strange and random happenstance

Murder on the Sacred River by Tasha Alexander
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this next enthralling mystery in Tasha Alexander's bestselling series, Lady Emily chases down a killer in India along the misty banks of the sacred river Narmada.

1908: Lady Emily and her husband Colin Hargreaves, along with an eccentric group of English tourists, are vacationing in India at Ahilya Fort, the old home to the Maharaja's family, when a man is found shot along the Narmada River. Emily and Colin jump into action, but their suspect list is large, including a wonderful spinster and her not-so-wonderful companion; a local doctor; a widow who lives nearby; an English explorer; and an Englishman who now runs a tea plantation near Darjeeling.

1740: Fifteen-year-old Ahilyabai has been married to the son of Malharrao Holkar, the Lord of the Malwa territory, for seven years. Now the time has finally come to produce an heir. But though Ahilya's in-laws have shown her nothing but kindness, her notoriously-drunken husband remains a mystery to her, having rarely spoken to Ahilya since their wedding as children. Faced with this tortured and distant man, Ahilya's sense of loyalty is tested as she attempts to balance fulfilling her duty with forging her own destiny. Her decisions will have ripple effects across time - including Lady Emily's investigation almost two hundred years later.

Lady Emily's case takes a dramatic turn when a shocking new person arrives at the fort - and when the killer strikes again shortly afterwards, she and Colin must race to uncover the villain's identity before it's too late."

Tasha takes an in depth approach to researching her books. In other words, when she announced she was going to India I could not wait until I read about what Lady Emily and Colin got up to there. Trust me, you won't be able to put it down. 

Bright and Broken Things by Ryan Graudin
Published by: Redhook
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A young scholar learns he may be the key to uncovering an ancient Egyptian artifact coveted by a powerful cabal of magicians in this enchanting novel set among the glittering parties and Egyptology craze of 1920s London. Ezra Bright has returned to London after serving in World War I but, like many surviving soldiers, he's haunted - by the horrors of the front lines, the loss of his adoptive brother and the strange magic flickering at the edge of his vision. Desperate to outrun his past, Ezra falls into a dazzling new world of socialites known for their elaborate costume parties and sprawling scavenger hunts.

But these Bright Young Things are hungry. And none more than Celia, a disgraced heiress, who warns Ezra that these parties are only a glittering façade for a secret society of magicians. For centuries, the Order, at the behest of its mysterious leader, has plundered magical relics. Their ultimate prize lies buried in Egypt, and unlocking it requires ancient magic - one Celia believes Ezra alone possesses.

When a note in his room is mistaken for the opening clue of a scavenger hunt, Ezra and his friends are launched into high stakes race across Egypt. As secrets are unearthed and the dead refuse to stay buried, Ezra must confront the truth of his heritage - and the full cost of his power - before the Order claims it first."

Oh, forcing someone on a quest by making it look like a scavenger hunt? That's diabolical. I love it.

Murder on the Cornish Train by J.M. Hall
Published by: Hodder and Stoughton
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"One missing passenger. One dead body. Is it murder on the Cornish train?

It is a dark and stormy night when Jeff boards the Cornish sleeper train at Paddington station.

As they make their way down the dark British coast, waves crash over the carriages and the wheels rattle in the gale.

Arriving in Cornwall the next morning, Jeff discovers one passenger has vanished into thin air.

The next day, another is found dead on a windswept beach.

Jeff can't accept these are coincidences.

Could he hold the clue to catch the killer who boarded the Cornish train?"

Obviously the bodies are connected, but could they be the same person?

The Cornish Halloween Murder by Fiona Leitch
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: eBook, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A brand new cozy mystery to escape with this Halloween. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Rev Richard Coles.

It's (almost) Halloween in Penstowan, and strange things are afoot...

When a developer buys the abandoned convent and cottage hospital of St Ann's on the edge of town, locals are aghast at his plans to turn the site into apartments. And when menacing voodoo-like dolls are found hidden inside the walls, it looks like the building's past inhabitants are against it, too.

As the town prepares for the annual Bonfire Parade taking place on Halloween night, ex-police officer Jodie Parker finds herself in a world of witches and Wiccans, whispering voices and ghostly babies crying, as she tries to find out who's behind the campaign to stop the development. Then one of the builders is found dead at the bottom of a staircase. Has a spectre from the convent's past come back to take revenge on the living, or are Jodie and her husband, DCI Nathan Withers, looking for a killer of flesh and blood?"

Why can't you have a live killer AND a real haunting?

A Killer for Christmas by Kim Harrington
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Wrapped in red has a bloody new meaning in this contemporary holiday romance with a murderous twist, perfect for readers who enjoyed The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year.

Christmasville, Maine, is the only place where Kelsey Hendricks has ever felt happy. When she loses both her job and her boyfriend, the move is a no-brainer, especially when she sees a listing for a position as Christmasville's social media manager. Surrounded by twinkling lights and candy canes and with the perfect job, this tinsel town is working its magic on Kelsey. With two heartthrobs vying for her attention, her life is now just like a Christmas movie.

Except for the murders.

The first one is dismissed as an accident. But after the second, and definitely the third, it becomes abundantly clear that Santa is leaving coal in someone's stocking this year.

Determined to bring back the holly jolly spirit to the town before tourists begin canceling their reservations, Kelsey must sleuth her way out of a chilling murder mystery and back to a holiday rom-com.

This charming and clever mystery-romance where a cozy winter wonderland warms the heart while suspense chills the bones is the perfect read for the holiday season."

Well it's already better than The Most Wonderful Crime of the year because there is actually a murder.

Eat, Drink, and Get Buried by Cleo Coyle
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When the Village Blend caters a glittering rooftop party, their creative coffee concoctions are eclipsed by a shocking murder in this compelling new Coffeehouse Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle.

Years ago, when master roaster Clare Cosi was a newly divorced mom raising her daughter, Joy, Ava Welsh became Joy's best friend. Now the painfully shy girl next door has grown into a successful New York businesswoman, and Clare is delighted to be catering Ava's coffee-themed party, especially when her boyfriend, Ryan, confides his plan to propose that very night.

Then a scream shatters the celebration. A woman is thrown off the balcony to her death, and Ryan - who abruptly flees the party - is accused of murder. Clare vows to help Ava clear his name.

Her digging uncovers suspicious connections to a deadly event from which a teenaged Joy and Ava barely escaped with their lives. The stakes rise ever higher as a ruthless killer attempts to keep the ugly truth buried - even if it means sending Clare and her caffeinated crew six feet under."

So what I'm hearing is that Clare has always been a death magnet. 

A Map to Murder by Michelle Chouinard
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Beloved true crime tour guide Capri Sanzio returns in Michelle Chouinard's A Map to Murder, the next book in the USA Today bestselling Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco Mysteries.

True crime tour guide and serial killer aficionado Capri Sanzio knows how central the Summer of Love is to San Francisco's identity - even if she's always had conflicted feelings about it. She's used to weaving feel-good hippie culture and music into her Haight-Ashbury true crime tales, centering her tours around what happens when a revolution looking to lift up the best ideals humanity has to offer clashes with the darkest souls hidden among humanity's shadows. But what she's not used to is a guest stepping out from those shadows to drop a murder investigation directly into her lap.

A woman has gone missing in San Francisco after trying to solve her aunt's murder: a cold case from the Summer of Love. Capri sees herself in the missing woman - both were unable to find the answers they desperately wanted as kids - and sees her own daughter in the tour guest begging for her help. Unable to turn the case away, Capri finds herself following a trail of flower-power footprints turned deadly - straight to a killer who has her in their sights."

Two things I adore, San Francisco and murder. 

How to Write a Murder by Jessica Brody
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 560 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"One dead body. Seven mystery writers who all know how to get away with murder. In this wickedly clever whodunit from the bestselling author of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, the only thing harder than writing the perfect plot twist...is surviving it.

If you want to write a murder, you have to set it in the right location - like an old, converted monastery with an ominous past, hidden deep in the mountains. Then, you have to invite the right people - like a group of authors attending a prestigious mystery-writing conference.

Of course, someone should show up uninvited - like a disgraced literary agent accused of stealing from his top client. Everyone in the story must be hiding something so they can all become suspects when someone ends up dead. That's when they'll turn on one another, digging into the past to uncover dark truths - like a book canceled on the eve of publication, two million dollars in missing royalties, and an obsessive fan with a hidden agenda.

But don't forget to trap everyone there - a landslide should do the trick - so they can't escape when more people turn up dead....

Welcome to the perfect murder. Nothing will go wrong. Because if anyone can get away with murder, it's a writer."

I mean, don't all writers have secrets?

Worry Box by Chris Panatier
Published by: Angry Robot
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An unsettling horror story with a mysterious twist from a celebrated voice in horror. Perfect for fans of Paul Tremblay's A Head Full of Ghosts.

The Martins need a new home for their growing family. For Alison, Nathan, daughter Dru, and foster child Lailah, it's love at first sight when they see the house in Tumbling Hills. It even has a cozy attic, which is great for Lailah; she needs a quiet place to be alone when her intrusive thoughts creep in.

(crack an egg into the coffee machine)

The family gets settled. The house is perfect, and so is the timing - Lailah's adoption will soon be finalized.

(push your sister down the stairs)

But as the date approaches, her intrusive thoughts get worse, and Lailah fears she's losing control.

(burn them alive in their beds)"

Just saying, the adoption isn't finalized...

The Gardens by Emma Babbington
Published by: HQ Digital
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"It might look idyllic, but the secrets buried there are deadly...

When human bones are found in the garden attached to the glamorous London home where she grew up, Jess McIntyre prepares to receive the news she has dreaded for thirty-four years: that her sister, Nina, is dead and now here is the proof.

Nina disappeared without a trace in 1992, aged eighteen, the summer she fell in with a charismatic group of friends who squatted in a vacant house on the other side of Willow Gardens.

Having moved to Australia years ago, widow and single mum Jess arrives back in London to provide a DNA sample to help the investigation, with her teenage son, Ollie, in tow.

As they try and unravel the secrets of Nina's past, and her connection to a sinister cult, will they discover that some bodies are best left buried...?"

So, the body was in the backyard the whole time? This is like season two of Prime Suspect. 

In the Woods They Wait by Carrie Lee South
Published by: Little Brown and Company
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Years ago, she lost her brother. Now the woods have taken another.

From a powerful new voice, a story that's at once a haunting southern gothic and a satisfying page-turner, perfect for fans of Stephen King and Liz Moore alike.

Fifteen years ago, Audrey Figg's little brother, Benny, vanished on a family vacation to Devil's Den state park, a day that split her life in two. Now, Audrey is a park ranger in the very same woods with expertise in wilderness search and rescue. Audrey has found a rhythm to her days: training new rangers, tending to injured hikers, protecting the backcountry, and still, searching.

When a little girl, Ivy, suddenly goes missing on the trails, Audrey can't help but notice the similarities to her own brother's case. As Audrey widens the scope of her search, she begins to believe Ivy wasn't merely lost; it looks like she was taken by something - and maybe Benny was too. Yet the closer Audrey comes to answers, the more old memories push to the surface. Audrey is haunted not only by her brother's loss, but a terrible secret from that day. A secret she has never shared with anyone.

Utterly absorbing and disquieting, In the Woods They Wait is an enthralling page-turner, one that asks how far you would go for a sense of closure - and what would you be willing to face to get it."

Is Devil's Den based on Devil's Lake in Wisconsin? Cause I gotta say, strong similarities. So much death there every year.

Our Cut of Salt by Deena Helm
Published by: Tor Nightfire
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this lyrical debut, three generations of Palestinian women must put the haunting of their ancestral home to rest, before the secrets of the past drown them all. Our Cut of Salt is a powerful and intimate look at what it means to make a home, to lose it, and to return, only to find it irrevocably changed.

There is something haunting Nuhad's childhood home in Haifa. Cats avoid its perimeter, strange noises come from within, and residents have mysteriously vanished without a trace. Although Nuhad has not returned to her home since the Nakba in 1948, she always held a place for the house in her heart.

And, in return, the house did the same for her.

After Nuhad passes away, her granddaughter, Marina, is determined to visit her grandmother's home after a lifetime of being kept in the dark about her culture and family history. Marina's mother, Haifa - named for the city that was lost to their family - reluctantly agrees to her trip, though she knows firsthand that some secrets are better left buried.

But the house is no longer a home. It is a painful, festering wound that infects everything it touches. The more Marina digs into her family's past, the sicker she becomes. Despite Nuhad's ghostly warnings, Haifa rushes to help her daughter.

As the three women converge in their ancestral home, they must put the haunting to rest before the secrets of the past drown them all."

A new type of haunted house story. 

Mazywood by Tananarive Due
Published by: S and S/Saga Press
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"All the Sinners Bleed meets Erasure in this literary thriller from the award-winning author of The Reformatory following the grandson of a famous Black actress who returns to his grandmother's cabin retreat in the California mountains only to encounter the legacy of her rage born in Old Hollywood.

When Johnny - a filmmaker and grandson of the famous Black actress Mazelle Washington - brings his family to Mazywood, the secluded California mountain lodge left behind by his grandmother, he expects a quiet retreat. Instead, he uncovers a legacy of rage, secrets, and terror that has haunted his family for generations.

Set primarily in the present day, with haunting flashbacks to Hollywood's Golden Age, Mazywood explores three generations while following Johnny as he pieces together the true story of his grandmother. As a young Black actress whose career spanned from the 1920s to the 1940s, Mazelle brushed shoulders with giants like Lena Horne, Clark Gable, and Hattie McDaniel. But beneath her public appearance, she carried a secret she had kept and nurtured since she was a child, when a dark wish came true and changed the course of her life forever.

Now, fifty years after Mazelle's death, Johnny finds himself confronting the truth she buried - and the consequences she left behind. For a monster lurks outside Mazywood, hidden for generations, and Johnny brought his family to its hunting grounds."

Tananarive Due is the author of the moment so DO NOT miss this magnificent book. 

All Her Beautiful Deaths by A. Rushby
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A gothic tale in two timelines in which the lives of two women intersect through a series of mysterious, eerily beautiful photographs of the dead.

London, 1865. Minnie has been sent to Culpepper House to work as a maid. She's been told that the Culpepper twins are odd, and odd they are. Edmund and Edith seem to do as they please, with Edmund running a laboratory from the house and Edith running about with glass plates in order to create photographs. When Minnie spies what Edith is photographing - a young woman and swan, both dead - she is horrified. But with nowhere else to go, there is nothing to do but remain and try to unlock the mystery of Culpepper House's secrets before she becomes the victim of such a photograph.

London, present day. When Sydney-based artist Hadley is involved in an art world scandal revolving around an album of exquisite Victorian death photographs, she's met with a flurry of media attention and the offer to create an installation centering on a heartbreaking image of a young woman and a swan. Then comes a shocking offer from the enigmatic Kit Culpepper of the Culpepper Trust…an eye-watering sum of money, with the condition that Hadley sell him the album and never speak of its contents again. As Hadley digs deeper, she begins to suspect Kit Culpepper is guarding a deathly secret…and she's not entirely sure how far he'll go to keep it."

So, the kids like mementos of their kills...

A Dangerous Bargain by Erin Cotter
Published by: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A young artist who has bargained away most of his life for divine inspiration pairs up with fellow apprentice Leonardo da Vinci to infiltrate the Medici family and find out the truth about his missing brother in this Renaissance-set young adult mystery perfect for fans of F.T. Lukens.

It's the height of the Italian Renaissance. In the golden city of Florence, art is equal to holiness - and angels walk among us, bestowing their talents...for a price.

Seventeen-year-old artist Virgil is in trouble. To support his family, he's bargained most of his life away to an angel - only to discover that his missing brother is in danger, and nothing but magic can rescue him. Now, with just a few months left to live, Virgil is desperate enough to try the one thing he swore he would never, ever do - team up with the infuriating, annoyingly talented, and most notorious playboy in all of Florence, the charming Leonardo da Vinci.

As the two journey through Florence's gilded streets, luxurious cathedrals, and glorious Medici palaces, they unearth dark truths beneath the city's facade.

Those in power will do anything to keep their deadly secrets safe, but with his feelings for Leonardo giving him new life, Virgil is determined to expose their lies before he runs out of time.

Even if it might cost him his soul."

So Virgil is OK with working with angels but not Leo? Someone has issues...

Witch Daughter by Tanaz Bhathena
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In her adult debut, award-winning author Tanaz Bhathena expertly weaves a tale of love and loss in ancient Persia with her take on the timeless tragedy of Tahmineh, a temptress, a witch, a victim, or, perhaps, a woman trying her hardest to protect her loved ones.

Rumors of witchcraft follow Princess Tahmineh like a storm cloud, making it impossible for her to secure herself a marriage or any kind of future. With her father, the king's health in question, it becomes shockingly clear how desperate her situation will soon become in his absence. If she doesn't act now, she will quickly find herself destitute and desperate.

Tahmineh seeks out a prophecy, from which she learns she will fall in love with a warrior of great renown named Rostam and bear him a son. However, she is warned this match is a dangerous one for her. Heedless of the warnings, Tahmineh boldly orchestrates a meeting with Rostam and the two develop a close friendship and ultimately fall in love and marry. At the peak of her joy, Tahmineh gives birth to Sohrab, Rostam's son.

All too soon, Tahmineh learns the tragic second part of the prophecy. Father and son will meet as enemies in battle and one will die at the hand of the other. What follows is a mother's desperate attempt to undo the threads of fate and try to protect her son at all costs."

Ever since reading A Bride's Story I might be mildly obsessed with ancient Persia. 

The Big Bad Book of Kaiju edited by Jonathan Marberry and Henry Herz
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A thrilling and cataclysmic collection of city-smashing titans and the desperate coalitions of humanity clinging to survival in the wreckage, from the New York Times-bestselling and multiple award-winning editors.

Featuring bestselling and award-winning authors such as Tananarive Due, Christopher Golden, Seanan McGuire, Scott Sigler and Steve Alten, author of The Meg.

An explosive collection of monster terror, featuring 25 original tales of creatures the size of skyscrapers. See cities shattered and worlds ended, as great beasts rise from the deep.

Featuring work from:
Linda D. Addison
Kevin J. Anderson
Kelley Armstrong
Maurice Broaddus
Tananarive Due
Luke Dumas
Taiyo Fuji
Kane Gilmour
Maxwell I. Gold
Christopher Golden and Daniel Golden
Henry Herz
Jamal Hodge
Ai Jiang
Alma Katsu
Tim Lebbon
Jonathan Maberry
Seanan McGuire
Lee Murray
Tobi Ogundiran
Cynthia Pelayo
Jeremy Robinson
Scott Sigler
Benjamin Spada
Anne Walsh"

Could any publisher other than Titan release this book? NO!

No Killing Goblins by Pirateaba
Published by: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 784 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this second volume of The Wandering Inn, Book One of the massive epic fantasy world that has become a LitRPG sensation, new characters take center stage as the Innverse expands beyond Erin Solstice's inn.

Even as Erin finds companions out of goblins, necromancers, drakes, and gnolls, Ryoka Griffin wants no part in making friends.

She just wants to run.

Luckily, there's a guild that allows her to do just that, and Ryoka soon finds herself delivering messages and packages across the city. But she's an oddity to the other runners, and not just because she doesn't wear shoes.

No, there's something about her that just doesn't fit in…and it's probably the fact that she's from the real world, and not the fantasy one she's been sucked into.

Like Erin, she has found herself pulled into a fantasy realm she doesn't understand. And like Erin, she wants to learn more…but wants to do it her own way. Yet even she is learning she can't do everything alone, and after a dangerous delivery introduces her to the adventuring group The Horns of Hammerad - and other deliveries bring her into the scope of a powerful Lady and a mysterious magic-user - her new world will never be the same.

Darkness is growing in the Innverse, with new players and monsters being added to the chessboard, and both Erin and Ryoka are finding out that as amazing magic can be, it's also incredibly deadly."

I'm really slow lately and just got the Wandering Inn joke...

The Henchperson's Guide to Unionizing by Marshall J. Moore
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"As the laboratory assistant to the brilliant but demanding Doctor, Igor spends his nights robbing graves, stitching together body parts, and ensuring that his master doesn't electrocute himself (too badly).

When a mob of peasants wielding torches and pitchforks drives them out of town (again), Igor and the Doctor relocate to the isolated Ravenwald Manor to resume their experiments creating new life from dead flesh. But Igor and the Doctor are not the only ones seeking refuge within the walls of Ravenwald. The manor is already home to a vampiric Count and his highly dissatisfied bride, Cornelia - and an enigmatic witch and her feline familiar, Grimalkin, intend to use it as the site of a magical ritual.

At Igor's suggestion, the three pairs come to an uneasy agreement to cohabitate in Ravenwald, lest they attract the suspicion of the nearby village. In the wake of this truce, Igor, Cornelia, and Grimalkin soon begin to realize that they might have more common with one another than their respective masters. When the trio discovers that they've been unwitting participants in a horrible plan to destroy the world as they know it, they must work together to stop their masters from bringing on armageddon...and stop the increasingly suspicious villagers from reaching for their pitchforks and torches.

Igor, Grim, and Cornelia must unite to cast off the chains of their masters and embrace life on their own terms in the hilarious, heartwarming, and just-scary-enough The Henchperson's Guide to Unionizing."

Just saying, the best thing EVER about What We Do in the Shadows was Sam, the cat familiar. ALWAYS here for a cat familiar. 

Soul Proprietor by Stephanie Vance
Published by: GFB
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 326 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The afterlife's most profitable innovation? Renting souls to the living.

Tiffani Lutatio, a top salesfiend for Hell's Soul Exchange, needs 142 more rentals to claw her way into Hell's C-suite-with Fred, her fire-breathing dachshund, in tow. But in her rush to the bottom, she accidentally rents out a porn star's recalled soul, violating one of Hell's commandments. To retrieve it before Hell's Information Agency finds out and stops her promotion, Tiffani must accept a humiliating bargain: Grant her customer three favors.

In present-day Portland, Oregon, where demons and angels haunt dive bars alongside the living, Tiffani and her band of misfit celestials and delinquent mortal teenagers stumble onto Hell's most classified secret. There's something far more dangerous for her career than even Hell's worst demon: a conscience.

Soul Proprietor is a darkly funny romp through a fantastical afterlife on Earth, where capitalism is eternal, good and evil are up for a rebrand, and redemption might finally be possible."

And why was the porn star's soul recalled?

The Magus Club by L.E. Sterling
Published by: Spell Shaker Books
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 350 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"She'd given up on magic-but this club won't take no for an answer.

You're invited to join the most exclusive-and dangerous-club in town....

Esme Wallace is happy to read tarot cards for Toronto's bar scene dupes. But she doesn't like it when the cards get too loud. When they tell her change is coming. And it does: in the form of handsome, rich Julian Holt. Esme can't help but fall under Julian's spell - until he inducts Esme into his ultra-secret magic club and asks her to train under his brainy best friend.

Michael Cairns acts like he detests Esme, but could he have another motive for keeping her at arm's length? Yet, as Esme's life begins to unravel and it looks like dark magic may be responsible, she turns to the lone club member she can trust - and the one man whose arms she shouldn't enjoy.

Because sometimes magic crosses over. Sometimes, it wants you dead. And once you're in this club, there's only one way out."

And this is why I'd never accept an invite to any kind of club. I'm a non-joiner. It's too dangerous. 

Roots and Wrath by E.J. Wenstrom
Published by: E.J. Wenstrom
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 446 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Once, there were six.

Six young witches were hungry to achieve remarkable things...until they performed a clandestine ritual in the dark wood. Only five witches returned. The secret they buried beneath a hungry great oak split them apart forever.

Now there are five.

Eighteen years later, the death of their legendary mentor forces them back together. In her will, the professor binds them to carry on her work until their magical bond is shattered for good...by death.

Soon, there will be four.

The remaining witches scramble to uncover who is willing to kill to escape their bond. Magical spells and broken alliances - not to mention a relentless ghost of their past deeds - drive them back to the dark wood to unearth their past.

Can any of them survive the specter of the dark wood and finally put the past to rest?

Roots and Wrath is a standalone dark fantasy featuring ruthless, unapologetic female characters in a twisty, suspenseful whirlwind of a plot. Perfect for fans of The Craft, Yellowjackets, Plain Bad Heroines, The Return, and Once and Future Witches."

I mean, what kind of mentor basically forces their pupils into The Hunger Games!?! 

The Secrets of the Séance Society by Lisa Perrin
Published by: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 216 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A gorgeous and delightfully spooky compendium of famous (and infamous) spiritual mediums who communicate with the dead. Plus, it includes an entertaining and instructive medium's manual and usable Ouija board!

From the author-illustrator of the bestselling The League of Lady Poisoners, this lavishly illustrated treasury considers these haunting questions: What are spirits? Where can we find them? And how can we contact them? In answer, Lisa Perrin recounts, with respectful sincerity and a healthy dose of humor - complemented by clever Victorian-inspired portraits, icons, and lettering - the advent of Spiritualism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The book spotlights the era's larger-than-life characters who, unlike many Spiritualist mediums who shared their gifts privately with clients, found their way onto stages and into newspaper headlines, and ultimately explores the deeper question of why the living world is endlessly trying to connect with the dead.

• Learn about the Fox sisters and the birth of Spiritualism, when the sisters claimed to hear tapping, knocking, and rapping from a spirit of a peddler whose body had been buried in their cellar.
• Explore the outrageous occurrences at mediums' seances, such as the disembodied four-fingered hand that emerged from under the table of the Schneider brothers to play a musical instrument placed on the floor.
• Traverse through the disintegration of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini's friendship due to their famously differing opinions on the topic of spirits.
• Delve into Perrin's documentation of celebrities, investigators, fraudsters, reformers, and rebels of the age, and her knowledgeable overview of Spiritualism's path that continues to stretch into modern culture.

Fascinating and fearsome all at once, this thrilling survey of mediums and their historical context will delight any reader who enjoys exploring the world beyond the veil. Through all the myths and legends, there is comfort to be found in the effort to contact the dead, for it is, at heart, time spent thinking about them and honoring their memories.

INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS: A medium's manual walks you through all the tools a medium needs and includes instructions on how to hold a proper Victorian séance, should you want to try to commune with spirits at home (at your own risk!). There is also an illustrated Ouija board and removable planchette for a more interactive paranormal experience.

GHOSTS NEVER DIE: Powerhouse author-illustrator Lisa Perrin is a perfect fit for this popular topic, offering an animated guide to communing with spirits that plays into our cultural obsession with the paranormal and occult, and also pokes a little understanding fun at it.

IRRESISTIBLE GIFT: Perrin's beautiful and distinctive art style perfectly captures the romantic allure of the afterlife and the urge to commune with the dead. Her irreverent voice makes this an especially fun read for all those drawn to the exquisitely macabre. Packaged in a bedecked hardcover as glorious as her first book, this makes an irresistible gift for fans of shows like Wednesday and Stranger Things, murder mystery readers, and true-crime podcast listeners.

Perfect for:

• Fans of ghost stories, true crime, and all things paranormal/occult
• People interested in spiritualism and other methods of contacting the dead
• Admirers of Victoriana and the golden age of Spiritualism
• Fans of Lisa Perrin's beautiful illustration and readers who loved The League of Lady Poisoners
• Shoppers looking for a unique spooky gift
• Fans of Living for the Dead, The Haunting of Hill House, Wednesday, and other spooky stories and popular media"

I'm questioning that whole "at your own risk!" caveat... 

Sometimes I Scare Myself by Jeneva Rose
Published by: Blackstone Publishing
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Not all nightmares come from sleep. Some come from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jeneva Rose.

Three horror stories.

A dinner party. A quiet house. A roadside stop.

You'll recognize the setup.

You won't recognize what comes next.

Never Kill the Medium

A thirtieth birthday dinner turns deadly after someone hires a medium for a playful séance. When the ritual spirals out of control and the medium dies, the guests cover it up - unaware that leaving the séance unfinished has allowed something dark to cross over.

The Nightmare House

The Dalton family moves into what they believe is their forever home, in the quiet town of Tillington - until the house whispers, the neighbors watch, and no one believes the one person who knows something is wrong. Newly postpartum, Kristin Dalton soon uncovers a horrifying truth: every family who has lived in this house has died or disappeared.

All Curses Are Final

On the way to a remote winter cabin, a group of friends stops at a roadside store with a hand-painted warning: "All items cursed. Curse lifted at time of sale." They laugh it off - until one of them discovers an item in her bag she never paid for. As the storm traps them inside the cabin and bodies start to pile up, paranoia takes hold and suspicion turns inward."

I'm just saying, from a logic point of view I'm final girl material. From any other point of view, I'm a goner.

Stranger Bedfellows by Amanda Mortlock
Published by: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A dark and steamy debut novel about a girl, who is sometimes a cat, the witch she loves, and the toxic secrets from her past that are threatening to unravel the delicate balance of her future.

Cleo is a willfully aloof college student with an impossible secret. When she meets Wes, a brooding musician, at a Halloween party, their connection is instant, electric, and impossible to ignore. Their romance takes a mystical turn when Wes discovers what Cleo's been hiding: sometimes she takes the form of his pet cat.

Enter Bailey and Ollie - their magical counterparts - who reveal a deeper tie between Cleo and Wes: he's a witch, and she's his familiar. As past secrets collide with their entangled present, Cleo faces her greatest fear - losing Wes. With long-gone threats returning and danger looming, Cleo must confront her role in their dark and violent shared history and decide if she's willing to fight for their future."

I mean, I sometimes wish I was a witch's familiar. It's totally normal right?

Out of Body by Chris Vanjonack
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A wildly inventive collection of interconnected speculative stories - spanning the multiverse, demonic attachment, and life after death - from an electrifying new voice in fiction.

An aimless ghost haunts his ex-girlfriend for evidence that she's actually upset about his death.

A group of teens discovers a machine that purports to predict the best day of its users' lives.

A young woman is horrified to discover that an aggressive stranger she met on a night of bar-hopping now manifests in every photo that is taken of her.

A drunken posse descends into the woods in search of clowns that have been terrorizing their small town.

Chris Vanjonack's fiction is haunted not only by specters of death, but by the elusive questions of life, and above all, the wonder and horror of the infinite. Uncanny, surreal, and infectiously clever, the stories in this linked collection contain horrors great and small, fueled as much by the fantastic as by longing, dread, and all-too-human frailties.

Morbidly funny and brilliantly observed, Out of Body is an atmospheric, dead original feast for the senses."

But what a disappointment if you've already lived the best day of your life?

Lucy Kline, Necromancer by Tom O'Donnell
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and highly bingeable thrillers, Lucy Kline, Necromancer, is a Nancy Drew-style murder mystery mixed with the occult.

It's been two years since Lucy's twin sister was presumed dead. As the only person who knew about Louisa's plan to sneak out on the night she was killed, Lucy still feels responsible for her sister's grim fate - despite the fact that it was Lucy who eventually cracked the case, putting Louisa's killer in jail.

Or so she thought.

When another girl who looks just like Louisa goes missing under similarly mysterious circumstances, and ghostly dreams begin to plague Lucy, she throws herself back into the investigation. The more clues she uncovers, the more her nightmares bleed into reality. And signs start to point to the impossible: necromancy.

With the help of her classmate Howie and a retired medieval history professor, Lucy must find the culprit behind these disappearances and finally come to terms with the grief that's haunted her for years."

And here I was thinking ghosts. Should have remembered the title of the book!

A New Witch in the Northwoods by Elise Posledni
Published by: Ten16 Press
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 380 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Small town life in the Wisconsin Northwoords is not like anything Mary expected.

When Mary Matherson moved into her late grandfather's house in small town northern Wisconsin, she was prepared to deal with the prying locals while digging for clues about her grandfather's curious death. What she was not prepared for was the veil between the supernatural plane practically in her backyard.

It turns out, Mary is a witch. Her new boyfriend is a demon. The Other world is hard to resist and Mary wants to learn the magic her grandfather kept secret from her. Instead of nosy neighbors and coffee shop gossip, Mary must deal with supernatural politics and a threat that has hunted her family's magic for generations."

Anyone who has been up north knows how thin the veil is. And yes, I read all books set in Wisconsin to judge them for accuracy. 

You're the One That I Haunt by Katie Jung
Published by: Penguin Books
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"To save her best friend and lifelong crush from his family's deadly curse, Libby must team up with (and try not to catch feelings for) a handsome ghost only she can see.

Libby Lakoski has two major problems. First, she's secretly in love with her best friend, Carter Coldwell, and second, he's marrying someone else. Carter's the only person who has ever made Libby feel chosen, and sure, his fiancee is a British diamond heiress, but Carter and Libby have years of shared history and longing looks between them. Not to mention, Libby is the only person Carter trusted enough to tell about the dark magic that plagues his family.

But then a third and related problem presents itself - or, himself. Trip Coldwell is Carter's handsome, smart, flirtatious cousin who also happens to be...a ghost. Trip's "unfinished business" is to break the Coldwell curse, but the solution hinges on Libby encouraging Carter to allow his wedding to proceed. Unfortunately, Libby is the only person who can see Trip, and her objective is the exact opposite. Can Libby put aside her pining for Carter and work with his hot and not-quite-living cousin to save both men?

As they follow a trail of clues across New York City, Libby finds herself questioning just how much Carter reciprocated her friendship, feeling perplexed by a growing attraction to Trip, and fantasizing about actually touching him. With the countdown to the wedding in full swing, Libby must choose between saving the Coldwells and holding tight to her own happily ever after."

But if he's cursed there's no HEA. Let the wedding happen THEN fight to get him.

A Season for Falling by Kate O'Shaughnessy
Published by: Storytide
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A swoony, heartfelt, and evocative standalone paperback original romance about first love, second chances, and finding yourself in the season of change - perfect for fans of Misty Wilson's Falling Like Leaves and anyone looking for their next Gilmore Girls-esque fall read.

Some seasons change everything....

Five years ago, Claire was a child star, the goofy punchline of one of America's favorite sitcoms. Until a series of devastating betrayals by her manager-father left her broke, humiliated, and desperate to disappear.

Now she's just another high school senior in postcard-perfect Glenridge, Connecticut, determined to leave her past behind. Not even her best friend knows who she used to be - or that she's scraping together every spare dollar to hopefully attend NYU.

When a movie shoot lands in Glenridge - and with it, her former co-star and ex-best friend, Luke Cordova - it threatens to stir up not only Claire's past, but also the dizzying crush she once had on Luke. He offers Claire a deal: let him shadow her to research his role, and he'll pay enough to make her college dreams possible.

As the woodsmoke-tinged October air grows colder, and she falls for Luke (again), Claire must confront what really drove her to hide - and whether she can step back into herself without being consumed by everything she's tried to forget."

Gilmore Girls-esque with a character named Luke!?! A bit too on the nose.

Christmas in Austenland by Shannon Hale
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Return to Austenland at Christmastime in this delightfully charming romance by bestselling author Shannon Hale.

Kestrel Klein has always been too much. Too much for her mother to manage or for any path in life to actually work out. Too much for her sweet Hank - the guy she thought was her soulmate, before he broke her heart. Itching for a big change, Kestrel enters a contest and wins a vacation to Pembrook Park, an immersive Austen experience. Bonus: it's during Christmas, the one holiday where being too much is the whole point."

Austenland is my happy place, so I can't wait for Austenland at Christmas!

Well Versed by Jen DeLuca
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"It's a second chance at first love at the Renaissance Faire, where the search for a new queen shapes a destiny, from USA Today bestselling author Jen DeLuca.

Caitlin Parker was eighteen when she fell out of love with the magic of the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire - the site of her first real heartbreak. But now, twenty-four and unemployed, she finds herself in her childhood bedroom and her childhood lady-in-waiting costume, assisting a rotating cast of substitute queens for the season. The very last person she wants to see is Alexander Wright - the sword-fighting, Shakespeare-spouting young man who won and broke her teenage heart. Yet there he is, older, annoyingly hotter, and back on stage at her Faire.

When Alex broke things off with Caitlin the first time, he thought he was just ending a summer fling. He didn't realize how much he'd fallen for her until he let her go, and he certainly didn't know he'd tarnished her memories of her cherished Faire and worse, shattered her view on love and relationships. His need to right that wrong this summer brings them together again and again, and this time, it won't be so easy to let go of this summer fling.

But as summer winds down, real life is catching up to both of them. Caitlin's always thought that being an adult with adult responsibilities means leaving whimsy behind. Alex, with a life full of stage combat, songs, and sonnets, doesn't know how to live any other way. Can they go after their dreams and find a future together where they can still say "huzzah"?"

Huzzah! I might have just binged all of The Great. Huzzah! 

Saddle Storm by Roxanne Tully
Published by: Embla Books
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: eBook, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Silas
Six weeks off the ice for a shoulder injury bearable. Six weeks back at Blue River Ranch to recover agonizing.

I traded my boots for skates a long time ago and never looked back. Not even at Storm Dalton. The girl I spent summers causing trouble with.

Now, she's working on my family's ranch proving she belongs here more than I ever did.

But those green eyes don't light up when they land on me anymore. They're throwing daggers. Fighting me at every turn.

And this time, I'm the one struggling to walk away.

Storm
Silas Thorne has always been good at two things. Hockey. And leaving in those shiny sneakers that match his golden boy charm.

Now, he's stuck here. Looking entirely too handsome with that easy grin like he didn't ghost me all those years ago.

But I've got priorities now. A life I built on my own. And a past better left behind.

I may have done some foolish things in my life, but none would be as foolish as wanting a man who's always had one foot out the door.

Saddle Storm is the third book in the steamy and highly addictive Blue River Springs series, featuring grumpy cowboys who love wildly and protect fiercely. If you love Lyla Sage, Elsie Silver and Jessica Peterson, Roxanne Tully's small-town cowboy romance series will have you head over boots."

Plus, if he's not going to stay, what's the point!?!

Actually, Nevermind by Taylor Tomlinson
Published by: Gallery Books
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
""One of the most acclaimed, in-demand superstars of comedy" (Jason Zinoman, The New York Times) Taylor Tomlinson explores all the things she's changed her mind about, from the serious to the absurd, in her hilarious, heartfelt, and brilliant debut.

As she approaches thirty-four - the same age her mother, Angela, was at her death - Tomlinson grapples with fear and ambition, identity and doubt, and all the ways her mind has changed since the day her mom died.

In these sharply observed, uproariously funny, and moving original essays, Tomlinson leads readers through a tour of her brain and her shifting opinions about everything from love and relationships, mental health and therapy, religion and sex, food and body image, being the eldest daughter and the only woman in late-night TV, to ghosts, morning people, and more.

With the same unflinching honesty that fuels her beloved stand-up specials, she captures the dizzying contradictions of adulthood in the modern world: wanting independence while craving reassurance, chasing self-improvement while resisting change, and finally learning that certainty can be overrated. "True wisdom," writes Tomlinson, "is accepting how little you know, and real maturity is becoming as flexible as possible. (Emotionally, not physically. Real maturity also means needing to stretch way more)."

A "fearless" (NPR) comedian who "makes even the heaviest subjects seem spikily funny" (Jason Zinoman, The New York Times), Tomlinson now brings her natural storytelling gifts and incisive wit to the page in Actually, Nevermind."

I adore Taylor Tomlinson. I also hope she's as against morning people as I am. 

Mobu's Diary by Kathy Lam
Published by: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 160 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An anxious calico upends her cozy life to work in a cat cafe in this hilarious, heartwarming graphic novel debut from international sensation Kathy Lam. For fans of Pusheen and A Man and His Cat.

Meet Mobu: she's a three-year-old calico with pink toe beans and a big dream: stop being a pampered house cat and earn her own keep. Shy and easily spooked, Mobu takes a fearful leap by applying for a job at the Chat Chat Café.

In her search for freedom, Mobu learns that community helps more than self-reliance ever could. Can Mobu overcome her fears to help strangers, co-exist with other cats, and even save the day?

• International sensation Kathy Lam's English debut
• Delightfully weird and relatable cat gags
• Uplifting celebration of small wins and gradual progress
• Wholesome charm and laughs for all ages
• Bonus comics, gallery, and exclusive author interview
• Perfect for fans of Pusheen and A Man and His Cat

Pick up this charming manga and celebrate the healing power of cat companionship."

Always here for cats.

Revolution in the Heart edited by Jonathan Strahan
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"15 brand-new short stories inspired by and in honour of legendary writer Ursula K. Le Guin.

Featuring Ann Leckie, Karen Joy Fowler, Charlie Jane Anders, Kelly Link, Ai Jiang and many others.

Ursula K. Le Guin was a master storyteller and one of the most beloved and respected writers the science fiction and fantasy field has known. An SFWA Grand Master, World Fantasy Award Lifetime Achievement recipient, and Science Fiction Hall of Fame Recipient, she created work that touched hearts, changed minds, and inspired generations.

With Revolution in the Heart award-winning editor Jonathan Strahan asked fifteen of the most celebrated writers working in science fiction and fantasy today to create new and urgent works inspired by Le Guin's work and words. Stories that breathe life into new worlds of their own - venturing beyond Earthsea and the tales of the Hain - and that answer the challenge that Le Guin raised in 2014 when she gave a speech at the National Book Awards:

Hard times are coming, when we'll be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope. We'll need writers who can remember freedom - poets, visionaries - realists of a larger reality.

Hard times have, indeed, come and the fifteen writers whose stories make up Revolution in the Heart are all realists offering us unique glimpses of different and larger realities that we need right now.

Featuring stories by:
Ann Leckie
Molly Gloss
Kelly Link
Charlie Jane Anders
Sarah Pinsker
Chana Porter
Ai Jiang
Alaya Dawn Johnson
S. Qiouyi Lu
E. Lily Yu
Vandana Singh
Aliya Whiteley
Premee Mohamed
Darice Little Badger
Karen Joy Fowler"

Here's an idea, we find someone whose dreams come true and fix everything, that could totally work right!?!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Cleo Coyle, Elise Posledni, Fiona Leitch, J.M. Hall, Jen DeLuca, Jessica Brody, Kate O'Shaughnessy, Kathy Lam, Katie Jung, pirateaba, Roxanne Tully, Shannon Hale, Tasha Alexander, Taylor Tomlinson, Tom O'Donnell, Ursula K. Le Guin

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
Published by: Viking
Publication Date: July 10th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 592 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy

Hamish warned Diana. She would have no way of knowing who or what Matthew would be once they timewalked. The man she knew would be gone. In his place would be a far different creature. It took Matthew hundreds of years to become the man she fell in love with and in a different time and place, among old cohorts, he could backslide. Arriving at the Old Lodge in Woodstock outside Oxford in 1590 Diana thought the hard part was over. They'd be able to search for Ashmole 782 and find her a teacher and return to the present ready to take on the Congregation. But timewalking was easy compared to being thrown directly into the middle of the School of Night, of which Matthew isn't just a member but the historically illusive poet Matthew Roydon. The smartest and savviest and most renowned and infamous men of the age seem to view Matthew's house as their home... and they do not care for Diana, at first, or forever as the case may be with the lovestruck Marlowe. Soon it becomes apparent that maybe this wasn't the best idea. As Hamish predicted, Matthew is falling back into his roisterous and secretive ways. Back into his life without Diana. Perhaps she should have taken more than forty days to tie her fate to the man she's mated to. There's destiny and then there's duplicity. Matthew has so many secrets she doesn't know where to get a foothold. It's not like she's in a era where she can just go about her business without the help of a man. Despite having a queen, Elizabeth's England is a patriarchal society and Diana is beholden to the whims of men. What's more, she obviously doesn't fit in. From language to comportment to behavior. She. Doesn't. Fit. With unrest in Scotland witches are being rounded up and soon it looks like nowhere will be safe for Diana. Not the past or the present. And then Philippe summons Matthew. Denying his father isn't an option. He could bring their world down around them in an instant. Travelling to Sept Tours and living amongst Matthew's past is trying for Diana, as is the fact they have done nothing that they planned to do. She remains ignorant of her abilities and Ashmole 782 looks as if it is as elusive in the past as in the present. What's more, they don't have a say in their lives, they are buffeted around by all the people who have a claim on them, from Philippe to Queen Elizabeth to Emperor Rudolf II to the Congregation, from France to London to Prague, they try to fit there lives and their needs among the demands of these great people. As time goes on, there is more and more of a chance of affecting the past and there is more and more of a need for Diana to learn why she has always struggled with her witchcraft and to find a spell to get them home. Luckily, fate does seem to occasionally shine on them and sometimes their tragedies turn into greater joys.

When rereading a series or a favorite author's work there's always a book you're looking forward to. Now, the more you reread them the more likely it is that there's a sliding scale and it changes every time. At least this is how it is with me and Jane Austen. Seeing as this is only the second time I've read the All Souls Trilogy I was really excited to dive into Shadow of the Night because I loved it the first time around for the fact that the series was fully embracing historical fantasy by being set in Elizabethan London. And I gotta say, while I still love it, I have issues. Major issues. Because Diana is a modern woman travelling back to a patriarchal society she is obviously going to chafe at the restrictions placed on her, which is probably why Matthew didn't warn her in advance of their destination. Me, reading this book in 2012 accepted it for what it was, me rereading it in 2026 after #MeToo and manspreading and the overturning of Roe v. Wade and every other macro and micro aggression that women are constantly facing including our "ability" to handle voting coming into question just made me hate Elizabethan England and the School of Night. But I also blame Queen Elizabeth for this whole attitude, she of the "I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king." As well as referring to herself as a Prince. Yes, she didn't know she'd be one of the most famous female rulers in history, but her couching her rule in terms to make it palatable to the patriarchy just drove me up the wall. Or maybe I'm just having PTSD from watching way too many Tudor dramas of late. Yes, that might just be it. That and the fact that a lot of this book feels like it's spinning its wheel and feels more like a grand tour than a purposeful journey. I felt that we where being led on a tour of Elizabethan England. I was reading a travel guide for the time, not historical fiction. I quite literally cheered when Diana said it was "time to stop treating our sojourn here as an advanced seminar in Shakespeare's England." Because that was what the book was! Hundreds of pages of exposition when they came to search for the Ashmole 782 and get Diana a teacher. I didn't need them playing Elizabethan house for the whole first half of the book! But to play devil's advocate, I think that by having Diana go through this journey she realized that she needed to find out who she was, she needed to reclaim her identity as a witch, not for herself but for her child, which is a profound moment. It actually justifies everything that came before and is a profound step on her Heroine's Journey. She is becoming who she is meant to be, and that is why I still love Shadow of the Night.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: #MeToo, Ashmole 782, Deborah Harkness, Diana Bishop, Elizabethan, Historical Fantasy, Kit Marlowe, Matthew Clairmont, Matthew Roydon, Queen Elizabeth, School of Night, Season of the Witch, Shadow of Night, Tudor England, Witch

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
Published by: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: October 10th, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 369 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Teenagers Franny, Jet, and Vincent live with their parents on the Upper East Side. For New York City in the 1950s their parents cherish their respectability and normalcy, which is why their children are never allowed below Fourteenth Street. Once New York City's grid starts to break down into villages and anything deemed "lower" it was off limits. They could not mix with the "other." But then again, their mother Susanna had a plethora of nonsensical rules; no walking in the moonlight, no Ouiji boards, no candles, no red shoes, no wearing black, no going shoeless, no amulets, no night-blooming flowers, no reading novels about magic, no cats, no crows, and never ever fall in love. Yet there was no denying that the children were odd and would do as they pleased, spending hours in Central Park or wherever their mother was least likely to find them. Then when Franny turned seventeen everything changed. Every Owens ever has had to spend their seventeenth birthday at the house Maria Owens built in Massachusetts. The current doyenne of the house on Magnolia Street is their Aunt Isabelle. Feeling that it's better to get things over and done with Susanna ships off all three of her children knowing they will finally learn the truth, they come from a long line of witches. They aren't just odd, they're magical. If you would have told them that this one summer would forever change the course of their lives they wouldn't have believed you. But it is the truth. They have all this power yet they are cursed. Those they love will perish. And their "wild child" cousin, eighteen year old April, also spending the summer with Aunt Isabelle is more of a catalyst than any of them could have guessed in regard to life and love. Yet three naive teenagers told that they must not love will soon realize that love, and magic, is everywhere. Even Vincent, who at fourteen, is trying to solidify a persona of cynical ladies man will one day be undone by love. First Franny starts to fall for her best friend Haylin, cherishing the letters they share over the summer. Then it's Jet's turn. Jet's romance that will change their family forever. She just doesn't fall hard, she falls hard for the wrong boy. He is descended from the man who tried to destroy Maria Owens resulting in the family curse. The families, despite being related, have continued to carry the grudge. And one perfect day in New York City both families will lose everything. Jet will be forever changed. Forever blaming herself for the lose of her love, her parents, her home, and her powers. But Franny, Jet, and Vincent slowly pick up the pieces of their lives and learn that love is worth it. Because to be human is to suffer loss. And sometimes, when the stars align, something miraculous can emerge from the rubble.

The Rules of Magic will leave you nostalgic for a life that was never yours. You will slip into the past and wander the streets of New York City and ponder all the paths both taken and untaken. You will fall in love, which you should do whenever you can. I remember the time I fell in love with the movie Vertigo. You might be asking, what does this have to do with this book? Well, actually, a lot as you will see. Because of how the studio system used to work when Kim Novak was lent to Paramount to make Vertigo Columbia got to have Jimmy Stewart for one of their films in return. It just so happened that the two leads would star opposite each other again in the reciprocal film, Bell, Book and Candle. In my mind Vertigo is one of the best films ever made, even if the ending is beyond tragic. But there will always be a part of me that couldn't help but wish that Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak could get their HEA. One day when I was at Walmart I saw Bell, Book and Candle in the DVD dollar bin. I knew nothing about it other than that it starred Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak and was only a dollar so I bought it. Years later I caught part of the movie on AMC during Christmas and remembered that long ago day in Walmart and dug the DVD out. Every Christmas Eve since has been spent watching Bell, Book and Candle with my family. It's our tradition to watch Gillian Holroyd and Shep Henderson fall in love. It just so happens she's a witch. One who walks barefoot through Greenwich Village and drinks at the local watering hole, the Zodiac Club, where her brother Nicky plays in the band. But one thing she forswears is love. To fall in love means to lose your powers. Of course, we all know where this is going. When I was rereading Practical Magic recently when Gillian Owens shows up on her sister Sally's doorstep with a car full of trouble her physical description is that of Kim Novak as Gillian Holroyd. I mean, the name was a bit of a giveaway that Alice Hoffman was a fan of the film, the description was a nail in the sole of a witch's foot. But nothing prepared me for how her love of Bell, Book and Candle would infuse The Rules of Magic. This book is a love letter to that film. It inhabits the same world while being its own thing. You can imagine the characters passing each other on the street one day and nodding to each other. And this is not just because Vincent one snowy day while out shopping with his sisters turns the streetlights out one by one like Nicky does on Christmas morning, but because of the whole spirit of this book. The worry about what you are verses what you are expected to be. Concern for giving into your powers. And the ever present conundrum of love. Can you give in to love when you are cursed to shun it? I just felt wrapped up love. Love of a film that means something to me with new characters that have grown to mean something to me. The Rules of Magic is a book I will return to as I do Bell, Book and Candle. It will become one of my traditions.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alice Hoffman, Bell Book and Candle, Curse, Gillian Holroyd, Gillian Owens, Greenwich Village, Jimmy Stewart, Kim Novak, Love, New York City, Practical Magic, Season of the Witch, Shep Henderson, The Rules of Magic, Vertigo

Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo
Published by: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The highly anticipated, explosive conclusion to the Ninth House trilogy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo.

Hell is empty and all the devils are here...

Alex Stern made it to hell and back more than once, but this time she left the door open behind her. Demons are creeping through the streets of New Haven and the Yale campus, feeding on the souls of the living, terrifying the dead. Alex and her allies can hunt them, but it's only a matter of time before the gates to the underworld open and they face a war they cannot win. To stop it, they'll have to reach deep into the secrets of Yale and its societies, and discover the truth hidden in Alex's own blood.

While she struggles to hold onto the dream of a future Yale once offered, Alex must contend with the machinations of a corrupt Lethe Board and a deadly vampire with his own connection to the societies. But for the first time in her life, she won't have to face the fight alone. Dawes, Turner, Mercy, and even Tripp will have a role to play, none more so than Alex's mentor Darlington, the golden boy who lived so long in her head, now back in the flesh and cursed with dangerous powers of his own. Hell itself is stalking the delegates of Lethe House, and they're all about to learn that demons don't play by human rules."

YAS! Finally! Anyone else in the middle of a reread prior to the release?

Thoughts Be Bloody by Auden Patrick
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A struggling student, a resident golden boy, and the curse that will bring them together: this queer, trans retelling is Hamlet as you've never read it before.

Exploring classism, identity, and the true meaning of revolution, this dark academia novel is perfect for fans of R.F. Kuang's Babel.

The summer before his sophomore year, Horatio Bithersea walks into the university library to find Carson Hamlett, resident golden boy and master magician, cradling his father's dead body. Life at Elsinore, one of the most prestigious universities in the secretive magical world, simply goes on when the professor's death is ruled an accident - despite the mysterious circumstances and the bloody scene.

A year later, Horatio is keeping his head down, attempting to graduate without his out-of-control magic harming his classmates. That changes when the ghost of Hamlett's father appears and places a curse on Horatio and Hamlett: avenge his death by destroying Elsinore and its heart, lest the ghost robs them of their minds, memories, and their very souls.

Elsinore has given Horatio everything - knowledge of his magical ability, an escape from his abusive family, and freedom to pursue his life as a transgender man - and now he's to be its doom. As the two uncover more of Elsinore's secrets, Horatio finds himself becoming more and more ensnared in Hamlett's dark but charismatic web.

The question is not if Horatio will manage to destroy Elsinore. The question is if Hamlett will destroy him first. This twisty, queer, dark academia is a brand-new take on the questions that haunt Shakespeare's Hamlet."

Shakespeare 101, listen to the ghosts and do whatever they say. 

Bodies of Magic by Freya Marske
Published by: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Grey's Anatomy meets A Deadly Education in this dark academia fantasy from USA Today bestselling author Freya Marske.

At the Academie of the Grand Duchy of Sieuxerr, every mage with the healer's gift has five years to master their power and to prepare for the infamous Grand Exam - a five-day trial whose results will determine their entire future.

The list of exam rules includes:
• You will perform five practical cases.
• Your exam group is chosen at random.
• You pass together, or fail together.

It does not include:
• On the first day, your exam group will find a classmate's dead body in the exam hall.

And as they will soon discover, this particular group all have something to hide...and all have a connection with the dead girl, a brilliant scholar who would have been first in their class.

Five scholars. Five secrets. Five days in which to solve a murder, pass the most important exam of their lives, and uncover a secret larger than all of their own combined. One with the potential to change the world.

Are you ready?

Let's begin."

Oh, I would so fail this. Not the crime solving aspect, the teamwork aspect. 

The Rouse by China Miéville
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 1,260 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the bestselling, award-winning master of uncanny fiction comes a defining work, twenty years in the making - a deeply moving, decade - and continent-spanning epic of personal grief, global tumult, and grim conspiracy.

Maur's life has been shaped by loss: an apparently ordinary tragedy. But in its aftermath arise deeper, stranger questions. Their answers may lie within the dark heart and darker history of an old soldier who shares Maur's obsessions and who is violently pursued by the same unknown, unquiet forces.

So begins a book unlike any other: at once an encyclopaedic and multitudinous saga of a bloody century and the intimate story of two lives, their loves, regrets, and secrets - and a terrifying journey into infinite mystery."

The page count alone indicates this was twenty years in the making. 

Winterveil by Ava Reid
Published by: HarperCollins
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bestselling author of A Study in Drowning and Fable for the End of the World Ava Reid is back with a thrilling new duology unlike anything you've read before. 

It's a game - until it's war.
• A disgraced politician from a powerful American dynasty.
• A coldly brilliant strategist who will sacrifice anything to win.
• A former pageant queen with a talent that could change the world.
• An expert female soldier with an enigmatic past - and a dangerous secret.

In an alternate future where the Cold War still rages, four precocious teenage criminals with dark skills and darker secrets are offered a fresh start at a secret military academy. But instead of training to end the war, they find themselves on a mysterious mission that will test loyalties, forge romances, and maybe end the world as they know it."

Those skillsets look like the belong in The Umbrella Academy. 

The Museum of Lost Things by Sam Kean
Published by: National Geographic
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Spanning a million years of history, the mysteries in these pages include fabled relics, legendary cities, mythical species, and undeciphered languages that have bedeviled seekers for centuries.

Perhaps the single most common theme across all of history is loss. The loss of lands, loss of sacred objects, loss of languages, of rights, of life - the past groans with disappearances of all kinds. This enthralling narrative collects the most spellbinding tales of these experiences and weaves them into a thoughtful meditation on what it all means across the sweep of human history and the scope of human lives, including:

• The long-lost city of Troy
• The hidden tomb of Genghis Khan
• The destruction of the fabled library of Alexandria
• The near-destruction of the Mona Lisa and other art
• The decipherment of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs
• The extinction - and potential resurrection - of dodos, mammoths, and other iconic species

Provocative, surprising, and above all entertaining, this globe-trotting narrative acknowledges the sheer scale of humanity's losses, celebrates the treasures we have managed to retain, and reveals why they continue to captivate us centuries later."

I thought Miles Bron destroyed the Mona Lisa...

Locusta by Emily Dexter
Published by: Hay House LLC
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Circe meets The Lost Apothecary in the first book of this historical fantasy duology featuring Ancient Rome's most infamous poisoner who changed the course of history to save the woman she loved.

Born in the ancient region of Gaul, Locusta is the last of her kind - a Druid whose communion with the spirit world grants her the dangerous gift of identifying and wielding deadly substances. When Roman soldiers attack her home and slaughter her mother, Locusta is captured and enslaved, taken to the heart of the empire where political plots abound and death commands a high price. Guided by Arawn, the god of death, she must learn to survive within the brutal, glittering world of ancient Rome.

Her strange talents soon catch the attention of the Roman elite, and she becomes ensnared in a double life - poisoner by night for the cunning Antonia Augusta, and lady-in-waiting by day to Livia, the Emperor's ambitious cousin. As Locusta plants the seeds of revenge against those who destroyed her home, her connection with Livia deepens into a passionate, forbidden romance that threatens them both. Surrounded by danger and deceit, Locusta's poisons become their only protection against the increasingly unstable Emperor Caligula and the enemies lurking in every shadow.

Locusta reimagines the rise of one of history's most complex women through a lens of myth, power, and feminine rage. Rich with ruthless twists, deadly magic, and a sapphic love story that burns from sweet to spicy, this is a story of survival, defiance, and the dangerous alchemy of love and death in a world ruled by men."

Always here for Livia!

A Thousand Monstrous Forms by Saratoga Schaefer
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bluebeard gets a gothic horror and sapphic romance twist in this fairy-tale retelling from the author of Serial Killer Support Group and Trad Wife.

Artist Poppy Reed doesn't care if others think her marriage to Celia Marie Fox, a wealthy art dealer, is impulsive. Sure, they've only known each other for six months, and Celia has an infamous romantic reputation, but Poppy is brimming with excitement when she moves across the country to Celia's home: a formidable, isolated, and art-filled manor called Busirane.

As Poppy tries to celebrate her first weeks of marriage and enjoy her new home, Busirane seems intent on rebuffing her every attempt to settle in. Strange noises and confounding occurrences lead Poppy to believe the house is haunted, a suspicion worsened by Celia's insistence that Poppy avoid the locked basement.

When Celia leaves for a work trip, Poppy is left alone in the house, then finds herself snowed in. Surrounded by secrets, stalked by faceless statues, and beset by bodiless whispers, she struggles to trust her wife - and her own mind. When Poppy is eventually drawn to the forbidden basement, dark truths shatter everything she thought she knew, throwing her into a desperate bid for survival."

I can't express how perfect this cover design is. Just look at it. That's creepier than any Weeping Angel Doctor Who ever came up with. 

Rooted by Leopoldo Goût
Published by: Tor Nightfire
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Author of Piñata, Leopoldo Goût's latest horror novel Rooted is a "a blood reckoning" (Marlon James) where one woman's return to Mexico City digs away the layers of her forgotten past and the Aztec gods she awakened.

There's nothing wrong with Aurora.

A successful art lawyer, she has returned to Mexico to celebrate a recent campaign for the repatriation of stolen artifacts - in particular a mysterious statue of an Aztec god, The Flayed One.

But Mexico City isn't as she remembered. Nothing is. Elements of her past hint at darkness and power, and reality begins to crack and warp the streets.

There's nothing wrong with Aurora.

As Aurora's sanity unravels, she must pry apart her family's secrets and accept the simplest of truths: The Flayed One cannot stay buried."

Perhaps a god named The Flayed One is best left forgotten? 

Wolves of No World: Lobizona and Cazadora by Romina Garber
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 704 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bestselling author Romina Garber's Wolves of No World duology weaves together Argentine folklore and what it means to belong, now in a gorgeous 2-in-1 paperback!

In Lobizona, Manuela Azul has been crammed into an existence that feels too small for her. As an undocumented Argentine immigrant on the run from her father's crime-family, Manu is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida. But now, her surrogate grandmother has been attacked, lifelong lies have been exposed, and her mother is arrested by ICE. Without a home, without answers, and finally without shackles, Manu falls into a secret world buried beneath her own. A world straight out of Argentine folklore, where the seventh consecutive daughter is born a bruja and the seventh consecutive son is a lobizón, a werewolf. A world where her unusual eyes allow her to belong.

In Cazadora, Manu and her friends cross the mystical border into Kerana - a cursed realm in Argentina - searching for allies and a hiding place. As they chase down leads about the mythical resistance that might not even exist, the Cazadores set up traps to capture Manu. Soon, Manu and her friends are rescued by the resistance, and she realizes they need a revolution as much as she does. But is she the right one to lead them? And after running this far, for this long - how much farther can Manu go before she stops to take a stand?"

I love reissues with multiple volumes by an author combined. LOVE!

Unearthed edited by Dan Coxon and Philip Fracassi
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Nineteen original horror stories exploring ancient sites, uncovering forgotten histories and prising open the tombs of the past, from award-winning authors and editors Dan Coxon and Philip Fracassi.

Perfect for fans of Ellen Datlow.

Unearthed digs beneath these crumbling structures to reveal their archaic pasts, and their darkest secrets. Featuring the best modern writers of horror and dark fantasy, these stories explore the caverns and the catacombs, the ruined temples and the monoliths - and drag an ancient evil back into the light.

Featuring stories from:
Tananarive Due
Christopher Golden
Josh Malerman
Tim Lebbon
Eric LaRocca
A.M. Shine
Jonathan Maberry
Hildur Knútsdóttir
Ai Jiang
A.G. Slatter
Mark Chadbourn
Priya Sharma
Benjamin Percy
V. Castro
Gemma Amor
Cavan Scott
Premee Mohamed
Hache Pueyo
Steve Toase"

The Indiana Jones fan in my is ecstatic, the Christopher Golden and Premee Mohamed fan in me is equally ecstatic. 

Observer by Nicholas Russell
Published by: Ecco
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A disquieting, atmospheric debut horror novel about a young woman investigating her mother's disappearance at an abandoned Nevada observatory, for fans of Jeff VanderMeer and Mariana Enriquez.

On a scorched summer day, Renata Scarborough comes home to find the contents of her estranged mother Corinne's life on her doorstep. Her aunt and cousin seem eager to conclude that the troublesome Corinne is dead. Renata isn't convinced and begins poring over her mother's journals for answers. Among descriptions of Corinne's work at the McNairy Observatory, Renata unearths a hidden obsession with an early twentieth-century surveyor whose encounters with a mysterious entity bear a startling resemblance to her mother's reports. Compelled beyond reason, Renata journeys to that now-abandoned outpost in the Nevada wilderness to search for the truth.

But in McNairy, a thorny, decades-long clash between science and the desert only complicates Renata's questions. The town's scarred and suspicious residents refuse to discuss the observatory's closure, leaving Renata to wonder if Corinne's version of events reflects reality. As she ascends the peak that looms over McNairy, Renata witnesses unnerving phenomena she can't explain and feels a creeping dread that what is waiting for her isn't her mother at all.

Haunting, darkly comic, and captivating, Observer reveals the pure cosmic terror of the desert, a place of wonder and menace, asking what happens when we look out at nature and find something inhuman looking back."

I've never really thought of the desert being connected to cosmic terror, but it makes so much sense now that it's been pointed out. The alien landscape with the stars above. 

I Am the Monster Under the Bed by Emily Zinnikas
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"TIME ONLY MAKES THE NIGHTMARE MORE REAL.

Something lives under Willa's bed. As an adult, her fondest childhood memories are of the invisible entity under her bed who taught her how to read. Now thirty-two, Willa is a reclusive but successful painter until a bombshell news report exposes her identity as the controversial survivor of the unsolved Rapture Mystery Slayings, a small-town tragedy that splashed across headlines during her senior year of high school. Six teenagers died in the woods while Willa walked free, and everyone thinks she killed them.

When an old classmate calls about a funeral, Willa reluctantly travels to her sleepy hometown, where the possessed forest that stole her friends looms. The trees whistle for her attention, but she knows better than to listen. And the unexplained knocking from the shadows in the basement of her decaying childhood home is honestly the least of her problems.

As her past pulls her back to the place where she swore she'd never return, Willa is drawn toward the monster she left behind - and becoming the villain her hometown has always believed her to be."

And this is why you cram every inch under your bed with whatever storage containers you can.

Bigfoot Confidential by Jasmine Kuliasha
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 332 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Jericho James is back for another hilarious and spicy cryptid romcom!

Supernatural Investigator Jericho James has a problem, and it's not the latest case she's working. Jericho can't shake the feeling that she's being watched. By the trees. Which is honestly not as improbable as the Bigfoot sightings reported in the area. After all, not every legend is real.

But there is something hidden in the woods. Something big, something strong, something...incredibly sexy. And Jericho vows to find it before it finds her.

Something BIG is coming September 2026."

Wait, she ditched the werewolf!?!

Corpse Creek by Vincent Ralph
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Welcome to Bleak Haven: The town you won't (or can't!) leave...

The next eerie novel in the Bleak Haven series, in Vincent Ralph's signature, terrifying style!

In 2008, Ethan's older brother drowned in Bleak Haven's cursed creek. While the coroner ruled out foul play, Ethan has always suspected that there's more to the story.

Four years later, 18-year-old Ethan chooses the anniversary of the tragedy to finally return to the creek, attempting to gain the closure that has always eluded him.

What starts as a healing process aided by his loyal friends turns sinister when something emerges from the shadows: a figure that looks unnervingly like Ethan's dead brother, begging for a sacrifice that could change everything.

As Ethan digs deeper into the creek's dark history, he discovers that someone did return when all seemed lost. Maybe they were the 'miracle' child the news reports painted them as. Or perhaps they only came back because someone took their place.

If that's true, Ethan really could bring his lost brother home. But how far is he willing to go...and at what cost?"

A life for a life! 

Fear Farm by Vincent Ralph
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Welcome to Bleak Haven: The town you won't (or can't!) leave...

The nail-biting conclusion to the Bleak Haven series, in Vincent Ralph's signature, terrifying style!

The Fear Farm fright-fest is the one night of the year when Bleak Haven's residents are happy to be afraid.

Most people turn a blind eye to the "accidents" that have previously blighted the attraction, but seventeen-year-old Tori Swift has other ideas.

Convinced that there's an aspiring killer in their midst, Tori auditions alongside her classmates, perfecting her role as the ideal villain while secretly searching for the real thing.

But when tragedy strikes, a murderer is suddenly on the loose in a place where everyone pays to be terrified."

You SO knew that a murderer would get on the loose.

We're All Going to Die Tonight! by Veronica Bane
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A twisty, off-the-rails mystery about seven teens, forced to spend a stormy - and deadly - night together. Perfect for fans of There's Someone Inside Your House and No Place Left to Hide.

The members of the Coastal Canyon debate team have their reasons to hate each other: complicated pasts, thornier presents, a huge competition loss...Now they're stuck at an Airbnb together for a night during what feels like the storm of the century. Can it get any worse?

Yes. Yes, it can.

A flat tire, a severed landline, someone's unconscious, and there's a body outside. The night is unraveling, and it's becoming clear: No one is safe. But safe from who? A teammate? A teacher? Or is a stranger lurking in the woods?

Seven students.
Three teachers.
One body.
Lock all the doors and trust no one.

After all, death isn't up for debate."

Oh, but if they work together or on opposing teams, death COULD be up for debate. 

The Secret Bookstore Sleuth Society by Lindsay Currie
Published by: Sourcebooks Young Readers
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this exciting series starter, four best friends are trapped in a book-themed inn during an ice storm and they must use each of their special skills, as well as a few tips from an armchair-detective grandma, to figure out who killed one of the regular customers. From #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Locked Rooms comes a thrilling murder mystery.

Merrick McGee has been having a tough time. When her Grandma Ida gets sick and moves in, the family can't afford to keep sending Merrick to her beloved private school. So, she spends most of her time in the small room at the back of the bookstore/inn her mother works at being homeschooled, bored out of her mind, and lonely for her best friends.

But when an ice storm hits their town, and fate brings her friends together to ride out the storm at the inn with her, she's stoked to finally be able to spend time with the people she loves the most. Until...the unthinkable happens, and someone is found dead - facedown in a birthday cake sitting right at Merrick's own desk.

With the storm picking up the police remove the body and suggest the victim died of old age. But to Merrick it seems more like a murder. Luckily, she and her friends love solving mysteries, and with the suspects all under the same roof, and her friends eager to crack the case - the Secret Bookstore Sleuth Society is born! As the club begins to investigate, more questions come to light, and Merrick soon realizes her own grandmother may be the key to solving the case..."

Is it wrong I feel worse for the wasted cake!?!

The Big Cats Dance Party by Alexander McCall Smith
Published by: Pantheon
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this latest installment of Alexander McCall Smith's beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series, Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi volunteer for an important case up north involving an elephant sanctuary, leaving assistant detective Charlie to manage a complicated and potentially risky new one back home.

Botswana sometimes feels like a small town, so when a client wanders into the detective agency, it comes as little surprise that Mma Ramotswe has met him once before. But Mr. B has not made the trip to Gaborone for pleasure. The animal rescue center he runs, Elephant Havens, is in peril. Someone in the surrounding villages is tarnishing its reputation, and Mr. B cannot fathom why. Determined as ever to aid a noble cause, Mma Ramotswe, her trusted associate Mma Makutsi, and Mr. J.L.B Matekoni travel to Maun to restore the community's trust in the sanctuary.

While Mma Ramotswe is looking forward to their brief sojourn north, Mma Makutsi is apprehensive at the idea of leaving Charlie in charge of the business, especially with a new high-profile case in hand. Mr. Moepi, the owner of the carwash down the road and a great many others around the country, is facing a rather unusual problem - his carwashes are making money, too much money, and Mr. Moepi suspects something is not quite right. Determined to prove his mettle, Charlie delves headfirst into the case. Meanwhile, he imperils the agency by agreeing to sponsor a concert by a couple of smooth-talking musicians who go by the names Lion and Leopard.

In navigating these precarious situations, Mma Ramotswe and her associates must once again rely on their compassion, gentle humor, and good sense to win the day. Heartfelt and moving, The Big Cats Dance Party is a joyous celebration of life and the ones around us who make it worth living."

And elephants! Don't forget the elephants! They are everything to me.

Killer Kitsch by Joana Snowdon
Published by: Highland Quill Publications
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 244 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Scotland's Coastal Villages Look Picture-Perfect. Looks Can Kill.

Footdee is all painted fences, eccentric locals, and gardens crammed with cheerful ceramic Highland coos. When DCI Fraser sends Joana and Brian to investigate a spate of smashed figurines, neither is thrilled. Kitsch vandalism. But then the broken coos start connecting to bodies across the North East of Scotland. And a crime against neighbourhood knick-knacks turns out to be something far deadlier.

Joana, naturally, thinks she has it solved already, and marches off to interrogate a beautician, a care home manager, and a group of models trying to survive on a freezing Scottish beach in bikinis. She'd never admit it, but she's lost without Brian, her best mate from London. His signature chaos, from purple face masks to waterlogged lobbies, has a strange way of uncovering the truth.

A Highland Mystery, Book 5, but easily read as a standalone. As much comedy as cosy crime, with a sleuthing pair who don't take themselves too seriously. Their friendship has outlasted most marriages, possibly because they can never agree on anything, though they're firmly on the same side when it matters. A proper whodunit with a fast, page-turning plot and the kind of dry British humour that can bite. And, as ever, Scotland steals the show.

Perfect for fans of Midsomer Murders and Agatha Raisin."

Oh no, the coo is down a horn!

We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman
Published by: Pamela Dorman Books
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"#1 New York Times bestselling author Richard Osman's globe-trotting series "We Solve Murders" returns with the thrilling new mystery, We Chase Shadows.

Back together.
Back on the case.
And back to solving murders...

At sunrise, high in the Italian hills, a body is found on the steps of a beautiful private villa. On the body is a threatening note, signed by a mystery man.

Back at We Solve Murders HQ, Amy, Rosie, and Steve leap at the chance to take on their first proper case. So what if their new client seems to have his own reasons for avoiding the police? All they need to do is uncover who left the note, and then find them. Simple.

But once they start digging, the suspects keep piling up: there's Sweden's most-wanted criminal, a canny ex-wife and a fierce business rival - yet the murderer keeps evading them. And as the trio chase a villain through the shadows, danger travels closer to home...

Between Italy and Palm Springs, via Barcelona and Steve's village pub, can the team catch an elusive killer who knows EXACTLY where to hide?"

It's fall, meaning time for a new Richard Osman book!

Where the Truth Lies by Rupert Holmes
Published by: Avid Reader Press / Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Adapted into a major motion picture starring Colin Firth and Kevin Bacon!

From the New York Times bestselling author of Murder Your Employer comes Where the Truth Lies, a tour de force of sinister mystery, sly comedy, grand cuisine, and all-consuming desire - "a narcotically addictive thriller" (Esquire).

Kerry O'Connor, a vivacious, free-spirited young journalist known for her penetrating celebrity interviews is hell-bent on unearthing the long-buried secrets that irrevocably shaped the lives of the magnetic showbiz team of singer Vince Collins and comic Lanny Morris. Once inseparable (and seemingly insatiable), the two celebrities were driven apart by a young woman's bizarre and unexplained death, in which either might have been complicit.

As the tart-tongued, eye-catching O'Connor ventures deeper into this unsolved mystery, she finds herself compromisingly coiled around both men, knowing more about them than they realize and less than she might like, but increasingly fearful that she now knows far too much.

Where the Truth Lies confirms Rupert Holmes's status as one of the most ingenious writers of today, a Renaissance man who has succeeded in virtually every realm of the entertainment world: music, film, TV, Broadway, and fiction. As the Los Angeles Times observed, Holmes is "one of those gifted people who seem able to do anything they want with the English language.""

Wait, there'a film of this starring Colin Firth!?! 

A Deadly Entanglement by Cathy Pegau
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In A Deadly Entanglement, two queer women in turn-of-the-century New York must work together to uncover the rotten truth.

The truth isn't always easy...

Margot Baxter Harriman has just survived her deadliest scandal as President of B and H Foods, and now there's nowhere to go but up. Which is why she's organizing a fundraiser for the crowded, overworked city charity hospital, where she hopes to do good and give back - until a body falls past a second-floor window.

The nurse's death is quickly ruled a suicide, but fellow nurse CeeCee Foxmoor, Margot's friend and the live-in partner of investigator Rett Mancini, isn't so sure: this isn't the hospital's first suspicious death. CeeCee's concerns draw both Margot and Rett into an undercover scheme to untangle the threads behind the deaths everyone else is ready to overlook.

Then another death catches their attention: Margot's old classmate checked into the Caspian, a luxury clinic catering to the New York elite, but never checked out. And the circumstances surrounding her death feel eerily familiar...

As both the secrets and bodies pile up, Rett and Margot realize that while money can buy anything, behind ward doors, everyone pays a price. This time, their search for the truth might cost the people they love.

Cathy Pegau's A Deadly Entanglement is the captivating follow-up to A Murderous Business, where two women's determination challenges the cost of greed - and the price of failure."

I mean, you expect a certain amount of death at hospitals...

The Gates of Midnight by Helene Wecker
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The long-awaited final installment in the award-winning, bestselling Golem and the Jinni trilogy.

At the beginning of The Hidden Palace, the second book in Helene Wecker's Golem and Jinni trilogy, Ahmad the jinni travels to Syria with the copper flask that holds the captured wizard Yehudah Schaalman. There in the desert he buries the flask for all time...or so he thinks.

In The Gates of Midnight, the riveting conclusion to the saga of The Golem and the Jinni, it's 1930 and three decades have passed since Schaalman's defeat. Chava the golem quietly tends to her house and garden in Brooklyn, hoping to create a refuge for other magical beings. Meanwhile, Ahmad has found employment as an architect in Chicago, helping to build its towering skyline above the prairie.

But all is not well in the desert. Schaalman has managed to trick an unsuspecting passerby into digging up the flask, and now it passes from hand to hand as the wizard possesses his victims - first a French soldier traveling to New York, then a small-time mobster - all in an effort to get to Chava, the only one who can release him from his prison.

Meanwhile others are gravitating to New York as well: Ahmad, who has lost his job following the 1929 stock market crash; the mysterious Thomas Beshara, a riveter on the rising Empire State Building, who also has hidden ties to Chava and Ahmad; and Kreindel Altschul, who still grieves her own destroyed golem Yossele. Does the reluctant Kreindel hold the key to saving Chava from Schaalman's revenge? Will Schaalman succeed in escaping the flask, binding Chava to his will, and re-enslaving Ahmad? Or can they find a way to finally defeat him and free themselves from his power? An earth-shaking finale to the brilliant trilogy."

So here for this, but Chicago is more coastline than prairie... I'd allow you to call the suburbs prairie... It is a surprisingly flat and dull state. 

In These Gilded, Ghostly Hearts by Gwendolyn Kiste
Published by: Creature Publishing
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 176 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Stoker winner Gwendolyn Kiste holds up a dark, queer mirror to The Great Gatsby in In These Gilded, Ghostly Hearts, a haunting exploration of the obsession and control at the edges of an American classic.

In 1955, Daisy Buchanan is found dead in an abandoned West Egg mansion, but her daughter Mel knows she's really been gone for years. No one knows whether Daisy was murdered, or if it was a simpler, slower death: her yearslong spiral of alcohol, abuse, and helplessness. But when Mel enters the estate, she finds Daisy's ghost, somehow frozen at twenty-three, and a charming, bleeding phantom that used to be Jay Gatsby.

To free her mother, Mel must carve a path through family secrets and decaying revelers: deep into Gatsby's starving house as it gorges itself on unfulfilled love and grows stronger every night."

The Haunting of Hill House meets Grey Gardens. I'm sold!

The Hopeless Romantic's Guide to Enchantment edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Rivalries ignite into heated romance, lost lovers seek second chances, and friendships turn to something more in these 12 stunning Romantasy stories.

Including brand-new stories from beloved and bestselling authors including Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Kelley Armstrong, Alexis Hall, L.R. Lam, and more.

Tumble head over heels for these 12 gorgeous Romantasy stories from bestselling and beloved authors.

A pair of harried servants try to romance their respective bosses into a universe-saving marriage. Two bitter political rivals discover they have interests in common, and decide not to let a little thing like murder get in the way. After years apart, childhood nemeses come together to resolve their differences, and face down a common foe.

From Regency England to a mysterious Romanian forest, and from a city made of flowers to a sinister faerie train, love conquers all in these 12 beautiful tales.

FEATURING BRAND-NEW STORIES FROM:
Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Kelley Armstrong
Rebecca Thorne
Alexis Hall
L.R. Lam
A.Y. Chao
Juliet Marillier
Chloe Neill
Olivia Atwater
Jen Williams
Greer Stothers
Vida Cruz-Borja"

I mean, the author list is to die for, but Regency England!?! SO THERE!

The Devoted by Kylie Fennell
Published by: Lorikeet Ink
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 420 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ash has always been the cheerful sidekick, hiding a heart broken by loss. Then Pia appears - wild, fearless and impossible to ignore - claiming the fae realm still survives and Ash must help save it.

Clashing at every turn, Ash and Pia must fight together, survive together...and maybe, just maybe, fall in love along the way. In a world on the brink, love is a battlefield - and Ash and Pia will have to fight for everything, together.

The Devoted is a standalone book in the Fae of the Crystal Palace series and brings together the historical romance of Bridgerton with fae and a sprinkle of Sherlock Holmes' mystery.

You know I love my Bridgerton with a side of mystery! 

The Teacup Dragon Sanctuary by Jessica Thorne
Published by: Boldwood Books Ltd
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 226 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Every lost soul can find a home on Starling Island...

When apothecary Portia Starling clashes with the Academy, she knows exactly how it will end. With her family's notorious reputation, someone has to take the blame - and it's going to be her. So, reluctantly, she retreats to Starling Island - a place she hasn't considered home in years - to await news of her future.

Noah Turner has always dreamed of travelling north to study the great dragons of Elanholm. However, as a vet with no magic, funding his research feels impossible. But when an opportunity arises to help at Iris Starling's dragon sanctuary, he can't afford to turn it down. If he can prove himself there, he might finally reach his dream.

Portia and Noah immediately dislike one another. Noah assumes Portia is an entitled Academy poser, collecting dragons as a trend, while Portia finds him bossy and overbearing. But with the lives of the poor, sickly rescue dragons on the line, can they see past their differences?"

Please say the dragons are like teacup pigs!

Grim Tidings by B.K. Borison
Published by: Avon
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From #1 New York Times bestselling author B.K. Borison comes a new whimsical, haunting romance. When a runaway grim reaper tries to save a life, she clashes with a skeptical Guardian, forcing them to form an unlikely partnership beyond the grave.

Darcy Moore is tired of death. Which would be fine and good...if she wasn't a Grim Reaper. Determined to outrun her designation as the villain, Darcy decides she won't be dragging her next assignment to the underworld. She'll be saving him instead.

Unfortunately for Darcy, there's a complication in her plan. Guardian Angel Gabriel Aetos doesn't tolerate threats to his little corner of the world, and a Grim Reaper showing up at his bar is as deadly as it gets. But when he realizes Darcy is not as she seems, Gabriel must decide if he can trust his growing feelings or hold on to his long-standing grudge.

But magic doesn't come without consequences. And the Department of Hauntings and Spirits will eventually come calling for their missing Reaper.

A spooky yet simmering enemies-to-lovers tale to keep you warm this fall."

Angels can run bars!?!

Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun by Christine Pope
Published by: Dark Valentine Press
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Kindle, 234 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"All Phoebe wanted was a fresh start. What she got was a roommate forty years past his expiration date.

Clairvoyant Phoebe Finch has spent her whole life learning to ignore the things only she can sense - the grief soaked into old houses, the secrets people don't say out loud, the occasional opinion from someone no longer technically alive. Burned out and done with all of it, she buys a dilapidated Victorian B and B in the foggy coastal town of Madrona Cove and plans to disappear into a quiet life of sanded floors and fresh paint.

Then she meets her permanent houseguest.

Lanny Olsen died in 1988 at the age of eighteen and has never left the building. He's loud, nosy, stuck in the decade that killed him, and convinced his death was no accident. He wants justice, and he's decided Phoebe is going to get it for him, whether she likes it or not.

She doesn't. But the more she pokes at the forty-year-old cold case, the more she realizes Lanny might be right. The town closes ranks. The handsome local archivist, Theo Lindgren, knows far more than he's letting on. And somewhere behind Madrona Cove's lavender beds and wellness retreats, someone is still protecting a very old, very ugly secret.

Phoebe just wanted to renovate a house. Instead, she's about to renovate the truth...one buried clue at a time.

Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun is a completely standalone paranormal cozy mystery - no prior books required, just a fresh start, a stubborn ghost, and a mystery that won't stay buried."

I am so here for all books that are fun reinterpretations of song lyrics. 

Magic and Murder by Sheri Lewis Wohl
Published by: Bold Strokes Books
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 242 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Reggie Scot runs a charming magic shop in Spokane, but the crystals and tarot cards hide a deeper purpose: guarding ancient, powerful relics that could unleash hell on earth. As a descendant of Paladins sworn to protect the world from dark magic, Reggie knows danger has arrived in the form of murders and stolen artifacts.

Detective Brooklyn Timmons doesn't believe in spells or omens - until her homicide case collides with Reggie's secret magical world. A killer is targeting the protectors of six talismans, each one the key to ultimate power. Reggie knows the stakes. Brooklyn knows the bodies are piling up. They must work together to save the world.

As they race to stop the deadly mage before he reunites the talismans and unleashes chaos, the line between duty and desire begins to blur.

Magic is real. And so is murder."

A murder is also murder. Say it like Shawn Spencer! 

Pretty Evil by Rebekah and David Ian McKendry and Tim Seeley
Published by: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"KPop Demon Hunters meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer in this sparkling, darkly funny young adult graphic novel following a teen pop star who must take up her missing mother's demon-slaying mantle and battle her way through the monster-infested world of social media influencers.

To her fans, Mallori (heart over the i, thank you very much) is the ultimate teen pop star: platinum albums, a massive online following, and a glittery pink lifestyle to die for. But in her own life, Mallori Martin just wants to be her own person, free from the pressures of stardom - not to mention her mom-ager's controlling hand.

After a particularly vicious fight with said mom, Mallori wakes to find her gone, with no clue where or why. In desperation, Mallori calls the police - whose search uncovers not her missing mother but several bodies buried in the basement of their Hollywood Hills mansion.

The bodies don't stay secret for long, not with Mallori's legions of fans watching her every move. With rumors flying about Mrs. Martin's secret serial-killer lifestyle, Mallori flees the public eye, only to discover her mom was indeed living a double life: as a demon slayer.

She's been abducted, and Mallori can't let that fight be their last conversation. So to get her back, Mallori will have to pick up where her mom left off, hacking her way through demons and boogeymen - with all her trademark sparkle."

I mean, 'tis the season for Buffy...

Doomsdate by Laura Piper Lee
Published by: Dell
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a first date between a doomsday prepper and a nerdy film professor goes horribly, zombie-apocalypse-level wrong, the mismatched pair team up on a road trip to safety in this delightfully feral rom-com.

With a new virus spreading and a lockdown on the horizon, Maisie Bennett is determined to check one item off her bucket list: Get laid. But that's no easy feat for an anxious doomsday prepper who's never made it past a first date. So when a handsome, stubbly-jawed professor swipes right and agrees to meet up, Maisie vows to act normal - and to leave her taser at home.

Dr. Everett Greer has lost all lust for life after a personal tragedy, but he doesn't have the heart to stand up the poor woman his best friend catfished to force him back "out there." Maisie turns out to be surprisingly lovely, but there's something off about her, too, with her clinking cargo pockets, shy smile, and utility belt full of - are those weapons? Unfortunately, their awkward first date goes from bad to doomed when the GI virus that's trapped half of America in the bathroom starts claiming its first casualties, then reanimates them into flesh-eating zombies. And this is precisely why Everett doesn't date anymore.

As the country spins out of control, Maisie and Everett find themselves an unlikely team of two - well, three, if you count Everett's cat, Chicken - as they travel north to hopeful safety. Along the way, Maisie and Everett make a deal: she'll teach the soft, liberal arts professor how to survive, and he'll teach her how to live - through movies, travel, and, to Maisie's delight, sex lessons. But when their growing feelings are put to the test, they're in danger of losing not only their brains to the zombies, but worse, their hearts to each other."

I adore this cover, it's Erica Slaughter and Rupert Giles getting it on!

Fall Me Maybe by Laney Hatcher
Published by: Avon a
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Unexpected sparks fly and a back seat gets put to good use when a small-town sweetheart falls head-first for her ride-share driver.

I'm supposed to be dating. Doing my level best to find The One™.

While I try to give all the guys on my dating app a fighting chance, I might accidentally be falling in love with my ride-share driver instead.

Between disaster first dates and getting stood up and ghosted, I've become friends with one of the only car service drivers in my tiny hometown of Cozy Creek, Colorado.

Maybe I'm looking forward to my dating fails because it means more time with Noah, the guy I can't stop thinking about. While guarded and cautious, he draws me in with his dry humor and reluctant smiles. But for some reason, Noah's presence in town is a mystery - a secret he isn't ready to tell.

You're not supposed to fall in love with the guy driving you to your potential happily ever after. But, unfortunately, nobody told my heart that.

Fall Me Maybe is part of the Cozy Creek Collection of small-town standalones. It is a steamy, full-length romantic comedy."

Just fall for him girl! FALL FOR HIM! I already have.

The Secret to Belonging by Megan E. Freeman
Published by: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A neglected teen travels to Norway for a fresh start in this "lush…aching" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) coming-of-age novel in verse about longing, love, and the courage to create joy from the ashes of despair by award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Megan E. Freeman.

You are invisible in your own family. Your parents spend all their care and attention on your brother, who is addicted to drugs. Your dreams don't matter to anyone but you.

Your only ticket out is a college fund left by your grandfather - until your parents use it to pay for your brother's drug rehab.

Just when your future seems about to collapse, you are offered a lifeline: a scholarship to become an exchange student in a remote part of Norway. It's an invitation to begin a new life in a new place with new people…a place where you might finally feel like you belong."

I have personally been contemplating Norway a lot lately. 

Lost and Found by Mercury Stardust
Published by: DK
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The trans handy ma'am is back...and this time she's buying a house and taking her loyal audience along on the journey.

Buying your first home can be an intimidating process filled with questions and uncertainties - how do you know you're working with a trustworthy lender? What are closing costs and how much should you budget for them? Can you actually afford to fix a fixer-upper?

In this successor to the #1 New York Times bestseller Safe and Sound, Mercury Stardust demystifies the path to homeownership and sets you up for homeowning success. Learn about the ups and downs of the house hunting process - from putting in an offer to going through inspections and closing - and then join Mercury as she tackles her first year with a fixer-upper that needs to be renovated and updated.

With DIY projects and guides for renovating and maintaining every part of your new house, as well as with tips for weather-proofing and maintaining outdoor spaces like a deck or garden, Lost and Found will empower you to create your dream home. Mercury reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly, including all the emotional highs and lows when things break, emergencies arise, and the unexpected inevitably happens."

If there's anyone I want there for my highs and lows it's handy ma'am Mercury Stardust. 

Never Say Die by Ke Huy Quan
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this stunning and compulsively readable memoir, the Oscar-winning star of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Goonies, and Everything Everywhere All at Once, Ke Huy Quan, tells the story of his journey from Vietnamese refugee to 80s child star to the most inspiring comeback in Hollywood history.

Ke Huy Quan's Hollywood adventure began when he was twelve years old, a mere five years after his family escaped Communist Northern Vietnam and settled down to a relatively peaceful life in L.A.'s Chinatown. After attending an open call audition on a whim, he was unexpectedly swept up in the wild world of filmmaking: learning to swim from Harrison Ford on the set of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, receiving trucks full of toys from Steven Spielberg and George Lucas for his birthday, meeting Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker, and making lifelong friends on the set of The Goonies.

A star of two of the most beloved movies of the '80s, there appeared to be no limit to Ke's rise. But just a few years later, the roles had dried up and it seemed like Hollywood no longer had a place for him. He eventually left acting to work odd jobs behind the scenes for directors like Wong Kar Wai. His confidence was badly shaken, but his love of performing never abated. It wasn't until decades later, when he was 49 years old, that he stepped back in front of the camera to star in a strange little indie film called Everything Everywhere All at Once, which surprised everyone with its incredible box-office and awards season success. To call Ke's Oscar-winning performance a triumphant return would be an understatement.

In this moving, inspirational memoir, Ke paints a vivid self-portrait, telling both heart-wrenching and funny stories of his early rise, slow fall from the spotlight, the resilience that kept him going through his darkest times, and his eventual resurrection on one of the biggest stages in Hollywood. Never Say Die is the story of Ke's extraordinary life, a love letter to the movies and people that shaped him, and a powerful testament to never giving up on your dreams."

The reason everyone loves Ke is his eternal optimism. He never gave up and look what happened!

Daughters of the Wreckage by Stefanie Koens
Published by: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Two women. One shipwreck. And four centuries of secrets.

Shortly before Christmas in 2018, Tess McCarthy, after years as a hard-working English teacher who never did anything out of the ordinary, flies to Western Australia's remote Abrolhos Islands. She is in search of answers - both to the infamous Batavia shipwreck and her personal family crises.

In 1628, Saskia, an orphaned young Dutchwoman, boards Batavia with relatives, bound for a new and potentially dangerous life in the East Indies - only for her world to first collide with Aris Jansz, the ship's taciturn under surgeon.

Tess, Saskia, and Aris - their lives linked by secrets that span generations - carry the baggage of past losses and the uncertainty of their futures. And, in the most unlikely circumstances, they may find qualities that echo through centuries: faith, acceptance, and love.

A woman searching for answers in her own life finds them - and much more - in the wreckage and haunting stories of the Batavia shipwreck."

Dual timeline goodness. 

Turncloak by L.K. Steven
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: September 15th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 544 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Three rival mages race for power, vengeance, and the fate of Atherin in the epic second installment of the Silvercloak Saga, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Our Infinite Fates.

Revenge drove Saffron Killoran to go undercover in the Bloodmoon gang. But now, with any chance of retribution gone, she sees only one path forward: harnessing a long-dormant power to fix her ruinous mistakes.

Meanwhile, the new kingpin of the Bloodmoons has discovered Saffron's true identity as a Silvercloak - and her ultimate goal of bringing his empire down. As old wounds resurface and fresh enemies close in, he finds himself torn between the cause to which he has devoted his life and the fate of the traitorous mage he loves.

Hot on their heels is an ambitious rookie detective sent to stake out the Bloodmoons' growing rivals. She will stop at nothing to destroy both gangs - and anything or anyone who dares to stand in her way.

Caught in a cat-and-mouse game of trust and betrayal spanning continents, Saffron must choose where her loyalties lie - and determine if her quest to unmake time itself is worth becoming a villain to the whole world."

This series has such amazing cover art. 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexander McCall Smith, Ava Reid, China Miéville, Freya Marske, Helene Wecker, Jasmine Kuliasha, Ke Huy Quan, L.K. Steven, Laney Hatcher, Leigh Bardugo, Megan E. Freeman, Mercury Stardust, Richard Osman, Stefanie Koens