strange and random happenstance

The Spy Wore Silk by Andrea Pickens
Published by: Oliver-Heber Books
Publication Date: February 25th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 350 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Selina plucked her name from a spinning globe, much as she was plucked out of the gutter by Lord Lynsley. He saw in her a tenacity that would be perfect for his unique scheme, a scheme that saw orphans from the stews placed in the care of Mrs. Merlin where these select young women of no breeding would be taught to save England in its hour of need. They were taught culture and seduction. They were taught to wield a blade and a pistol as well as any man. In fact, better than many. They were taught to rely on their own wits and work alone for king and country using the more subtle forms of warfare. And as the war with Napoleon rages on, England has need of Merlin's Marauders. Or it has need of one of them, their best. Selina. It is time for her to fly. There is a traitor who has been leaking documents to the French through expensive and rare editions of books. The most recent missive that has been stolen is in regards to Russia's alliance with England. If this were to make it into the hands of the French that alliance would come to an end. Because of the unique method of delivery the traitor might have tipped their hand. The Golden Page Club is a group of six men with disparate personalities who come together to talk about incunabula. Dunster, Fitzwilliam, Winthrop, Leveritt, Jadwin, and Kirtland are all men of means, but it's James Winchester, the Earl of Kirtland, whom Lord Lynsley has singled out. Kirtland had a rather glorious military career that ended rather publicly. If any one of these bookworms holds a grunge against England, he is the most likely. Which is where Selina comes in. She has launched herself, rather dramatically, into society as The Black Dove, a courtesan in search of a protector. And that protector could only be a member of The Gilded Page Club. All six members have been invited to Marquand Castle for a fortnight for an exclusive auction of a set of rare fourteenth century Burgundian Psalters illuminated by the monks of St. Sebastian Abbey. Thanks to Lord Lynsley, Selina will be one of the guests. During the course of the house party she will host a competition amongst the six men to see which one of them will protect her. All the challenges though are designed to route out the spy. Little did she think when starting this mission that her heart was most at risk. Selina is in danger of falling for a man who might just be a traitor according to Lynsley. But only time will tell if her instincts are right about Kirtland or if she's unwittingly risked the fate of her country.

I have been a fan of Andrea Penrose since I picked up her book Sweet Revenge on a perfect bookstore outing with my Dad one cold winter night in 2011. And yes, I can close my eyes and picture myself there in Barnes and Noble just like it was yesterday and not fifeteen years ago. Little did I realize that Andrea Penrose was just another pen name of Andrea DaRif, who taught a class at Yale in 2010 with perennial favorite, Lauren Willig, called "Reading the Historical Romance." If I had put two and two together I would have hunted down all her books before that felicitous bookstore outing. For my blog's Regency Romp back in 2022 I devoured all of her Lady Arianna books having not realized that they had continued as eBooks after the first three were released in paperback. I had a lot of catching up to do. It was glorious. But after you've read all the Lady Arianna and all the Wrexford and Sloane books and even read her books written as Cara Elliott, what is a reader to do? It turns out she thankfully had YET ANOTHER pen name out there, Andrea Pickens! And, well, it just so happens that Andrea's partnered with Oliver-Heber Books to re-publish a number of her old Signet Regency books as well as her Mrs. Merlin's Academy for Extraordinary Young Ladies series, The Spy Wore Silk being the first volume in this series. I went into this book with no expectations and was wonderfully surprised that this book felt written just for me. Books, art, a country house party!?! All while trying to foil dastardly spies? Seriously, written. For. Me. It captured the same joy I had when I first read Lauren Willig's The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, which is the standard by which I judge all modern authors writing in the Regency. Yet there was also the delicious romance of Lisa Kleypas's Wallflowers series. And yes, I realize that at this point all I'm doing is listing favorite series that The Spy Wore Silk reminded me of, but that's because I honestly think that after reading only the first book that this will become a new favorite series of mine and I can't wait to read the next three books. This book was just such fun, with memorable characters and so much appetizing alliteration. But what I felt stood out from the crowd with this book was that by posing as a courtesan Selina is treated very differently by men. This isn't the ton we are used to. Yes, women are always in danger of being compromised, for Selina it could be much much worse. They all think she's chattel and treat her as such. Thankfully she can defend herself. But this sure isn't Jane Austen's England. I need more!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Andrea DaRif, Andrea Penrose, Andrea Pickens, Books, Cara Elliott, Courtesan, Lauren Willig, Lisa Kleypas, Merlin's Marauders, Pink Carnation, Regency, Sweet Revenge, The Black Dove, The Spy Wore Silk, Top Ten, Wallflowers

Twelve Months by Jim Butcher
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, has always managed to save the day - but, in this powerful entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files, can he save himself?

One year. 365 days. Twelve months.

Harry Dresden has been through a lot, and so has his city. After Harry and his allies narrowly managed to save Chicago from being razed to the ground, everything is different - and it's not just the current lack of electricity.

In the battle, Harry lost people he cared about. And that's the kind of loss that takes a toll. Harry being Harry, he's doing his level best to help the city and his friends recover and rebuild. But it's a heavy load, and he needs time.

But time is one thing Harry doesn't have. Ghouls are prowling Chicago and taking out innocent civilians. Harry's brother is dying, and Harry doesn't know how to help him. And last but certainly not least, the Winter Queen of the Fae has allied with the White Court of vampires - and Harry's been betrothed to the seductive, deadly vampire Lara Raith to seal the deal.

It's been a tough year. More than ever, the city needs Harry Dresden the wizard - but after loss and grief, is there enough left of Harry Dresden the man to rise to the challenge?"

It's been longer than twelve months waiting for this book. It feels like an eternity. 

Brides in the Dark by Jacob Steven Mohr
Published by: Quill and Crow Publishing House
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Kindle, 190 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Wicke, menfolk hunt their wives in the dim forests. On the Burning Coast, they snatch them from the sea. But in Patrick's mountain village of Blackfrye, lonely boys lure their brides down from the night sky itself. And these, everybody knows - these make the happiest marriages of them all. But when the young shepherd scales the mountain to win a wife of his own, he gets almost more than he can handle with Stella. She's got bats' wings, for one - and a tongue far sharper than her yellow fangs. And in exchange for her hand in wedlock, she wants something from Patrick in return...something that, once given, might turn his humble home upside-down forever. Can Patrick and his feral bride-on-the-wing find happiness in the world of men? Or will a silent horror rotting under Blackfrye consume them both?"

The lushness of a dark fairy tale. 

Hemlock by Melissa Faliveno
Published by: Little Brown and Company
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A woman haunted by a dark inheritance returns to the woods where her mother vanished, in this queer Gothic novel.

Sam, finally sober and stable with a cat and a long-term boyfriend in Brooklyn, returns alone to Hemlock, her family's deteriorating cabin deep in the Wisconsin Northwoods. But a quick, practical trip takes a turn for the worse when the rot and creak of the forest starts to creep in around the edges of Sam's mind. It starts, as it always does, with a beer.

As Sam dips back into the murky waters of dependency, the inexplicable begins to arrive at her door and her body takes on a strange new shape. As the borders of reality begin to blur, she senses she is battling something sinister - whether nested in the woods or within herself.

Hemlock is a carnal coming-of-addiction, a dark sparkler about rapture, desire, transformation, and transcendence in many forms. What lives at the heart of fear - animal, monster, or man? How can we reject our own inheritance, the psychic storm that's been coming for generations, and rebuild a new home for ourselves? In the tradition of Han Kang's The Vegetarian, Hemlock is a butch Black Swan and a novel of singular style, with all the edginess of a survival story and a simmering menace that glints from the very periphery of the page."

As a Wisconsinite I am very intrigued that anyone has named their cabin. 

A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Simone St. James, the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel, returns with her scariest, most shocking novel yet in this pulse-pounding story about siblings who return to the house they fled 18 years before, called back by the ghost of their long-missing brother and his haunting request: Come home.

Strange things happen in Fell, New York. A mysterious drowning at the town's roadside motel. The unexplained death of a young girl whose body is left by the railroad tracks. For the Esmie siblings - Violet, Vail, and Dodie - the final straw was the shocking disappearance of their little brother. It started as a normal game of hide-and-seek. The three closed their eyes and counted to ten while Ben went to hide. But this time, they never found their brother - he was gone and the ongoing search efforts turned up no clues.

As their parents grew increasingly distant, Violet, Vail, and Dodie were each haunted by visions and frightening events that made them leave town and never look back. Violet still sees dead people - spirits who remind her of Sister, the menacing presence that terrorized her for years.

And now after two decades running from their past, it's time for a homecoming. Because Ben is back, and he's ready to lead them to the answers they've longed for and long feared. If the ghosts of Fell don't get to them first.

A Box Full of Darkness is another propulsive thriller from the author of The Broken Girls and The Book of Cold Cases, a surprising horror story from a writer who is "particularly gifted at doling out twists" (The New York Times)."

Rule number one, don't go back. Never go back.

Cry Havoc by Rebecca Wait
Published by: Harper Perennial
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A humorous dark academia novel, set in a failing English girls' school in the 1980s, in which a teen running from her past becomes immersed in a dangerous and intriguing mystery involving a shady new teacher and a strange contagion afflicting her classmates.

Fleeing Scotland after a humiliating family scandal, sixteen-year-old Ida Campbell secures a scholarship at a failing girls' boarding school situated on the remote south English coast. Her new Headmistress - an eccentric woman obsessed with the Cold War and nuclear annihilation - seems surprised that the young woman accepted her offer, but Ida feels that St. Anne's could be a refuge - until she discovers that her roommate, the infamous Louise Adler, is a potential arsonist and hardened outcast.

Ida barely has time to make a good impression (or figure out what Louise's deal is) when Matthew Langfield, a new teacher, arrives. While the girls are all desperately intrigued to find out everything about him - after all, who takes a job at St. Anne's? - the school's geography teacher, Eleanor Alston, has an uneasy feeling that he is not who he says he is. And things only get worse when a mysterious sickness starts to spread throughout the school, causing strange limb jerks and seizures among the pupils.

What is happening to the girls of St Anne's? Are some of the girls faking these fits? Could someone be poisoning them? Is Matthew Langfield a smooth-tongued liar? Will Louise set the school on fire, or push a girl out of a window...again? And is Ida's past going to catch up with her, despite doing everything to keep it secret?

Expertly melding the cloying atmosphere and eerie mystery of The Secret History, Ninth House, and The Fever with the sharp wit and delightful absurdity of Derry Girls, Cry Havoc is a dazzling literary introduction to a whip smart, clever, and elegant writer."

I had a friend who started the school on fire in high school. They weren't as lenient as at St. Anne's.

Dead Fake by Vincent Ralph
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Welcome to Bleak Haven: The town you won't (or can't!) leave... Deep fake murders have taken over the high school, but what happens when they start to become real?

Would you Swipe to Die?

When the new craze takes over Bleak Haven High, Ava Wilson refuses to join in. As the niece of an infamous murderer, it's the last thing she needs.

The mysterious website allows people to view their own 'death' - an AI generated version of their final slasher-movie-moments. But, when some of her classmates' deepfakes are replicated in real life, Ava can either catch the killer...or be the next victim."

Yeah, never give a budding killer an idea...

Night Terror by Vincent Ralph
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Welcome to Bleak Haven: The town you won't (or can't!) leave... The second nail-biting novel in the Bleak Haven series, in Vincent Ralph's signature, terrifying style!

Bleak Haven High's senior class of 1987 have already survived the town's most horrifying tragedy to date. As a result, 17-year-old Noah understands everything there is to know about monsters.

When the bookstore that Noah works in is held up by masked attackers, he assumes they want cash. But the assailants aren't demanding a ransom. They are searching for Bleak Haven's very own urban legend - The Burning Book.

After something with a thirst for flesh creeps from the book's pages, Noah must use his knowledge of Bleak Haven's terrifying history to help his fellow hostages escape the mall, without turning their town into another bloodbath."

You know when you have to wait years and years for the second book in a series. You don't have to worry about that here! Vincent Ralph has gifted us two books on the same day!

I Don't Wish You Well by Jumata Emill
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A teen investigative podcaster decides to dig into the truth behind a grisly murder spree that rocked his hometown five years ago, but soon discovers that this cold case is still hiding deadly secrets - in this chilling thriller perfect for fans of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

Five years ago, the infamous Trojan murders turned the small town of Moss Pointe, Louisiana into a living nightmare. Four teen boys - all star players on Moss Pointe High's football team - were murdered one after the other by a Trojan-mask wearing killer.

Eventually, the murderer was unmasked. But the community has never forgotten - and some folks in town still wonder whether the police got it right.

Eighteen-year-old Pryce Cummings is one of them. An aspiring journalist, Pryce is pretty sure he just stumbled upon evidence that throws the killer's guilt into question. It's the perfect story for his own podcast, and a reason to go back to the hometown he's avoided since coming to terms with his sexuality while at college.

But in Moss Pointe, digging into the past is anything but welcome. There's so much more to what happened there five years ago, and Pryce is ready to crack it all wide open...if he lives to tell the tale."

If there's a chance the killer can still come for you do NOT start a podcast. 

Such a Clever Girl by Darby Kane
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Darby Kane, author of the #1 international bestseller Pretty Little Wife, returns with a gripping domestic thriller in which a family goes missing and a long-buried family mystery resurfaces.

Fifteen years ago, the Tanner family vanished without a trace, leaving behind a chilling scene: half-eaten meals, a bloodstain by the door, and a smoldering fire consuming their business across town.

The once-vibrant home stands untouched, a haunting relic of the past. As rumors fade into local folklore, the mystery of their disappearance seems destined to remain unsolved - until Aubrey Tanner returns.

Now a hardened thirty-year-old, Aubrey arrives in town with secrets etched in her silence. Why did she come back? Was she a victim of the night that changed everything, or does she hold the truth of what happened to her family? The town is rife with theories, but three women share a dangerous bond: they know more than they've ever confessed.

As the past resurfaces, old alliances fray. A teacher, a café owner, and a psychologist are drawn together by memories they'd rather forget. Each holds a piece of the puzzle - and a dark secret of their own. When a new disappearance sends shock waves through the town, blackmail begins, and the stakes climb higher.

In a race against time, these women must confront the truth or risk becoming the next victims of a past they cannot escape. With tension rising and danger lurking, one thing is clear: someone is destined to kill again."

Is it wrong that part of me wants this to be Full House slasher fic?

Murder by the Book by M.R.G. Davies
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Kindle, 347 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Nothing is deadlier than angry readers...especially when you murder one of their own.

When the manager of The Quaint Bookshop is found slumped between the shelves, the four members of the shop's reading group decide to put into action all the skills they've picked up from their favourite fictional detectives.

If anyone knows how to solve a killer of a crime, it's a team of murder-mystery superfans. The police might be investigating but the reading group are on the case..."

Always beware readers, we have an odd skill set...

The Locked Room by Holly Hepburn
Published by: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: eBook, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The BRAND NEW instalment in Holly Hepburn's Baker Street Mystery series - for fans of Sherlock Holmes!

Join Harriet White in 1930's London for another glorious Sherlock Holmes-inspired mystery, for fans of Helena Dixon, Nita Prose and Janice Hallett.

Harriet White is settling into life in the post room of the Baker Street building society. Until she discovers a letter in The Times challenging Sherlock Holmes to prove his status as the world's greatest detective by solving an impossible mystery. The letter, signed Professor James Moriarty, advises Holmes that the crime will be committed within the next seven days. Holmes himself must deduce which crime is the correct one to investigate. Dismissing the letter as a prank - after all, Sherlock Holmes isn't real - Harry goes about her business. But then news breaks of the theft of valuable diamond from a safe in an apparently locked room in a Mayfair townhouse.

Intrigued in spite of her misgivings, Harry dons a disguise and investigates. But as she begins to unpick the puzzle, a body is found.

And now, a stranger, and far more deadly mystery begins to unfold around her. Can Harry solve the case before the killer strikes again?"

Oh, a fictional character committing a real crime!

The Typewriter and the Guillotine by Mark Braude
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The "irresistible" (Susan Orlean) untold story of a trailblazing Paris correspondent for The New Yorker, who sounded the alarm about the rise of fascism in Europe while becoming enmeshed in the sensational case of a German serial killer stalking the streets of the French capital on the eve of WWII.

In 1925, the Indianapolis-born Janet Flanner took an assignment to write a regular 'Letter from Paris' for a lighthearted humor magazine called The New Yorker. She'd come to Paris with dreams of writing about "Beauty with a Capital B." Her employer, self-consciously apolitical, sought only breezy reports on French art and culture. But as she woke to the frightening signs of rising extremism, economic turmoil, and widespread discontent in Europe, Flanner ignored her editor's directives, reinventing herself, her assignment, and The New Yorker in the process.

While working tirelessly to alert American readers to the dangers of the Third Reich, Flanner became gripped by the disturbing crimes of a man who embodied all of the darkness she was being forced to confront. Eugen Weidmann, a German con-man and murderer, and the last man to be publicly executed in France - mere weeks before the outbreak of WWII. Flanner covered his crimes, capture, and highly politicized trial, seeing the case as a metaphor for understanding the tumultuous years through which she'd just passed and to prepare herself for the dangers to come.

The Typewriter and The Guillotine offers the personal and professional coming-of-age story of an indomitable journalist set against a glamorous, high-stakes backdrop - a tightly-coiled drama full of romance and intrigue."

I have not heard of Eugen Weidmann, but my high school French teacher made us watch a movie about the last woman executed in France.

Rules of the Heart by Janice Hadlow
Published by: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A beautifully evocative historical novel about the perils of all-consuming love, inspired by a real-life eighteenth-century love affair, from the bestselling author of The Other Bennet Sister.

"When I love at all, it is with my whole soul - my heart must be torn to pieces before it can forget or resign the objects of its affections."

England, 1794. Now in her thirties, Lady Harriet Bessborough, already the veteran of several liaisons, finds herself pursued by a much younger man. This isn't unusual in her circle, where married women often take younger lovers. No one minds much, provided they follow the rules of the game: Don't embarrass your husband, maintain complete discretion at all times, and never ever make the mistake of falling in love.

So when Harriet meets Lord Granville - brilliantly handsome, insistently ardent, and twelve years younger than her - she's confident she can manage their affair. Until she finds herself falling uncontrollably under his spell.

As she's plunged into an all-consuming passion, Harriet's worldliness and sophistication desert her. With each besotted step, she finds herself edging ever closer to exposure and ruin. She knows she should leave Granville but can't bring herself to do it - she loves him far too deeply now to escape the scandal that threatens to engulf her."

A true dangerous liaison! 

The Infamous Gilberts by Angela Tomaski
Published by: Scribner
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Remains of the Day meets The Royal Tenenbaums in this darkly funny debut novel about a wealthy, eccentric family in decline and the secrets held within the walls of their crumbling country manor.

Thornwalk, a once-stately English manor, is on the brink of transformation. Its keys are being handed over to a luxury hotelier who will undertake a complete renovation - but in doing so, what will they erase? Through the keen eyes of an enigmatic neighbor, the reader is taken on a guided tour into rooms filled with secrets and memories, each revealing the story of the five Gilbert siblings.

Spanning the eve of World War II to the early 2000s, this contemporary gothic novel weaves a rich tapestry of English country life. As the story unfolds, the reader is drawn into a world where the echoes of an Edwardian idyll clash with the harsh realities of war, neglect, and changing times. The Gilberts' tale is one of great loves, lofty ambitions, and profound loss, and Angela Tomaski's mordantly witty yet loving account is an immersive experience. Reminiscent of the haunting atmospheres in Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca and Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle, The Infamous Gilberts offers a fresh take on a classic genre, capturing the essence of a troubled but fascinating family."

Seeing as the blurb namechecks The Remains of the Day there better be Nazis. 

Anne of a Different Island by Virginia Kantra
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A woman learns to be the heroine of her own life in this heartfelt novel inspired by Anne of Green Gables by New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra.

She believed life could follow a plotline - until the story she was living unraveled.

Anne Gallagher has always lived by the book. Anne of Green Gables, that is. Growing up on Mackinac Island, she saw herself as her namesake: the same impulsive charm, the same wild imagination, even the same red hair (dyed, but still). She followed in Anne Shirley's fictional footsteps, chasing dreams of teaching and writing, and falling for her very own storybook hero.

But when a string of real-life plot twists - a failing romance, a fight with the administration, and the sudden death of her beloved father - pulls her back to the island she once couldn't wait to leave, Anne is forced to face a truth no story ever prepared her for. Sometimes, life doesn't follow a script.

Back in the house she grew up in, Anne must confront her past and the people she left behind, including Joe Miller, the boy who once called her "The Pest." It's time to figure out what she wants and rewrite her story to create her own happy ending. Not the book version. The real one."

I've always been obsessed with Mackinac Island as well as PEI, seeing as I've visited PEI I think it's time to visit Mackinac, if only fictionally. 

Melting Point by Cici Williams
Published by: Avon Books
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"There's a Winter Olympic medal on the line. But their toughest challenge is resisting each other...

February 2026: the Italian Winter Olympics. The only thing on Sam Harrington's mind is winning her first medal for snowboarding.

Enter Finn Bradley. They've had a 'friends forever' pact for, well, forever, so Sam pushes her growing feelings aside and tries to focus on training.

But when a major team sponsorship falls through, Sam needs to find funding, and fast. When they're told that pretending to be a couple will give them a better chance at finding sponsors, Sam and Finn agree to fake a relationship. They spend all their time together already, surely pretending to be a couple won't be a slippery slope...

There's only one problem. Finn's secretly been in love with her for years, and this Olympic season, he's decided that as well as a medal, he wants to win Sam over.

Chalet Girl meets Stephanie Archer in this spicy, fake dating, friends-to-lovers sports romance you need this Winter!"

I mean, it's time to get your Olympic reading list going for February, and Melting Point is at the top of mine!

George Falls Through Time by Ryan Collett
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Less meets the year 1300 in this exhilarating and thoughtfully genre-defying literary novel about a man transported through time in a moment of extreme stress, whose modern anxieties are replaced by medieval brutalities.

Newly laid off George's internet bill is in his ex-boyfriend's name. He's got a spider-infested apartment, and two of the six dogs he's walking in London have just escaped. It's pure undiluted stress that sends him into a spiral, all the way to the year 1300.

When he comes to, George recognizes the same rolling hills of Greenwich Park. But the luxuries and phone service of modernity are nowhere. In their place are locals with a bizarre, slanted speech in awe of his foreign clothes, who swiftly toss him in a dungeon. Despite the barbarity of a medieval world, a servant named Simon helps George acclimate to a simpler, easier existence - until a summons from the King threatens to send his life up in flames.

George Falls Through Time is as much an inward journey as an outward one: an immersive exploration of identity and dislocation that pits present-day sensibilities against a raw and alien backdrop, a strangely perfect canvas for the absurd anxieties of our modern lives. It's a profound meditation on the nature of desire perfect for fans of Madeline Miller and The Ministry of Time."

I'd also add a dash of Douglas Adams.

A Realm Undone by JL Lienhardt
Published by: Rising Action
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"With its engaging magic system, high court drama, and themes of betrayal and sacrifice, A Realm Undone is perfect for fans of adult, women-led fantasy like The City of Brass and The Sword of Kaigen.

Centuries ago, mortals split the realm into two, with a magical veil placed firmly between them and their immortal rulers, the Tiarcons. Fueled by stolen magic, the mortal kingdoms flourished, but the Tiarcons never stopped trying to reclaim their magic and mortal subjects. And now, generations later, the veil between realms has begun to tear, letting immortal monsters ravage across the nations and threaten all the mortals have built.

Alia Meador would happily watch the mortal kingdoms buckle, as long as she could keep herself and her teenaged daughter, Lena, alive. After all, her own kingdom of Mandal, cast her out for her volatile magic, sending her to wander remote villages for decades. But when the treatment for Lena's illness comes along with a royal order to defend Mandal with the same magic they once spurned, Alia is caught between protecting the one person she loves and the reckoning she's so long desired.

With every moment spent in Mandal, Alia is subjected to the grasping of her ruthless family, a traitorous mage determined to understand the extent of her power, and the allure of the prince she once loved. And with every immortal confrontation, Alia's magic comes closer and closer to consuming her.

As the balance between realms shifts, Alia has to decide if her realm is worth saving, or if it all needs to be undone."

But if you sacrifice yourself for you daughter, worth it right?

The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When you lose your way in life, the Elsewhere Express just might find you. Step on board the train that may take you to your life's purpose in this wistful, Ghibli-esque fantasy from the bestselling author of Water Moon.

You can't buy a ticket for the Elsewhere Express. Appearing only to those whose lives are adrift, it's a magical train seeming to carry very rare and special cargo: a sense of purpose, peace, and belonging.

Raya is one of those lost souls. She had dreamed of being a songwriter, but when her brother died, she gave up on her dream and started living his instead.

One day on the subway, as her thoughts wander, she's swept off to the Elsewhere Express. There she meets Q, an intriguing artist who, like her, has lost his place in the world.

Together they find a train full of wonders, from a boarding car that's also a meadow to a dining car where passengers can picnic on lily pads to a bar where jellyfish and whales swim through pink clouds.

Over the course of their long, strange night on the train, they also discover that it harbors secrets - and danger: A mysterious stranger has stowed away and brought with him a dark, malignant magic that threatens to destroy the train.

But in investigating the stowaway's identity, Raya also finds herself drawing closer to the ultimate question: What is her life's true purpose - and is it a destination the Elsewhere Express can take her to?"

Could the Elsewhere Express stop by to give me a Wonka-esque smack upside the head to discover my purpose?

A Wild Radiance by Maria Ingrande Mora
Published by: Peachtree Teen
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A searing and romantic fantasy adventure about an oligarchic state on the verge of a magical industrial revolution - perfect for fans of Arcane, Wicked, and Iron Widow!

Josephine Haven is about to find out exactly where she fits into the march of Progress. Her outbursts are infamous at the House of Industry, the school for children who can wield radiance, an electricity-like magic. She's tried to follow the rules, but her fiery nature is at odds with the core tenet of the House: Never form attachments. If she is meant to feel nothing, why are her emotions so volatile?

No one is surprised when, upon graduation, Josephine is banished from the city to a remote Mission. In Frostbrook, she must work under standoffish Julian, the former golden boy of the House of Industry who seems determined to watch her fail. And then there's Ezra, the flirtatious stranger who's a little too curious about how the Mission operates.

But there are bigger problems than Julian and Ezra's secrets. A deadly disease is spreading across the countryside, and in Frostbrook, not everyone is eager to embrace Progress. As Josephine questions the system that raised her - and gives in to desire she's been taught to suppress - she must decide what she's willing to sacrifice to expose not just corruption within the House, but the devastating truth about the radiance in her core.

An epic and romantic fantasy that reimagines the War of the Currents, A Wild Radiance explodes with the same queer chaotic tension, magical industrialization, and class revolution themes that made Arcane a #1 Netflix sensation.

Perfect for readers who love Queerplatonic and Poly Relationships, Anti-Capitalism, Hurt/Comfort, Sunshine/Grump/Gremlin Dynamics, Messy Exes, and Fantasy Road Trips!"

Um, not to throw shade, but it doesn't matter if Arcane is a #1 Netflix sensation, that's like bragging your wrote something to be like a Taylor Swift song... Get a better blurb writer Peachtree Teen.

How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days by Jessie Sylva
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days by debut author Jessie Sylva is the cozy tale of a halfling and a goblin who must learn to love each other despite their differences. Called "an adorable delight!" (Sarah Beth Durst), this novel is brimming with popular romance tropes and warmth and is perfect for fans of The Honey Witch and The Spellshop.

What if cottagecore and goblincore fell in love?

When a halfling, Pansy, and a goblin, Ren, each think they've inherited the same cottage, they make a bargain: they'll live in the house together and whoever is driven out first forfeits their ownership.

Amidst forced proximity and cultural misunderstandings, the two begin to fall in love.

But when the cottage - and their communities - are threatened by a common enemy, the duo must learn to trust each other, and convince goblins and halflings to band together to oust the tall intruder."

If they can make it work their communities can too!

Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: January 20th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 160 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes Nine Goblins, a tale of low fantasy and high mischief.

No one knows exactly how the Goblin War began, but folks will tell you that goblins are stinking, slinking, filthy, sheep-stealing, henhouse-raiding, obnoxious, rude, and violent. Goblins would actually agree with all this, and might throw in "cowardly" and "lazy" too for good measure.

But goblins don't go around killing people for fun, no matter what the propaganda posters say. And when a confrontation with an evil wizard lands a troop of nine goblins deep behind enemy lines, goblin sergeant Nessilka must figure out how to keep her hapless band together and get them home in one piece.

Unfortunately, between them and safety lies a forest full of elves, trolls, monsters, and that most terrifying of creatures...a human being."

Well, human beings are the most dangerous animal...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Angela Tomaski, Darby Kane, Holly Hepburn, Jacob Steven Mohr, Janice Hadlow, Jim Butcher, Jumata Emill, M.R.G. Davies, Mark Braude, Melissa Faliveno, Rebecca Wait, Simone St. James, T. Kingfisher, Vincent Ralph, Virginia Kantra

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
Published by: Bramble
Publication Date: July 9th, 2024
Format: Kindle, 384 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

When fleeing a revolution it's hard know to what books to pack. Kiela Orobidan is a librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium. She's spent the last eleven years safeguarding the spellbooks contained therein, third floor, east wing. Now that the emperor has been defenestrated and the flames are coming closer, Kiela, and her best friend Caz, a sentient spider plant, have to flee. She's been packing and repacking the library boats for about a week in case of this eventuality, constantly conflicted over which books are the most irreplaceable, and now that the day has arrived, well, she doesn't know what to do. If she's honest with herself she didn't think the day would arrive. Rulers come and go but libraries are eternal. She thought the library would be secured by the rebels not looted! After all who doesn't love books? Perhaps the revolutionaries when the knowledge has been hoarded and kept out of the hands of those who could use it.... Well Kiela and Caz have their hoard and given the destruction they've witnessed, they might possess the last of the greatest treasure of the Crescent Islands Empire. The books have to be protected, first and foremost, and after much contemplation a plan is formed. It might not be the best plan, but it's the only plan they've got. They are returning to Kiela's home island of Caltrey. Her parents left to live a better life and give Kiela more opportunities. She might have gained a calling in the library but she lost her family, her freckles, and gained a host of antisocial disorders. Coming back though will only be temporary. They'll protect the books and not think about the fact they could be charged with theft, and lay low until this whole revolution business is settled. Upon returning to Caltrey the plan is to hide out in the house where Kiela grew up in, which is technically hers she realizes. Pretty soon though it's clear that there will have to be some interaction with the islanders. She has to eat. Also, there's her neighbor, Larran Maver. He's cute and way too helpful. Years ago she was kind to him and now he wants to repay the favor. Only Caltrey is suffering. It used to be that the emperor would send his sorcerers out on a regular rotation to tend to the outer islands. They'd cast spells that balanced out whatever nonsense they'd done in the capital city to build their palaces and fuel their lavish lives while ordinary people suffered. This threw the weather out of whack but then sorcerers stopped coming and the problem continued. Fish began to get scarce, and the merhorses, which Larran breeds, have dwindled. Kiela feels a need to do something. But protecting the spellbooks is a whole different kettle of fish than using them. If she's caught it could be disastrous. But if she doesn't help all of Caltrey will suffer.

I have been trying to not buy as many books and utilize my local library more. But then I borrow a book like The Spellshop and my resolve is out the window. Before I even finished reading it I was trying to find out where to get a signed copy of it and it's "sequel," The Enchanted Greenhouse. The Ripped Bodice in Los Angles came through for me and I'm hoping they will again this year when Sea of Charms comes out. Because I had to have a signed book. When I go all in on a book it isn't by half measures. And this book is my jam, in more ways than one. As literally everyone I know has said, this book is like the hug you didn't know you needed. This book embraces you in a world of sentient plants and jam and merhorses and winged cats, I mean, come on, winged cats! I want a winged cat. I also want some jam too. Yes, you will get hungry reading this book but you will also be satiated. The Spellshop is about finding your home, found family, and realizing that the more friends you have the safer you are. It's about building a community and coming together when times are rough. And, well, times are very rough, so I think we could all use a little bit of compassion. I want to live in this world. I want some defenestration and good trouble. What I love about fantasy is that it is magical and wonderful but it also holds up a mirror to our world. Basically the Crescent Islands Empire is in the midst of their own French Revolution. They literally cannot take the corruption for one more minute. Sound familiar? But what I love is that Sarah Beth Durst shows how, in this world, climate change is happening because of magic. Caltrey and other islands are almost destroyed by these horrific storms and it's all because the emperor has stopped sending out sorcerer envoys to fix the problems. They keep doing what they're doing, fiddling while Rome burns, and they just say damn the consequences. Does this sound relevant? As I write this the EPA literally just said they no longer care about the cost of human lives. As long as the rich are getting richer why bother trying to save people who they really don't want to save in the first place? But that's why we form communities, that's why we help each other, that's why we need at least 3.5% of us to finally have had enough. On a more personal level though this book help up a mirror to myself. The awkward book nerd who just wants to sleep in the stacks and be left alone. Whose anxiety at interacting with others is occasionally off the charts. I am Kiela. So can someone point me towards my sexy merhorse breeder? I'd even settle for a sentient spider plant!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Caltrey, Caz, Climate Change, Community, Crescent Islands Empire, Defenestration, Flying Cats, Found Family, Kiela Orobidan, Larran Maver, Library, Magic, Merhorses, Revolution, Sarah Beth Durst, Spider Plant, The Spellshop, Top Ten

Redwall by Brian Jacques
Published by: Philomel Books
Publication Date: October 23rd, 1986
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

The festivities at Redwall Abbey are underway for Abbot Mortimer's Golden Jubilee. It is the Summer of the Late Rose and the abbey has been blessed with peace and abundance. As the inhabitants scurry about with last minute preparations there's Matthias, tumbling cowl over tail, scattering the hazelnuts. Oh how he longs to be graceful and brave like Martin the Warrior, the founder of Redwall Abbey, whose tales of derring-do have always transported him. But as the Abbot tells Matthias, we are now an order of peace. The time of Martin and his famous sword and shield are over. The Abbey is a place of happiness and refuge as all the denizens of Mossflower Woods arrive to celebrate the Abbot. But that night a horrific scene unfolds on the road outside the Abbey walls that Matthias and Constance the Badger witness. A large Portuguese water rat and his army are on the road. They were astride a demented horse and cart. A council is called that night. The rumors of Cluny the Scourge seem to be true. He is the worst kind of warlord and the Abbey has to be prepared because it doesn't look as if Cluny is just passing through. He has set up camp at the Church of St. Ninian's and has his eye on the Abbey. It would be the perfect seat for his empire, Cluny's Castle. Plus the mice will surely just hand it over to him without a fight. They're just little mice, he has a rat army! Little does Cluny know that while they are a peaceful order now they were founded by a true warrior and they will protect those who need protecting. When Cluny arrives at Redwall Abbey with the articles of surrender that all his conquests must abide by he is shocked by their iron will and then terrified by a tapestry of Martin the Warrior. Cluny is transfixed by the image of Martin as he is the shadowy figure that has been haunting the rat's dreams. Shaken, the rats leave the Abbey to regroup. And then Cluny attacks by stealth and steals the tapestry, at once capturing the object of his nightmares while trying to demoralize the mice by removing the effigy of their protector. He underestimated the mice, Redwall prepares to protect itself at any cost, even war. As Matthias bemoans to Brother Methuselah, if only they had Martin the Warrior's sword and shield they might stand a chance against the Scourge. But Methuselah tells Matthias that the young mouse is so like Martin that perhaps, given the clues built into the very Abbey walls, that these totems can be recovered and used to spur them on to victory. Though a sword is, in the end, just a sword, and it's the true warriors that will win the day.

I learned about Brian Jacques's Redwall series at Christmas in 1993. Friends of our family who always gave me and my brother books for Christmas got him Martin the Warrior. This was the first time I saw a sword wielding rodent on the cover of a book under Brian Jacques's name, but it would certainly not be the last. As my mother started as a grade school librarian at my old school when I started high school her job was to keep up with the trends, and the biggest trend was Redwall. Our local bookstore had a wall dedicated to Brian Jacques just as you entered on the left hand wall and that was usually the first stop when stocking up on books for the school library. The thing about each and every one of these books is they are just beautifully done, the covers, the chapter art, even if you've never read them or plan to read them, you covet them for your bookshelves. All twenty-two of them in the end. I finally got around to reading Redwall for the first time in 2000, my guess is that the added exposure from the the television series made me finally bite the bullet. I enjoyed it enough to read the second book, Mossflower, which, as I found out, was not the sequel. But if you're a fan of this series you know there are multiple flowcharts and timelines to study if you really want to do a deep dive. Picking this book up again a quarter century later I was enchanted by it. Sure, there's a lot of death, but there's this comradery, just a whole bunch of people coming together and defeating the baddie without dissension while also having amazing vegetarian cuisine. This was just the right book at the right time to make me feel good and cozy while also wanting to topple tyranny. Though I think I'm the exact audience for this book, it was written in the eighties and released when I was eight, so it fully embraces the traumatize your child vibe that us eighties kids know so well. It's The Secret of NIMH meet Cadfael meets The Name of the Rose, whose star-studded adaptation came out the same year in wonderful synchronicity. A comfort despite all the death and destruction, which I think anyone who has watched The NeverEnding Story ad infintum knows aren't mutually exclusive feels. Though this one has more of a human element than later volumes, which Jacques says was intentional. But I still would love a deep dive on where the hell the idea for Basil Stag Hare came from. Is he a time traveler from WWII? I mean, I love animals thinking they're secret agents and spies, the foxes in the Rivers of London series being the prime example, but for a pseudo medieval world this was just weird. But I like weird, so we're all good.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Brian Jacques, Cadfael, Christmas, Cluny the Scourge, Eighties, Library, Martin the Warrior, Matthias, Redwall, The Name of the Rose, The Neverending Story, The Secret of Nimh, Top Ten, Vegetarian Cuisine

Winter by Val McDermid
Published by: Atlantic Monthly Press
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 160 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this radiant work of creative nonfiction, internationally beloved novelist Val McDermid delivers a dazzling ode to a lost world, ruminating on a single winter in her life as she journeys into the heart of the season's ever-evolving community-based traditions.

Val McDermid has always had a soft spot for winter: the bitter clarity of a crisp cold day, the crunch of frost on fallen leaves, and the chance to be enveloped in big jumpers and thick socks.

In Winter, McDermid takes us on an adventure through the season, from the frosty streets of Edinburgh to the windblown Scottish coast, from Bonfire Night and Christmas to Burns Night and Up Helly Aa. Recalling in parallel memories from her own childhood - of skating over frozen lakes and carving a "neep" (rutabaga) for Halloween to being taken to see her first real Christmas tree in the town square - McDermid offers a wise and enchanting meditation on winter and its ever-changing, sometimes ephemeral, traditions.

A hygge-filled journey through winter nights, McDermid reminds us that it is a time of rest, retreat and creativity, for scribbling in notebooks and settling in beside the fire. A treat for the hunkering-down, post-holiday reading season, Winter is a charming and cozy celebration of the year's idle months from one of Scotland's best-loved writers."

The perfect book for a cold winter night reading by the fire.

The Briars by Sarah Crouch
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The USA Today bestselling author of Middletide returns with a lush and atmospheric novel of suspense following a young woman whose job as a game warden puts her in the path of a murderer in a small town eager to protect its own.

Desperate to escape a relationship gone bad, Annie Heston flees north to accept a job as a game warden in Lake Lumin, a picturesque town in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

A cougar has been spotted in the area, and as Annie warns the community of the threat, she quickly discovers that not everyone in the tight-knit town is welcoming of outsiders, except for Daniel Barela, a reclusive carpenter who lives in the shadow of the mountain. They form an instant bond, though Annie soon comes to realize there is more to his past than meets the eye.

When the body of a young woman is found in the briars that border Daniel's property, the peace Annie has found in Lake Lumin shatters. As she assists the local sheriff with the investigation, Annie must rely on her wilderness training and intuition to find a murderer hiding in plain sight.

Urgent and emotionally complex, The Briars is a captivating literary thriller that marries an exploration of human nature with a plot as thorny and twisted as the brambles for which it is named."

Even when there are cougars about man is still the deadliest animal. 

Murder Your Darlings by Jenna Blum
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For every woman who's ever fallen for a bad man comes a hilarious and eviscerating tale of love, loss, and deadlines from New York Times bestselling author Jenna Blum.

Known for such brilliant historical novels as Those Who Save Us and The Lost Family, A Mighty Blaze co-founder and New York Times bestselling author Jenna Blum now offers a contemporary, suspenseful novel about love, loss, and revenge in the world of books.

Simone "Sam" Vetiver is a mid-career novelist finishing a lukewarm publicity tour while facing a deadline for a new book on which she's totally blocked. Recently divorced, Sam is worrying where her life is going when she receives glowing fan mail from stratospherically successful author William Corwyn, renowned for his female-centric novels. When William and Sam meet and his literary sympathy is as intense as their chemistry, both writers think they've found The One.

But as in their own novels, things between Sam and William are not what they seem. William has multiple stalkers, including a scarily persistent one named The Rabbit. He lives on a remote Maine island, where his writer life resembles The Shining. And when writers turn up dead, including from The Darlings support group William runs, Sam has to ask: Is it The Rabbit - William's #1 Stalker? Another woman scorned? Can William be everything he seems?

Narrated by Sam, William, and The Rabbit, Murder Your Darlings is a wickedly witty look at today's literary landscape and down-the-rabbit-hole tale of how far people will go for love."

Murdering members of your own writers group on a remote island smacks of stupidity. Or... hubris... 

The Lodge by Paul Finch
Published by: Thomas and Mercer
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 350 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"It's the perfect getaway. Until there's no way out.

You have been dreaming of an unforgettable weekend escape, and Black Tarn Lodge seems to offer everything - a magnificent Gothic mansion with towering turrets nestled in the misty Lancashire hills.

Expecting elegant dinners, vintage wines and a screening of a legendary lost film in the private cinema, all seems perfect. Until night falls and a thick fog isolates you from the world. Your phones go missing. Guests start vanishing. And then you find the body.

Someone, it seems, fell from the roof. But you can't help wondering if he was pushed. Totally cut off, you cannot leave or call for help. You don't know these people. But you need to decide who you can trust soon. Because someone is going to be next - will it be you?

From Sunday Times bestseller Paul Finch comes a totally addictive thriller that will leave you utterly breathless as you race through the pages. Perfect for fans of Lucy Clarke, Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley."

Just saying, wine bottles make a nice weapon. Though I'm sure in a Gothic mansion there's plenty of weaponry on the walls to choose from.

The Chateau Murder by Greg Mosse
Published by: Hodder and Stoughton
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: eBook, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Wish accidental detective Zoe Pascal bonne chance as she finds herself embroiled in another murder!

Zoe Pascal has settled into her new life in the picturesque village of Sainte-Catherine, running her beloved bookshop with her new companion, Russell the dog.

When an old friend invites Zoe to join her family at Chateau Palotte for the holidays, Zoe heads off into the French countryside to the grand, yet slightly dilapidated, castle.

But there's a frosty atmosphere at the chateau - and when the butler is found dead, Zoe is forced to ask: Was this an accident, or is there a murderer in the grounds?

Soon, Zoe uncovers that everyone staying at the chateau has a motive for murder - can she uncover the truth, before they strike again?"

Well, of course everyone has a motive for murdering the butler. A butler is the one person whom everyone would have had contact with. 

Inside Man by John McMahon
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this sequel to McMahon's electrifying series debut, Head Cases, Gardner Camden and the PAR team return to investigate potentially connected cases.

FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an affinity for puzzles. He and his squad of brilliant yet quirky agents make up the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit, the FBI's hidden edge, brought in for cases that no one else can solve.

PAR's latest case involves a militia group stockpiling weapons. When their confidential informant in the case is killed, it quickly becomes clear that the militia did not kill him.

As the squad looks into the evidence surrounding his murder, an unidentified man is caught on camera with their informant. This mystery man's picture is connected to another case at the FBI, an unsolved series of murdered women, buried in the ground in north Florida. Could they have uncovered a serial killer? And if so, what is his connection to their C.I.?

As PAR juggles an investigation into both the dead women and the militia, they enroll a new informant, only to find the case escalating in dangerous ways. How will PAR handle a case that increasingly looks like a terrorist plot? And in the serial case, with no puzzles or witnesses, and few leads, how will a group set up to decode riddles be successful?"

Maybe the C.I. was a serial killer looking to cover his ass?

Divine Ruin by Margot Douaihy
Published by: Gillian Flynn Books
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the latest in the USA Today bestselling, award-winning, critically acclaimed series, New Orleans punk rock nun-detective Sister Holiday plunges into a "hellish underworld of drug trafficking, addiction, and her own dark past in a journey that is both riveting and sacred." (Ana Reyes, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Pines)

It's a steamy, restless end of the school year in New Orleans. Sister Holiday is finishing her music classes and preparing for her permanent vow ceremony, a pivotal moment in her journey of faith. But when one of her favorite students is found dead of a fentanyl overdose, Sister Holiday and her partner-in-PI, Magnolia Riveaux, are determined to track down the drug dealers. As students continue to fall prey to this sinister drug, Sister Holiday becomes more desperate to stop the epidemic - while facing her own past with addiction, a demon that is never too far.

With Douaihy's signature mix of grit, heart, and faith, Divine Ruin tests the limits of Sister Holiday's devotion in her darkest and most shocking case yet."

Nuns busting drug dealers!

Pig Wife by Abbey Luck
Published by: Top Shelf Productions
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 540 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Accidentally trapped in an underground bunker, a teen girl must navigate the bizarre secrets within. This astonishing indie-horror graphic novel will keep readers guessing - and turning pages!

Mary had a bad feeling even before they arrived at dead Aunt Pearl's house. Dragged to a remote mining town so her mom and stepdad can settle Pearl's estate, Mary can't wait to escape from her wreck of a family - but she's stuck with them in the middle of nowhere. After a vicious fight, Mary runs off to hide in an abandoned gold mine. Her escape plan backfires when she realizes she's trapped inside. Even more terrifying...she's not alone.

Filled with suspense, dark humor, and spectacular nightmares, Pig Wife is a shockingly ambitious debut from graphic novelist Abbey Luck, seizing readers by the heart and the throat with a story of isolation, abuse, trauma, and survival.

In this truly twisted coming-of-age tale, Luck suggests that survival doesn't depend on our strength and wits alone - but on our ability to love others, even in the most horrific circumstances."

A lesson all should have learned from The Goonies.

Detour by Jeff Rake and Rob Hart
Published by: Random House Worlds
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A space shuttle flight crew discovers that the Earth they've returned to is not the home they left behind in the first book of this emotional, mind-bending thriller series from the creator of the hit Netflix show Manifest and the bestselling author of The Warehouse.

Ryan Crane wasn't looking for trouble - just a cup of coffee. But when this cop spots a gunman emerging from an unmarked van, he leaps into action and unknowingly saves John Ward, a billionaire with presidential aspirations, from an assassination attempt.

As thanks for Ryan's quick thinking, Ward offers him the chance of a lifetime: to join a group of lucky civilians chosen to accompany three veteran astronauts on the first manned mission to Saturn's moon Titan.

A devoted family man, Ryan is reluctant to leave on this two-year expedition, yet with the encouragement of his loving wife - and an exorbitant paycheck guaranteeing lifetime care for their disabled son - he crews up and ventures into a new frontier.

But as the ship is circling Titan, it is rocked by an unexplained series of explosions. The crew works together to get back on course, and they return to Earth as heroes.

When the fanfare dies down, Ryan and his fellow astronauts notice that things are different. Some changes are good, such as lavish upgrades to their homes, but others are more disconcerting. Before the group can connect, mysterious figures start tailing them, and their communications are scrambled.

Separated and suspicious, the crew must uncover the truth and decide how far they're willing to go to return to their normal lives. Just when their space adventure seemingly ends, it shockingly begins."

AKA another in a long long list of why I'd never go to space.

The Last of Earth by Deepa Anappara
Published by: Random House
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the award-winning author of Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line comes a stunning historical novel set in nineteenth-century Tibet that follows two outsiders - an Indian schoolteacher spying for the British Empire and an English "lady" explorer - as they venture into a forbidden kingdom.

1869. Tibet is closed to Europeans, an infuriating obstruction for the rap­idly expanding British Empire. In response, Britain begins training Indians - permitted to cross borders that white men may not - to undertake illicit, dangerous surveying expeditions into Tibet.

Balram is one such surveyor-spy, an Indian schoolteacher who, for several years, has worked for the British, often alongside his dearest friend, Gyan. But Gyan went missing on his last expedition and is rumored to be imprisoned within Tibet. Desperate to rescue his friend, Balram agrees to guide an English captain on a foolhardy mission: After years of paying others to do the exploring, the captain, disguised as a monk, wants to personally chart a river that runs through southern Tibet. Their path will cross fatefully with that of another Westerner in disguise, fifty-year-old Katherine. Denied a fellowship in the all-male Royal Geographical Society in London, she intends to be the first European woman to reach Lhasa.

As Balram and Katherine make their way into Tibet, they will face storms and bandits, snow leopards and soldiers, fevers and frostbite. What's more, they will have to battle their own doubts, ambitions, grief, and pasts in order to survive the treacherous landscape.

A polyphonic novel about the various ways humans try to leave a mark on the world - from the enduring nature of family and friendship to the egomania and obsessions of the colonial enterprise - The Last of Earth confirms Deepa Anappara as one of our greatest and most ambitious storytellers."

Has a slight Black Narcissus vibe.

The Bookbinder's Secret by A.D. Bell
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Every book tells a story. This one tells a secret.

A young bookbinder begins a hunt for the truth when a confession hidden beneath the binding of a burned book reveals a story of forbidden love, lost fortune, and murder.

Lilian ("Lily") Delaney, apprentice to a master bookbinder in Oxford in 1901, chafes at the confines of her life. She is trapped between the oppressiveness of her father's failing bookshop and still being an apprentice in a man's profession. But when she's given a burned book during a visit to a collector, she finds, hidden beneath the binding, a fifty-year-old letter speaking of love, fortune, and murder.

Lily is pulled into the mystery of the young lovers, a story of forbidden love, and discovers there are more books and more hidden pages telling their story. Lilian becomes obsessed with the story but she is not the only one looking for the remaining books and what began as a diverting intrigue quickly becomes a very dangerous pursuit.

Lily's search leads her from the eccentric booksellers of London to the private libraries of unscrupulous collectors and the dusty archives of society papers, deep into the heart of the mystery. But with sinister forces closing in, willing to do anything for the books, Lilian's world begins to fall apart and she must decide if uncovering the truth is worth the risk to her own life."

If I were to leave a scandalous story after my death I'd totally hide it in books that then get flung to the four corners of the Earth. My story would be a treasure hunt!

Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez
Published by: Saturday Books
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 488 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"#1 New York Times bestseller Isabel Ibañez in her adult debut: a gorgeous, historical, and romantic fantasy that will leave readers breathless for more!

She was never meant to be seen. Now she's a weapon the world can't ignore.

As a sculptress, Ravenna Maffei has always shaped beauty from stone but she has a terrible secret. Desperate to save her brother, she enters a competition hosted by Florence's most feared immortal family, revealing a dark power in a city where magic is forbidden.

Now a captive in the cutthroat city of Florence, Ravenna is forced into a dangerous task where failure meets certain death at the hands of Saturnino dei Luni, the immortal family's mesmerizing but merciless heir. But as he draws her closer, Ravenna realizes the true threat lies beyond Florence's walls.

The Pope's war against magic is closing in, and Ravenna is no longer just a prisoner but a prize to be claimed. As trusting the wrong person becomes lethal, Ravenna must survive the treacherous line between a pope's obsession and the seductive immortal who might be the end of her - or surrender her power to a city on the brink of war."

I would totally choose an immortal over the pop any day. 

The Poisoner by I.V. Ophelia
Published by: Simon Maverick
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Lost Apothecary meets Gothikana in a Victorian era Gothic romance about a botanist who likes to poison unsavory men, but when her next target visits her apothecary, they discover their dark bond runs deeper than they imagined.

"Have you ever wondered how long it would take for a lethal dose of arsenic to kill you?
Thirty-five hours, twenty-nine minutes, and fifteen seconds.
I should know. I counted myself."

Amidst the gaslit alleys and cobblestone streets of Victorian London, two killers find themselves entangled in a waltz they cannot escape.

Alina Lis, a botanist and hobbyist poisoner, has a pastime of killing unsavory men in her twisted sense of poetic justice. When she targets the conceited playboy, Silas Forbes, only to find him in her apothecary the following week, she discovers human men are the least of her problems.

The pair's unlikely association sparks gossip among affluent society. As their mysterious bond deepens, a chilling truth emerges - concealed identities, lurking foes, and questions as plentiful as the hydra's head brew within this haunting Gothic tale of violent passion.

Will Silas and Alina find themselves in each other's arms, or will the shadows of their past keep them apart?"

Or will they bring their vengeance down on London?

The East Wind by Alexandria Warwick
Published by: S and S/Saga Press
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Rapunzel meets the myth of Psyche and Cupid in a stand-alone fantasy romance tale of love, survival and healing, as a mortal woman and a god unite to overcome deadly trials - and their own tortured pasts - in the climactic final installment of the Four Winds series.

Min of Marles is a skilled apprentice, assisting the town's apothecarist in brewing potions, tonics, and deadly poisons. High in the estate tower where she works, a powerful immortal is kept chained, tortured daily for information. His screams haunt her waking and dreaming hours. A god, she learns. The East Wind, Eurus, who commands the sea-born storms.

A hasty attempt to free him leads to Min's own capture and forced employment to the East Wind as an aide to his grand plans for revenge. In the City of Gods, a tournament is held every thousand years, in which the winner may ask a favor from the esteemed Council of Gods. If Eurus wins, the council must reverse his banishment, the sentence that exiled him and his brothers to the mortal realms. But he requires a deadly poison to ensure that, once the favor is granted, the council will pay for his centuries long exile.

To earn her freedom, Min reluctantly assists in Eurus's plans. As they work together to defeat the deadly trials, she realizes her relationship to the East Wind isn't purely transactional. But if she ever wishes to return home, she must betray the god she loves.

For more stories from the world of the Four Winds, check out The North Wind, The West Wind, and The South Wind."

Is home home or is home the person you love?

The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Shin'ichirō Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga, and Yoshie Hotta
Published by: University of Minnesota Press
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 120 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The original story that hatched Mothra, one of the most beloved monsters in the "kaijuverse" - available in English for the first time.

Mystical and benevolent, the colossal lepidopteran Mothra has been one of the most beloved kaiju since 1961, when The Luminous Fairies and Mothra was originally published in Japanese. Commissioned by Tōhō Studios from three of Japan's most prominent postwar literary writers (Shin'ichirō Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga, and Yoshie Hotta), the novella formed the basis for the now-classic monster film Mothra, with a protagonist second only to Godzilla in number of film appearances by a kaiju. Finally available in its first official English translation, The Luminous Fairies and Mothra will captivate ardent, longtime fans of the films as well as newcomers.

Written just months after the largest political demonstrations Japan had ever seen, The Luminous Fairies and Mothra reflects the rebellious spirit of the time. In this original story, explorers visit a South Pacific island and capture a group of fairies, inciting the fury of the goddess Mothra, who sets out for Japan on a mission of rescue and revenge. Expressing a powerful social stance about Japan's need to chart its own foreign policy during the Cold War, the novella's political message was ultimately toned down in the Tōhō Studios film. Through this translation, Anglophone audiences will discover Mothra as a figure of protest fiction intricately reflecting the complex geopolitical situation in early 1960s Japan.

The Luminous Fairies and Mothra is translated into lively prose by Jeffrey Angles, who also wrote an extensive afterword about the novella's cultural context, the unusual story of its composition, and the development of the 1961 film. Following Angles's best-selling translation of the original Godzilla novellas, this new work will once again delight kaiju fans everywhere."

And release just in time to tide you over until season two of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. 

Starling Nights by Merit Niemeitz
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Kindle, 430 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Secret History meets Twilight in this gripping Dark Academia with a romantasy twist!

Some secrets are written in the stars.

Others hide in the shadows.

There were many myths told about Cambridge. Stories woven from rumour and skewed half-truths, the thin fabric passed from hand to hand in the shadows.

The university kept the true, unfiltered secrets of this place. Only a select few were capable of understanding what it had to tell. People like us. We understood because we were part of it. Because we were the biggest secret of all.

Cambridge student Mabel Golding learned long ago to keep her head down and avoid getting entangled in other people's drama, but when her best friend, Zoe, is drawn into the circle of a mysterious student society with centuries of history, Mabel feels inordinately uneasy. Even more so when she soon finds herself dangerously close to the heart of The League of Starlings, and to its inscrutable leader, Blake..."

ALL about secret societies! 

Into the Midnight Wood by Alexandra McCollum
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A whimsical queer romance about two mismatched roommates whose fragile - and definitely not romantic at all - balance is upended by an impending family wedding and an otherworldly danger in the nearby enchanted wood.

There are at least 100 things wrong with Meredith Schwarzwelder. In fact, keeping track of these things is the only way David Carew has managed to remain living with him for as long as he has. Meredith is an irredeemable eccentric who flirts with everyone in his path (#3 on the list), cries at anything (#35), makes the worst coffee in the world (#70), and talks to mice, or imagines he does (#50).

It's bad enough living with such a person on the edge of the Midnight Wood, but when magic starts to seep from the wood and a dark being emerges with a sinister plan involving Meredith, David decides that it's time to leave the cottage, and his roommate, behind. Then Meredith's brother gets engaged to the daughter of David's boss, and David sees an opportunity: If he can insert himself into the festivities, maybe he can advance his career and get himself out of a personal rut.

With wedding bells sounding and the dangers of the Midnight Wood encroaching, David realizes there's much more hiding beneath the surface of his roommate's seemingly carefree charm, and that perhaps his own exasperation carries more fondness than he'd like to admit.

Cozy, sharp, steamy, and poignant, Into the Midnight Wood is a contemporary queer fairy tale about the masks we wear, the stories we tell, and the powerful need for true, honest connection to heal old wounds and new."

I mean, if you can enough to make a numbered list about the ways someone annoys you, you are already so far gone it isn't even funny. 

A Midnight Pastry Shop Called Hwawoldang by Lee Onhwa
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For readers of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, The Dallergut Dream Department Store, and The Midnight Library, a sweetly magical and uplifting novel about a young woman who inherits an enchanted bakery that spirits visit on their last stop before the afterlife.

Twenty-seven-year-old Yeon-hwa has inherited a neighborhood bakery from her grandmother. Curiously, her grandmother's will spells out two conditions: Yeon-hwa must keep the shop going for at least another month and only open it to customers from 10 PM until midnight. Yeon-hwa is hesitant at first; her grandmother was always distant, raising Yeon-hwa after her parents died in a car accident. But she agrees to the terms, hoping that running the bakery will help her to finally understand her grandmother after all these years.

Yeon-hwa soon learns that the Hwawoldang - the name means "flower moon temple" - is not an ordinary dessert shop. The customers who arrive late at night are spirits, there to attend to unfinished business before being reincarnated. The sweets they crave hold some deep significance in their earthly lives, and they expect Yeon-hwa to meet their requests, as her grandmother did.

With each customer who arrives, Yeon-hwa learns which special desserts live in their memories and will help them on their way. Aided by the shop's resident black cat, Yeon-hwa learns how to find closure for her customers - and begins to unravel her own family's secrets as well."

This is such a feel good type of tale, which is why I would like books like this to stop being compared to The Midnight Library. That is NOT a feel good book. Not. At. All. 

The Lust Crusade by Jo Segura
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A plucky librarian and an archaeologist on the run fake an engagement to save their lives, leading them into the labyrinth of their own desires.

Daniela Guiterrez has been in love with her brother's best friend for as long as she can remember - until he went missing a year ago during an archaeological expedition. But on a solo trip to Greece, the intrepid librarian discovers that Theo is very much alive, although judging by the criminals holding him hostage, he is not doing well.

An expert in Ancient Greek archaeology, Dr. Theo Galanis has been abducted by artifact smugglers in search of a priceless gemstone - the Eye of the Minotaur. This ridiculous assignment was supposed to get Dani out of his system, not keep her tied up next to him. But when a little white lie spirals into his captors believing Theo and Dani are engaged, they must utilize her research skills and his expertise to solve the centuries' old Minoan mystery, all while feigning a romance to keep each other alive.

Now with less than six days to find the jewel, underground societies, mythological beings, and pesky abductors are only half the battle. Because among the ancient ruins and temples they explore is an even bigger danger: falling in love for real."

The third Indiana Jones "homage" by Jo Segura that has me questioning if she will continue with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The latter of which has a banging title I've thought of for Jo Segura to use...

What Have I Done? My Autobiography by Ben Elton
Published by: Macmillan UK
Publication Date: January 13th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Many people think they know who Ben Elton is - but does he?

For the first - and only - time, Ben tackles this question head on in his frank, forthright and entertaining autobiography. Taking a deep dive into his life and times, both private and public, to reveal the true stories behind iconic hits such as The Young Ones, Blackadder and We Will Rock You, his pioneering routines hosting Saturday Live, which birthed a revolution in stand-up comedy, and so much more. Ben recounts his life and uniquely varied career from his Catford childhood and being the BBC's youngest ever sitcom writer at 21 right up to the present day, with yet another hit sitcom, Upstart Crow; a surprise late-life BAFTA; and his most critically acclaimed stand-up comedy show to date.

Alongside unique insights into his ground-breaking work, Ben talks honestly and hilariously about his personal and professional relationships with two generations of brilliant friends, inspiring contemporaries, occasional foes, and the times in which they all lived. And Ben's life has been just as challenging, rewarding and funny off screen as it has been on. He unpacks it all with wit, insight and complete honesty. And of course, there's a 'little bit of politics.'

After living sixty five years on the planet, forty-five of them in public, tickling many funny bones and getting on a respectable number of wicks, Ben has a lot of stories to tell, and he tells them unvarnished and uncensored - because that's who he is."

I'd buy this just to read about Blackadder, but if he can justify how horrible Maybe Baby was, well then, it's totally worth the price.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A.D. Bell, Alexandra McCollum, Alexandria Warwick, Ben Elton, Deepa Anappara, Greg Mosse, I.V. Ophelia, Isabel Ibañez, Jo Segura, John McMahon, Kaiju, Lee Onhwa, Margot Douaihy, Merit Niemeitz, Mothra, Sarah Crouch, Val McDermid