strange and random happenstance

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am lately all about the Bluebeard adaptations. 

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

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

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

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

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

Love the Practical Magic of it all.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Or are they messing with powers beyond their control?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Always here for any dark academia. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hiding among the debris is someone with a secret.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anaya Sebeya is missing.

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

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

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

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

Evil house, yes yes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Even if it burns everything down."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Long live the legacy of book lovers!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

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

The Austen Intrigue by Julia Golding
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 345 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"1812 London

Up-and-coming novelist Jane Austen joins forces with London's most esteemed investigative duo - the infamous Dora Fitz-Pennington and disgraced son of a Viscount, Jacob Sandys - to solve the brutal murder of a French count and his opera singer wife. The killer took his own life immediately after the crime - but who sent him and why?

As they find themselves swept up in London's shadowy underworld, can Dora and Jacob uncover the truth without jeopardising national security, and with the promises they made to each other still intact? And will their unique love story end up in the pages of one of Austen's novels?"

I'm intrigued as to why the killer took his own life...

Murder at Donwell Abbey by Vanessa Kelly
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This latest Regency-era mystery from USA Today bestselling author Vanessa Kelly finds Jane Austen's clever Emma Knightley (nee Woodhouse) as an amateur sleuth, navigating shocking changes in her family - while meeting her match in a deadly adversary...

Emma's spirits are elevated after she and husband George Knightley host a joyful holiday celebration at the Hartfield estate. But it's instantly a bitter January when her father makes an unexpected announcement - he and Miss Hetty Bates have decided to marry. Not only must Emma relinquish her role as mistress of the household, but also accept the reality that the excitable Miss Bates will become her stepmother...

More unwanted news arrives during an extravagant betrothal ball at Donwell Abbey, the grand Knightley estate where Emma and George will soon permanently reside. Nearly every villager in Highbury revels in the dazzling affair - except Emma's hardworking lady's maid, Prudence Parr. To Emma's horror, Prudence is found dead, sprawled across the stones of the library terrace...

The woman's tragic fall is quickly ruled a terrible accident and whispers circulate around personal troubles leading up to her untimely demise. But Emma's instincts tell her that something far more sinister is at play. Now, Highbury's matchmaker-turned-sleuth vows to outwit a cunning criminal before an innocent man loses his freedom - or Donwell Abbey plunges into a darker mystery..."

Oh my, just the sheer inanities of a Miss Bates and Mr. Wodehouse wedding! It's destined for failure but I can't look away!

A Murder in the Making by Victoria Laurie
Published by: Kensington Cozies
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The latest mesmerizing novel in a new mystery series featuring the captivating Dovey Van Dalen, once the belle of 1840s Copenhagen, now a spellbound, magic-wielding mystic in present-day Washington, D.C., charged with recovering magical property from the unbound - by any means necessary.

Dovey didn't expect to fall in love after the age of 200, yet she can't stop thinking about Grant "Gib" Barlow, the gorgeous FBI agent who helped her crack her last case. A romance with an unbound is obviously a terrible idea, but for Gib, it could be fatal - because Dovey's employer, Elric Ostergaard, arguably the most powerful mystic in the world, also happens to be her longtime lover.

Alas, Dovey's efforts to steer clear of Gib become impossible when her best friend, fellow mystic, and unapologetic romantic, Ursula Göransdotter, tricks them into a lunch date - during which Gib is alerted that a fellow agent has been murdered in his own home. The state of the crime scene, and of the body, seem to defy logic - but Dovey immediately recognizes the Crushing Curse, which could only be cast by a supremely powerful mystic - like her boss. When another agent is killed in the same manner, Dovey races to find Elric for answers.

Meanwhile, the FBI body count rises, and it becomes clear that a rogue mystic is targeting the unbound agents, but why? What ensues is another missing magical trinket, a tense confrontation with Elric, a shocking discovery about Gib, and grave danger to all involved - forcing Dovey to navigate realm-crossing love triangles, supernatural power struggles - and ultimately, her own surprisingly vulnerable heart..."

Anyone else picture Gib as a young Mark Harmon?

The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Academy always comes first...which makes marriage to its most formidable adversary an exceedingly inconvenient arrangement.

Well removed from London's more curious eyes, the Benevolent Academy for the Betterment of Young Ladies strives toward one clandestine goal: to distract, disrupt, and discredit men in power who would seek to harm the advancement of women - by appropriate means, of course.

When intrepid newspaper editor Miles Quincey starts to question the school's intentions, the Academy appoints Penelope "Nell" Trewlove, one of their brightest graduates, to put this nuisance to rest. An easy enough mission, she supposes. Or it would be, if Miles wasn't so fascinating - too fascinating to resist - and if Nell's visit to London didn't perfectly coincide with the murder of one of Miles's reporters.

When the inexorable claws of fate trap Nell and Miles in a compromising situation, they agree to an arrangement that will save their reputations while enabling them to investigate the story that led to a man's death, as well as the surprising chemistry between them..."

I love that even with a clandestine academy one's reputation can be ruined.

Murder at Cottonwood Creek by Clara McKenna
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Far from England and their beloved Morrington Hall, Viscount "Lyndy" Lyndhurst and his American wife, heiress and equestrian Stella Kendrick - now Lady Lyndhurst - find fossils and murder in Montana...

Led by his passion for paleontology, Lyndy's father, Lord Atherly, has traveled all the way to Montana, to explore the fossil-rich horse ranch owned by Stella's mother, Katherine, and her second husband, Ned Smith. Urged by Lady Atherly to look after her husband, Stella and Lyndy follow in his wake. Stella is excited to be reunited with her mother, and Lyndy is eager to experience the real "Wild West." Both are equally thrilled to participate in a fossil dig.

But when a local man who was guarding the dig site overnight is found the next morning dead in a creek bed, the couple fear his death may not have been an accident - especially when things get wilder still. The paleontologist on the dig has his notebook stolen, several fossil bones disappear, and a second body is found in the research tent.

No one is above suspicion - a rival paleontologist up to some skullduggery, members of their own crew, even Lord Atherly himself. Stella and Lyndy must keep digging to unearth the clues that will expose a killer in their midst - before more bones must be buried..."

Montana is prime fossil territory. I mean, we all learned that from Jurassic Park right?

Trouble in the Alps by Vivian Conroy
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 312 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A devastating accident.

An isolated hotel.

A murdered guest...

When Miss Atalanta Ashford learns that her dear friend Raoul Lemont has had a serious accident, she rushes to his remote hotel in the Alps only to discover he has no memory of her - or his life before.

Atalanta is determined to stay undercover while she helps Raoul recover. But when another resident is found dead, she is pulled into the hotel's dark secrets. Can she untangle the web in time for them to escape the snowy mountains with their lives?

Look out for more Miss Ashford mysteries and get your passports ready as you travel with her to some of the most sought-after destinations on the continent..."

I love me some murder in snowbound locals.

The Bishop Murder Case by S.S. Van Dine
Published by: Pushkin Vertigo
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 394 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In one of the most well-known classic American murder mysteries, amateur detective Philo Vance must solve a puzzle series of crimes based on nursery rhymes.

A series of gruesome murders has left the glittering world of Jazz Age Manhattan in shock.

When Cock Robin is found dead with an arrow through his chest, New York's DA calls in amateur detective and professional flâneur Philo Vance to solve the case. But this mystery proves to be more challenging than Vance could have imagined, and a cunning presence seems to be constantly one step ahead of him. As Vance investigates, more gruesome murders occur, and a sinister pattern begins to emerge: each perverse death is staged to represent a line from a nursery rhyme.

In an even more disturbing twist, after each murder, the perpetrator sends a note to the press, signed simply 'The Bishop.' As more deaths go unsolved, the murderer's hubris grows, and each act is more brazen than the last. Vance must move quickly to stop the Bishop's bloody spree among the upper echelons of New York society.

Set against the glittering backdrop of Jazz Age Manhattan with a distinctive and erudite detective, this is considered one of the great classic detective stories. This intricate and skillfully crafted murder mystery is sure to delight any armchair detective."

If you're a fan of mysteries and you don't have any S.S. Van Dine on your shelf you need to rectify that. Now.

Murder at the Scottish Ball by Millicent Binks
Published by: Bookouture
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 269 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Holly wreaths, eggnog by a roaring fire and...A body by the Christmas tree? Opal Laplume is on the case!

December 1934. Spending the holidays in a Scottish castle has made Opal Laplume's festive wishes come true. Sir Seamus' Christmas Eve ball is legendary, and Opal dons her finest gown for an exquisite night of bubbles, baubles, and tartan kilts. But the festivities come to a screeching halt when their gracious host is electrocuted by some faulty Christmas lights.

The mood soon turns from festive to frosty when Opal discovers that what seemed like a tragic accident was in fact a deadly sabotage. Everyone has something to hide. Sir Seamus' marriage was crumbling like a piece of Scottish shortbread. Did his wife take 'til death do us part' too far? The butler was promised a large sum from Sir Seamus' will. Did he want an early Christmas bonus? And who is the ghostly figure playing bagpipes in the tower at night?

Just as the killer proves as difficult to find as the Loch Ness Monster, one of the guests is found smothered in their bedroom. Opal soon discovers Sir Seamus was hiding a deadly secret on a small island off the rugged Scottish coast. Can she find the key to the mystery there, before the entire party perishes? Or will this Christmas be her last?

An addictive and twisty Golden Age murder mystery set in the Scottish Highlands. Fans of Agatha Christie. T.E. Kinsey and Verity Bright won't be able to put this down!"

Now that we're so near to Thanksgiving you better have your holiday reading list ready. And if you don't, here's one to add to it!

Vows and Villainy by Elizabeth Penney
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Vows and Villainy is the fifth book in Elizabeth Penney's delightful Cambridge Bookshop series set in Cambridge, England, where celebrations are about to commence.

It's wedding season in Cambridge, and Molly Kimball is thrilled that it's almost time for her best friend's special day. With the help of her boyfriend Kieran Scott, she is determined to be the best maid of honor for Daisy and Tim. Daisy's heart is set upon a Shakespeare-themed wedding to be held at Hazelhurst House, Kieran's family's home. The Scotts are also hosting a Shakespeare troupe for the summer, and the actors have kindly agreed to be part of the festivities.

But all goes awry with the discovery of Sir Nigel Peck, a famous actor with a checkered past and present-day misdeeds, floating dead in the moat with flowers strewn around him, à la Ophelia. When Kieran's brother Alan becomes a top suspect, Molly and company must investigate to uncover the ugly truth behind this picturesque scene...before more bodies pile up.

Can Molly solve the murder before Daisy and Tim say "I do"?"

The one time I was a maid of honor I would have totally rocked solving a murder at the same time.

Death and Dinuguan by Mia P. Manansala
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Love is in the air for the citizens of Shady Palms, but Cupid's arrow isn't the only thing striking the town - not with another killer on the loose.

Things are looking up for the Brew-ha Cafe, and Lila Macapagal can't think of anything that could break the spell, especially with Valentine's Day coming up - she can't wait to celebrate with her boyfriend, Jae Park. Adding to the lovey-dovey atmosphere is Hana Lee, Shady Palms's newest resident. She's also Jae's beloved cousin and chocolatier at Choco Noir, the latest addition to the town's culinary offerings. Everything is coming into place for Hana, who left her old life in Minnesota behind to work at Choco Noir, owned by her best friend.

Unfortunately, beneath the sweet surface of Shady Palms runs a bitter undercurrent, as a series of attacks against women-owned businesses in the area escalates from petty theft to assault and murder when Hana is found knocked unconscious inside Choco Noir, and the chocolate shop owner is put out of business - for good.

With Hana left in a coma, a murderer hiding amongst them, and the safety of the women entrepreneurs of Shady Palms at risk, the Park brothers team up with the Brew-ha crew to put a stop to the villain before they strike again."

Come one, didn't one person at Berkley think to make a unsweetened chocolate joke instead of bitter undercurrent!?!

Now Dead by Kate Bold
Published by: Kate Bold
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Kindle, 191 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a serial killer leaves an eerie trail echoing Greek mythology, brilliant FBI Agent Brynn Justice must race to halt a delusional psychopath - and save the next victim before it's too late...

In a deadly twist on ancient warfare, victims are forced into lethal duels at the hands of a killer emulating the wrath of Ares. It's up to FBI Agent Brynn Justice to enter the arena of murder and outwit an adversary who's always one fatal step ahead.

Now Dead is book #4 in a new series by #1 bestselling mystery and suspense author Kate Bold, whose bestseller Not Me (a free download) has received over 3,00 five star ratings and reviews. The series begins with Now Run (Book #1).

The Brynn Justice mystery series is a heart-racing cat-and-mouse narrative brimming with shocking twists and unexpected turns. This series breathes new life into the mystery genre with its unique lead character, guaranteed to capture your heart and compel you to read well past bedtime. Fans of Lisa Regan, Karin Slaughter, and Robert Dugoni are sure to fall in love."

I'm always here for a serial killer with a twist.

Fatal Decision by Ted Taylor
Published by: Vinci Books Ltd
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"He thought he'd left his life as a detective behind. But the past has a deadly way of catching up.

Three years after losing his wife, retired DI Gus Freeman is drawn back into the force to lead a new cold case unit. His first investigation: the brutal murder of Daphne Tolliver, a widow killed during her morning walk through the seemingly peaceful Wiltshire woods.

As Freeman and his team peel back layers of small-town secrets, they discover a web of hidden relationships and festering grudges. But the deeper they dig, the more dangerous their investigation becomes.

With the killer still at large and watching their every move, Freeman must confront not only a cunning adversary but the demons of his own past - before another life is claimed.

In this picturesque town, every silence has a story - and not everyone wants the truth revealed."

I just want to read this for the Wiltshire woods. And obviously the murder.

The Villa, Once Beloved by Victor Manibo
Published by: Erewhon Books
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A dark history is unearthed amid crumbling façades in Lambda Literary fellow Victor Manibo's new gothic tale of family, homecoming, and postcolonial vengeance...

SOME LEGACIES ARE BEST LEFT BURIED...

Villa Sepulveda is a storied relic of the Philippines' past: a Spanish colonial manor, its moldering stonework filled with centuries-old heirlooms, nestled in a remote coconut plantation. When their patriarch dies mysteriously, his far-flung family returns to their ancestral home. Filipino-American student Adrian Sepulveda invites his college girlfriend, Sophie, a transracial adoptee who knows little about her own Filipino heritage, to the funeral of a man who was entwined with the history of the country itself.

Sophie soon learns that there is more to the Sepulvedas than a grand tradition of political and entrepreneurial success. Adrian's relatives clash viciously amid grief, confusion, and questions about the family curse that their matriarch refuses to answer. When a landslide traps them all in the villa, secrets begin to emerge, revealing sins both intimately personal and unthinkably public.

Sifting through fact, folklore, and fiction, Sophie finds herself at the center of a reckoning. Did a mythical demon really kill Adrian's grandfather? How complicit are the Sepulvedas in the country's oppressive history? As a series of ill omens befall the villa, Sophie must decide whom to trust - and whom to flee - before the family's true legacy comes to take its revenge..."

Here for all the gothic goodness.

Hobtown Mystery Stories Vol. 3: The Secret of the Saucer by Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes
Published by: Oni Press
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 264 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Return to Hobtown, the charming rural village in Nova Scotia at the heart of surreal and haunting mysteries, and home to the after-school Teen Detective Club dedicated to solving them. The third must-read volume of the page-turning series that the New York Times calls "forceful and haunting" starts here for the first time ever in a fully colored edition from creators Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes!

The lines between conspiracy and reality tangle during election season in Hobtown as a new-old member of the Teen Detective Club surfaces to challenge Dana's leadership and redirect the group's attention back to the discounted but pressing concern that "ALIENS!" are among us. On a grander scale, amid the town's hotly contested mayoral race, the arrival of a flying saucer and a chaotic "Ape Lord" being pursued by the local Knitting Circle have the teen sleuths of Hobtown unsure if they're coming or going, as literal backward thinking tears at the threads of their friendships and their grasp on their latest case..."

Regressive thinking is the most dangerous threat out there!

Friday: The Complete Series by Ed Brubaker, Marcos Martin, and Muntsa Vincente
Published by: Image Comics
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Yellowjackets meets The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina in this genre-defying, post-YA masterpiece, now collecting all three volumes in one deluxe hardcover!

Friday Fitzhugh spent her childhood solving crimes and digging up occult secrets with her best friend Lancelot Jones, the smartest boy in the world. But that was the past, now she's in college, starting a new life on her own. Except when Friday comes home for the holidays, she's immediately pulled back into Lance's orbit and finds that something very strange and dangerous is happening in their little New England town...

This is literally the Christmas vacation from Hell and neither of them may survive to see the New Year.

From award-winning creators Ed Brubaker (Criminal, Reckless, Kill or be Killed) and Marcos Martin (The Private Eye, Daredevil), with brilliant colors by Muntsa Vicente, Friday is a chilling, coming-of-age story about growing up, letting go, and uncovering the darkness hidden in familiar places.

Collects all three volumes plus extra features."

Christmas vacation for college freshman is a deadly vortex of past and present! So masterfully brought to life here. I will literally read anything Ed Brubaker writes!

As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegel
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: November 25th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An inventive and romantic speculative novel about two women - a witch and an immortal demon - who make a Faustian bargain and are drawn into a cat-and-mouse chase across multiple lifetimes.

1592. Cybil Harding is a First Daughter. Cursed to bring disaster to those around her, she is trapped in a house with a mother paralyzed by grief and a father willing to sacrifice everything in pursuit of magic.

Miriam Richter is a creature of shadow. Forged by the dark arts many years ago, she is doomed to exist for eternity and destined to be alone - killing mortals and consuming their souls for sustenance. Everything changes when she meets Cybil, whose soul shines with a light so bright, she must claim it for herself. She offers a bargain: she will grant Cybil reincarnation in exchange for her soul.

Thus begins a dance across centuries as Miriam seeks Cybil in every lifetime to claim her prize. Cybil isn't inclined to play by the rules, but when it becomes clear that Miriam holds the key to breaking her family curse, Cybil finds that - for the first time in her many lives - she might have the upper hand. As they circle each other, drawn together inescapably as light and dark, the bond forged between them grows stronger. In their battle for dominance, only one of them can win - but perhaps they can't survive without each other.

Natasha Siegel has written an unexpected love story that feels both epic and deeply personal. Ambitious, gothic, and magical, As Many Souls as Stars is about the lengths we go to protect ourselves, our legacy, and those we love."

A true symbiosis.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Clara McKenna, Ed Brubaker, Elizabeth Penney, Julia Golding, Kate Bold, Mia P. Manansala, Millicent Binks, Mimi Matthews, Natasha Siegel, S.S. Van Dine, Ted Taylor, Vanessa Kelly, Victor Manibo, Victoria Laurie, Vivian Conroy

I Haven't Been Entirely Honest with You by Miranda Hart
Published by: Michael Joseph
Publication Date: November 26th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Hello to you, I am with news. I have a new book: I Haven't Been Entirely Honest With You. I know - what an intriguing title!

Basically, I have had an unexpectedly difficult decade - there have been surprising joys, but also deep revelations and challenging lows. I shall be honest about those, because what I discovered in the difficult times were my, what I call, treasures.

Treasures - practical tools, values, ways, answers researched from some great scientists, neuroscientists, therapists, sociologists (all the 'ists') out there, that have genuinely led to a sense of freedom, joy, peace and physical recovery I never would have thought possible.

Life now, amazingly, with what I will share, is - SUCH FUN! (always important to quote your own catch phrases...) If you fancy having a read, then I hope my story might help your story. After all, we are in this beautiful, mysterious, challenging life together. Rest assured there are funny stories along the way - we will have a laugh too, my dear reader chum.

Oh, and I couldn't possibly say if there is a love story in it... (There is - hush). Exciting."

If you are a fan of Miranda Hart, like I am, perhaps you've already ordered this book from England because you couldn't wait until today. But if you didn't order it from overseas, it's here now!

Not For the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: November 26th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling author Lex Croucher comes a queer historical YA romance, with all the swoons, laughs, and heart-pounding moments you'd expect from a story about the granddaughter of Robin Hood and the girl she's accidentally kidnapped.

'You aren't merry,' Clem said to her captor. 'And you aren't all men. So there's been some marketing confusion somewhere along the line.'

Mariel, a newly blooded and perpetually grumpy captain of the Merry Men, is desperate to live up to the legacy of her grandfather, the legendary Robin Hood. Clem, a too-perky backwoods healer known for her new-fangled cures, just wants to help people.

When Mariel's ramshackle band of bandits kidnap Clem as retribution for her guardian helping the Sheriff of Nottingham, all seems to be going (sort of) to plan...until Jack Hartley, Mariel's father and Commander of the Merry Men, is captured in a deadly ambush. Determined to prove herself, Mariel sets out to get him back - with her annoyingly cheerful kidnappee in tow.

But the wood is at war. Many believe the Merry Men are no longer on the right side of history. Watching Clem tend the party's wounds and crack relentlessly terrible jokes, Mariel begins to doubt the noble cause to which she has devoted her life. As the two of them grow closer, forced by circumstances to share a single horse and bed, one thing is clear. They must prepare to fight for their lives and for those of everyone they've sworn to protect.

Lex Croucher's Not for the Faint of Heart is a thrilling adventure full of hijinks, found family, and romance destined to change the lives of the inhabitants of the Greenwood Forest forever."

I'm a fan of all things Robin Hood, but I'm REALLY a fan of characters named Clem.

Madrigals and Mayhem by Elizabeth Penney
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: November 26th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Madrigals and Mayhem, the fourth in Elizabeth Penney's charming Cambridge Bookshop series, Molly Kimball finds that even the holidays can come with a healthy dose of mystery.

Molly is eager to experience her first English Christmas with family and friends now that she's adjusted to her move to Cambridge and her restoration of her family's ancestral bookshop, Thomas Marlowe - Manuscripts and Folios. When local toyshop Pemberly's Emporium reopens, Molly is excited to meet the new owner, Charlotte Pemberly, who is determined to make the toy store a success after unexpectedly becoming her grandfather Arthur's sole heir.

Arthur's new wife Althea Winters and her unpleasant family loathe Charlotte for inheriting what they believe was theirs and have set their sights on a valuable Madame Alexander doll that's gone missing. When Althea's grandson is poisoned by cakes from Tea and Crumpets, Charlotte becomes the top suspect. Molly believes Charlotte was the intended victim and investigates the Pemberly's home, only to discover that Arthur had been murdered.

To get closer to this treacherous family, Molly and her boyfriend Kieran go undercover by volunteering to act and sing for a madrigal dinner directed by Althea and her daughter at St. Hildegard's College. Molly must help her new friend clear her name while searching for the missing doll and wrangling her own family during the chaotic holiday festivities at the bookshop."

I mean, here for the British Christmas mystery, but also oddly here for the Madame Alexander doll... I might have a collection...

Murder at Glenloch Hill by Clara McKenna
Published by: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: November 26th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Set in Edwardian Britain, American transplant Stella, and British aristocrat, Viscount "Lyndy" Lyndhurst take a weekend trip to the Scottish countryside and learn how sinister bad sportsmanship can be when a prestigious golf tournament becomes a deadly game of murder...

Along with cheering on her soon-to-be brother-in-law, Freddie Kentfield, at The British Open in Scotland, Stella embraces the chance to connect with her distant cousins, the McEwens, at their grand estate, Glenloch Hill. But she and Lyndy don't receive the warm welcome they expect when their arrival is marred by missing luggage, evasive hosts, and the perceived mistreatment of a young laundry maid. Adding to the tense atmosphere, Freddie's roguish father, Sir Edwin, appears at the manor uninvited, his presence casting a shadow over the events - and stirring up more unanswered questions...

As golf clubs swing on the green, so do Lyndy's fists in an uncharacteristic outburst. Chaotic circumstances take a dark turn when Sir Edwin is found bludgeoned outside the laundry house - the maid waiting beside the body, no murder weapon in sight - and all eyes on Lyndy...

Suddenly caught in a whirlwind of kilts, elite golfers, and deadly rumors, Stella rushes to protect Lyndy's innocence and save herself from real danger. But can she both navigate the unspoken rules at Glenloch Hill and survive a cutthroat competition against a killer who will stop at nothing to win?"

I mean, Sir Edwin HAS to have been murdered by a golf club right?

A Trinket for the Taking by Victoria Laurie
Published by: Kensington Cozies
Publication Date: November 26th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Introducing the captivating Dovey Van Dalen, once the belle of 1840s Copenhagen, now charged with recovering magic property from mortals - whatever it takes. The first in a new magical mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Victoria Laurie.

Dovey Van Dalen has a gorgeous day planned for her 200th birthday: driving her new Porsche, admiring the cherry blossoms abloom in her adopted city of Washington, D.C., and a little pampering. But her boss has other ideas. A powerful artifact has been stolen, and he fears it's causing chaos in the unmagical world...

The rich and connected Ariti family has suffered a string of suspicious deaths, with no signs of foul play. Yet each member has died in the way they feared most. As the enchanting agent most skilled at blending in with mere mortals, Dovey must find answers and retrieve the dangerous trinket.

There's just one unexpected wrinkle: By the time Dovey arrives at the art gallery where the Ariti patriarch died, FBI agent Grant "Gib" Barlow has taken control of the scene. Dovey needs his cooperation to investigate - but she'll have to hide her abilities, and her true objective, from a man who uncovers deceptions every day. And as they inch nearer a deadly truth, both will face danger even the spellbound would be lucky to survive..."

I mean, Victoria Laurie is a must read, but I want to know how one goes from 1840s Copenhagen to present day Washington, D.C.!

Darkly by Marisha Pessl
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: November 26th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A must-read thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last page from the New York Times bestselling author of Night Film.

There's nothing special about Dia Gannon. So why was she chosen for an opportunity everyone would kill for?

Arcadia "Dia" Gannon has been obsessed with Louisiana Veda, the game designer whose obsessive creations and company, Darkly, have gained a cultlike following. Dia is shocked when she's chosen for a highly-coveted internship, along with six other teenagers from around the world. Why her? Dia has never won anything in her life.

Darkly, once a game-making empire renowned for its ingenious and utterly terrifying toys and games, now lies dormant after Veda's mysterious death. The remaining games are priced like rare works of art, with some fetching millions of dollars at auction.

As Dia and her fellow interns delve into the heart of Darkly, they discover hidden symbols, buried clues, and a web of intrigue. Who are these other teens, and what secrets do they keep? Why were any of them really chosen? The answers lie within the twisted labyrinth of Darkly - a chilling and addictive read by Marisha Pessl.

This summer will be the most twisted Darkly game of all."

I mean modern technology with a Gothic edge? Oh yes please!

Designing Worlds by Tim Burton
Published by: Design Museum
Publication Date: November 26th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 360 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An expansive exploration of the role of design and creative practice in director Tim Burton's unique approach to building worlds.

This book is the official catalog for the exhibition at the Design Museum, as well as the first publication to explore the relationship between Tim Burton's artistic creations and the world of design. The reader is invited into an examination of what is now broadly referred to as the "Burtonesque," exploring his iconic style and the impact his unique design aesthetic has on broader visual culture. The book unpacks Burton's distinctive visual language, exploring the intersection of gothic, carnivalesque and fantastical elements that define his cinematic masterpieces. Insightful essays by design experts and film critics, interspersed with images featured in the exhibition, will offer a deeper understanding of the director's creative process, making this catalog an homage to the role that design practice plays in the hauntingly beautiful worlds he creates.

Tim Burton (born 1958) grew up in Burbank, California, and studied animation at the California Institute of the Arts. He is best known for his dark, gothic films about quirky outsiders, including Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990) and many more. Most recently, he directed and produced the TV series Wednesday (2022), which became the second-most-watched show on Netflix. He lives and works in London."

My friend is going to this show. I am not at all jealous. But if they don't get me this book for telling them about the show before they went to London... Well, there might be blood...

The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Sixteen edited by Ellen Datlow
Published by: Night Shade Books
Publication Date: November 26th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Ellen Datlow - "the venerable queen of horror anthologies" per the New York Times - comes a new entry in the series that has brought you thrilling stories from Stephen King and Neil Gaiman, the best horror stories available.

For more than four decades, Ellen Datlow has been at the center of horror. Bringing you the most frightening and terrifying stories, Datlow always has her finger on the pulse of what horror readers crave. Now, with the sixteenth volume of the series, Datlow is back again to bring you the stories that will keep you up at night. Encompassed in the pages of The Best Horror of the Year have been such illustrious writers as: Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Stephen Graham Jones, Joyce Carol Oates, Laird Barron, Mira Grant, and many others.

With each passing year, science, technology, and the march of time shine light into the craggy corners of the universe, making the fears of an earlier generation seem quaint. But this light creates its own shadows. The Best Horror of the Year chronicles these shifting shadows. It is a catalog of terror, fear, and unpleasantness as articulated by today's most challenging and exciting writers."

I know books are basically "done" six months in advance... But at least take Neil Gaiman out of the blurb... You DO NOT want your book to be associated with him.

The Complete Harrow County by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook
Published by: Dark Horse Books
Publication Date: November 26th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 1080 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Dark Horse Comics proudly presents this complete collection of the entire comics run of essential horror series Harrow County in a single, oversized hardcover book with a slipcase, ribbon, and a brand-new painted cover.

Emmy always knew that the woods surrounding her home crawled with ghosts and monsters. But on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, she learns that she is connected to these creatures--and to the land itself - in a way she never imagined. Could Emmy be the reincarnation of an infamous witch? As supernatural forces that baffle the imagination align against her, Emmy must decide whether she will embrace or deny her destiny...with the fate of every soul - living or otherwise - hanging in the balance!

This volume collects the entirety of Harrow County, the dark southern Gothic fairy tale by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook, along with all extras from every library edition!

Collects Harrow County #1-#32."

And just when I finally finished collecting the trade paperbacks! Though I do love this design it might be a bit hefty to read casually. So a good collectors item!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Clara McKenna, Cullen Bunn, Elizabeth Penney, Ellen Datlow, Harrow County, I Haven't Been Entirely Honest with You, Lex Croucher, Marisha Pessl, Miranda Hart, Robin Hood, Tim Burton, Tyler Crook, Victoria Laurie