, living human girl, and something in Logan's sprawling house knows it. It scratches like rats in the walls. It opens a secret door in Logan's attic. It wants to drag Hot Dog into the nothingness where dead things go. And unless Hot Dog can confront the dark truth of how she died, it will unmake Logan too.
Gorgeously strange and stunningly written, this YA paranormal masterfully melds camp and creep into a beyond-the-grave coming-of-age."
I mean, at least haunting the steps of the MET means good people watching...
The Secret Dinner by Raphael Montes
Published by: Celadon Books
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Four childhood friends, eager for a taste of city life, swap rural Brazil for an apartment in Copacabana, Rio. But they have no idea of the fate that awaits them there....
Dante, Piglet, Miguel, and Hugo are your average students trying to make ends meet with part-time jobs, excited about the bright futures at their fingertips. So when their rent skyrockets, they struggle to keep their new lives and big dreams afloat. They need to make money however they can. In order to keep their apartment, the friends adopt an unorthodox plan and are soon sucked into a dark world of secret dinner parties catering to the twisted fantasies of Rio's elite.
What starts as a joke quickly spirals out of their control. As the four friends fall deeper into this dark underworld and earn more money, the stakes get higher and the consequences deadlier, revealing the devious depths that lurk within each of them and threatening not only their friendship but also their lives."
I mean, just like that episode of Atlanta, they're eating people right?
The Calamities by Chuck Wendig
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 592 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The heir to one of the world's most influential families reckons with the demonic secret of their power in this contemporary dark fantasy that melds occult magic with shocking family drama, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Accidents.
Mourning Mayne knows he'll one day bear the duty of managing his family's vast empire of wealth and power. But the feckless Mourning has always struggled to accept this legacy of cruelty, domination, and exploitation...and something even darker.
Because the Maynes are no ordinary family: Hidden in our world are the fiends - half-human, half-demon, and possessed of a dark magic born from buying human souls - and the Maynes are one of the oldest and most influential fiendish families.
But when Mourning's estranged father, the formidable and terrifying Hadrian Mayne, demands that Mourning return to the fold, he has to decide whether to accept his legacy and embrace his role in the family or to forge his own destiny, and with it, change the course of the world.
Because along the way home, he will meet Key, a black-market seller of human souls, and Quinn, an artist who may hold the dark truth behind the fate of the fiends. Alone, they have all struggled with the darkness of their natures...but together, they might find a path out of the shadows."
Tear it all down! Even it that means dragging the demons back to hell!
The Black Bird Oracle Deck by Deborah Harkness
Published by: Random House Worlds
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Cards, 52 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Diana Bishop's family oracle deck from the beloved novel The Black Bird Oracle comes to life in this magical 52-card deck from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness.
The Black Bird Oracle Deck is a recreation of the seventeenth-century deck that plays a pivotal role in The Black Bird Oracle, the fifth novel in the beloved All Souls series. Handed down in the Proctor family for centuries before witch and Oxford scholar Diana Bishop discovered its secrets, The Black Bird Oracle Deck features 52 oracle cards and a guidebook that invites readers into this powerful world of magic and divination. Wholly original and beautifully illustrated, the deck includes cards in the following categories:
I. Elements
II. Birds
III. Covens
IV. Tools
V. Principles
VI. Alchemical Processes
VII. Moon Phases
VIII. Magics
Cards are printed on high-quality paper with rounded edges and textural graining, and they are contained within a deluxe, clamshell box with a ribbon pull. A perfect gift for fans of the All Souls series or tarot enthusiasts, The Black Bird Oracle Deck will help readers divine the twisting paths of life."
I love when objects that are in books become a reality. It's like making the magic of reading that much more magical.
Siren Says by Jennifer Michelle Herrera
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A lush, spellbinding tale about a tenacious young woman who must harness her family's dangerous magic to put a stop to the sacrifices they've been making for more than a century.
Twenty-five-year-old Raven Wynn knows that the ancient plant magic running through her veins brings nothing but destruction. It doomed her Welsh ancestors. It killed her mother. It's the reason she's now bound by a painful curse - one that will destroy her if she can't find a way to break its hold.
When her estranged Aunt Delilah bursts into her life promising a cure, Raven seizes the chance. However, her freedom comes at a steep price: Once her magic is fully unleashed, she is more powerful - and more dangerous - than anyone thought possible.
Desperate to tame powers she never wanted, Raven makes a pact with Delilah: In exchange for learning to control her magic, Raven will capture one of the spirits that roam Delilah's hometown on May's Eve so that it may grant Delilah's secret wish. With the help of an enigmatic new friend, Cherry, as well as an infuriatingly handsome stoneworker, Idris, Raven learns that her task is even more perilous than she imagined - one false move and the spirits could trap her soul - forever.
A sumptuous escape into a world of Celtic spirits and botanical magic, Siren Says is a bewitching story of the unbreakable bonds between women, the interplay between goodness and power, and the capacity of love to mend our very souls."
Botanical magic has always fascinated me.
The Blue Moon Café and 24-Hour Occult Emporium by Lexie Sharabianlou
Published by: Dell
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 448 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A magical witness protection program, a town in need of saving, and a sorceress-in-training...oh, and the human woman she's not supposed to fall for. The Blue Moon Café has a little bit of everything (except, you know, decent coffee).
In the tiny town of Pine Hollow, barista and fledging sorceress Talula Smith runs The Blue Moon Café and 24-Hour Occult Emporium, aka the worst coffee shop in town. The café's horrible reputation hides its true purpose: providing new identities and safe passage to at-risk magical beings while keeping humans far, far away. That is, except for town local Dahlia. Dahlia's devastating dimples, addiction to Talula's cocoa recipe, and keen observation skills keeps the smitten barista scrambling to ensure that her magical abilities (or, lack thereof) stay a secret.
But when big game hunters start preying on magical beings, her powerful sorceress mother is called away to track them down, leaving Talula and her barely-there magic in charge of The Blue Moon. With the impending Samhain festival to organize, magical refugees to help, half of the town turning against her, and her ever-growing feelings for Dahlia, Talula's magical destiny feels further away than ever. But as the hunters set their sights closer to home, it'll be up to Talula to master her craft, trust her heart, and bring her magical and human communities together...before she loses everything she loves."
I mean, can't they sure like two kinds of coffee, the bad for the ignorant and the good for those in need?
A Fellowship of Curses and Cats by J. Penner
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The cat distribution system is about to get magical.
Woodland elf Theo Brylar should be basking in bliss. He and his human partner, Arleta, have a thriving bakery, a baby on the way, and a bright future in Adenashire. But beneath his calm exterior, Theo's anxiety simmers - stirred by old grief, complicated family, and emotions he doesn't always understand.
Hoping to steady his nerves, Theo turns to eccentric wizard Ibus Ironflame, who offers him a supposedly soothing potion. What Theo gets instead is a magical mix-up: stray cats begin appearing on his doorstep...then multiplying until the bakery becomes Adenashire's first cat café.
As the cats take over his life, Theo worries he's juggling more than he can handle, and that was before his mother complicated things with a surprise visit. But with guidance from his forest lynx companion, Faylin, and Arleta's steady love, Theo may come to realize that even the messiest moments can lead to something unexpectedly beautiful - especially when surrounded by cats."
Everything is better with cats around.
Homeward for a Spell by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"In this cozy queer romantic fantasy from the award-winning authors of Homegrown Magic, two members of a motley crew of adventurers must confront monsters, hostile landscapes - and their growing attraction to each other.
Sage has made her living as a ranger, moving constantly between adventuring parties, but she's never had the chance to lead one. So when she's offered the opportunity to hire a crew of her own in pursuit of a rare magical artifact, it seems a dream come true - until she learns that they're headed into the most inhospitable part of the kingdom with winter looming. Still, it's a way to finally put her name on the map...and how bad could it really be?
Araphi has always loved music, in defiance of her powerful family's priorities. All she wants is one last occasion to perform before she marries a man she does not love for the good of the family. So when she sees a poster seeking a bard for a party, she eagerly sneaks away to audition, only to discover that the party in question is no festival but an adventuring party, led by a woman she's been fascinated with since she first laid eyes on her. It's an unexpected twist, but if she takes the job, she'll still be back in time for her own wedding...and how bad could it really be?
What follows is a life-altering journey for them both, filled with danger and misfortune as their ragtag band of adventurers - most of whom have just met - must learn to work together to overcome the many obstacles before them, not least the explosive chemistry between the rugged party leader used to watching her own back and the pampered city-girl bard, who may be far out of her element but is beginning to feel at home for the very first time."
I might be naive, but perhaps don't head out on a journey with winter looming?
I Punched an Alien and Now We're in Couples Therapy by Kimberly Lemming
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A zany and sexy romance about a woman who finds herself stranded on a far-off planet and mated to the warlord alien king, from USA Today bestselling author Kimberly Lemming.
It's not in Blair's nature to just give up. Not when she's beamed up to a spaceship and then dropped on an alien planet. Not even when she's in the middle of a forest fire surrounded by dinosaurs. And definitely not when she's captured by an arrogant alien king. If King Osid thinks he can break her, he's in for a shock. Blair lives by one motto: If you stay ready, you never have to get ready.
But absolutely nothing could have prepared her for finding out that she's that arrogant King Osid's mate.
Despite recent hiccups, the alien researchers are determined to get their breeding program back on track. With that in mind, Blair and Osid are bundled off to the research center for what they're told is couples counseling. As they face a series of increasingly dangerous challenges, it soon becomes clear the research aliens may have confused an episode of The Bachelor with Survivor. Bonding over their common enemy, and shall we say...encouraged by love darts, Blair and Osid let down their walls (and take off their clothes). When they discover that there are - somehow - even more secret plans in the works, another hilarious, steamy, over-the-top adventure is in store."
It's exhausting always having to be ready. But then again, apparently that will serve Blair well.
Guardians of Dawn: Suhwa by S. Jae-Jones
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The stunning conclusion to the richly imagined Guardians of Dawn fantasy series from S. Jae-Jones, the New York Times bestselling author of Wintersong.
Shadows fade. Illusions break. The dawn returns.
Min Suhwa has always longed to see the greater world outside the small, cloistered convent in which she was raised. Hidden there for her safety when she was a small child, Suhwa has learned to keep her unusual illusion magic to herself, but when the Bangtan Brothers come to town to perform, she can't resist the chance to go see them for herself. But the world outside her convent is dangerous - the Morning Realms have fallen to civil war, and Huntsmen prowl the land in search of magicians and the fabled Guardians of Dawn, legendary elemental warriors with incredible powers. When Suhwa's illusion magic brings her afoul of one of the Huntsmen, she must flee for her life.
Meanwhile, the Guardians of Dawn and their allies are fighting a war on two fronts - against the northern insurrection seeking to claim the Sunburst Throne and destroy all magicians, and against the rising threat of the Mother of Ten Thousand Demons. Zhara, Ami, and Yuli must travel to the Azure Isles to seek the Guardian of Water and save the Morning Realms from annihilation, restoring balance to order and chaos once and for all."
I know you want to read a stunning conclusion!
The Queen's Bodyguard by Lauren Blackwood
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"In this sizzling modern fantasy romance, a magic-less queen intertwines her fate with a fierce Warrior, but their undeniable chemistry ignites a passionate struggle, growing hotter as their fiery personalities clash - from New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blackwood.
Queen Theora grudgingly agrees to make peace with the neighboring enemy who killed her predecessor and friend, making her the new monarch of Aranea, over a year ago. But that doesn't mean she's going to the negotiations unprotected.
Theora quickly selects Argos, a prickly and formidable Warrior with a ruthless reputation, to act as her bodyguard in disguise. They are technically married, but Theora has no intention of finishing the ritual that would bind their souls together. Argos is merely a means to end the conflict safely.
Argos may have his reasons for accepting this arrangement, but he refuses to be a pawn in Theora's political games. If she wants a bodyguard, she'll have to obey his sacred Warrior rituals, each one a show of defiance that frustrates Theora as much as it arouses her.
Theora doesn't expect to find her temporary husband so sexy, his possessive nature so addicting. And as peace talks begin, pretending to be married and in love is not nearly as difficult as pretending she doesn't desperately want him - all of him."
Hey, if you gotta sell the lie, then really sell it.
Lovers of the Empire Vol. 1 by Yudori
Published by: Takumigraphics
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"South Korea, 1929. Arisa Jo, the daughter of a wealthy merchant, is the most eligible bachelorette in all of Gyeongsung (the capital city). With her Western dresses, movie star hairstyle, and assertive attitude, she embodies bold "Modern" values. Meet her opposite, Jun Seomoon, a young man from the countryside deeply rooted in tradition. When Jun is charged by Arisa's father to be her escort in the big city, these opposing forces create sparks. Through this unlikely connection, these teenagers open their eyes to new perspectives amidst the rapidly changing world they live in.
Coming off the heels of her acclaimed Raging Clouds, Lovers of the Empire proves Yudori to be a comic artist at the height of her creative powers. On the surface a sweet and funny will they, won't they romance, this story garners depth from its depiction of Korea at a crossroads: a city occupied by Japan, molded by Western influences, and facing a modernity that stirs inner conflicts within its citizens. Rendered in gorgeous full color, this period piece portrays a fascinating city in a tumultuous time, with two winsome characters at its heart."
If you need proof that graphic novels are truly art, pick up this volume.
Unprecedented Times by Malavika Kannan
Published by: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Malavika Kannan establishes herself as an inimitable voice of Gen Z in this piercing coming-of-age debut novel.
Which comes first: experience or narrative? Rishi thinks she knows the answer as she arrives on campus for her first year at Stanford. A burnt-out youth climate activist, she used to want to save the world, but now she just wants to have gay sex. Her plan is set - she's going to leave behind the strict trappings of her Indian American childhood in Florida, study literature, experiment with love, and write all about it. Within a few months, she makes her first best friend, falls in love with her situationship, and promptly gets her heart broken.
What is not a part of Rishi's plan is the onset of the COVID pandemic. As the outside world becomes a terrifying place, she increasingly finds solace in the friendships she's made. Instead of virtual college, however, Rishi and her classmates join a farm collective, where their political discussions and growing disillusionment collide with sexual tension and responsibility. It's only when those relationships start fracturing under the stress of careless decisions, unrequited crushes, jealousies, and, yes, unprecedented times, that Rishi begins to question her own story.
Unprecedented Times captures the beauty, humor, pain, and straight-up chaos that exist in relationships between best friends and lovers, mothers and daughters, and between storytellers and themselves. Malavika Kannan's fresh, arresting novel is a testament to the power of self-narrative for Gen Z American women: of writing oneself into existence where no previous script exists."
Embrace the chaos of being.
The Crying Killer by Jess Lourey
Published by: Thomas and Mercer
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 317 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A woman's secret. A small town with a dark past. A serial killer bent on revenge. Lies kill in a shocking true crime-inspired thriller by the Edgar-nominated author of The Quarry Girls.
Tuesday Hendrickson has spent eight years running from memories of that night. Her sister's screams. Blood on the walls. And Arsen Bauer, a monster known as the Crying Killer, shot down in a barrage of bullets as he fled. Case closed.
Intending to build a safe new identity out of the ashes, Tuesday changed her last name and moved away. She's now a private investigator who guards herself and her daughter, Julia, like their lives depend on it. And maybe they do. Because unless she's imagining things, Tuesday has seen Arsen on the streets of Saint Paul. She'd know her sister's killer anywhere.
When bodies begin surfacing bearing the Crying Killer's brutal and unmistakable signature, Tuesday is certain he's coming for them. Except no one believes that but her. As her paranoia intensifies, she is left with a terrible choice: unearth the shocking secret she buried with her sister, or become the Crying Killer's next victim."
If you're trying to protect yourself perhaps change your distinctive first name?
Murder on Charity Lane by Jo Nichols
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Months after the shocking murders at Marigold Cottages, eccentric landlady Mrs. B finds the peace and quiet a little too peaceful. That's why she invites her young friend CJ Moore to move into a now-vacant cottage: CJ is a suspect in the death of her employer, a wealthy Santa Barbara philanthropist who tumbled down the stairs of his mansion during a dinner party. The dead man's much-younger widow claims she saw CJ push him, but Mrs. B is certain that she's innocent. Why? Oh, just a feeling.
That's enough for her to summon the Marigold Cottages Murder Collective. Lily-Ann will marshal the facts, Hamilton will dig around online, Sophie and Nicholas will offer eyewitness testimony, and everyone will hope that Ocean keeps Mrs. B out of trouble.
Just as the tenants begin to suspect that Elsa is in fact the perpetrator, there's a second murder. A bloodier one. And with their tight-knit community in the crosshairs, they must prove her innocence - or accept her guilt."
Yeah, it wouldn't look good to be harboring a killer...
Maisy Bell is Missing by Kirsty Manning
Published by: Vintage
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Intrepid reporter Charlotte "Charlie" James investigates the mysterious disappearance of a well-connected American tourist, unaware of the trouble that awaits her...
At a glitzy gala in the ballroom of the Ritz Hotel in pre-War Paris, young American tourist Maisy Bell meets an intriguing man and accepts his charming offer to take her on a day-trip. But when Maisy doesn't return to the Ritz the following day, alarm bells ring and Maisy's aunt Clementine files a missing persons report. The Paris police laugh the request away. Plenty of tourists 'disappear,' having lost themselves in foolish flings. After all, summer in Paris is the perfect time for pour un beau couple d'amoreux. Weeks pass with no sign of Maisy. Then Clemetine Bell starts to receive telegrams and ransom notes...
Enter investigative reporter Charlotte 'Charlie' James. As a young Australian journalist who moved to Paris to reinvent her life, Charlie James feels a kinship with this missing American graduate on the cusp of a dazzling career and adventure. As she follows Maisy Bell's designer footsteps around Paris, Charlie is plunged headlong into the heady world of diamonds, haute couture, opera, bohemian wine bars and soirees in grand country chateaux, before being pulled headlong into the sordid underworld.
Readers will adore this next adventure with Charlie James: glamourous, fearless and taking on the world, glass of champagne in hand."
Because the sordid underworld is always there, keeping pace with the wealthy.
For Services Rendered by Will Thomas
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"In London, 1896, private enquiry agent Cyrus Barker's world is upturned when his longtime nemesis, Sebastian Nightwine, previously believed dead, turns up with evil on his mind, launching devastating and secretive attacks against not just Barker, but his network of friends and close associates.
In 1896, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, would be reformer and revolutionary, turns up in London, running away from China's Imperial Qing Secret Service, who has placed a substantial bounty on his head for his political activities. Captured by those agents, he's imprisoned in the Chinese Embassy until he can be smuggled back to China to face execution.
In the meantime, private enquiry agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn receive the unbelievable news that Sebastian Nightwine is both alive and in London. Not just that, it seems he's taking action against Barker and his close associates. At the same time, they've been hired to find this missing Sun Yat-Sen. With elements of the Chinese secret service, elements of the British government, and Nightwine himself all working against them, Barker and Llewelyn are at risk of being cornered by the deadliest set enemies they've yet faced."
Never good when you have three sets of people after you.
A Shroud of Snow by Sarah Hawkswood
Published by: Allison and Busby
Publication Date: August 18th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"December, 1145.
Hamelin Isenmongere, trader in iron and charcoal from Gloucester, is considered by many to be the most popular man in Worcester.
Why then is he found on the quayside near his warehouse with his head beaten in?
As the winter bites, Undersheriff Hugh Bradecote, Serjeant Catchpoll and Walkelin begin the hunt for a killer.
However, matters are complicated when evidence leads them to Worcester Castle itself and the hunt for a spy in the midst of complicated political crosscurrents.
Bradecote, Catchpoll and Walkelin must uncover whether the murder was an act of betrayal from close to home, or one that casts a shadow over the fight for England's crown."
Hints of Cadfael with a little Lovejoy. I approve.
Hot air balloons and Phileas Fogg go together like Amelia Earhart and aeroplanes. But here's the thing I learned from Michael Palin; Phileas Fogg never goes up in a hot air balloon once in the book. It's a conceit entirely made up for the adaptations and ingrained on our minds by the poster for the 1956 film starring David Niven. In fact almost everything I know about Around the World in Eighty Days I learned from Michael Palin and his documentary where he tried to recreate the journey. Perhaps I should read the book? Or perhaps not. Reading the summary it doesn't seem to have aged well with regard to indigenous cultures. Well, the best thing that can be said about this adaptation is it gets the balloon out of the way in the first episode. I really don't know who this adaptation is made for, aside from my Dad who loves it despite all it's faults. Each episode feels like they have to build to a "teaching moment" with a "very special guest star" who will explain why whatever the issue of the day is is bad. How did they get Lindsay Duncan to do this show? I know she has some schlock on her resume, but seriously? Which brings me back to the who is this written for? Children would be bored stiff, adults just see what's wrong with the whole production and feel a little talked down to when we're told racism is bad. Yeah, I do know a lot of people might need reminding, but I don't think those people are watching PBS. The aesthetic is more Dickensian than Attenborough, and I think you'd want to marvel at the world not make it so dark and dirty. But perhaps they were pushing against all the previous primary color adaptations. As for the music? Hans Zimmer's studio has a lot to answer for for this entirely unappealing Murray Gold wannabe vibe it's failing hard at. It would literally be better without music. Or if it wasn't ripping off another of their own productions, His Dark Materials. In fact everything about this production, aside from the casting, is poor. I actually feel sorry for the actors. David Tennant, Ibrahim Koma, and Leonie Benesch are acting their hearts out and breaking ours and the material is just failing them. I feel bad. Especially for Miss Fix. Here we have a woman finally with her own initiative in this male world, being based on Nellie Bly and her attempt to beat the fictional Phileas Fogg's eighty day journey, and instead it takes her from being a world class journalist and intrepid explorer to someone prey to love and yelling about the Chinese not inventing forks. Seriously!?! At least have some standards for the writing! And shoehorning in how she's "changed" as a throwaway line in the finale doesn't count as proper character development. And don't get me started on her pretty dress!
I've been a fan of Hayley Atwell's for what seems like forever, but looking at her credits it's been about twenty years starting with the Sally Lockhart films. But it was her portrayal of Agent Carter, giving us a non-superpowered kick-ass female lead in the male dominated Marvel universe that forever made me a fan. That and her hilarious lip-synch videos and self-deprecating social media presence. So I was aware of The Long Song since the day it first started filming back in 2018. And since the day later in 2018 that it aired in England. Nowadays with shows being shown almost simultaneously stateside thanks to premium cable channels and services like BritBox I kept waiting for The Long Song to finally air here. And I waited. And I waited. Seriously, Howards End with Hayley's portrayal of Margaret Schlegel ran on Starz and even re-aired TWICE on PBS and still I waited for The Long Song. Until finally it was announced as part of Masterpiece's 51st season in 2021. I would finally get to see the adaptation of Andrea Levy's book! And ironically, considering how long I waited to see this, I think 2021 was the perfect time for it to air. Right when America finally said enough and embraced Black Lives Matter on a scale it should have always been embraced. Though sadly since that time we've regressed, and it's more important than ever to look back and see the horrors of what we have done in the past and continue to do in the present. To know that this is our history. This happened and if certain people in power have their way it will happen again. To not flinch away from uncomfortable truths. And the truth of the matter is Hayley is nothing more than odious comic relief, as she should be in this setting. As she herself said "I play a heinous, vile old cow [as] Variety reviews my portrayal: 'an actor who typically radiates warmth, does a remarkable job of curdling the atmosphere of every room unlucky enough to have Caroline in it.'" And her partner in crime is Jack Lowden as the ambitious Robert Goodwin. If you've fallen for him as River Cartwright on Slow Horses, well, here you get to see his true acting chops, joining Hayley in camp odious and vile. I wish I could say I knew then that he'd be a star, but I so didn't. Because the real star of The Long Song is Tamara Lawrance as July. A slave who was taken away from her mother to be a plaything for Caroline. Who, despite everything, is a source of joy. Her life keeps beating her down again and again yet she is a "joyous survivor" as one reviewer said. And that's the heart of The Long Song, showing the horrors unflinchingly but celebrating the joy of surviving and creating a better world. Here's hoping we can rebuild and make a better world together.
Death Card by Jasmine Smith
Want Me, Take Me, Haunt Me, Make Me by Isabel Crowley
Saint Delilah by Isabelle Spotts
There Are Ghosts Here by Adrienne Tooley
She Haunts Me Still by De Elizabeth
Dreamland by Olivie Blake
Night Songs by Alli Dyer
Devil by Sierra Simone
A Plagued Sea by Kim Bo-Young
Reliquary by Hannah Whitten
Stay Buried by Jennifer McMahon
The Hill in the Dark Grove by Liam Higginson
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
World's Okayest Oracle (Reluctantly) Seems Demon by Olivia Dade
Twice Bitten by S.E. Babin
In What World by Bridget Morrissey
A Witch in Notting Hill by Alexandra Paige
You'll Be the Death of Me by Holly Michelle
The Magic We Made by Meg Cabot
A Thousand Painted Hours by Barbara O'Neal
A Betrothed's Betrayal by Deb Marlowe
Murder in Blackfriars by Jennifer Ashley
A Killer Plot by E.C. Nevin
Death at a Scottish Halloween by Lucy Connelly
Brimstone Hollow by Archer Sullivan
Don't Cross Mo Ellery by Birdie Horne
Bridget and Gabe Are Not Okay by Lex Croucher
For the Love of the Quest by Alexandra Ammon Parthun
The Wandering Inn by pirateaba 
All the Queen's Curses by Alyssa Hollingsworth
These Vile Hearts by Melody Robinette
Season of the Serpent by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
