strange and random happenstance

A Dark and Wild Wood by Sarah Nicole Lemon
Published by: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Inspired by the tale of Bluebeard, A Dark and Wild Wood is the lush and atmospheric story of a maiden with dark magic who becomes the apprentice to Lord Death - for a price.

Ever since she was a child, Salomé has been plagued by visions of spirits and dangerous powers she can't control. After watching her foster mother burn as a witch, she and her beloved sister Rochelle are raised together in a convent, a grim and dreary existence. Until one day, Rochelle vanishes.

Determined to find a way to save her, Salomé runs: first to a brothel, and then, after a terrible accident, away from the village and into the woods. Deep amongst the trees of the wild Black Forest, she comes face-to-face with Lord Death.

Rather than taking her life, he brings her to his home at the heart of the woods, a strange manor full of locked rooms and mysterious corridors, crumbling one moment, magnificent the next. He promises to make her his apprentice and teach her how to harness her mind and magic. His words are as seductive as his presence - but should one trust Death?

A swirling mirage of gothic fairy tale and historical fantasy, A Dark and Wild Wood is a novel best devoured all at once. But proceed with caution, as everything is not what it seems..."

I am lately all about the Bluebeard adaptations. 

The Blackthorn Women by Jess Lourey
Published by: Thomas and Mercer
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 315 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A terrible family curse threatens four generations of women in a spellbinding novel of haunting secrets, magic, and healing by the Edgar Award-nominated author of The Taken Ones.

After her husband's infidelity, devastated Katrine Blackthorn reluctantly returns to Faith Falls, Minnesota, to her family's Queen Anne mansion on the hill and the magic that binds them all.

Her grandmother Velda charms everyone she meets. Her mother, Ursula, is a brewer of potions who sees a threat around every corner. And there's her estranged sister, Jasmine, broken by something no one will name. With Katrine's return, all that the Blackthorns have feared seems to be manifesting. The snakes amassing with the spring thaw and the stranger who's rolled into town are just the first omens threatening the fragile peace the family is rebuilding.

Now Katrine must face the darkest secret of her lineage and rediscover her own magic if the Blackthorn women are to survive."

Love the Practical Magic of it all.

Half Wylde by Sabrina Blackburry
Published by: W by Wattpad Books
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 424 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Readers who love romantasy about hidden heritage and fae mythology like Margaret Rogerson, Sarah J. Maas, and Holly Black.

Fans of paranormal romance television shows where the heroine discovers their true abilities like The Courting of Bristol Keats, Shadow and Bone, Carnival Row or Mayfair Witches.

Wren has spent her life hiding - hiding the truth about herself: She's half-fae. The local villagers are afraid of her and only her adoptive father, Bryn, and her teacher, a witch named Mila, care whether she lives or dies. When their village is attacked, and Bryn is killed, Mila urges Wren to flee into the woods.

There she encounters the mysterious but frightening Thain who offers to take her to the Wyldes, the land of the fae creatures. In the Wyldes, she can finally find a home and learn to embrace the side of herself that she's always kept hidden.

Raised among humans, Wren was shunned for her non-human half and taught to fear the fae. Now that she's living among them, she has to face her fears and accept her own heritage to find peace in her new home. But when the burning seal that Mila placed on her back to control her powers begins to burst, and the mystery of her parentage begins to unravel, Wren might find herself in more danger than she could have ever imagined."

Um, The Courting of Bristol Keats isn't a TV show, and it's probably not good to mention Shadow and Bone and Carnival Row to fans still raw from their cancellations. At least Carnival Row softened the blow by having a horrible second season. Some might say the same for Shadow and Bone. 

Fairies: A History by Francis Young
Published by: Polity Press
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Many people think they know what fairies are, what a fairy looks like, and how a fairy is expected to behave. Francis Young's new history of fairies demonstrates that the truth about belief in fairies is far stranger than clichéd images of tiny figures with wings and wands.

Before the rise of the 'small winged fairy' in the nineteenth century, the category of fairies included a vast range of supernatural human-like creatures, from the elves of Scandinavia and the aos sí of Ireland to the vilas of the Balkans and the fadas of Iberia. Young traces the ancient origins of belief in such creatures and how it adapted to the rise of Christianity and then flourished in medieval Europe, before being transformed - but not destroyed - by the upheavals of the Reformation, the Enlightenment, and even European colonial expansion, which made fairies a global phenomenon. He concludes this uniquely wide-ranging history by reflecting on the surprising ways in which fairy belief endures in our apparently disenchanted contemporary world.

No one who reads this brilliant tour through the enchanted pathways of fairyland will ever look at the winged creatures of contemporary popular culture - or the woods at the bottom of their garden - in the same way again."

I'm all here for the truth about fairies. They are scary and you don't want to mess with them.

Curses, Keys, and Secret Societies by Breanne Randall
Published by: Dell
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A witch hiding a dangerous secret is thrust into an elite magical academy, where survival means risking her life and her heart - in the standalone follow-up to Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things.

Dark secrets. Deadly choices. A destiny that can't be outrun. Welcome to Shadowcraft Academy.

Eléa Deniz dreads going home to the French countryside after leaving four years ago. Upon her return, she finds the estate has become host to the Shadowcraft Academy, an elite graduate school where a world of mysteries and power plays await. What’s worse, her father is the enigmatic and ruthless headmaster with an agenda of his own. And then she discovers a prophecy about her magic that could change everything.

As her power is tested, Eléa becomes torn between Alex, her stoic first love whose loyalties are as murky as his past, and the brash, irreverent Logan, who challenges her to see herself in new ways. Faced with family secrets, a secret society, and the weight of her own magic, Eléa must reclaim her power and forge her own path. Destiny is calling...and it demands a price.

The Sisters of Light and Shadow duology begins in Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things!"

Is it the beginning of a duology though if this is a technically a follow-up to Spells, Strings, and Forgotten Things?

The Black Cat Detectives by Kit Gray
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A charming cozy mystery with a delightful twist: The detectives are three kittens with magical powers, determined to solve a most purr-plexing case.

Precocious kittens Bippity, Boppity, and Boop are exceedingly loyal to their human, the twenty-eight-year-old up-and-coming magician Mila. She saved them from starving to death in a dingy Corvin's Crossing alleyway and has been nothing but loving ever since, even though her own life is in shambles.

So when Mila's sketchy boyfriend and business manager turns up dead at the end of her big magic show - she's the prime suspect. With evidence mounting, there's nothing stopping the sheriff from hauling away Mila to the human pound. Unless the kittens can solve the crime and clear her name.

The kittens will have to use their dubious control over the laws of physics and every whisker of know-how they've got to catch the real killer if they want to save their happy home with Mila. This is one meow-stery more tangled than any ball of yarn they've encountered yet."

Now I want three kittens to name Bippity, Boppity, and Boop. Though hopefully they won't have to clear my name of a murder charge and they'd be helping me dig the graves for my enemies.

We Could Be Anyone by Anna-Marie McLemore
Published by: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Two teen con-artists must execute an almost impossible scam at an exclusive mansion in this thriller that's White Lotus meets Mexican Gothic - for teens.

Lola and I grew up hearing that we could become anything, but our parents hadn't meant it the way gringo parents did. They meant it as a warning.

Lola and Lisandro are actors during Hollywood's Golden Age, but you won't see them on any silver screen. Instead, these siblings use their talents to scam the rich and famous out of their ill-begotten cash. They have their act down to a science: Lola plays the tragic ghost who haunts the mansions of the wealthy, and Lisandro plays the brave spiritualist who will help her soul find peace. For a small fee, of course.

The siblings have their sights set on their next target: The Coterie, the opulent estate of newspaper tycoon Bixby Fairfax and his famous mistress Blythe Bell. A score this big will allow them to move...well, anywhere but here. But this job requires them to do something they've never done before: switch roles. And as strange things keep happening at The Coterie...things that even Lola and Lisandro can't explain.

As they are drawn deeper into The Coterie's gleaming façade and tensions rise between brother and sister, one question looms over them. Will they be able to pull off their act? Or will this be their last performance?"

Or are they messing with powers beyond their control?

The Lemon Twist by Élan Les Vies
Published by: Keylight Books
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
""My name...is Sam Sailor. Like the others...I am trapped here. And will die here."

In 1984, Iris Sailor's brutal fall on the ice unravels everything - her memory, doping secret, and figure skating career. Dumped by her coach/boyfriend and banned from competing, Iris finds herself utterly alone, wishing there was some way she could reconnect with her estranged sister, Sam.

When she returns home after her fall from grace, she finds an old postcard tucked alongside the rest of her mail. Strangely, the card advertising Nova Bay is postmarked September 14, 1981 - the same day Sam disappeared. As she's about to chuck it in the trash, Iris realizes there's only one word scribbled on the back: HELP.

Tracing clues to a briny Northern California cove, Iris discovers a series of cassette tapes left behind by Sam, who narrates the story of her disappearance three years before. To uncover Sam's fate - and reclaim her own - Iris must piece together fractured memories and let go of the past before her sister and future are lost forever. But will she sink or swim under waves of crippling fear and dark family secrets?"

Handy to get physical media to help you recover your just lost memories...

The Vivisectors by Missouri Williams
Published by: MCD
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A reclusive graduate student is forced into a friendship that destabilizes her life in this surreal, allegorical romance.

In a famed but crumbling university city overrun by nature, where power is held in a fragile balance between academics and a contingent of rogue gardeners, the reclusive narrator of The Vivisectors spends her days propping up the career of her needy and fraudulent professor boss. Then a controversy ruptures her careful routine: Adam, a contrarian student and an obsession of the boss, comes into heated conflict with a young professor, with both men claiming discrimination. The crisis subsumes the university, though the narrator is unmoved - not even the attempted suicide of her estranged mother has been enough to dispel her lack of engagement with the world. But when her boss commands her to befriend Adam, the narrator finds herself both caught up in the events threatening to tear the city apart and increasingly drawn to the alluring student at the heart of it all.

Coursing with icy suspense and told with violent precision, The Vivisectors is a new kind of love story for an age of deteriorated communication. With the unsparing style and intellectual ambition that made her award-winning debut The Doloriad a celebrated provocation, Missouri Williams holds a mirror up to humanity's most intimate contradictions and reflects them back through a novel of profound, spiky spiritual reckoning."

Always here for any dark academia. 

Night Objects by Eli Raphael
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This suspenseful novel transports readers to the windswept coast of Washington State and a boarding school steeped in privilege and deadly secrets - a remarkable story of grief, power, and the dangerous price of belonging.

It is true that I wished him dead dozens of times. Hundreds, even. But I, Lenny Winter, did not kill that boy.

Lenny Winter is fifteen years-old when she moves with her parents to an aging houseboat off the rugged coast of Washington. She imagines a quiet life spent charting constellations and chasing her dream of becoming an astronomer. Instead, a sudden tragedy shatters her world and catapults her to Blanchard, a renowned boarding school for the Pacific Northwest's elite, where wealth and tradition rule.

Blanchard is dazzling, insular - and haunted by its own legends. At its heart lurks the Pascalianum Club, a secret society known to shape the school's greatest and most notorious students, and whose influence stretches far beyond campus walls. Hungry to belong, Lenny is drawn into its orbit, even as she senses that the club feeds on the very vulnerabilities she is desperate to hide.

As privilege collides with grief and loyalty warps into obsession, Lenny's choices will lead to an unforgettable reckoning - and a murder investigation that will test every story she tells herself about guilt, power, hope, and who she is becoming.

Sweeping, thrilling, and deeply moving, Night Objects is both a gripping mystery and a profound coming-of-age story - asking what we risk, what we become, and who we hold dear when the need to belong eclipses everything else."

I am so happy I never went to a boarding school. 

Beneath a Broken Sky by Joshua Moehling
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From USA Today bestselling author Joshua Moehling comes a tense, atmospheric thriller about one detective's search for a mysterious killer in the chaos following a deadly storm...

A killer hides in the wreckage of a broken town...

It's a hot, miserable summer in the small town of Sandy Lake. Detective Ben Packard has finally settled into life here - just in time for a tornado to sweep through the county, causing irreparable damage. Trees are felled, homes are destroyed, and people are desperate.

Hiding among the debris is someone with a secret.

When a mother who made enemies defending her bullied son is killed, the suspect list stretches across the entire town. For Packard, the case hits uncomfortably close to home. The deeper he digs, the more Sandy Lake hums with a tension that refuses to break.

As thick smoke from nearby wildfires chokes the air, someone from Packard's past shows up on his doorstep without warning, forcing him to confront the reality of navigating life as a gay man in a small town bent on tradition, no matter the cost.

The heat suffocates. The violence simmers. Before the summer is out, someone else will die."

You know, natural disasters are a very good way to cover up a murder.

House of Margins by Tlotlo Tsamaase
Published by: Erewhon Books
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Serial the podcast meets The Other Black Girl in a haunted house, as young African author disappears after being invited to an exclusive writing residency, and her sister is left only with a true crime podcast to help her uncover the truth about what really happened...

Anaya Sebeya is missing.

Before her disappearance, Anaya was a brilliant writer: a rising star. Invited to a prestigious writing residency at Günter Huis, an eerie colonial mansion on the slopes of Devil's Peak, Anaya was supposed to craft the next great African literary masterpiece - and so were four other young, emerging writers, all competing for the grand prize. But Anaya never made it home.

When a sensationalized true crime podcast about Anaya emerges, claiming to reveal everything that happened at Günter Huis, her sister Ranewa is both skeptical and furious. But with each surreal episode, Ranewa begins to piece together a truth worse than she ever could have imagined...

At Günter Huis, Anaya's nightmares consume her. Time slips away from her. Günter Huis inflicts distorted visions and terrible supernatural visitations, pushing Anaya to tell a story no one dares. But exorcising the house's endless cycle of evil requires a sacrifice that neither Anaya nor her fellows are ready to make.

In House of Margins, award-winning Motswana author Tlotlo Tsamaase delivers a mesmerizing story of a young generation facing colonialism's cultural legacy in Africa."

Evil house, yes yes.

Dungeons and Danger by Elizabeth Penney
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The second in Elizabeth Penney's Ravensea Castle cozy mystery series, set in a haunted castle-turned-B and B in Yorkshire, UK.

As Halloween approaches, Ravensea Castle is bustling with excitement as Nora Asquith welcomes the fall season guests to her family's newly converted bed and breakfast. A historian studying the movements of the Vikings has traced their exploits to Ravensea. A certain Viking woman, known as the Red Maiden, landed here and the historian believes she buried a treasure hoard before the castle was built. He is hopeful he can find the hoard now. Nora can't help but wonder if the enigmatic castle ghost she's always referred to as the woman in red could be this very Viking?

Meanwhile, a team of four ghost hunters is coming to stay at Ravensea for the filming of Britain's Got Ghosts. Former students of the historian, the group arrives with their own rivalries and baggage. They try to see who can make the most paranormal contacts and end up getting more than they bargained for.

When the historian is murdered during a Viking festival on castle grounds and his notes go missing, Nora can't help but wonder if the treasure was why he was killed...and could it be connected to the visiting ghost hunters? Additional "accidents" befalling the hunters raise the stakes as Nora races to find the killer - and the treasure - before another death occurs."

Yeah, I'd be more worried about finding that treasure too...

The Boleyn Secret by Alison Weir
Published by: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 560 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The New York Times bestselling author of the Six Tudor Queens series explores the dramatic, mysterious life of Katherine Carey, niece of Anne Boleyn, in this surprising novel that delves into one of the deepest secrets of Henry VIII's court.

At twelve years old, Katherine Carey attends her aunt, Queen Anne Boleyn, to the scaffold. Horrified by what she witnesses, Katherine is convinced that King Henry VIII is a murderer and has sent an innocent woman to a terrible death.

Although the Boleyn family, once so influential at court, has now fallen from favor, Katherine still manages to secure a coveted role as companion to her now-motherless cousin, the young Lady Elizabeth. Bound by Boleyn blood, the two girls grow as close as sisters, though Katherine has trouble ignoring the sly looks thrown her way and continual whispers behind her back. Only when her mother lies dying does Katherine learn the life-shattering truth that the Boleyns have been hiding for years.

It is a secret that follows Katherine throughout her life, as she flees religious persecution with her husband and lives abroad in fear, returning home only when Elizabeth becomes queen. But the bond between the Boleyn cousins will never be the same again.

With her usual entertaining and authoritative style beloved by readers, renowned historian Alison Weir exposes a dramatic, little-known Tudor mystery in this fascinating, revelatory novel."

One thing I've learned about Tudor England is that you don't want to be a Boleyn at all. Not even connected to them.

The Friend of the Family by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Published by: Pushkin Press Classics
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A blustering interloper and a meek aristocrat struggle for control of a country estate, in this comic novel by the author of Crime and Punishment.

Full of pace, effervescence and grotesque comedy, this short novel by the renowned author of Crime and Punishment represents an antic mode insufficiently known to English readers, and presented here in the first translation since Constance Garnett's version of the 1920s.

Set on a remote country estate, the story concerns a household completely under the sway of the despotic charlatan and humbug Foma Fomich Opiskin, one of the most notorious creations in Russian literature. The owner of the estate, Colonel Rostanev, a meek, soft-hearted giant of a man, is cruelly dominated by Opiskin. With deftly controlled suspense amid a teeming variety of wildly eccentric minor characters, the novel builds up to a confrontation between these two. Will Rostanev give way to Opiskin's cruelty and sacrifice the love of his life? Or will his sense of honor finally push him to resist the tyrant’s demands?

Written in the year of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's return to St. Petersburg after his exile, it is perhaps his most important early work. It is the link between Gogol and Chekhov; it is almost Dickensian in its comic proliferation of imaginative characters. In the chaos which spreads out from the roiling center of the dominant Opiskin, Dostoevsky draws a picture of a Russia on the verge of upheaval and transformation."

The way Russian authors have of dark humor with commentary always fascinates me. I also love the Mitfordesque cover.

Before I Knew I Loved You by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Published by: Hanover Square Press
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The sixth book in the multi-million-copy bestselling Before the Coffee Gets Cold series about a cozy Japanese cafe that offers its visitors the chance to travel back in time.

In a special seat in a fabled Tokyo cafe, you're offered something irresistible - not just a warm, comforting coffee, but the chance to go back in time to revisit the ones you love...

In Before I Knew I Loved You, Toshikazu Kawaguchi takes us back to the warm heart of the mysterious Funiculi Funicula Cafe, with another four guests whose luminous stories of love, lost and won again, will reaffirm your belief in its eternal potential. In this book, we meet:
-The girl who couldn't call her mother, and yearns to reconnect with her
-The man who waited for a reply from his girlfriend, and never heard from her
-The woman anxious to travel ahead to know what her future holds
-The student who travels back to meet his father again, who passed away many years before.

Yet the same rules always apply - you must return before the coffee gets cold. And while it does, memories are revisited, people are changed for ever, and the enduring power of love transcends the boundaries of time.

The sixth book in the phenomenal, bestselling series, translated from Japanese, Before I Knew I Loved You asks the irresistible question: what would you do if you were offered the chance to go back in time?"

I mean, how hot is the coffee? Because if it's like McDonald's lawsuit hot then that's a nice chunk of time to spend with your dearly departed.

I Hear a New World by Alan Moore
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling author and legendary storyteller Alan Moore, the second book in the Long London Series, a daringly inventive fantasy novel about murder, mayhem, and magic.

It's 1958 and Dennis Knuckleyard has decided to leave his adventures in the Great When in the past where they belong. For nine years, he's avoided so much as thinking about the magical version of London, until he rediscovers an unpleasant reminder of his last adventure - a key that he'd secretly brought into his own world from the other for safekeeping.

But while Dennis may believe he's done with the Great When, it's far from done with him. When Dennis gives the key to a friend, its magical properties reawaken, bringing creatures from the other world into Dennis's and sparking riots in Notting Hill. Even worse, Dennis's old crush Grace Shilling has been forced into the Great When to investigate strange happenings in both cities.

Desperate to keep Grace safe, Dennis follows her into Long London. But once inside the other city, it will not let him go away again so easily, and Dennis and Grace must fight to set things right in the Great When and their own world, or forever lose their lives - and each other.

Full of Moore's characteristically stunning world building and rollicking prose, I Hear a New World is the extraordinary second adventure in the Long London series."

The Great When let's you know when it's done with you.

The Mayor of Noob Town by Ryan Rimmel
Published by: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"LitRPG fans: there's a new player in town. In the first book in Ryan Rimmel's fantastical Noobtown series, a young man dies only to find himself the hero in a strange new world.

It could be worse. You could be stuck with a literal shoulder demon.

For Jim, it's very much worse. Because after dying and being reborn into a world that's built like a video game, Jim has found himself stuck in an antiquated new player zone for low level adventurers - stuck with a demon shrunk to the size of a plush animal, who only will help keep Jim alive so that it can kill him later and get back to its demon realm.

But in order to survive, Jim must level up. Except the zone he's in fell out of use centuries ago and so this isn't the typical "grind through the forest" part of the game anymore. On top of that, no one told the monsters that remain they were supposed to take it easy on the Noobs.

And even worse, the only new player around is Jim.

Yet Jim has been given an opportunity, and he'll do his best to take advantage of it. Death caught him by surprise once.

He isn't going to let it happen again."

Is it weird that I can instantly put myself in Jim's shoes?

The Tuxedo Society by Paul Rudnick
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"If Guy Ritchie directed a James Bond caper starring a queer 007, it might look something like this hilarious and action-packed spy thriller by Paul Rudnick, acclaimed screenwriter and author of Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style, that blends espionage and social commentary, with an elite, gay secret society.

They are fierce patriots. They are licensed to kill. And they are really, really gay. Welcome to democracy's secret weapon, the Tuxedo Society.

When Andrew Birnbaum, a struggling actor making ends meet by working in a candle shop, gets invited to have dinner with the exclusive Tuxedo Society by his best friend, Brock, his life takes an unexpected turn. What seems like a group of wealthy socialites gathering for gossip and cocktails quickly spirals into a world of espionage, danger, and hilarity.

Andrew soon meets Reggie O'Malley, a Navy SEAL with a penchant for black tie, who recruits Andrew to join the society's covert mission to protect national security. Armed with gadgets like an inflatable life raft backpack, a yoga mat that doubles as an assault rifle, and, of course, an AMEX Black Card, Andrew quickly finds himself tackling spies, thwarting assassinations, and facing a host of unexpected threats in settings from the White House to the Vatican to the Summer Olympic Games.

The stakes escalate when Andrew and his comrades are sent on a jet-setting mission to uncover the truth about an ancient artifact. Along the way, they clash with oligarchs, crooked senators, and a smarmy televangelist with sinister plans for world domination.

Packed with Paul Rudnick's signature wit, The Tuxedo Society is a wild ride through decadence, danger, and unexpected heroism, as Andrew discovers that saving the world might just be the role he's been waiting for."

More importantly, Paul Rudnick is the writer of Addams Family Values. That is ALL you need to know to buy this book.

Bromantasy by Máire Roche
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Two heroes. One brain cell.

Bromantasy is a cozy, queer fantasy about the mortifying ordeal of being known by your totally platonic best friend and the epic quest that might force you to confront the truth.

Fellas, is it gay to kiss your bff while on a quest through the forest you're unqualified for?

Juniper O'Reilly is good at only two things: demolishing a pint of mead and finding the perfect skincare routine. Everything else - taking care of the farm, bartering for goods, any sort of manual labor - falls to Juniper's best friend, the absurdly capable, endlessly patient Mo Elmthorn.

But when Juniper accidentally volunteers them both for a quest to kill a fearsome monster, he knows he's finally gotten in over his head. Juniper hates camping, he hates the dark, and there's no way all these foraged mushrooms are going to sit well in his stomach. One thing he doesn't hate? How good Mo's thighs look in his questing pants - he doesn't have time to think about that, though, with a monster to hunt and their futures on the line.

But monsters come in all shapes and sizes. When Juniper and Mo realize that the terrifying beast they've sworn to kill is just a scared little girl torn from her family, they're off to find not only the true villain of the story, but maybe even a happy ending."

I love that they have questing pants. Hot questing pants.

Fortune by Kristin Cast
Published by: Bloom Books
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the House of Night series Kristin Cast comes the next spicy and spellbinding light romantasy in the Towerfall series.

They matched on a dating app. Then the universe dropped them into a magickal fire kingdom.

Amanda Ward has a five-step manifestation routine, a ritual kit in every purse, and a dating profile designed to reflect the version of herself she wishes she could be: grounded, glowing, and in total alignment. In reality, she's overwhelmed, under-satisfied, and one passive-aggressive email away from a full-blown meltdown.

When a sext thread with her in-app temptation, Declan Thorne, leads to an invitation she can't resist, Amanda finds herself face-to-face with the man behind the messages - a devastatingly hot, emotionally constipated venture capitalist. And the moment she tries bringing a bit of magick into their night, a tarot-triggered portal yanks them both into another realm entirely.

Now stranded in the Kingdom of Wands with an aggravating, broody CEO-turned-reluctant-bodyguard and zero clue how to get home, Amanda's facing nightly on-stage performances, suspicious queens, and magick that refuses to cooperate.

What's worse is that her biggest issue might not be the kingdom - it might be catching real feelings for the one man who makes her want to drop the act.

To survive and find their way back home, she'll have to ditch the affirmations and the carefully controlled persona she's been clinging to and learn how to wield something way more powerful - her truth.

Even if it burns everything down."

But then you emerge phoenix like from the flames! Your true self! 

The Summer of Lost Things by Jenn Bennett
Published by: Avon a
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Sexy new adult romance meets swashbuckling adventure when ex childhood friends Paige and Seb reconnect to finally track down the treasure that has been a legend in their small Michigan beach town for decades. Perfect for fans of The Goonies and Netflix's Outer Banks who are craving more romance!

Star pupil Paige Malone just finished her first year at Harvard. Dropout Seb Jansen spent that time pumping gas for wealthy yacht owners at a Lake Michigan marina. They haven't seen each other since high school. A shame, considering that they were once inseparable childhood friends who combed their coastal hometown's sun-kissed beaches along with a couple of other middle-school pals - hunting the Golden Venus, a legendary local treasure that's distantly connected to Paige's family.

A treasure rumored to be worth millions of dollars. If it even exists.

These days, however, the former BFFs have traded adventure for reality. Paige is home for the summer and is spiraling after losing her college financial aid. While across town, Seb fell in with a bad crowd and now regrets his life choices, big time. Both feel colossally stuck. And alone.

But when Paige stumbles upon a hidden secret in her grandmother's beach cottage, she must get their old treasure-hunting gang back together to finally unravel the mystery that has eluded her family for generations. Who knows: the thrill of the hunt might help Paige and Seb find a path back to their lost friendship…or something more.

The Summer of Lost Things brings the summer heat with its combination of a high stakes treasure hunt and a swoony love story."

Goonies for grownups! Because obviously adults need treasure to pay their college tuition... 

By the Bootstraps by Alexa Martin
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A cowboy romance enthusiast discovers that everything's bigger in Texas - even love - in this swoony novel from beloved author Alexa Martin.

Fueled by a love of romance novels, Luna Starr was destined for a life with her head in the clouds. Her delusional tendencies serve her well...or at least they used to. When life throws her a curveball, she decides it's time to turn her cowboy fantasies into reality and purchases a tiny farm in Celestial, Texas. After all, don't all heroines try to outrun grief?

Tate Jacobs hates cowboys, which is a small problem, considering his family happens to own the largest ranch in Celestial. Life might not have gone the way he wanted, but as head coach at his old high school and the town's best (and only) handyman, he's figured out how to stay busy and keep his head down - until the new girl in town shows up. Luna's new property is a bad accident waiting to happen unless someone helps her with her DIY home renovations.

As Tate and Luna spend more time together fixing up her house, unexpected feelings and undeniable chemistry bubble to the surface. Luna might've moved to Celestial to make her cowboy dreams come true, but somewhere beneath the vast Texas skies, she discovers that love in the real world can be far better than she imagined."

I didn't know you could just like, manifest your HEA by acting like a character in a book... Hmm...

Marilyn and Her Books by Gail Crowther
Published by: Gallery Books
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Timed to the hundredth birthday of Marilyn Monroe, and with the full cooperation of the Monroe estate, comes an investigation into the literary life of the Hollywood icon and actress, from the author of Three-Martini Afternoons at the Ritz and Dorothy Parker in Hollywood.

Far from the spotlights of the Hollywood film sets and the flashbulbs of the press, Marilyn Monroe was a great reader and lover of books. Her association with writers did not stop at reading their words on the page. She was, of course, briefly married to one of America's best-known playwrights, Arthur Miller, and met a number of other writers who moved in his literary world. But she also met authors independently of Miller, many of whom were fans of her films and keen to meet her.

Through her deep research, Gail Crowther delves into Marilyn's personal book collection and recounts some of these meetings, like when she shared an apartment with Shelley Winters in West Hollywood, where they entertained Dylan Thomas and Christopher Isherwood for drinks (probably several drinks), after which Monroe arranged for Thomas to meet his childhood hero, Charlie Chaplin. Or when Life magazine arranged for Monroe to be interviewed by Dame Edith Sitwell at the Sunset Tower Hotel, and Sitwell was both charmed and blown away by Monroe's intelligence.

Marilyn And Her Books: The Literary Life of Marilyn Monroe charts the intellectual life of a screen legend, revealing how Monroe, who left high school before graduation, embarked on an impressive and progressive program of self-education, hungry for knowledge and devouring books as an active and engaged reader. Her personal library reflects this inquiring mind.

In 2026, for her centenary, this book showcases Marilyn Monroe the reader. Because, at the end of her life, it was not her jewels or her furs, shoes, or dresses that she cared about. It was her books."

Long live the legacy of book lovers!

Roddy McDowall by Samuel Garza Bernstein
Published by: Citadel
Publication Date: May 26th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Sincerity, erudition, charisma...Roddy McDowall.

Here is the comprehensive, first-ever biography of the award-winning child star, Planet of the Apes movie icon, beloved film legend, and Hollywood renaissance man whose career spanned 60 years.

As one of the very few naturally gifted child actors who graduated into adult roles with relative ease, Roddy McDowall exuded charm throughout a glorious Hollywood run that included film, television, and Broadway. John Ford's 1941 classic How Green Was My Valley put Roddy on the map at 12-years-old. It won Best Picture over Citizen Kane and is Clint Eastwood's favorite film of all time. But Roddy's biggest claim to fame was yet to come.

The phenomenally popular Planet of the Apes film series, which ran from 1968-1973, introduced him to a whole new generation of fans. In a career spanning 60 years, Roddy was also a professional photographer, producer and director, starstruck movie lover himself, and film preservationist. Among his treasured friends: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Angela Lansbury, Judy Garland, Julie Andrews, Lauren Bacall, Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando, Natalie Wood, and Rock Hudson. Openly gay among his peers, if not the public, Roddy was a trusted keeper of secrets as well. Loyal and authentic to the end, everyone in Hollywood loved Roddy McDowall.

Exhaustively researched and featuring exclusive interviews with those who knew him best, this first-ever biography from author Samuel Garza Bernstein charts the extraordinary trajectory of the London-born, award-winning actor - from a childhood in front of the cameras, to a break from the studio and his controlling stage mother, an awkward adolescence and growing awareness of his sexuality, to eventually shaping the life and career that Roddy wanted for himself. Professionally and personally, he was a success. This intimate and fascinating journey of resilience, transformation, and reinvention is a long-awaited and illuminating tribute to a true Hollywood legend."

BUY THIS BOOK! Says the girl who has an action figure of Cornelius from Planet of the Apes on her desk as she types this.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alan Moore, Alexa Martin, Alison Weir, Anna-Marie McLemore, Elizabeth Penney, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Jenn Bennett, Kit Gray, Kristin Cast, Máire Roche, Marilyn Monroe, Paul Rudnick, Roddy McDowall, Ryan Rimmel, Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Cursed by Marissa Meyer
Published by: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: November 8th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 496 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Cursed, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer brings the haunting fairytale-inspired Gilded duology to a thrilling conclusion that will have fans - old and new - spinning.

Be still now, and I will tell you a tale.

Adalheid Castle is in chaos.

Following a shocking turn of events, Serilda finds herself ensnared in a deadly game of make-believe with the Erlking, who is determined to propel her deeper into the castle’s lies. Meanwhile, Serilda is determined to work with Gild to help him solve the mystery of his forgotten name and past.

But soon it becomes clear that the Erlking doesn't only want to use Serilda to bring back his one true love. He also seeks vengeance against the seven gods who have long trapped the Dark Ones behind the veil. If the Erlking succeeds, it could change the mortal realm forever.

Can Serilda find a way to use her storytelling gifts for good - once and for all? And can Serilda and Gild break the spells that tether their spirits to the castle before the Endless Moon finds them truly cursed?

Romance and adventure collide in this stunning finale to the Rumpelstilskin-inspired fairy tale."

Oh my yes, Marissa Meyer and Fairy Tale retellings are just what I need right now.

Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: November 8th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 144 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"C. L. Polk turns their considerable powers to a fantastical noir with Even Though I Knew the End.

A magical detective dives into the affairs of Chicago's divine monsters to secure a future with the love of her life. This sapphic period piece will dazzle anyone looking for mystery, intrigue, romance, magic, or all of the above.

An exiled augur who sold her soul to save her brother's life is offered one last job before serving an eternity in hell. When she turns it down, her client sweetens the pot by offering up the one payment she can't resist - the chance to have a future where she grows old with the woman she loves.

To succeed, she is given three days to track down the White City Vampire, Chicago's most notorious serial killer. If she fails, only hell and heartbreak await."

Magical Noir, someone's been reading my dream genre mashups again!

External Forces by Shannon Fay
Published by: 47north
Publication Date: November 8th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 507 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A mage for the British royals matches wits with a power-mad old foe in a beguiling novel of enchantments and daring by Shannon Fay, author of Innate Magic.

London, 1958. By crafting magical outfits for his friend, Princess Katherine, cloth mage Paul Gallagher is getting ahead. It's not a seamless path. Not since the Virtuis Party came to power. The far-right faction is using criminals to create a protective barrier around England. The enchanted uniforms the prisoners wear may beget a demand for mages, but using luckless convicts as tools for warmongering reactionaries isn't Paul's dream for cloth magic.

His road to success takes an even darker turn when the unexpected death of a member of the royal family plunges the country into chaos. The Virtuis Party is rising, its mysterious puppet master is gaining control, and Paul and his allies are prepared to do anything to protect the princess, the throne, and ultimately, the soul of the country. That means falling back on the innate magic Paul dreads using again. It's illegal, dangerous, and so potent it can raise the dead.

But as the fate of the entire nation hangs by a thread, dire times call for extreme magic."

British period magic, yes please.

A Sliver of Darkness by C.J. Tudor
Published by: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: November 8th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The debut short-story collection from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man, hailed as "Britain's female Stephen King" (Daily Mail), featuring eleven bone-chilling and mind-bending tales

Time slips. Doomsday scenarios. Killer butterflies. C. J. Tudor's novels are widely acclaimed for their dark, twisty suspense plots, but with A Sliver of Darkness, she pulls us even further into her dizzying imagination.

In "The Lion at the Gate," a strange piece of graffiti leads to a terrifying encounter for four school friends. In "Final Course," the world has descended into darkness, but a group of old friends make time for one last dinner party. In "Runaway Blues," thwarted love, revenge, and something very nasty stowed in a hat box converge. In "Gloria," a strange girl at a service station endears herself to a coldhearted killer, but can a leopard really change its spots? And in "I'm Not Ted," a case of mistaken identity has unforeseen fatal consequences.

Riveting, macabre, and explosively original, A Sliver of Darkness is C. J. Tudor at her most wicked and uninhibited."

Not many authors can get me to pick up a short-story collection, but C.J. Tudor is one of them.

Raven Unveiled by Grace Draven
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: November 8th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A woman with the gift to speak to the dead - and the assassin pursuing her - may be the only chance a crumbling empire has of holding back true evil, in this electrifying fantasy romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Radiance.

Siora has been on the run for longer than she cares to remember, from her past and her gift. Born with the ability to see and speak to ghosts, she has heard their desperate pleas as an otherworldly predator stalks the dead amid the fertile killing fields of the collapsing Krael Empire. The creature’s power and reach are growing with every soul it consumes, but Siora is preoccupied with her own troubles: namely an assassin who has sworn an oath of vengeance against her.

Gharek of Cabast was once the right-hand man of the reviled empress but is now a wanted fugitive. Although his reasons for hunting Siora are viscerally personal, what Gharek can't anticipate is that when he finally does find her, she will hold the key to saving his world, or what's left of it. To make good on old debts and protect the vulnerable dead from a malevolent force, Gharek and Siora will both need to make an ally out of an enemy - and trust that will be enough to save each other."

Fantasy and the dead!

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: November 8th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The much-beloved BookTok sensation
A Barnes and Noble Best Book of 2022
A Library Reads Pick
An Indie Next Pick

*This paperback edition includes a very special, never-before-seen bonus story, 'Pages to Fill.'*

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.

The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success - not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed."

I love that this book is getting so much love!

The Resemblance by Lauren Nossett
Published by: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: November 8th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lauren Nossett's artfully written debut, The Resemblance is an exhilarating, atmospheric campus thriller reminiscent of The Secret History and The Likeness.

Never betray the brotherhood On a chilly November morning at the University of Georgia, a fraternity brother steps off a busy crosswalk and is struck dead by an oncoming car. More than a dozen witnesses all agree on two things: the driver looked identical to the victim, and he was smiling.

Detective Marlitt Kaplan is first on the scene. An Athens native and the daughter of a UGA professor, she knows all its shameful histories, from the skull discovered under the foundations of Baldwin Hall to the hushed-up murder-suicide in Waddel. But in the course of investigating this hit-and-run, she will uncover more chilling secrets as she explores the sprawling, interconnected Greek system that entertains and delights the university’s most elite and connected students.

The lines between Marlitt's police work and her own past increasingly blur as Marlitt seeks to bring to justice an institution that took something precious from her many years ago. When threats against her escalate, and some long-buried secrets threaten to come to the surface, she can't help questioning whether the corruption in Athens has run off campus and into the force and how far these brotherhoods will go to protect their own."

Sold at ANY similarity to The Likeness. Most would say sold at The Secret History, but for me, The Likeness is sheer perfection.

Murder at Black Oaks by Phillip Margolin
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: November 8th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Phillip Margolin's Murder at Black Oaks, Attorney Robin Lockwood finds herself at an isolated retreat in the Oregon mountains, one with a tragic past and a legendary curse, and surrounded by many suspects and confronted with an impossible crime.

Defense Attorney Robin Lockwood is summoned by retired District Attorney Francis Melville to meet with him at Black Oaks, the manor he owns up in the Oregon mountains. The manor has an interesting history - originally built in 1628 in England, there's a murderous legend and curse attached to the mansion. Melville, however, wants Lockwood's help in a legal matter - righting a wrongful conviction from his days as a DA. A young man, Jose Alvarez, was convicted of murdering his girlfriend only for Melville, years later when in private practice, to have a client of his admit to the murder and to framing the man Melville convicted. Unable to reveal what he knew due to attorney client confidence, Melville now wants Lockwood's help in getting that conviction overturned.

Successful in their efforts, Melville invites Lockwood up to Black Oaks for a celebration. Lockwood finds herself among an odd group of invitees - including the bitter, newly released, Alvarez. When Melville is found murdered, with a knife connected to the original curse, Lockwood finds herself faced with a conundrum - who is the murder among them and how to stop them before there's another victim."

Isolation, murder, and a curse? Oh yes!

Peril in Paris by Rhys Bowen
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: November 8th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lady Georgiana Rannoch and her dashing husband, Darcy, are awaiting a bundle of joy, but an unexpected trip to Paris will thrust them straight into a tangled web of international intrigue in this all-new mystery in the New York Times bestselling Royal Spyness series from Rhys Bowen.

What a delight it is to finally be able to enjoy a simple meal again! I have been in the throes of morning sickness for the last few months as Darcy and I prepare to welcome a brand-new addition to our little family. Now that I am feeling better, I have realized I am dreadfully bored! It seems that all my nearest and dearest are off leading their own busy lives while I sit at home and attempt to train our two adorably naughty puppies. Fun as it may be, it is hard not to long for a little adventure, a change of pace, before my true confinement begins when the baby comes.

Happily, it seems that Darcy has read my mind. When I receive a letter from my glamorous best friend, Belinda, Darcy suggests we take a trip to Paris to visit her. It seems he also has a spot of business of which to take care, so I will be staying in Belinda’s flat as she works feverishly on Coco Chanel's fall collection. I happen to know Coco from a disastrous encounter in Nice years ago, and I am hoping this visit will go much more smoothly. But I soon learn that nothing about my time in Paris is going to be simple...or safe for that matter.

Darcy has asked me to take on a small chore as a part of his latest assignment. I am to covertly retrieve something from an attendee of Coco's show. It seems easy enough, but I discover that this little errand could have terrifying consequences for a world on the brink of war. When things go horribly wrong, I am left to find a killer all while trying to fend off a French policeman who is certain that I am a criminal mastermind. But I have no plans to deliver my darling little one in a prison cell, and so I will muster every ounce of my courage to save the day...and, quite possibly, the world!"

Our beloved Royal Spyness is back!

Better Than Fiction by Alexa Martin
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: November 8th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"One of Buzzfeed’s New Romances to Read This Fall!

Love isn't always by the book in this charming romantic comedy about a bookseller discovering how to be the main character in her story.

As a self-proclaimed book hater and a firm believer that the movie is always better, Drew Young didn't anticipate inheriting her grandma's bookstore, the Book Nook. She's in way over her head even before the shop's resident book club, comprising seven of the naughtiest old ladies ever, begin to do what they do best - meddle.

Bestselling author Jasper Williams is a hopeless romantic. When he meets Drew at his Book Nook signing event, he becomes determined to show her the beauty of reading. He curates a book bucket list in exchange for her help exploring the local Denver scene for his current manuscript. From going river rafting to trying local restaurants, Drew begins to connect with Jasper in a way she only thought happened in fiction.

When messy family ties jeopardize the future of the Book Nook, Drew is caught between a bookshelf and a hard place. She's reminded that real life isn't always big dreams and sweeping romance. But Jasper is the plot twist she never saw coming and he's writing a happily ever after just for them."

Yes, this book is a fantasy I would love to live.

Dawnlands by Philippa Gregory
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: November 8th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The "superb" (People) Fairmile series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory continues as the fiercely independent Alinor and her family find themselves entangled in palace intrigue and political upheaval in 17th-century England.

It is 1685 and England is on the brink of a renewed civil war. King Charles II has died without an heir and his brother James is to take the throne. But the people are bitterly divided, and many do not welcome the new king or his young queen. Ned Ferryman cannot persuade his sister, Alinor, that he is right to return from America with his Pokanoket servant, Rowan, to join the rebel army. Instead, Alinor and her daughter Alys, have been coaxed by the manipulative Livia to save the queen from the coming siege. The rewards are life-changing: the family could return to their beloved Tidelands, and Alinor could rule where she was once lower than a servant.

Alinor's son is determined to stay clear of the war, but, in order to keep his own secrets in the past, Livia traps him in a plan to create an imposter Prince of Wales - a surrogate baby to the queen.

From the last battle in the desolate Somerset Levels to the hidden caves on the slave island of Barbados, this third volume of an epic story follows a family from one end of the empire to another, to find a new dawn in a world which is opening up before them with greater rewards and dangers than ever before."

New Philippa Gregory!?! YAS!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexa Martin, C.J. Tudor, C.L. Polk, Grace Draven, Her Royal Spyness, Lauren Nossett, Marissa Meyer, Philippa Gregory, Phillip Margolin, Rhys Bowen, Shannon Fay, The Likeness, The Secret History, Travis Baldree