strange and random happenstance

The Great Wherever by Shannon Sanders
Published by: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The dead are relentless gossips, or at least these dead are.

An impulsive and heartbroken woman inherits her father's share of a Tennessee farm that is rich in family secrets and occupied with busybody ghosts in this sweeping family portrait.

At thirty-two, Aubrey Lamb is stumbling through adulthood. An underpaid gig worker in Washington, DC, she's grieving the end of a serious relationship and the recent loss of her father. When Aubrey learns she has inherited his stake in a sizable Tennessee farm she sees an opportunity to get out of the city - and to erase a mounting pile of debt.

Watching her arrival with great interest are four ghosts - Aubrey's ancestors, who've staked their own claims to the farm and who never hesitate to pass judgment on the mistakes made by the living, whether romantic, financial, or sartorial. As Aubrey reconnects with her living family, another story unfolds in parallel: the history of the land, beginning with its purchase by Thomas, Aubrey's great-grandfather and one of the first Black landowners in his community. Though Thomas hopes to give his children a homestead on which they could flourish, the land proves to be a burdensome inheritance. Over the years, it turns the Lambs against one another, culminating in a catastrophic tragedy that splinters the family and echoes through the decades.

Now, as the clock ticks on a potential sale of the farm, the ghosts fear expulsion from the home they've made, and Aubrey must weigh the hopes and burdens of her forebears with the very real needs of her future.

An expansive family saga told with a wry and distinctly modern voice, The Great Wherever is at once grand and intimate; it explores the ways we learn to define ourselves through and against our families, how we carry on after loss, and how the past lives on in all of us."

If only she could talk to the ghosts.... I mean, it could be a hit show....

Our Wicked Gifts by Kathryn Foxfield
Published by: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The daughter of a sinister magical family who made a deal with the devil must stop the man killing them off, one by one, in this deliciously dark fantasy thriller that's House of Hollow meets Succession, laced with a kiss-or-kill romance.

Cicely is the black sheep daughter of the powerful Winter family, who made a deal with the devil in exchange for riches and ruthless magic. Soren is the boy her family banished to the underworld. Their fates intertwine when Cicely's loathsome Uncle Dorian winds up dead at a masquerade ball.

Once overlooked for her lowly gift of discovering secrets, Cicely is now her family's only chance at survival, tasked with finding the killer before he takes out every last Winter. With time running out, Cicely narrows her sights on Soren, who she suspects is back for vengeance.

Yet the more Cicely investigates Soren - and gets to know him - the more she begins to question how much family loyalty is worth. After all, when it comes to being a Winter, one can have love or power, but rarely both..."

The Fall of the House of Usher with a side of Mayfair Witches. 

Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A new adult novel from New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, in which a woman rediscovers the mythical island she stumbled upon as a child - and the man she once met who apparently hasn't aged.

The night Clay Lockhart's wife dies, a violent storm tears their home - and the eight hectares of land beneath it - away from the Scottish coast, sending it adrift into the Atlantic. Thirty years later, twelve-year-old Ellie Mills discovers the fabled floating island off the coast of Nova Scotia and finds Clay still living in the weatherworn farmhouse perched on its highest hill.

When the island vanishes overnight, Ellie is left questioning whether it ever existed at all. But decades later, the island resurfaces - and Ellie, now in her thirties, returns, determined to uncover the truth. What she finds is even stranger: Clay hasn't aged a single day.

Faced with the impossible, Ellie learns that some mysteries aren't meant to be solved - and that a life shaped by wonder may hold more promise than one bound by certainty.

With her signature atmospheric, lyrical prose, Shea Ernshaw offers us an original work of folklore with a masterful modern touch. A haunting tale, Habits of the Sea spans centuries and coastlines, journeys through time and memory, and redefines the very meaning of love itself."

I mean, obvious there's magic involved, because how could someone survive on a floating island?

Metamorphosis by Shelby Nicole
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Stranger Things meets Twilight in this haunting gothic romance! A teen girl is swept into an opulent world of love, lies, and ghosts after she moves in with the wealthy, mysterious family she never knew she had. Book One in the Grove Hollow series, this is an 80s dark academia-tinged tale full of fated love, a cursed amulet, and twisted family secrets.

The year is 1985, and seventeen-year-old Jade Whitney is about to discover that her family holds a dark secret that will change her life forever. Sent to live with her great-aunt Ruth, Jade moves into Blythe House, her family's sprawling, gilded mansion - but picturesque Grove Hollow, New York, is anything but welcoming.

At Jade's new private school she's shunned by everyone except the Misfits, the school's outcasts, who spend their weekends exploring abandoned haunted mansions and listening to The Cure. But Jade's eye keeps wandering back to Brad, the charming, handsome rugby captain - and the only other kid at school to welcome her.

Everything changes when Jade finds a cursed locket in a derelict estate. The locket is connected to a Victorian ghost named William, who desperately needs Jade's help, and who Jade feels an undeniable attraction to. The closer they grow, the more urgent it becomes for Jade to decide where her heart truly lies - and if she's willing to let Will go."

Gilded Age mansions and The Cure!?! Can I be a misfit too?

Corpse de Ballet by Megan Kearney
Published by: First Second
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In her solo graphic novel debut, Megan Kearney weaves a fresh tale of dark academia and brutal competition. This psychological thriller is perfect for fans of Black Swan!

Arriving at Saint Anselmus in the middle of the year, Rosamund Hammond is ready to practice hard and prove she deserves to be there. But something at this boarding school doesn't feel right.

It turns out that just before Rosamund enrolled, a student disappeared without telling anyone. Was it really a leave of absence - or something more sinister? Together with her new roommate, Rosamund spirals deeper and deeper into an obsession with the truth. As the school prepares for its showcase performance of Coppélia, can she commit to her hard-earned ballet dreams while solving the mystery that's haunting her - or will she lose herself in the process?"

I have never been a fan of ballet. So I find it interesting that lately I've been really drawn into the dark underbelly of that world. This sure fits the bill.

The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance by Chiara Bullen
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A young aspiring scholar is sent to research the mysteries of an adventurer's inn - only to uncover a centuries-old secret, while finding true friendship and a new home, in this uplifting cozy fantasy.

Mount Vengeance is legendary. For most, it's an adventure or a quest to prove themselves worthy of fame and glory. For Ainsworth Gladsly, it's the perfect thesis material.

Ainsworth is an ambitious research fellow and up-and-coming historian, finally ready to make his mark on the world. When his supervisor learns of the rumored Misnich Inn at the foot of Mount Vengeance, she sends Ainsworth to be the first to document the exploits of the bold adventurers who seek to face the perils of the mountain and the dragon said to inhabit it.

The inn is far from the sophisticated city life he's grown to love, but even as he grudgingly warms to its rustic charm - and its lovely innkeeper, Honey - the mystery of the mountain refuses to reveal itself. Worse, Ainsworth can't find evidence that anyone has ever undertaken the climb. Even the bravest warriors who stay at the inn turn away from Mount Vengeance the next day.

With Ainsworth's reputation on the line, he can't allow this mystery to remain unsolved - even if he has to push the adventurers up the mountain himself."

I mean, the best research is experience, so he should go up the mountain himself...

The Farewitch of Foxe Holler by Ellen Pauley Goff
Published by: S and S/Saga Press
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Steel Magnolias meets Practical Magic in this charming contemporary fantasy about a thirty-something kitchen witch who is recruited to help a reclusive warlock and discovers love on the other side of the next bake.

Honey Frost is Foxe Holler's dependable Farewitch. With a dash of flour and a pinch of charm, Honey carries on her family's legacy for healing any ailment with the right recipe. She just didn't expect to inherit the role twenty years early.

When the Holler's reclusive Warlock suddenly requests a Farewitch to cure his mysterious illness, Honey's ordered life turns upside down. Honey is reluctant to help - witches and warlocks do not get along. Then he tempts her with the one thing she can't resist: access to his infamous library of spellbooks and kitchen grimoires.

Soon, Honey is the newest resident of his moody farmhouse, which has one gorgeous kitchen. And a Warlock that maybe…isn't so frightful after all. Or old. Or bad looking.

Healing the Warlock would be simple if he weren't hiding a web of secrets. As Honey works to unravel his illness, a darker threat looms: the Widow Witch, who steals a soul from Foxe Holler every year, is due - and this time, she wants the Warlock."

I mean, even if it were a trap, a library and a nice kitchen would lure me in too.

Tsubaki Stationery Store by Ito Ogawa
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A spellbinding and heartwarming Japanese bestseller about a young woman who inherits a stationery store from her late grandmother and becomes the trusted scribe of the town.

You always told me that writing is life itself.

After many years abroad, Hatoko reluctantly returns to Kamakura to take over the stationery store left to her by her late grandmother. As the custodian of the store, she also inherits the profession of public scribe, a role Hatoko trained for as a child under the guidance of her strict grandmother.

As the locals seek out Hatoko's help, she takes on all manner of requests: writing letters of greeting, condolence, farewell, love, and more on behalf of those who come to her. A local community forms around Hatoko and the store, and when the secrets of her late grandmother begin to unravel, Hatoko learns that the role of the scribe requires much more than putting ink to paper.

Set to the rhythm of the four seasons and the Japanese rituals and festivities that come with them, Tsubaki Stationery Store is a charming story about the importance of community and the reconciliatory power of the written word."

Now I want a story about a stationary store... The pun is too good not to use.

Manor of Decay by Maxym M. Martineau
Published by: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the high-stakes sequel to Maxym M. Martineau's "enthralling" (Publishers Weekly) House of Blight, Edira must decide if the world is worth saving...and if she has enough power left to save herself too - perfect for readers of Rachel Gillig's The Shepherd King series and T. Kingfisher.

Edira Brillwyn is not enjoying retirement. She's traumatized and heartbroken by Orin and the battle at Fernglove Manor. Although her brothers are safe and financially secure at home in Willowfell, she fears wasting away her dwindling lifethreads. It's a welcome surprise when Seville comes knocking at her door - at least until she reveals that the blight has returned to the Ferngloves.

Edira has had a taste of the power her heartbond with Rorik provides, and she's certain there is a way to cure the blight for good...with Rorik's help. But Rorik doesn't think his life is worth saving, at least not worth Edira's few remaining years, or months. He's more concerned about keeping her alive than saving the world.

But other powerful Ever families have caught wind of Edira's talents and are desperate for a cure. As those families begin circling, centuries-long conflicts rise to the surface and, once again, Edira finds herself at the whims of power-hungry Evers fighting for their lives. Before she runs out of time altogether, Edira and Rorik will have to face the source of the blight: Death himself."

Look at that cover. It's so stunning I don't know how anyone could resist picking up this book.

Ladies of the Knight by Fiona Marchbank
Published by: Oni Press
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In a land where glamorous knights compete in showy tournaments for fame and fortune, George wants to be the best. Being small and untrained means no knight will give her a coveted spot as their squire, but George won't give up on her dreams so easily.

Serafina is the best knight around, no question. She's so good that she's getting bored and reckless in her jousts. It doesn't help that everyone is mesmerized by Aethelberg, her sparkling rival, who is much better at playing to the crowd, while Serafina would rather keep to herself and practice her swordplay. When Serafina's wife and patroness insists on her taking plucky George as a squire, Serafina suddenly finds herself in the position she never wanted - a mentor. Their partnership is going to be even harder than it looks, considering George can barely hold a sword without giving herself a black eye and Serafina is even pricklier than the lance she wields. But if either of them are going to take the league of knights by storm, they'll have to learn that neither of them can do it alone.

In her author-illustrator debut, step into Fiona Marchbank's (Fairest Of All: A Villains Graphic Novel, Of Her Own Design) colorful, medieval world for fans of Squire and Ella Enchanted and follow George on a quest to be the greatest knight in all the land..."

This is the female empowered book you need if you adored A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. And who didn't?

The Exquisite Torment of Loving Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The stakes are high, the love is forbidden, and the slow burn turns steamy in this swoony, witty, and heart-stoppingly romantic sequel to instant New York Times bestseller The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy.

Osric is a member of the Fyren Order, a guild of assassins who gleefully murder for money. Aurienne is a Haelan, a scholar-healer whose Order's motto is Harm to none. Clear-cut absolutes separate them: good and bad, right and wrong, light and dark...

Until they don't.

When Osric first bribed Aurienne to heal him, he never imagined those lines would begin to blur. But every healing session draws them closer together. He finds himself developing unwanted feelings for Aurienne as her capable hands heal his body - and his heart.

Aurienne's perfect life has been flung into chaos in the form of a devastatingly handsome assassin. She should be in her research lab, not illicitly healing a Fyren every full moon - nor wrestling an attraction to him that threatens to slip into something else.

Things go superbly sideways when Osric and Aurienne discover more about the deadly Pox deliberately unleashed through the Tīendoms. The plague may be the work of another Order - an Order far nastier than either of them can handle.

As the lines between Osric and Aurienne continue to blur, the balance between peace and war, and love and hate, trembles, shifts, and hinges on a heartbeat."

OK, let's see what all the Harry Potter FanFic fuss is about.

The Red Sacrament by Sara Hinkley
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A savage, hypnotic dive into the lives and deaths of a coven of vampires living in 19th Century Paris on the cusp of revolt and revolution, perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Laura Purcell and Elizabeth Kostova.

Paris, 1869. The Théâtre Saint-Siméon is the place to be, if you can get in. The black slips of paper that guarantee entry are rare and highly desired, and given only to certain persons. The actors on stage are magnetic and ageless, performing only at midnight and never seen during the day...

Arnault and his clan of vampires have survived for as long as they have by observing a rigid set of rules. At night, they perform on stage at the Théâtre Saint-Siméon, picking off just enough people in the audience to survive. But they understand the city, and how to live in it without being noticed.

Their peace is shattered first with a visit from Béatrice, a witch who forms a strange connection to Arnault; then with the arrival of Victor de Rouvray and his sister Françoise, vampires from a very different world. And, as Arnault grows closer and closer to the beautiful, enigmatic Victor, he risks becoming distracted from the constant bickering of his immortal friends, from the daily running of the theatre, and worse, from the premonitions of blood, death and starvation that he receives at night.

For a terrible change is on the horizon, revolt and revolution are brewing in the streets and soon, the city, and Arnault will never be the same again."

Interesting how they don't name-check Anne Rice or the Théâtre des Vampires....

Be Not Afraid by Jude Ellison S. Doyle and Lisandro Estherren
Published by: BOOM! Studios
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 160 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"What if your greatest blessing became a curse you couldn't escape?

From acclaimed horror writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle and artist Lisandro Estherren comes a Southern Gothic descent into religious dread, generational shame, and cosmic terror.

Cora Reims once embraced a vision of pure light - an angelic messenger who left behind a terrible miracle: her son, Jordy. Despite his angelic countenance, it soon becomes apparent that Jordy is a plague upon the Earth, spreading death and cruelty wherever he goes. After years of torment and generational shame for her transgression, Cora receives a divine revelation on the eve of Jordy's eighteenth birthday: God has finally heard her pleas and Heaven demands the destruction of her devastatingly powerful child.

As plagues descend on the town of Enoch and the townspeople's faith fractures under fear, Cora must now confront her past, her purpose, and the divine horror she once mistook for grace with the guidance of a mysterious, new stranger.

Collects Be Not Afraid #1–6."

If you want to read about angels raping women and giving birth to evil, be my guest, but know I hated it.

False Prophet by Afsheen Farhadi
Published by: Melville House
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The cult drama of The Girls meets Yellowface's searing exploration of lies, immigration, and identity in this propulsive literary thriller debut.

A grieving actor-turned-memoirist reimagines his mother's encounter with Jim Jones, the deadliest cult leader of all time - the only problem is, it's mostly all lies...

Actor Jal Persad is enjoying moderate success when the death of his mother, Rita, sends him into a tailspin - after all, how could he grieve a woman he barely knew? Rita had grown up in Guyana during the rise and fall of the Jonestown cult, but never spoke of her home to Jal, always keeping him at a distance.

After months of avoiding work, a misunderstanding at lunch with his manager leads Jal into a web of lies. He soon finds himself writing a memoir of his mother's adolescence, one that places her in direct contact with Jim Jones himself. There's just one issue - Rita never met the man. Suddenly, the book goes viral, and Jal must face the looming threat of exposure, and his own guilt.

Alternating between Jal's rapid rise and Rita's distorted story, False Prophet confronts the intergenerational legacy of colonialism, the allure of power, and the age-old question - how much of yourself are you willing to lose in order to succeed?"

A book that has its finger on the pulse of America and it's latest obsession, Jonestown.

Murder in the Crooked House by Soji Shimada
Published by: Pushkin Vertigo
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Crooked House sits alone on a snowbound cliff at the remote northern tip of Japan. A curious place to build a house, but even more curious is the house itself: a maze of sloping floors and strange staircases, full of bloodcurdling masks and uncanny dolls.

Christmas, 1983. Kozaburo Hamamoto, the aging 'lord' of the strange Crooked House, is hosting a grand gathering for his relatives. But when one of them is found murdered in seemingly impossible circumstances, the police are called. But they are unable to solve the puzzle, and more unsettling deaths follow as the guests start seeing bizarre sights on the estate.

Enter Kiyoshi Mitarai, the eccentric fortune teller, psychic and self-styled detective. Surely if anyone can crack these cryptic murders it is him. But you have all the clues too - can you solve the mystery of the murders in the Crooked House first?

The Haunting of Hill House meets Agatha Christie, this fiendish locked-room mystery is the thrilling follow-up to Soji Shimada's widely acclaimed crime novel, The Tokyo Zodiac Murders. Known as the "god of mystery," Shimada masterfully blends classical detective fiction with grisly violence and elements of the occult to creative a riveting, intricate puzzle that will delight horror and mystery fans alike."

Golden Age Detection and the occult!?! Was someone secretly reading what I wanted in my ideal book?

An Infinite Love Story by Chanel Cleeton
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When an astronaut is lost in space, his wife relives their epic love as she attempts to unravel what truly happened to him, in this sweeping love story set against the backdrop of the 1960s Space Race, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes.

When Joe Mitchell launches into space, the world is watching. It's 1968, and the country waits with anticipation and excitement for another successful mission, another celebration as America sets its sights on the Moon. And then comes the knock at the door.

Joe Mitchell's spacecraft has lost contact. He and his fellow astronauts onboard are feared to be dead. It's his wife Vivian's worst nightmare come to life, her grief suddenly taking center stage as the nation waits and mourns. In her quiet moments, Vivian relives their memorable story, unable to accept that this is the end to a love that felt as though it was written in the stars.

As the investigation surrounding Joe's lost spacecraft intensifies and the mishap is written off as an operator error, Vivian is determined to clear her husband's name and uncover the mystery of what happened in space. When someone starts sending Vivian messages - messages she believes only Joe could send - she begins to wonder if their love is stronger than space and time, and she'll do whatever it takes to bring her husband back to her."

I love the otherworldly aspect here. 

Miss Bates by Catherine Cliff
Published by: Pegasus Books
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A daring re-imagining of an Austen classic from the unflinching viewpoint of the misunderstood Miss Bates.

Henrietta Bates, the iconic bore of Austen's Emma, is the opposite of handsome, clever, and rich Emma: she is plain, ill-educated, and impoverished. An unmarried woman of quite a different order from that novel's proudly single heroine, she is an object of scorn and pity, whose survival depends upon the generosity of her neighbors which she barters for with an unrelenting shower of banal and grateful chatter.

But what if the woman we see in Emma were actually deliberately assuming a role, donning a mask, as a means of managing an untenable situation? What if there was a world of difference between her inward and outward voice? What would the Woodhouses's Highbury look like from her perspective?

Miss Bates by Catherine Cliff imagines answers to these questions as it chronicles Henrietta Bates's unexpected and, at times, violent life, navigating a world with no ready-made opportunities, where the stakes are of the highest order. In a debut that is by turns comedic, tragic, startling, and altogether brilliant, Miss Bates turns Austen's poignant and ridiculous side character into a feminist force who understands innately the life she has been dealt and how to slyly play it to her advantage.

This is no marriage plot; it is a spinster plot. Or maybe, the spinster's plot."

I am and always have been team Miss Bates! She, like Charlotte Lucas, are true heroines in my mind. Because they understand the realities of the world they have been thrust into.

Most Ardently Yours by Freya Sampson
Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From USA Today Bestselling author Freya Sampson comes a swoon-worthy, laugh-out-loud romance inspired by Jane Austen's beloved Pride and Prejudice that begs the question: what if your book boyfriend jumped from the pages of their story and into your life?

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single woman in possession of many romance novels, must be in want of a book boyfriend."

Zoe Knight, a struggling romance writer, has sworn off men for good. At least...the ones in real life. Once a believer in a happily ever after, she now curbs her loneliness with the help of the best book boyfriends in literature - and there is no better man than Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy. So when she stumbles into a classic London bookshop and argues with the annoyingly attractive store owner, Nick, who refuses to sell romance novels, she decides to liberate him of a dusty copy of Pride and Prejudice abandoned on a top shelf.

But this is no ordinary book.

After reading from the pages, Zoe finds herself in a remarkable situation: she has accidentally summoned the Mr. Darcy to the real world. Now, she's face-to-face with the man she's loved forever, and he's everything she dreamed he would be. Handsome? Check. Brooding? Check. Talks like he swallowed a thesaurus? Check and check. But even in all his regency perfection, can he ever be as good as in the novel? And if he's here, in her London apartment trying to figure out how to work a shower, what will happen to the literary world he came from? With Nick - the last man she could ever be prevailed upon to work with - urging her to send the fictional Darcy back to his own story, Zoe will have to decide what she really wants from a happy ending, before it's too late."

The thing about Darcy is, he needs to stay in his book. No matter how we might wish otherwise. 

Murder in the Wings by Amy Myers
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"All the world's a stage...for murder!

Excitement is building for the first performance of Shakespeare's As You Like It by the Merriday Players at the new outdoor theatre in the grounds of Tanton Towers. Happy Huffkin café owner Cara Shelley is delighted to provide the refreshments.

But there's a hitch. Tensions are running high between the director of the play, Hannah Ashman, and members of the cast, all of whom are descendants of either Edward Merriday's first or second wives. When Hannah collapses after the first performance, the Happy Huffkin comes under scrutiny, and Cara must unmask a cunning murderer lurking in the wings. Has a family feud that's been running for over a hundred years finally got out of hand?

A contemporary Downton Abbey meets Agatha Christie - with a splash of Bridgerton! This charming English cosy mystery series, full of engaging, eccentric characters and packed with red-herrings, is perfect for armchair sleuths."

I love a good death on the boards!

The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts by Robert Thorogood
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The new cozy crime novel from the bestselling author of The Marlow Murder Club, now a major TV series on PBS Masterpiece!

Two dead celebrities. One village full of secrets.

Someone is killing celebrities in Marlow. First, it's a famous soccer player. Then, a bestselling thriller writer. When two shocking deaths rock their quiet riverside town, Judith, Suzie, and Becks - the unstoppable Marlow Murder Club - must untangle a dangerous web of blackmail and scandal to catch a killer.

But with their trusted police ally DI Malik suddenly suspended, and Judith's own past threatening to resurface, the women are on their own. Suspects are multiplying like tabloid headlines, secrets are stacking up, and time is running out.

Can the Marlow Murder Club crack the case before the killer strikes again - or will this be the end of their crime-solving adventures?"

Question, would Judith be a target because she's kind of a celebrity in her own right?

From Murder with Love by M.R.G. Davies
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Kindle, 321 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Not all secrets stay buried with the dead...

The four members of Norcester's crime fiction reading group have been invited as guests of honour to a weekend celebrating the life of the late author of their favourite murder mystery detective novels.

But, when the author's secret archive is opened to the public after fifty years, there's a deadly surprise inside...

The quartet find themselves embroiled in a mystery that stretches back to the Cold War. With an accomplished Russian spy close on their tale, a runaway train filled with treasures, and time running out, they will once again have to use everything they've learned from their fictional hero to catch the killer..."

If the author is good enough the lessons imparted could save your very life!

A Neighbor's Guide to Murder by Louise Candlish
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From internationally bestselling author Louise Candlish, a witty psychological suspense novel in which an older woman's suspicions about her charming new neighbor ignite a dangerous spiral in their luxury apartment building.

In Columbia Mansions, secrets don't stay behind closed doors for long.

It's rare for a room to open up in London's storied Columbia Mansions, and lonely Gwen is thrilled when her neighbor's new subletter, Pixie, brings a friendly breath of fresh air to its stuffy halls. Their unexpected bond soon becomes the bright spot in Gwen's quiet life. But Gwen can't help noticing cracks beneath Pixie's cheerful surface - especially when it comes to her questionable financial arrangement with her live-in landlord, Alec.

As suspicions mount, Gwen's protective instincts go into overdrive, triggering a dangerous chain of events no one is prepared for. The last thing Columbia Mansions wants is a scandal on its hands...Let alone a murder."

Just have Pixie move in with Gwen, problem solved.

The Wedding Week by Aisha Saeed
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Long-buried secrets resurface when a woman returns home for her sister's lavish resort wedding in the Everglades, where gossiping aunties and Burmese pythons aren't the only threats, in this suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Matchmaker.

It's been three years since Hena Mirza saw her family. Three years since her fiancé mysteriously vanished on their wedding day. Three years since everyone decided she was to blame.

When her younger sister, Lulu, calls with shocking news - she's getting married in forty-eight hours and their mother is dying - Hena's plan is simple: fly home, say goodbye, and leave before she reopens old wounds. But nothing about the trip is simple. This isn't a one-day event. It's an eight-day desi wedding with a guest list that eerily mirrors the one from her own failed nuptials. And though Hena feels unexpected sparks fly with two men in the wedding party - a childhood friend and a newcomer unfamiliar with her history - the remaining guests quickly make it clear: No one is happy she's back.

Then Lulu's carefully planned itinerary goes awry. Hena initially dismisses the strange incidents, but as days pass and the sabotage escalates, it becomes clear that someone is determined to destroy the wedding, just as Hena's was destroyed years ago. To survive this week, she'll have to uncover the culprit behind these attacks...before the past she's tried to outrun finally catches up to her."

Personally I want to hear more about the first wedding...

The Season of Sinking by Daphne Woolsoncroft
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From a hit true crime podcaster turned novelist, a woman's unsettling past creeps back into her consciousness as she returns to her hometown and begins to suspect the locals are hiding a terrible secret swirling around her mother's recent death.

When Imogen Bly's mother suddenly passes away, she leaves her Seattle apartment and returns to Lake Blair - the picturesque Washington town where she grew up. After Imogen and her twin sister Amelia arrive, ready to pack up their mother's home, strange things begin to happen, reminding Imogen of her long held feelings of dread surrounding her hometown.

Imogen enlists the help of her first crush, next-door neighbor Rory, to uncover the truth about her mother's death and the traumatic event she experienced as a child. But is the boy who got away really the man with something to hide? Or is the suspicious neighbor in the house across the lake behind it all?

When Imogen's own family's tragedies lead her to question the disappearance of a local young woman the previous year, her persistent unease becomes terrifyingly real and suddenly nowhere feels safe..."

Here's a helpful suggestion, hire someone to box up your mom's house and never go back.

Nightjar by Emily Ruskovich
Published by: Random House
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the award-winning author of the national bestseller Idaho comes a stunning collection of stories that explore how unexpected intuitions forever alter the lives of ordinary people.

Five years after moving into the isolated house in rural Oregon where her husband lived as a child, the protagonist of "Victor's Room" begins to doubt her husband's account of his family's past. In "Round Lake," a young woman's plans to meet a lover in Tokyo are upended when she learns a startling truth about her mother's death. In "Owl," winner of an O. Henry Award, a fur trapper reckons with the dreadful origins of his marriage after his wife is brutally injured by four adolescent boys.

Haunting and psychologically provocative, and set against the vivid backdrop of the Pacific Northwest, Nightjar illuminates the secret, instinctive knowledge that lies just under the surface of our awareness."

An exception to my rule of not reading short stories.

The Spy and the Snake by M.J. Robotham
Published by: Aria
Publication Date: July 7th, 2026
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"One mission. One fake husband. One very real problem.

Maggie Flynn has finally earned her place at of MI5 - but with promotion comes paperwork. No more disguises, no more danger, just meetings, memos, and the quiet realisation that life feels a little too safe.

With her daughter away at university and her spirited mother pursuing her own adventures, Maggie's days in London are starting to feel decidedly ordinary. So when the chance arises to return to the field, she doesn't hesitate.

The assignment: fly to Budapest and pose as the wife of a notorious British defector in order to smuggle him back to the UK. It should be a straightforward operation. But Maggie Flynn has never done straightforward - and what's waiting in Budapest is anything but routine.

As Cold War tensions simmer and shadows linger on every corner, Maggie finds herself navigating a city steeped in secrets - and drawn to a mysterious stranger who may endanger the mission...or steal her heart."

I think spycraft 101 is avoid mysterious strangers. 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Afsheen Farhadi, Aisha Saeed, Amy Myers, Catherine Cliff, Chanel Cleeton, Daphne Woolsoncroft, Emily Ruskovich, Freya Sampson, Louise Candlish, M.J. Robotham, M.R.G. Davies, Maxym M. Martineau, Robert Thorogood, Soji Shimada

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

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

One year. 365 days. Twelve months.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The lushness of a dark fairy tale. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Would you Swipe to Die?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oh, a fictional character committing a real crime!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A true dangerous liaison! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I'd also add a dash of Douglas Adams.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What if cottagecore and goblincore fell in love?

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

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

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

If they can make it work their communities can too!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

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