strange and random happenstance

Numb Were the Beadsman's Fingers by Alan Bradley
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A nun's corpse leads beloved amateur sleuth Flavia de Luce to uncover decades-old secrets in this charming final novel in the New York Times bestselling series.

In the cloisters of Golgotha House, a mere binocular's-squint away from Buckshaw, a nun lies dead. When her fellow sisters prepare her corpse for burial, they discover that their companion has been living a shocking lie for years. The truth about her past, and the dark reasons she harbored for escaping it, are impossible to fathom.

Charged with cracking this mystery is the firm of Arthur W. Dogger and Associates (Discreet investigations) - consisting, of course, of the inimitable young Flavia de Luce and her faithful partner-in-detection Dogger.

Working under the eye of a glowering Mother Superior, Flavia and Dogger must uncover a decades-old crime and a secret that lies an ocean away - along with a trail of deception that lies closer to home."

Yet another stunning book in Alan Bradley's series. I'm so sad it's the last, but in his afterward it felt like the end and a fitting goodbye and then he died while I was reading it. He will forever remain a favorite author of mine.

Nightingale Hall by Rachel Burton
Published by: Boldwood Books Ltd
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 282 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Discover a BRAND NEW gorgeous, enchanting historical read from the BESTSELLING author of The Butterfly Garden, Rachel Burton.

In the storeroom of a North London gallery sits a picture shrouded in mystery. The old painting, of a grand house beneath a luminous moon, was the final work of a rising young artist who was poised for stardom...until they vanished without a trace.

2019: Still grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother, Rosie has let her world grow small. But when she discovers a postcard of the painting tucked inside her grandmother's unfinished book, Rosie realises the artwork may be hiding a secret much closer to home.

1969: Lex Cooper has talent, ambition and a dazzling future in the artworld ahead. But one heartbreaking decision threatens everything Lex has worked for, and the painting that was set to make them famous, could well prove Lex's undoing...

As Rosie follows the trail Lex left behind, she uncovers a story of love, loss and reinvention - and a truth that will change everything."

And then Lovejoy arrives and solves it all! Perhaps I shouldn't have watched ALL of Lovejoy this year, because I now think he's the answer to a lot of problems.

Web of Ink by Rebecca Connolly
Published by: Shadow Mountain
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In 1920s London, "Lady Detective" Maud West enlists newly published Agatha Christie to covertly investigate a dangerous mystery, propelling the unlikely duo through mounting threats and blackmail in a quest to deliver justice.

In early 1920s London, Maud West has gained a public reputation as "London's Lady Detective," though the title is largely of her own making. Her self-written newspaper accounts bring her notoriety, but not the professional respect she craves. Instead of high-profile investigations, she is routinely assigned divorce work, missing persons, and blackmail - cases that rarely challenge her talents or elevate her status. When a frightened woman comes to her office claiming she is being stalked by a strange man, Maud senses a rare opportunity to prove her skill. As she digs deeper, she discovers that her client's troubles are tied to a clandestine gang operating within the city. The threats quickly escalate, and soon Maud herself becomes a target.

Elsewhere in London, Agatha Christie is both a new mother and a rising author, thrilled to see her first detective novel in print. Yet she hungers to observe a real investigation firsthand. Maud West's exploits in the newspapers captivate her imagination and fuel her desire to study genuine detective work.

To Agatha's astonishment, she receives a message from Maud requesting a private meeting. Maud outlines the increasingly perilous case and proposes a partnership: As a public figure tied to the investigation, she needs someone inconspicuous and sharp-minded to assist her. Agatha, a crime novelist rather than a known detective, is the perfect covert ally. Together, the celebrated detective and the rising mystery writer become entangled in a dangerous, twisting web that will test their ingenuity, courage, and trust as they work to bring justice to light."

After her first book was Agatha Christie that inconspicuous? 

The Lost Souls of Saint Oda's by Jess Armstrong
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Jess Armstrong's USA Today Bestselling and award winning Ruby Vaughn Mysteries return in The Lost Souls of Saint Oda's.

1923. American heiress Ruby Vaughn hoped the new year would bring less murder and far less of the occult, allowing her to spend her days at the rare book shop she runs alongside her octogenarian employer, and exploring her fledgling romance with Ruan Kivell, the intriguing folk healing Pellar she met in Cornwall. But fate often has other plans. Ruby has long believed her entire family died when the Lusitania sank in 1915, however when her solicitor brings news that her mother inexplicably survived the catastrophe and he believes he's found her in a Belgian hospital just across the channel, Ruby dares not hope it's true. For if there's one thing Ruby Vaughn knows, it is that hope is the surest way to a broken heart.

With trepidation, Ruby and Ruan set off for Belgium with a simple task - to go to the hospital at Saint Oda's priory, find her mother, and bring her home. However, upon her arrival at the priory, Ruby learns the woman they sought had died and been hastily buried days before. Stunned, Ruby refuses to believe that her mother is truly gone. Perhaps it is her jaded heart, or all the time she's spent lady detectiving as her employer, Mr. Owen, calls it, but the more Ruby inquires into the woman's fate, the more suspicious the death becomes and Ruby and Ruan fear that both the occult and murder are at work in Belgium. As Ruby unfurls the mystery surrounding the woman, she finds more missing souls and a sinister secret that has been simmering at Saint Oda's since the Great War and it's up to Ruby to find the truth."

Just what the hell are they up to at Saint Oda's!?!

Midnight in the House of Commons by Charles Finch
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Amateur sleuth Charles Lenox investigates the murder of a Parliament member, moving through the glamorous high society of Victorian London in the next novel from acclaimed author Charles Finch.

In the spring of 1881, Lenox is caught up in the whirl of London life when his brother arrives to tell him that there's been a murder in the House of Commons. Robert Baddeley, a charismatic, womanizing Member, has been found poisoned in the hallowed chamber itself. Suspicion immediately falls on the women in his life, including his wife and mistress, but as Lenox digs deeper, he realizes that there were more than a few people who might have wanted Baddeley dead.

Meanwhile, Lenox must balance his investigation with his family life, which has grown increasingly complicated: his ward Sari struggles with heartbreak, the Lenox household receives an odd visitor, and a young woman comes to Lenox to implore him to find her fiancé, who has mysteriously vanished.

And just when Lenox is nearing the truth of Baddeley's murder, someone close to him is arrested for the crime - and Lenox must race to solve the case before losing everything.

Joyfully set in ballrooms, supper parties, palaces, and Parliament, Midnight in the House of Commons takes Charles Lenox through his trickiest, most satisfying case yet."

I just watched all of House of Cards, original, this year and I feel like I need more misdeeds in Parliament...

Scorpion Palace by Shylashri Shankar
Published by: Canelo
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: eBook, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Seven guests. One killer.

Hyderabad, India; 1895. Seven guests are invited by the Premier Minister to the opulent Faluknama Palace to witness the sale of a rare diamond. They do not know each other, but each is hoping to secure something important from the weekend.

When their host fails to appear, Chief Inspector Soobramania - known as Soob - is asked to step in, and safeguard the near-priceless gem.

Meanwhile, a visitor from Scotland Yard brings Inspector Wilberforce - Soob's counterpart in the British Residency Police force - news of a deadly revolutionary collaborator: none other than Soob himself. Wilberforce is forced to question everything he thinks he knows about the man as they head to the palace to arrest him.

But then a ferocious monsoon descends; the roads are washed out and with an escaped panther stalking them, everyone is trapped in the hilltop palace. When the jewel goes missing and a guest is murdered, only one thing is certain: both the killer and the diamond are still there.

With Soob suspected of treason to the Crown and the British police officers blinkered by fear and prejudice, will anybody be able to solve the crime before there is another victim?

A perfectly pitched historical crime thriller from a rising star of the genre, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie."

Locked-room mystery! I know, technically monsoon and panther, but same thing!

Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Murders by Stuart Douglas
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A fiendish seasonal mystery in which Holmes and Watson must discover the connections between a series of Christmas-themed murders in London. For fans of Gareth Rubin's Holmes and Moriarty.

In the week before Christmas, Dr Watson convinces Sherlock Holmes to accompany him gift shopping for Mrs Hudson. Unwilling to trail around lots of smaller establishments with the heaving seasonal crowds, Holmes insists they leave early and go to a single shop: Whiteley's, the capital's first 'department' store, in which everything and anything can be found!

What Holmes and Watson do not expect to find, however, is a body suspended in the branches of the store's Christmas tree.

To everyone else, it looks as though the dead man has fallen from a gantry and broken his neck. Only Holmes hears a slow, steady drip and notices the blood pooling beneath the tree. A murder has taken place.

With a less-than-amenable police inspector hampering him at every turn, the world's greatest detective has his work cut out for him to follow the trail of grisly clues and stop the murderer before more bodies pile up!"

First it's written by my friend Stuart! Second, Shelock and Christmas! They so go together. "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" is one of my favorite stories.

The Advent of Death by Alexandra Benedict
Published by: Simon and Schuster UK
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: eBook, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When Edie O'Sullivan receives an invitation from an old friend to spend a pre-Christmas break in the picturesque town of Rye, she jumps at the chance to escape - and reconnect. But when she arrives with her wife, Riga, it quickly becomes clear this is no festive getaway.

Edie hasn't been invited for comfort, but for help.

Four days earlier, her friend's daughter Rebecca - the town crier - received an unusual gift: a handcrafted wooden advent calendar shaped like Rye itself. At first, it seemed like a charming curiosity, part of her public role. Then, on December 1st, a burglary at 1 Church Square. December 2nd, an ABH at 2 Martello Close. December 3rd, a GBH at 3 Allendale Drive.

Each door opened. Each crime escalating.

Now Rebecca is certain the calendar is counting down to something far worse - and she's turned to the only person she believes can stop it.

With Christmas approaching and the body count rising, Edie must decipher the deadly pattern before the final door is opened."

Alexandra Benedict has hit gold with her series starring Edie O'Sullivan. I am SO EXCITED for this book that it's first on my to read list this holiday season.

The Heights by Ian Rankin
Published by: Cardinal
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"#1 International bestselling author Ian Rankin returns with a razor-sharp, twisty standalone thriller - this one exposing the lives of the 1% in London's most exclusive high rise.

Facing Hyde Park, The Heights is London's most coveted luxury high-rise apartment - designed to satisfy every need, with a gym, infinity pool, cinema, and more, where self-made owner-developer Allan Franklyn himself has claimed the penthouse duplex. His neighbors include some of "Money London's" biggest personalities: a wealthy art dealer, a young heartthrob pop star, a foreign heiress, a gangster's wife. The residents are used to service, deference, and privacy, all on their terms.

But when nighttime concierge Dwayne Hogarth is found dead in the lobby, none of that is in their control anymore, and everyone's under the unwelcome scrutiny of Detective Sergeant Gillian Gish. Her questions begin with the party on the 4th floor the night Dwayne died, which ended with a fight; the missing key to one of the apartments; and a mysterious gap in the security camera footage. Before long, Gish uncovers the unsavory truths and dark secrets that lurk beneath the glittering facades of the building and its inhabitants.

Filled with shocking twists and unforgettable characters, The Heights confirms Ian Rankin's status as one of the most original and compelling crime writers of our time."

Only Murders in the Building made me obsessed with crimes in apartment complexes. Ben Aaronovitch's The Hanging Tree made me obsessed with crimes in London high rises. 

Cold Blade by Matt Goldman
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"If a murder scene looks too good to be true...it probably is.

Wealthy businessman Jonathan Willetts wants private investigator Nils Shapiro to prove that his wife Paige didn't murder one of his employees, Lukas Day.

Everything points to Paige's guilt: she had an encounter with Lukas the night he died, and her fingerprints are on the knife found at the scene.

As far as the Minnesota Police Department are concerned, it's an open and shut case.

Nils isn't so sure.

After all, Jonathan and Paige have plenty of enemies.

Is Paige being set up by a calculating killer?

Deception, theft, and stunning secrets convince Nils that there's more to this case than meets the eye.

But can he uncover the chilling truth?

A page-turning private eye series written in Matt Goldman's unique, sharp style, perfect for fans of Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, and Harlan Coben."

I was lucky enough to attend an event for the first Nils Shapiro book and I have got to say, this is a series you want to stick with. 

This Jury Is Guilty by Laurie Blake
Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Everyone is Watching meets Twelve Angry Men in a tense and twisty locked-room thriller where, sequestered together until the Hollywood trial is closed, a jury must decide the fate of an actor accused of attempted murder, but this jury has explosive secrets, and one of them is about to get away with a murder of their own.

No one here is innocent.

Hollywood's biggest movie star, Danny Scott, stands accused of trying to murder his wife, starlet Hope Harrison, in a case that has taken the world by storm. Everyone is asking: What led to the events of that night, and what darker truths simmer beneath the surface of Danny and Hope's marriage? As the world watches, twelve sequestered jurors must decide Danny's fate. But even a jury has its secrets...

Juror 6 is risking everything for this trial. Even her life.

Juror 2 is playing games. But can he keep one step ahead of his own lies?

Juror 13, the alternate, will do anything to be on that jury. Anything.

Juror 7 is hardly noticed by anyone. Just as she planned.

As each juror vies for the verdict they want, secrets, obsessions, and plots for revenge will come to light in the stands. Because everyone is lying. Everyone is guilty. And one of them might be planning a murder of their own.

With shocking twists and propulsive pacing, This Jury Is Guilty is a thought-provoking, locked-room thriller exploring our obsessions with true crime, the blurry lines between fact and fiction, and the lengths we're willing to go to seek justice. For fans of Amy Tintera, Steve Cavanagh, and Ellery Lloyd."

Anyone else wondering about the layout of the building on the cover what with a person in every window?

Dangerous Impulses by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The New York Times and USA Today bestselling series with over 3 million copies sold!

The Naturals are BACK! as #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Lynn Barnes delivers the highly anticipated new installment in her beloved Naturals series.

Cassie Hobbes joined the FBI's Naturals program at seventeen because she had an incredible ability to read people. Since then, Cassie, fellow profiler Dean, emotion-reader Michael, lie-detector Lia, and statistical genius Sloane have caught serial killers, outsmarted masterminds, and saved countless lives.

Now, eight months after the most twisted, traumatizing case of their lives and still dealing with the psychological fall-out, the Naturals decide to take on a joyful mission for once: playing matchmaker. With Christmas fast approaching, how hard could it be for an emotion-reader, a deception detector, two profilers, and a statistician armed with a wealth of data on romantic relationships to secure a happily ever after for two people who are already very obviously in love?

Turns out...very. Because to bring their FBI mentors back together, the Naturals will first have to solve the mystery of why Special Agent Veronica Sterling can't let herself have the very thing she wants the most. Profiling a profiler is tricky business, and it soon becomes clear that to solve this mystery, the Naturals need to uncover the past. Add in a puzzling series of interconnected crime scenes, an UNSUB with a fondness for snow, and a cold case on the verge of heating up, and it's shaping up to be a killer Christmas."

I mean, murder and Christmas, they always go together in my book, especially if it's part of a favorite series.

Birds of Prey: The Origins by Sara Shepard and Stephanie Pepper
Published by: DC Comics
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"#1 New York Times bestselling author Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars) and artist Stephanie Pepper take readers on a thrilling mystery that is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats! After a long summer, four teens from various walks of life return to Gotham City with devastating secrets - and some unexpected talents.

Gotham City is a place where people of all walks of life mingle, where the weird, opulent, and violent are celebrated. Helena Bertinelli lost her family here. Barbara Gordon suffered a tragic accident. Dinah Lance ran away from the foster system. And Harleen Quinzel is looking for her place. But each of these girls is hiding something - a secret that could destroy their lives in an instant.

When strange things start happening to students at Gotham Prep, everyone at the school is on edge, worried they might be next. Will Helena, Barbara, Dinah, and Harleen be able to put their differences aside and learn to trust each other in time to find out who is behind the mysterious accidents before another victim turns up?"

I have really been getting into Gotham of late and this is right up my alley. This coming from a Marvel girl!

Saved by the Spell by Tanya Huff
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Abbott Elementary, but make it magical: from the beloved Tanya Huff comes a new cozy fantasy novel perfect for fans of The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association.

At the High School for Magical Arts, the teachers are dismayed at the rise of a Hero…because it means a Villain isn't far behind.

It's September, and the teachers at the High School for Magical Arts are gearing up for another school year, and hoping it will be a quiet one. Teach students some magic, help them learn their craft, and get out in one piece.

Unfortunately, by the end of the first day, it's become obvious that they have a potential Hero. All the signs are there. By the end of fourth period, Bex Olynyk has stood up to a bully, turned out to be more powerful than anticipated, and acquired a smart frenemy and a nerdy, loyal roommate.

The problem? Where there's a Hero, there's bound to be a Villain. And when Heroes and Villains face off, it's going to be anything but a normal school year.

Overworked and underpaid, the teachers at the High School for Magical Arts did not sign up for this, but now it's also their jobs to keep the Hero alive, keep damage to a minimum, keep math scores up to the national level, and find the student who will turn out to be a power-hungry, amoral villain.

Will no one think of the teachers?

Funny, irreverent, and absolutely charming, this cozy fantasy is a gleeful romp through fantasy school tropes - from the other side of the desk."

Reminiscent of Stargirl, but closer to Buffy the Vampire Slayer as told from Giles's POV.

The Three Brothers by Granger
Published by: Podium Publishing
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A mighty family once fell in a maelstrom of bloodshed and forbidden love. And the curse is about to repeat itself...

When fantasy author Celeste Taylor arrives at Drew Collins University, she's stunned to learn the magical HBCU is not only real but also populated with young witches, vampires, shifters, and other creatures that until now she's only encountered in the pages of her books, not to mention her strange, recurring dreams.

Celeste is soon welcomed into the home of Maggie Grey, her friends, and their otherworldly talking cat, Quan. She may finally have found her place here in this world hidden in Atlanta's Underground. Still, questions remain: Who is the terrifying, red-eyed man who led her there? What are her visions of three mysterious werewolf brothers trying to tell her? And what might her next story reveal?

Meanwhile, four students from DCU's rival school, Society Hill, have vanished. As Maggie and the group once again become embroiled in a mystery, their path to discover the truth will entangle them in a dangerous web of sinister plots and a ruthless quest for power that could change the Underground forever. Unless they stop it first..."

I just love the concept that maybe she wasn't writing fantasy all along and everything from her dreams is 100% real. 

Mooncursed by Holly Renee
Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A cursed sea king, a stolen bride, and a fate meant for another.

They say madness dwells in the ocean's depths...and in the eyes of the Drowned King. Cursed to take a human bride and break her mind the moment she sees his face, the Drowned King spends his life in torment, watching. Waiting.

Lou was never meant to be chosen. Branded from birth as a saltwitch, she has always been seen as the cursed shadow of her moonblessed twin. Now, veiled and bound in marriage to a man she must never see, she's thrust into a life of ancient gods and unraveling fate...and unspeakable desire.

Yet even as fear becomes tangled with a perilous longing for the Drowned King's heated touch, the truth of her choosing looms over her like a siren's song. It rages louder with every breath she takes as whispers travel through the kingdoms: rumblings of war, of ancient goddesses awakening, of a queen with saltwater on her lips who will change everything.

There is no stopping fate, for though she was never meant to be chosen, the moon has already summoned the tide."

And the tide is rising.

The Last King of Faerie by Cassandra Clare
Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 576 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The highly anticipated first book of The Wicked Powers, the final Shadowhunters trilogy! #1 New York Times bestselling author Cassandra Clare brings the saga that began in The Mortal Instruments to a stunning conclusion.

It's Drusilla Blackthorn's fourth year at Shadowhunter Academy when a chance encounter at a nightclub turns into a kidnapping. Dru finds herself held prisoner by Prince Ash Morgenstern in the land of Faerie, a place that proves just as dangerous as it is beautiful. Despite herself, Dru is drawn to Ash and the darkness that seems to surround him - but one false move could cost her life.

Meanwhile, a shocking disappearance rocks the foundations of the Shadowhunter world. Kit Herondale and Ty Blackthorn must set aside the bitterness that lingers between them and join forces on a perilous quest to save everything they cherish.

The first installment of the long-awaited concluding trilogy to the Shadowhunter Chronicles has all the nail-biting adventure, heart-pounding romance, and trademark humor that makes Cassandra Clare the reigning queen of YA romantasy."

But is it really the end?

A Conspiracy of Charming Monsters by Holly Black
Published by: Alvina Ling Books
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"#1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black returns to the world of Faerie in this gorgeously illustrated collection of short stories, where beauty can be monstrous and love can be capricious...

A reluctant king is thrown into turmoil when the girl he loves to hate is stolen by the Undersea.

An exiled redcap, trapped in the mortal world, must rediscover his inner monster.

A mortal girl sacrifices the other half of herself for an unworthy faerie lover.

A tiny sprite's determination to prove herself puts the entire High Court in danger.

In this collection, #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black combines her signature wit and lush world-building with stunning full-color art by Frostbite Studios in six irresistible tales that return readers to the world of the Modern Faerie Tales and Elfhame, including two never-before-seen stories: one revealing the interior life of Madoc while in exile and the other featuring the moment that High King Cardan realizes what he most desires."

Yes! YES TO ALL THIS! 

The Discworld Bestiary by Terry Pratchett and Paul Kidby
Published by: Ten Speed Press
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 160 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A comprehensive illustrated guide to the creatures and critters of Discworld, packed with wisdom from the great minds of the Disc as well as interjections from some of its more unconventional thinkers.

Discover the best way to care for the Terrible Man-Eating Sloth of Clup, the eating habits of the Ambiguous Puzuma, and marvel at the startling prevalence of ominous ducks in cosmic matters.

Wriggling with insights, crawling with wisdom and packed with extra advice from Rincewind, Unseen University's latest (and reluctant) adjunct professor of Perplexing Beasts and curator of its curiobiological museum."

There's no artist who brings Discworld to life like Paul Kidby.

My Pressures by Andy Serkis
Published by: Mariner Books
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"If Gollum, Caesar and Ulysses Klaue could hear Andy Serkis tell his story, would they choose him to play them? This is the question at the heart of his long-awaited memoir.

Beginning in a childhood split between Ruislip and Baghdad, Andy Serkis takes us - and his characters - on a journey through the early influences that shaped him: acting mentors, early roles at a regional repertory theatre, a passion for mountaineering, a desire for film-making and the love story with Lorraine Ashbourne that became the foundation of his life. Then, the call arrives in 1999 that changes everything. Peter Jackson is preparing to make The Lord of the Rings and Andy is asked to audition for the voice of a certain animated character.

What follows is an extraordinary behind-the-scenes journey through the fantastical worlds Andy has helped shape - The Lord of the Rings, Planet of the Apes, Black Panther, Star Wars and more - as he pioneered a new form of performance that would forever redefine the possibilities of cinema.

In this book, Andy invites us into a genre-defying conversation between actor and character, imagination and reality, and provides an answer to the question: what would Andy's most iconic characters make of the man that brought them to life?"

Seeing as I rewatched all of The Lord of the Rings prior to this book's release I can honestly say, I don't think they even needed the mocap, Andy was THAT GOOD as Gollum. 

If Destruction Be Out Lot Volume One by Matthew Rosenberg, Mark Elijah Rosenberg, and Andy MacDonald
Published by: Image Comics
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 136 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When humans disappear and robots flourish, one robot dares to go beyond the walls to find the humans who might still be alive in the sci-fi adventure of the year, where WALL-E meets Fallout.

Humanity is extinct and all that remains are the robots who once helped us. The robots that once helped us are happier now, doing their work without human interference. But not Abraham Lincoln. Abe is haunted by the thought that there must be something more out there - that somewhere, human beings might still exist. After nearly getting killed, he's determined to wander the Earth until he finds them...or gets recycled trying. Join him on an epic quest to learn who lives beyond the walls, why no one ever comes back, and what it means to be truly alive.

Artist Andy MacDonald (Wonder Woman, Doctor Strange), and writers Mark Elijah Rosenberg (Approaching The Unknown, Year Million) and Matthew Rosenberg (We're Taking Everyone Down With Us, 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank) bring you an ongoing story about finding purpose, holding onto hope, and really lonely robots.

Collects issues #1-4."

Of course a robot of Abraham Lincoln would get an existential crisis. 

The Trap by Lance Briggs, Kyle Higgins, and Danilo Beyruth
Published by: Image Comics
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 128 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In a future where Earth is a neglected backwater in a vast interstellar alliance, a young athlete's meteoric rise in a gravity-defying sport turns into a desperate fight to escape the systemic forces threatening to trap him forever.

Jaylen Robinson is a rising sports star from a not-so-great part of the galaxy: Earth. The future is his. This is his chance. But when a desperate job goes wrong just days before a big race, Jaylen's promising sports career threatens to succumb to THE TRAP.

Seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker and former Chicago Bear Lance Briggs, Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated writer Kyle Higgins (Radiant Black, Immortal Legend Batman), and rising star artist Danilo Beyruth (Deep Cuts, Catwoman) bring you a fast-paced epic about second chances in a world where hard work and talent is no guarantee for success."

As long as it's not podracing, I'm in.

Premier by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling author L.E. Modesitt, Jr. presents the final novel in his Grand Illusion series, Premier. The series (Isolate, Councilor, Contrarian, Legalist) contains the meticulous worldbuilding and political landscapes of the Saga of Recluce and Imager Portfolio.

Eight years have passed since Contrarian, and Steffan Dekkard is a moderately senior Craft Party councilor. The Craft Party holds a slim majority in the Council of Sixty-Six that rules the constitutional imperium of Guldor. But the Imperador's health is failing, and many councilors have lost confidence in the current Premier.

As chairman of the powerful Security Committee, tasked with investigating threats to the Council and Imperium, Dekkard faces growing anger from powerful corporacions, having restricted their efforts to avoid the laws of Guldor and revealed their continuing corruption.

The murder of a government witness involved in a corruption case reveals a conspiracy that reaches into the Council of Sixty-Six. They will stop at nothing to bring down the Premier and Dekkard."

If you've been waiting to start this series right now is the perfect time.

Monsters of Ohio by John Scalzi
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Monsters of Ohio is a heartfelt exploration of a tentacular solution to the struggles of the modern world from the New York Times bestselling author of Starter Villain.

Welcome to Richland, Ohio. Things aren't great.

The town's biggest employer is closing shop, and Richland's on the brink. It's where Mike Boyd, with his own set of problems, finds himself returning to after decades away.

He's not planning to stay.

But Richland has other plans for Mike, his old friend Dave, and a newcomer Andi. They're caught in a swirl of local troubles, private equity, executive theft…and something extremely weird involving Jeremy Keller's prize cow.

Welcome to Richland. Leave your expectations behind. Bring a tarp."

Whenever you need a dose of humor, what the fuck, and odd prescience, I always turn to John Scalzi.

A Grim Reaper's Guide to Living Twice by Maxie Dara
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"He's been charged with possession before, but never like this.

Jack McCoy was a thief and a liar. Then he died.

Margaret Chen transported souls for the biggest afterlife collection company in North America. Then she met Jack.

Possession isn't really supposed to be possible, but Jack McCoy never let a little thing like reality stop him. Now he's committing the ultimate identity theft, living a new life in Margaret's body while his own lies six feet under. Keeping up appearances as a geriatric grim reaper for S.C.Y.T.H.E. is a full-time job, but when Jack is sent to collect the soul of an old friend, his criminal past catches up with him and suddenly he's planning the heist of his (after)life with a gang of misfits he never thought he'd see again.

Now the only woman he's ever loved depends on his success in stealing a priceless list of souls from S.C.Y.T.H.E., but someone keeps beating him at his own game. Time is running out. If Jack puts one bunioned foot out of line it will cost him not only the people who matter most but also his second chance at life..."

I mean, compared to everything else he's trying to do, I think beating death might be the hardest.

To Vex and To Hex by Neena Noon
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"BOOKS. MAGIC. ROMANCE.

Lucy Ansari has a magical life. Literally - she's a witch, managing a perfect little bookshop. And whenever she's a little lonely, she turns to Charles - her beloved, ageing boss - to keep her company.

Disaster strikes when Charles breaks his hip: his prickly (and gorgeous) grandson Grayson arrives. The English professor from Dublin has never bothered to visit before, but now he's determined to look after Charles and his bookshop, and Lucy's ideal life is thrown into disarray.

But Grayson is as stubborn as he is handsome, and he's set on winning Lucy over, one way or another. As sparks fly between them, Lucy and Grayson may find themselves spellbound by more than just magic...

Neena Noon's To Vex and To Hex is the perfect spicy witchy romance to have you hexed this spooky season!"

I might point out that maybe Charles should have played matchmaker earlier?

The Friday Bookshop by Sawako Natori
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Welcome to the Friday Bookshop, a cozy little bookstore tucked inside a rustic train station north of Tokyo. Rumor has it, you'll find the perfect book there - one that you need at that particular moment, even if you don't know it yourself....

When college student Fumiya visits the Friday Bookshop as a last-ditch effort to find a book for his ill father, he is disappointed in its ordinary appearance despite whispers of its peculiar charm. But he soon discovers that it not only includes a café where the food menu changes daily on the chef's whim but also a vast underground vault lined with bookshelves, lovingly converted from an old abandoned subway platform. The bookshop, run by a quirky trio who have been close friends since high school, quickly becomes Fumiya's favorite place - so much so that he begins to work there part-time.

Fumiya, who was never really a reader, learns to embrace the joy of reading, and that books can be a means to connect with other people and navigate the twists and turns of life.

Through colorful interactions with the zany shop owners and their visitors, as well as mouthwatering dishes inspired by the books the owners recommend, it's impossible not to fall in love with the seemingly ordinary yet enchanting little bookstore in the subway station in Kanto."

Aside from the abandoned subway platform it sounds oddly like my favorite bookstore.

Sunflower Season by Danica Nava
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Fed up and burnt-out, a woman leaves the city to take on the challenge of owning a sunflower farm but finds that her biggest trial is facing her first love in this charming second-chance romance by USA Today bestselling author Danica Nava.

Drained by her high-pressure tech job, June Walker finds an escape in homesteading videos and the fantasy of a quieter life. When she finally hits her breaking point, she does the only reasonable thing: She quits her job and buys a crumbling sunflower farm in rural Oklahoma, where she grew up.

June thought her biggest challenge in restoring Sunshine Farm would be the rotting fences but soon comes to the crushing realization that "positive vibes" are not a business plan. Nothing, however, tests her resolve quite like running into her first love, the boy she left behind after her world imploded when she was seventeen. She's back for a fresh start, not to unpack old heartbreaks.

Noah Abbott never left Love County. Between his family, his job with the local fire brigade, and a town that knows him inside and out, he has everything he needs - except answers. So when June Walker returns as the new owner of Sunshine Farm, Noah is determined to find out why the girl who once meant everything to him vanished without a word.

As old wounds crack open and attraction flares back to life, June and Noah are forced to reckon with their past and decide whether first love is a memory best left buried or the one thing worth replanting."

The premise is more fantastical than fantasy or a Hallmark movie, but dammit if I don't want to dive in.

The Kiss of the Season by Michelle Kenney
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: eBook, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Stern elder brother, and master matchmaker of the Fairfax family, Sir Thomas Fairfax intends to announce the marriage of his youngest sister, Matilda, at The Knightswood Christmas Ball.

Determined to defy her brother, Matilda persuades her friend Georgiana to accompany her on a bracing ride over a wintry Dartmoor so she can enlist as a nurse with the army instead. Yet, her plan fails when Georgiana falls and breaks her ankle, developing a fever that concerns them enough to send for her older, widowed sister, Miss Arabella Farrington.

From the moment the enigmatic Arabella arrives, it is clear that she and Thomas share a mysterious history. Faced with the secrets of the past, Thomas finds himself questioning the future he thought he knew..."

A second chance romance perchance?

Pride and Practicality by Pepper Basham
Published by: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Arianna Reeves knows how quickly admiration can turn into exile. One poorly placed trust, one disastrously charming rake, and she is no longer society's darling - but its favorite cautionary tale.

Now returned home - uninvited and unmistakably whispered about - Arianna is determined to make amends with her estranged family and do something useful with her thoroughly ruined life. Even if polite society would prefer she did it at a very great distance from anyone respectable.

Thomas Bridges, a principled clergyman with an inconvenient habit of thinking for himself, is already walking a narrow line. His congregation expects propriety, his mother expects matrimony, and both have very firm opinions about his future. Thomas, however, would prefer a life guided by conviction...even when it proves impractical.

When Arianna repeatedly - and quite disruptively - crosses his path, Thomas faces a dilemma no sermon prepared him for. She is not at all what she ought to be: not dull, not foolish, and - most dangerously - not someone he can overlook, but a kindred spirit who shares his passion for service and his troubling habit of defying society's expectations...all with good intentions, of course.

As their forbidden acquaintance deepens into something far more perilous than friendship, Arianna and Thomas must decide: preserve their reputations, or risk them entirely for the good of others - and their own hearts.

Because in a society that measures worth by perfection, choosing grace, mercy, and love may cost them everything - and give them more than they ever hoped to find.

In Pride and Practicality, Pepper Basham delivers a Regency rom-com brimming with lively banter, heartfelt charm, and just enough mischief to keep propriety on its toes. With a kisses-only romance that sparkles with chemistry and a story rich in faith, humor, and second chances, this delightful tale invites readers to laugh, sigh, and fall in love with a romance that is as meaningful as it is joyful."

I have a feeling society is going to send them off somewhere hot to practice their vocation.

Is It Too Late to Make a Run For It? by Judi Dench with Brendan O'Hea
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: November 3rd, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea chat about her life on the stage, on the screen, and, above all, behind the scenes...

In Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It? Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea take us on a heartfelt and hilarious tour of her extraordinary life and career. From growing up in York and being miffed at not getting the part of Mary in the school Nativity play, to playing before sold-out houses on Broadway and in London's West End, she's done it all. She walked the red carpets of Hollywood, turned James Bond's M into the most astute, unflinching Head of MI6 anyone could ever have imagined, and won an Oscar, a Tony, Golden Globes, Oliviers, and BAFTAs along the way.

Yet despite the accolades, she has been accompanied by doubt. From the movie producer who said she had "everything wrong" with her face, to the theatre director who advised her against doing sitcom. Is it any wonder she leaves a bag by the rehearsal room door in case she has to make a run for it?

But stepping out of her comfort zone has been Judi's guiding principle and in Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?, she reveals all to Brendan - her friend and writing partner. She tells stories of pranks (both onstage and off), dissects her greatest screen roles, shares tales of her joyful marriage to actor Michael Williams, and talks about her passion for nature and animals.

As told to Brendan O'Hea, this is Judi Dench's story - funny, honest, intimate, enlightening, surprising, moving, and deeply inspiring. Over ninety years in the making, Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It? is the story of the world's most beloved actor."

Damn, I agree, I love Judi Dench. 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alan Bradley, Alexandra Benedict, Andy Serkis, Cassandra Clare, Charles Finch, Holly Black, Ian Rankin, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Jess Armstrong, John Scalzi, L.E. Modesitt Jr., Matt Goldman, Paul Kidby, Stuart Douglas, Tanya Huff

The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman
Published by: Scribner
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The brand-new series from the bestselling author of Practical Magic, following two brilliant young women in 1950s Cambridge, Massachusetts, as they become immersed in a mysterious secret group of witches at Radcliffe known as the Lilith Society.

Once upon a time, women were drowned in the river and the only witnesses were the crows in the trees. The Puritans blamed Eve for the sins of the world. That was when we began to meet in the name of Lilith, Adam's first wife - banished for refusing to do as she was told.

We Fly Together...

By the 1950s, Cambridge, Massachusetts feels far removed from the legendary witch trials that marked its early days as a colony. Ava, a bright young woman from a small town in Maine, arrives for her first year at Radcliffe College. There, she meets Lauren, her opposite in every way - the wild and brazen daughter of a wealthy and well-established Cambridge family. But the two have more in common than they think. Both are recruited by the Lilith Society, a secret organization of witches at Radcliffe dating back to colonial times. As they learn more about their legacy, Ava and Lauren form a close bond that is put to the test as they learn to navigate their new power, friendship, and love.

While Radcliffe seems like a safe haven, the shadow of McCarthyism looms large, an ever-present threat to the flourishing creative and intellectual life in Cambridge. And as girls from the Lilith Society begin to go missing, Ava and Lauren realize the witch trials of the past may not be as deeply buried as they once believed."

If you need something to tide you over until Practical Magic 2 later this week.

Darling by Mercedes M. Yardley
Published by: Ruadan Books
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 592 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This Southern Gothic cautionary tale captures the small-town suspense of Ashley Winstead's Midnight is the Darkest Hour and the frightening homecoming of T. Kingfisher's A House with Good Bones in a domestic thriller where magic surrealism meets haunted house, proving that some pasts are best left behind you.

Darling has its demons.

Cherry LaRouche escaped the claws of Darling, Louisiana at sixteen. When she returns after her mother's death, Cherry and her children are forced into a nightmare where evil spreads like infection and the house itself demands her bones.

While Cherry tries to separate fact from fantasy, the locals discover the bodies of several murdered children. When Cherry's own daughter goes missing, she's forced to face everything she had fled from and confront the true monsters of Darling.

From Mercedes M. Yardley, three-time Bram Stoker Award winner for Little Dead Red, Love is a Crematorium, and "Fracture," comes a stunning revised edition of Darling. This Southern Gothic tour de force is the first novel in the interconnected world of The Hunger Garden, where demons and delights both await you."

Magic surrealism meets haunted house!?! Sign me up. 

She's a Doll by Barbara Truelove
Published by: Bindery Books
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lucy isn't a normal girl. Ghost. Victim. Killer. She's a doll on a mission - to find the man who killed her and return the favor.

Lucy McQuinn has been murdered, but she's not about to go quietly.

If she doesn't get to keep breathing, then neither does Kyle, her killer. Possessing the body of an antique doll, she sets out on a quest for revenge. But it's hard when you're eighteen inches tall and made of porcelain.

For help, she turns to Nicola, a human and fellow outsider with her own reasons to hate Kyle. But in their small idyllic town, no one wants to hear the truth, especially not about such a promising young man. If they can't expose his crimes, Lucy will have to roll up her lacy little sleeves and teach him a lesson the old-fashioned way - as slowly and painfully as possible.

From LA Times bestselling author Barbara Truelove, She's a Doll is a ghoulish and gleeful tribute to the unstoppable power of female rage and a love letter to the friends who have our back - in this life and the next."

Here's to female rage and vengeance!

Wildwood by Ashley Woo
Published by: Harper Perennial
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A chilling debut gothic mystery in the vein of Jason Rekulak and Stacy Willingham about a house with dark secrets beneath its floorboards.

It seems like divine intervention when newly pregnant and freshly unemployed Elinor unexpectedly inherits Wildwood, her family's estate. She convinces her husband to move to the sprawling wilderness of rural Vermont to make a home and raise their baby.

Estranged from her extended family since childhood, Wildwood is a mystery to Elinor - she's an outsider to the townsfolk and to the prominent Brook family who control the town and its history. Knowing little of the house or its past, save for snapshots of childhood memories, she becomes entranced by an eerie nineteenth-century mural in the primary bedroom she calls "the Forest of the Dead."

But instead of growing more settled in her new home, Elinor feels increasingly isolated and uneasy. She begins to have dreams that feel like memories, phantasmagorical visions of something terrible that happened long ago. Haunted by the mystery of why her family fell apart, she's determined to uncover the secrets of her ancestry buried deep in the past and even deeper in the woods...secrets kept by powerful forces within the house and within the town.

Obsessed with finding the truth, Elinor knows she must answer when "the Forest of the Dead" calls her. Someone wants her to know they were there first, and someone else is trying to get in. As the nightmares creep into her waking hours, Elinor embarks on a journey that takes her back and forth in time, to the dark recesses of memories, to the streets of modern Salem, and to the haunted corners of this otherworldy house.

The Forest of the Dead is calling. Can you hear the whispers?"

Creepy murals in bedrooms are always just the beginning of the nightmare.

Little Red Death by Alexandra Benedict
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this eerie crime thriller from USA Today bestselling author Alexandra Benedict, one woman is tasked with investigating a series of disturbing deaths that resemble classic fairytales, only to find out that the killings have much more to do with the facts of her own past than with fiction...

This is once upon a time, like you've never read it before.

For twenty-five years, DI Lyla Rondell has lived with one unsolved case: her best friend's disappearance. The only clue - a poisoned apple - earned it the nickname "Snow White." It's haunted her ever since.

Now, when a woman is taken in a crime that has striking similarities to the story of Cinderella, Lyla is charged with investigating. And as more murders take place, each one based on a different classic fairytale, Lyla is determined to finally uncover the truth.

But these deaths are far from the stuff of bedtime stories. And worse, it becomes increasingly clear that these killings, and the messages left within them, are addressed directly to Lyla.

As the murders get more gruesome, Lyla becomes entangled in a web of crime and storytelling that goes far deeper than she ever could have imagined. Because someone out there is pulling her strings, and to turn the final page on the killings, Lyla will have to take a little creative license of her own."

You think Alexandra Benedict made you paranoid about Christmas? Wait until you see what she does with Fairy Tales!

All Hallows Eve edited by Ellen Datlow
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A chilling horror anthology of 19 original short stories from a world-class line-up of the masters of horror, delving into the histories and traditions of the spookiest season of the year. Presented by Hugo Award winning editor and horror legend Ellen Datlow, and featuring stories by Josh Malerman, Stephen Graham Jones, Garth Nix as well as many more.

Halloween, Samhain, Día de los Muertos - festivals across the world where we can commune with those we have lost, when spirits can cross over, and when the boundary between the living and the dead is far, far too thin.

A young boy encounters a woman with an ancient and terrifying link to the holiday, a group of college students attend a Halloween party to die for, and a troubled girl exploits a local urban legend to try and turn her life around.

From America to New Zealand via the rural Romanian wilderness, this anthology explores our worldwide obsession with the spookiest season of the year, when the veil is lifted and the spirits come alive. Featuring 19 original stories from bestselling and award-winning masters of the genre, and from Hugo, World Fantasy, Locus, Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson award-winning editor and horror legend Ellen Datlow, this anthology invites you to carve a pumpkin, light the lanterns and welcome in trick or treaters from across the world.

With stories by:
Josh Malerman
Lee Murray
Rich Larson
Clay McLeod Chapman
Livia Llewellyn
Michael Marshall Smith
Stephen Graham Jones
Linda D. Addison
Christopher Golden
Alma Katsu
Brian Evenson
Siobhan Carroll
Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ
Theresa DeLucci
Garth Nix
Jeffrey Ford
Richard Kadrey
Nathan Ballingrud
John Langan"

It has Christopher Golden, so I'm in.

The Alchemist of All Hallows Eve by Gigi Pandian
Published by: Gargoyle Girl Productions
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 292 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An eternally young alchemist. A gargoyle who fancies himself Poirot. A Murder House for sale the week before Halloween.

Zoe Faust has run from her past for centuries. She didn't plan on settling down. She didn't plan on falling for a mortal man. She certainly didn't plan on the gargoyle.

Now Zoe, her fiancé, and her French chef gargoyle best friend Dorian have found an enchanting home with a hidden cottage for Dorian. It's perfect for their little family. Except for one thing. Forty years ago, the night before Halloween, a woman was murdered in their dream house. Or was she?

When an enigmatic stranger arrives and insists that a mythological Irish witch holds the secret to the unsolved crime, Halloween turns deadly once more. Refusing to let Zoe lose the home she's waited centuries for, Dorian the gargoyle sets out to crack the case.

Can an alchemist, a gargoyle, and a teashop-owning detective solve two Halloween murders before an innocent man takes the fall and their perfect home slips away?

The Alchemist of All Hallows Eve is the whimsical tenth book in USA Today bestselling author Gigi Pandian's Anthony Award-winning Accidental Alchemist mystery series. If you love cozy fantasy, Agatha Christie-style whodunits, and found family, you'll adore this charming Halloween mystery, complete with Irish fortune-telling recipes.

Buy The Alchemist of All Hallows Eve to brew up a bewitching Halloween today!"

I mean, I'm all here for a gargoyle for fancies himself Poirot. In fact, would it be weird that that might be my ideal man?

The Unusuals by Gail Carson Levine
Published by: Quill Tree Books
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Newbery Honor-winning author Gail Carson Levine shares a story of family, prejudice, faith, and unlikely friendship in medieval England, for every child who is more perceptive than they seem, and braver than they know.

Chera, Lummie, and Joan are unusual in medieval Winchester, England. Two girls and a boy, and two Jews and a Christian are not supposed to be friends. Most days, after their studies with Rabbi Baruch, they enjoy scaring themselves in the greatly feared nearby forest, home to ne'er-do-wells and sprites, where they make another unusual friend, a starving outlaw.

But the trio's fun is shattered when Chera's grandmother, a wealthy widow, and Joan's mother, her maid, are murdered. Jurors name a suspect, who flees the city, and he may not have killed them anyway. Almost anyone could have, so just investigating isn't enough. What's more, the Unusuals are sure Lummie's grandmother will be the next to die.

They concoct a perilous plan, which needs allies to succeed, but everyone else thinks their idea is dizzy - crazy. With lives in the balance, this trio of friends must band together against the odds and call on their unusual bonds to help seek justice."

When you don't have access to Brother Cadfael you have to find other means. 

The Raven by Susan McCauley
Published by: Celtic Sea, LLC
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Kindle, 183 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"As illness tightens its grip, something darker begins to stir.

England, 1665. As plague ravages London and fear spreads north to York, Martin Blake, a humble cobbler, struggles to protect his family through a bitter, death-shadowed winter. When the parish rector, his wife's domineering uncle, forces orphaned children from London into their already meager home, Martin's fragile world begins to unravel.

Grief, illness, and the weight of buried sins close in. Ravens gather. Martin's reason begins to slip. Whispers spread - of misused alms, of spirits that roam at night, of faith twisted into something monstrous. As snow blankets the land and the dead lie unburied, Martin must confront a chilling truth: is he haunted by guilt, or by something far more sinister?

A gothic tale of illness, obsession, and the perilous border between loyalty and madness."

Oh, he's haunted by something far more sinister. I can feel it.

We Turn Gruesome at Night by Eric LaRocca
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The nightmarish second installment of a new trilogy of provocative, disruptive and brutally poetic queer horror set in a small New England town.

From the Bram Stoker Award® finalist and Splatterpunk Award-winning author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, an intense, claustrophobic literary horror that is perfect for fans of Agustina Bazterrica, Mariana Enriquez and Paul Tremblay.

Ten years after the devastating massacre that occurred on Christmas morning in 2003 and the community of Burnt Sparrow, NH struggles to move forward. Meanwhile, Rupert Cromwell and Gladys Esherwood find themselves trapped in End House and suffering unbearable monotony day in and day out. When a town courier named Pierce arrives at End House and introduces Rupert to a secret organization known as The Perdido Society, Rupert discovers a deeply intricate and intensely sinister web of secrets spreading through the town. It isn't long before more blood is spilled, shameful transgressions are revealed, and temptations are finally satisfied.

Captivating and profoundly unnerving, this is the story of two lost souls who are sent on an odyssey into the depths of depravity only for them to discover that it's quite easy to turn monstrous, to become the thing you once despised. Lyrical, nihilistic and brutally poetic, this is shocking, unflinching, must-read horror from an author at the top of his game."

Turning to brutality is easier than staying on the path of humanity. 

Christmas Mysteries at the Mysterious Bookshop edited by Otto Penzler
Published by: The Mysterious Press
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 408 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Eighteen puzzling Christmas tales set in New York City's beloved mystery bookstore.

In 1993, The Mysterious Bookshop - the oldest mystery specialty bookstore in the world - began an annual tradition by inviting bestselling author Donald E. Westlake to write an original short story set in the bookshop during the holiday season. Each year since then, The Mysterious Bookshop commissions a new short story from a leading author to give out as a holiday gift for its customers.

The prompt for the story requires three elements: that it be set at Christmastime, that it involve a crime of some kind, or the suspicion of one, and that it be set at least partially in the bookstore. Beyond these guidelines, authors had free rein to take the story in whatever direction they chose. This volume collects the first eighteen stories commissioned by the bookshop from 1993 to 2010.

Included are tales by Megan Abbott, Rupert Holmes, Mary Higgins Clark, Andrew Klavan, and Ed McBain, plus an updated introduction by Mysterious Bookshop proprietor Otto Penzler. Some of the stories are humorous, others thrilling, and still others are tales of pure detection. But all are guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit.

Originally published as Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop."

Last year I was so excited to get their newest story. Now to catch up on the past ones!

In the Midnight Hour by Darcy Burke
Published by: Oliver-Heber Books
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 314 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the Midnight Hour.

An inquisitive bachelor. A mysterious widow. A dangerous partnership in Regency London. Idle heir to an earldom, Viscount Northwood drifts through life with little purpose - until a shocking murder shatters the calm of his quiet London square. His prime suspect? The beautiful but enigmatic widow across the way. Determined to uncover her secrets, North calls upon the investigative tricks he's learned from his Bow Street Runner twin. Except anonymous broadsheets are circulating, exposing every lurid detail of the crime and bringing a crowd of intrusive onlookers into the square, complicating North's investigation. When he discovers the author of the scandalous publication is none other than the suspicious widow and that she is also apparently trying to solve the murder, they reluctantly join forces. Their uneasy alliance is soon tested when the killer sets his sights on them. Can they trust each other in the face of danger, or will the murderer claim two more victims?"

A second son choosing the career of a copper!?! Now I'd read about that too.

Three Fold Death by Victoria Dowd
Published by: Datura Books
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Charlotte Blood is about to discover the dark side of obsession in this gripping mystery. Perfect for fans of Lucy Foley.

A team of archaeologists claim to have found the tomb of the original warrior Queen of the Britons - Boudica. It's the story of the century and investigative journalist Charlotte Blood wants nothing more than to get the inside scoop.

But Charlotte is not the only one hunting for the truth. Other journalists are also eager to find out if this is, in fact, the legendary queen's final resting place.

Instead of a find of great historical significance, they discover something far more disturbing and horrifying waiting inside the two-thousand-year-old tomb.

Charlotte is faced with unravelling the mystery of the Threefold Death, a unique sacrificial killing involving murder by drowning, stabbing and hanging.

As she grows closer to discovering the killer, perhaps the question she should be asking is whether she will be the third victim...

Filled with history, mystery, and a daring main character, Threefold Death will appeal to both history buffs and crime aficionados."

You know, the Rasputin approach to death.

The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon
Published by: Doubleday
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 528 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A sweeping historical adventure inspired by the life of Grace O'Malley, the legendary Irish folk heroine who risked everything to defend her people. Venture onto the high seas with the thrilling latest from the New York Times bestselling author of The Frozen River and I Was Anastasia.

Grace O'Malley was born to be a sea captain. But despite her natural skill on the water, Grace learns early that her dreams of a life at the helm are not compatible with the expectations of her noble family. As the only daughter of a powerful chieftain, her role is to secure a strong alliance and bear children. But when she's sent to foster with a nearby clan, Grace falls for a clever and open-minded second son - a man she cannot have.

Married off against her will to a brutal warrior, Grace performs her duty, all the while gathering followers loyal to her, and consolidating her husband's power, only to be ousted from his lands. But this betrayal offers Grace the opportunity to return to sea, finally leading clan O'Malley's mighty fleet. Just as she finds true independence, Queen Elizabeth's incursions into Ireland grow bolder and Grace must fight to defend her land, her ships, and the people she loves most against the cruel and power-hungry English deputies, who will stop at nothing to check her influence.

Keenly observed and fiercely written, Ariel Lawhon's new action-packed novel channels the untamed beauty and harsh realities of sixteenth-century Ireland, as seen through the eyes of an unforgettable heroine who rightly became "the Pirate Queen of Ireland.""

I might be a tad Grace O'Malley obsessed because one of my friends is her descendant. 

The Enigmatic Madam Ingram by Meihan Boey
Published by: Harper Perennial
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Miss Cassidy returns to nineteenth-century Singapore to help solve another dazzling supernatural mystery in this follow-up to the award-winning novel that The Guardian called a "classic-in-waiting."

When Letty Ingram arrives in Singapore in 1906, she is an enigma even unto herself. To the residents of the small Scottish village where she lives, she is a wealthy, half-Malay recluse who emerges from her home only for walks with her great beast of a hound. To Letty, she is a woman trying to lift a curse that causes her to lose consciousness and wake up in strange places - sometimes, with blood on her hands - and no memory of what occurred.

Letty has traveled across the world in hopes that the renowned medium Madam Kay can help her break the curse, but Letty is a mystery of tangled magics the likes of which Madam Kay and the rest of her supernaturally gifted family have never seen. Fortunately, the Kays know an expert with even more insight into otherworldly matters than they do: the formidable Miss Leda Cassidy.

But even Miss Cassidy finds Letty to be a puzzle, one that pulls a fog over her memories as well. As she dives deeper into Letty's past and finds it unexpectedly intertwined with her own, Miss Cassidy begins to realize that if she's going to free Letty from her curse, she's going to have to take on an ancient foe: the terrifying jungle spirit known as the Bungadarah."

Always here for ANY book with a medium, renowned or just nowned.  

The Mystic and the Missing Girl by Vikki VanSickler
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Small town secrets, a reluctant psychic, and a cold case that could expose them all.

Drew Benson can read tarot cards and get impressions from objects - she just never expected to use her gifts to investigate an infamous cold case.

Drew Benson has a secret. She gets visions, something she hasn't tapped into since she was a teenager, when her late aunt, a TV psychic known as Hannah Mystic, became the scapegoat in the unsolved disappearance of a local teenager. Twenty years later, Drew is happy to ignore her gift, focusing instead on keeping the metaphysical shop she inherited from Hannah afloat, wrangling her sole, astrology-obsessed employee, and dodging local rake Foster Banks in her picturesque lakeside hometown.

But when Drew's arch-nemesis from high school, now a big city reporter, decides to investigate the cold case from all those years ago, it's Drew's ability that could finally make a break in the decades old mystery. With bills piling up, a disapproving mother laying on the guilt, and a local vandal who wants Drew and her witchy store gone, Drew has a lot to lose. But what she stands to gain - finding out what happened to the missing teen, clearing her aunt's name, and a second chance at belonging - could change everything.

In The Mystic and the Missing Girl, Vikki VanSickle seamlessly draws readers into an utterly charming world in this unputdownable, small town mystery."

I mean, what does she have to lose really!?! Maybe her life...

We Already Dug the Grave by Emma C. Wells
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the USA Today bestselling author of This Girl's a Killer, comes a southern gothic thriller with the bite of Sharp Objects and a dash of Practical Magic, following two estranged sisters who will do anything to protect each other - even murder. Again.

Milly can't divine the future anymore, and maybe that's a good thing. Lately, her life has been bleak enough, she doesn't need the now-silent tea leaves to tell her. Meanwhile, her estranged younger sister thrives miles away in a shiny new life with a shiny new marriage. Milly doesn't blame Francis for wanting nothing to do with her. Not after what happened in that Tennessee meadow a decade before.

But when Francis shows up on Milly's doorstep with a black eye and a plea for help - Milly can't say no. Especially when the tea leaves are finally crystal clear: if the sisters don't kill Francis's husband, he'll kill her.

And if they're going to plot a murder, the sisters have no choice but to return to the one place they'd left behind. A place where another body - and a multitude of secrets - were buried. Because this isn't the first time the sisters have needed to dispose of a bad man. In fact, they might be pretty good at it."

Personally I'm all for getting ride of the bad men.

A Beautiful Lie by Tanya Grant
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this juicy psychological thriller, home organizer Emily is invited to vacation at her beautiful and wealthy new client's summer home - but once inside, Emily doesn't want to leave.

Every one of my home organizing clients is a fabulous liar.

They tell themselves they need to keep clutter in their lives for rainy days or just-in-cases. They hold onto things too tightly. Most people don't know how to cut to the heart of what's important and purge everything that's not.

That's where I come in. I can look into my client's lives and see exactly what's weighing them down, and I get rid of it for them.

It sounds easy, but I'll let you in on a secret: I have trouble letting go of things, too.

When Cap slides into my life with her neon signs and velvet hair bows and magnetic energy, I know I can't just let her walk away. Because one of the first rules of home organizing is that like belongs with like. And Cap and me? We're destined to be together.

She may not know it yet, but that's okay. I'd be lying if I didn't say the challenge is part of the thrill. And luckily for Cap, I'm not afraid of a little hard work."

A true thriller.

Pictures of You by Josh Malerman
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A woman becomes the unknowing subject of an artist's dangerous work in this intense Hitchcockian thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Incidents Around the House.

After a magical night out on the town with her boyfriend Jack, Emily wakes alone in a huge bed in a beautiful, well-lit room. But the pink ceiling, the mauve walls, and the deep, dark corners are nothing like the hotel she and Jack rented.

More worrisome yet: Emily has no memory of this place from the night before.

Where is she?

A woman's voice directs her to remain in bed.

Just so...

And beyond the end of the bed, a picture frame upon an easel - a frame with no canvas, no painting, no art.

Only...there is the silhouette of a person Emily does not recognize. A person emanating demand, danger, evil. And the way the woman talks...and the things she says...She's acting as if Emily herself is the painting. The still life. The art.

Emily is as scared as she is confused. But it's immediately clear Jack's life is on the line with her own. And if she attempts to escape the bed and the wood frame of this nightmare masterwork, neither will survive the experience.

Emily is fierce, independent, brilliant, but to get out of this, she'll have to think like an artist herself.

The clock is ticking.

For Emily.

For Jack.

For being forever trapped.

Josh Malerman's unforgettable and terrifying Incidents Around the House became an instant classic of horror - and now Malerman has done it again. Pictures of You is a tale of thrilling terror that will chill you until the last page - and have you thinking of the heroine's search for love and the meaning of art long after."

Here for the art. No matter how depraved. 

Murder on the Upper East Side by Gigi Waldorf
Published by: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Scandal never graduates in this glossy thriller set in the world of New York's ultra-elite, perfect for fans of Gossip Girl and Holly Jackson.

Gossip on the Upper East Side isn't just vicious...it's deadly. -XOXO

2016: Hannah Miller has begun her senior year at the Prescott Academy of New York alongside the rich and famous of the Upper East Side. Or, at least, their children.

Amid the trust funds and penthouse parties, there's one rule for survival: staying out of the way of Queen Bees Madison DuPont and Elle Harrington.

Being a scholarship student makes Hannah feel invisible. But no one escapes the watchful eye of notorious gossip account called the Upper Edge.

2026: The academy's alumni have gathered for a glittering charity gala. Only Madison DuPont could host an event this grand.

But what starts as a champagne-fueled party soon descends into chaos when Madison is found dead moments after her speech. It doesn't take long for fingers to point at Hannah - everyone saw her talking to Madison only moments before the murder. She shouldn't even be at the gala. She's not really one of them.

The truth is that everyone had a reason to want Madison dead. From Madison's best friend to her former devotees to the targets of her bullying, it seems like the whole student body had a complicated history with the Queen Bee of Park Avenue. To clear her name, Hannah must unearth the secrets that this crowd would kill to keep buried."

Gossip Girl goes murderous. Which is only the natural progression of things.

First Chance by Kasey Lansdale
Published by: Blackstone Publishing
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"First Chance is a suspenseful thriller that readers won't be able to put down - perfect for fans of Sue Grafton and Michael Connelly.

Chance Kirby isn't new to detective work, but starting over in Hopeful, Texas, is a big step. Determined to leave behind her father and stepmother's shadow and carve out a future of her own, she opens a small PI agency, expecting missing heirlooms and marital disputes. But when the cold case of a murdered teenage girl is dropped on her doorstep, Chance finds herself in the middle of an investigation with no leads.

With her adopted sister Tia, her loyal dog Sissy, and the town's newly arrived police chief Isabella Lopez at her side, Chance soon begins to suspect this murder may be only one piece of a much bigger, and more disturbing, pattern.

To stop a predator who, it seems, has managed to evade authorities for decades, Chance must stay one step ahead...or risk becoming the next target."

The hero who rides into town to save it.

The Dating Game by Ally Zetterberg
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this clever and surprising thriller about the perils of modern dating and the female rage it sometimes inspires, a board game designer starts playing by her own rules, and losers won't be tolerated.

The friendship game. The dating game. The end game. For board game designer Tilda Smith they're all necessary steps on the path to finding happiness. And by structuring her life according to a set of rules, just like in the games that she loves to create at her job, Tilda can finally win.

The only problem? The other players don't know they're playing by Tilda's rules. She's fair. Very fair, in fact. But then one night her date pushes her too far and she gets just a bit carried away. Any player who disappoints must face consequences, right? But as Tilda finds herself transporting a body in a laundry bag, she has to question how to make the punishment fit the crime.

And now someone is watching Tilda and playing a game of their own. Will they turn the tables on her, or can she figure out a way to best them? The game is never really over until she says it is.

Game on."

Daddy's Home!

Receipts from the Bookshop by Katie Clapham
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"One summer not long ago, bookseller Katie Clapham began chronicling life at the small independent bookstore she runs with her mother in the English seaside town of Lytham St Annes. Her cozy bookshop diaries detail the romance and frustration of running your own bookstore - from the loyal customers to the feisty passers-by, and the deliveries filled with tempting new stock to the never-ending aftermath of cardboard boxes. Katie faithfully records the change of seasons from sad January to exhausting December, punctuated with visits from inquisitive dogs, adorable children, and people just looking for a good place to get an omelette around here.

Tender, funny, and thoughtful, Receipts from the Bookshop is a love letter to everything we hold dear: small towns, family, book chat, hot cups of tea, and just the right snack at 11 AM....

-A valentine for book lovers everywhere.
-Cozy armchair travel for anyone who loves England.
-Reminds readers why bookstores are our happy place.
-The perfect story of a small family business built on love and commitment.
-A warm, funny look at community in a small seaside town."

Bookstores are my happy place. Though I've never asked where I can get a good omelette nearby...

Level Up For Love by Lenora Woods
Published by: Dell
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Sparks fly as two former college rivals are forced together for a new D and D campaign - clashing both in and out of the game - in this fusion of contemporary second-chance romance and fantasy from the author of Roll for Romance.

In college, Reagan Riley and Wesley Locke were constantly at each other's throats, competing to be the best in their video game design program - until Wesley ghosts her after their unexpected hookup, severing their ties for good.

Six years later, Reagan has set aside her game design dreams, opting instead to stay close to her family in Connecticut and channel her creative energy into D and D. When her longstanding group falls apart, she and her sister join their local game store's new advanced campaign - only to find the demanding Dungeon Master at the helm is none other than Wesley. In the game, he is Vadrien, a merciless, power-hungry vampire lord, and Reagan is Sindra, the sword-wielding lady knight who will stop at nothing to cut him down.

When a game design opportunity opens up in the real world, Reagan and Wesley find themselves doubly pitted against each other. But as their buried spark reignites and Reagan starts to question why Wesley left all those years ago, can they find a way to play nice - and are they playing for more than just to win?"

If they were in school together it would take a lot to ghost her...

With All My Haunted Heart by Isabel Sterling
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A witch hired to ethically haunt a small-town B and B instead finds herself spellbound by her non-magical client in this cozy and enchanting sapphic romance.

Steadily losing clients to the new DIY-magic shop on the other side of town, Pippa Ainsley is getting desperate. Instead of paying the witch to correct their magical maladies, local mundanes have been taking their chances with the cheaper - and unpredictable - crystals and herbal blends. So when Pippa's best friend hires her to inspect his newly acquired bed-and-breakfast for ghosts, she doesn't think twice about it.

That is, until she learns that his unfairly attractive co-owner, Elle Thompson, doesn't want Pippa to rid their business of spirits. She wants Pippa to give them an edge over the competition by haunting their B and B.

It's the perfect challenge for Pippa's experimental magic, but just because she could figure it out, doesn't mean it's a smart or safe idea. But Elle is persistent, and the financial boost could save her own business if Pippa succeeds. Soon, Pippa finds herself testing the limits of her magic...and her ability to stop the growing attraction she feels toward Elle, a woman with a painful secret of her own."

Just invite the cast of Ghosts over!

Meet Cute Magic by Morgan Elizabeth
Published by: Union Square and Co.
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A cozy cute enemies-to-lovers witchy fantasy for readers of Sydney J. Shields' The Honey Witch and Sarah Beth Durst's The Spellshop.

She's a witch who can't fall in love without getting her heart broken. He holds a grudge like no other.

Bookstore owner Rosie Mayfield wants a love of her own, but it's not meant to be - because of her family's curse. To break it, she conjures a ghost who will break her curse, but for a cost - she has to brew a potion to help him transition to the other side. The problem? There's only one person who hates Rosie in all of Heartwood Hollow, and she needs his help to complete the required task.

Jack Haggerty, the ghost's grandson, has lamented about Rosie for years - she's a disaster and she's forbidden from visiting his gaming shop. He doesn't believe in ghosts, so he's stunned when his beloved grandfather makes an appearance. While he loves his family and will do anything to help his grandpa, he fights against the chemistry brewing between him and Rosie until he can't anymore. But he doesn't know how to tell her he no longer wants to go through with the plan, and she won't admit that she's falling for him because they're doomed from the start."

Doomed or destined?

Disenchanted by Lucy Jane Wood
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A reluctant witch must confront the magic she's always denied after accidentally triggering a curse in this delightfully cozy fantasy from the author of Rewitched and Uncharmed.

Sage Hemlock has no interest in embracing her witchy side. Magic has betrayed her before, bringing nothing but heartache, and she will not let something so foolish happen again.

Instead, Sage has thrown herself into her work and studies, running the local museum and largely preferring the company of her library and her cat to other humans. Her one goal is to fly under the coven's radar so that she can finally shed her blasted powers forever.

But when a strange historical book accidentally sets off a curse, Sage's quiet small-town life is suddenly overrun and magic is running rife. A beanstalk grows in her garden, and her friend and coworker Casimir starts to look an awful lot like a handsome prince. Fairy tales are coming true....

Now, with the threat of the coven on her tail, Sage must confront the magic she's always denied to solve the mysteries of the book and save everyone she's come to love from being lost to a fairy tale forever. The question is, can she finally learn to be her own happily ever after?"

Never deny who you are, it's dangerous.

Twig's Traveling Tomes by Gryffin Murphy
Published by: Bindery Books
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 280 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A love letter to all things bookish, Twig's Traveling Tomes is a cozy romantasy perfect for fans of Howl's Moving Castle, The Spellshop, and The League of Gentlewomen Witches.

A plot is brewing between the adventure and romance aisles.

When visiting Twig's Traveling Tomes, customers will get the exact book they need, even if it isn't the one they want. As for the proprietor and renowned Book Witch, Louella Twig lives her life sequestered with her stories, just as she likes it.

When devilishly handsome rogue Everett Sharp stumbles in looking to remove some handcuffs - closely followed by Louella's former tutor, whose prized grimoire has been stolen - her literary sanctuary is fully upended. Only Louella's magic can locate the grimoire, and teaming up with Everett is her best chance at retrieving it...but how can she trust that the man behind the wolfish grin isn't interested in stealing the book for himself?

With a host of friends old and new, Louella sets off on an adventure she never thought she'd take - and starts to realize that, just like her books, what matters most has always been what's under the surface."

Never judge a book by it's cover! Though this book does have a mighty adorable one.

Morfran, Dark Lord Reformed by S.B. West
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Abandoning his days of beheading to live out an undercover retirement as a goat farmer, Morfran finds himself accidentally leading a rebellion against the kingdom's Dark Lord, who, inconveniently, is him.

Morfran the Beheader is done being the Dark Lord™ of the kingdom of Ruthven. He's tired of managing minions, and his wife, Queen Ravana, has officially exceeded his personal comfort level of evil. Yet when he books it for the hills with the hopes to live out his days disguised as a goat farmer, his aspirations are tragically cut short when Morfran's former soldiers catch up with plans to behead him.

Morfran's only chance at safety is to seek refuge within a tiny forest dwelling where no one recognizes him. But he quickly learns the village is the base for a brewing rebellion against his rule. And after he reluctantly saves said village from an attack, he's voted the one to lead the charge. Against himself.

Morfran helps the rebels while planning to desert them at the soonest moment. But as he fights by their side, he discovers that they're actually quite pleasant - especially the lovely assassin who has been out for his blood for a decade. Too bad Ravana has sent Morfran's best men to nip the revolt in the bud, and too bad his unlikely allies would burn him alive if they learned he's no hero, but actually their Dark Lord™ in disguise. Because even Morfran knows that only a hero would stand up to Ravana and fight for friends, and he's certainly no hero.

Right?"

A lot of evil villains lately have been retiring to raise goats. Is it the satanic angle?

The Dark Lord's Guide to Honeymooning (and Other Acts of Tyranny) by Tiffany Hunt
Published by: Scarlett Press
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 688 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Kazimir and Arabella embark on a honeymoon where the only thing more dangerous than their enemies are their growing feelings for each other in this deliciously wicked and riotously funny second book in the Guides to Villainy and Love romantasy series that's Assistant to the Villain meets Dreadful.

Step Four: Take her on a honeymoon.
Step Five: Learn to co-villain effectively.
Step Six: Try not to get possessed by ancient evil.

Now bound by marriage and the formidable power of the Heirloom, Dark Lord Kazimir Blackrose and his Dark Lady Arabella are the realm's most feared and chaotic power couple. And after years of scheming, Kazimir is poised to conquer Solandris. But when the Alchemist calls in a debt, Kaz is forced to postpone his reign of terror or face consequences even he can't escape.

Arabella declares it the perfect opportunity for the honeymoon she was never promised. But their villainous getaway soon devolves into mayhem involving mass kidnappings, uncomfortable truths about Kazimir's demonic past, and a talented pastry chef with heroic blood who won't stop baking scones.

As if that weren't enough, Kazimir's mind is also filling with whispers not his own, while Arabella secretly tries to recover her stolen memories. But the greatest threat may be those three dangerous little words that could shatter their carefully constructed walls…and unleash an evil that destroys them all.

This sexy and side-splittingly funny fantasy romance is perfect for readers who love: villains who stay deliciously wicked (but are catastrophically in love); a powerful heroine carving out her place in the world; touch them and die; plotting world domination; sizzling spice and wickedly amusing banter; dark humor; found family of villains; and a honeymoon phase with assassination attempts."

I mean, unlimited scones? What's not to love?

Wickhills by Premee Mohamed
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the dangerous magical city of Wickhills, a streetwise secret agent is tasked with protecting a foreign defector from his pursuers...even at the threat of war.

Looking after a defecting scientist should have been Vycol Ferec's easiest mission. But now he's on the run from the intelligence agency he works for, dodging a handler who might have gone rogue and relying on a secret patchwork of illicit resources and dodgy contacts. Turns out his defector might be carrying an apocalypse-level magical weapon - and protecting it requires Ferec and his team to go underground, literally. Down here, the rules are very different...and the tense peace between every city in the world will shatter unless Ferec can drag their darkest secrets into the light."

I will read anything Premee Mohamed writes. 

A Snake Among Swans by Hannah Kaner
Published by: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The #1 internationally bestselling author of Godkiller begins a bold new fantasy trilogy - a dark, atmospheric tale of warring kingdoms, wild magic, female rage, and the choice between love and power in a world ruled by conquest.

"Death is come to take you home, death of blood and thorn and bone..."

Tilde has always heard the whispers of the kithwood, the voices of her ancestors speaking through the mysterious forest of her homeland. But now both the kithwood and her kingdom are in danger, for Tilde is the only surviving heir of a conquered land. To stop the bloodshed, she must marry the aging Swan King, Liran, and bear him a son.

But the king's court is dangerous. Liran's older sons will do whatever it takes to remove Tilde. And her presence stirs conflict in the heart of Liran's daughter, the princess Elise, who has only ever known loyalty to her family.

Yet none of them know that Tilde is a snake in their midst, with allies on her side and dark, forbidden power of her own. She wants her kingdom back, and she will sacrifice everything to claim it. For the queen to rise, the swans must fall."

I mean, why name your character after a literal character on the keyboard?

Kick-Ass Compendium by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. 
Published by: Image Comics
Publication Date: September 8th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 720 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The New York Times bestseller and worldwide phenomenon is back in an all-new compendium! Relive what happens when Dave Lizewski asks himself, "How come nobody's ever become a superhero before?" and makes his teenage superhero daydreams an ass-kicking reality.

Dave Lizewski is an ordinary New York City teenager obsessed with superheroes. But one day, he takes the plunge, dons a costume, and begins prowling the streets of his city to protect the innocent. He soon realizes, however, that the danger is far more real than what he reads about in comics...

This is the complete collection of all four volumes of the original series, Kick-Ass: The Dave Lizewski Years, by Mark Millar (Civil War, Kingsman) and John Romita Jr. (Spider-Man, Captain America).

Collects Kick Ass, Vol. 1 #1-8, Kick Ass, Vol. 2 #1-5, Kick Ass, Vol. 3 #1-6, and Kick Ass, Vol. 4 #1-8."

COMPLETE! COLLECTION!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexandra Benedict, Alice Hoffman, Ariel Lawhon, Ellen Datlow, Gail Carson Levine, Gigi Pandian, Gigi Waldorf, Gryffin Murphy, Hannah Kaner, Josh Malerman, Kick-Ass, Lucy Jane Wood, Premee Mohamed, S.B. West, Tiffany Hunt