Welcome first day of Fall 2021…. and with it come lots of new books!

Last year, aka Pandemic Year 1, while self-isolating and staying indoors as much as possible, I threw myself into reading … print books, magazines, ebooks, and audiobooks. So while it was a stressful year on a whole (for all of us), I really enjoyed being able to prioritize reading. This year, what’s become Pandemic Year 2, I wanted to get outside a bit, but also continue to be on the safe side, which meant road-tripping and hiking the great outdoors. Therefore, I’ve leaned more towards audiobooks.

Below are some titles — with accompanying links to the print, ebooks, and audiobooks editions — that I personally am looking forward to this Fall, presented here in order of release date, starting with those releasing in September 2021. After this main list, I’ve included some titles that came out earlier this year that you might have missed, as well as some themed Cookbooks, Crafts, and Guidebooks, along with an Audiobook Spotlight. And with the Fall comes, of course, Halloween and some spookier picks!

Continue on to check out my Fall 2021 Book Recommendations…

Dead Jack and the Old Gods
Paperback | Kindle Edition
By James Aquilone
Publisher: Homunculus House
Release Date: September 6, 2021

COSMIC HORROR! LOVECRAFTIAN MADNESS! FAIRY DUST!

In the third book in the Dead Jack series, eldritch terrors threaten to invade Pandemonium. Meanwhile, Jack and Oswald’s relationship is at the breaking point over the homunculus’s newfound powers. Can Jack and Oswald stop the Old Gods before they kill each other?

The paperback also includes illustrations and two bonus short stories: “Dead Jack and the Case of the Creepy Cryptid” and “Dead Jack and Oswald Meet Frankenstein.”

The Autobiography of Spock
Book 4: Star Trek Autobiographies
Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle
By Una Mccormack (author), Russell Walks (illustrator)
Publisher: Titan Books
Release date: September 14, 2021

The iconic Star Trek character’s lifestory appears for the first time in his own words; perfect for fans of the upcoming Star Trek: Strange New Words.

One of Starfleet’s finest officers and the Federation’s most celebrated citizens reveals his life story. Mr Spock explores his difficult childhood on Vulcan with Michael Burnham, his controversial enrolment at Starfleet Academy, his time on the Enterprise with both Kirk and Pike, and his moves to his diplomatic and ambassadorial roles, including his clandestine mission to Romulus.

Brand-new details of his life on Vulcan and the Enterprise are revealed, along with never-before-seen insights into Spock’s relationships with the most important figures in his life, including Sarek, Michael Burnham, Christopher Pike, Kirk, McCoy and more, all told in his own distinctive voice.

Book Dimensions: 6.34 x 0.92 x 9.53 inches; 224 pages

Chasing Ghosts
A Tour of Our Fascination with Spirits and the Supernatural
Paperback | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Marc Hartzman
Publisher: Quirk Books
Release Date: September 28, 2021

Take a spirited tour through the supernatural history of America, from its haunted sites to its famous ghosts to its ghost-obsessed pop culture.

Ghosts are everywhere—whether you believe in them or not. Every town has its local legends, and countless books, movies, and TV shows are haunted by their presence. But our obsession with ghosts runs deeper than we know—and is embedded in the very fabric of American history.

Writer and historian Marc Hartzman dons the mantle of tour guide, taking readers on a fascinating journey through supernatural history, including:

• The Fox Sisters and the rise of Spiritualism
• The supernatural obsessions of famous figures like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Famous haunted sites like the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia and the LaLaurie House in New Orleans
• Famous ghosts like the Bell Witch of Tennessee and the Greenbrier Ghost of West Virginia
• Paranormal investigators like Ed and Lorraine Warren

Deeply researched and highly entertaining, with archival images and black and white illustrations, Chasing Ghosts will satisfy believers and skeptics alike.

Book Dimensions: 7.08 x 0.69 x 10.01 inches; 272 pages

Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow
Paperback | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Christina Henry
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: September 28, 2021

In this atmospheric, terrifying novel that draws strongly from “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” the author of Alice and The Girl in Red works her trademark magic, spinning an engaging and frightening new story from a classic tale.

Everyone in Sleepy Hollow knows about the Horseman, but no one really believes in him. Not even Ben Van Brunt’s grandfather, Brom Bones, who was there when it was said the Horseman chased the upstart Crane out of town. Brom says that’s just legend, the village gossips talking.

More than thirty years after those storied events, the village is a quiet place. Fourteen-year-old Ben loves to play “Sleepy Hollow boys,” reenacting the events Brom once lived through. But then Ben and a friend stumble across the headless body of a child in the woods near the village, and the discovery makes Ben question everything the adults in Sleepy Hollow have ever said. Could the Horseman be real after all? Or does something even more sinister stalk the woods?

Book Dimensions: 5.29 x 0.85 x 7.96 inches; 320 pages

William Shakespeare’s Avengers: The Complete Works
Hardcover | Kindle
By Ian Doescher
Publisher: Quirk Books
Release date: September 28, 2021

Assemble, Ye Avengers! All four Avengers films are presented as Shakespearean plays in this must-have for Marvel fans.

What if the most epic cinematic franchise of all time had been penned by the greatest playwright of all time? Wonder no more! In William Shakespeare’s Avengers, the best-selling author of the William Shakespeare’s Star Wars series has reimagined the Avengers films as plays penned by the Bard himself, including:

• Assemble, Ye Avengers
• Lo, The Age of Ultron
• Infinity War’s Tale
• The Endgame’s Afoot

Authentic meter and verse, stage directions, and clever Easter eggs will delight fans of the Avengers and Shakespeare alike. Readers will experience their favorite scenes, characters, and lines in a fresh—yet fully faithful—way, through soliloquies and dialogue by everyone from Captain America to Groot (“’Tis I!”).

The lavish two-column format recalls Shakespeare’s folios, and dozens of vibrant illustrations capture all the iconic movie moments. This franchise bible elevates and celebrates the films and is a must-have for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Avengers.

Book Dimensions: 8.24 x 0.93 x 10.27 inches; 304 pages

Piranesi
Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Susanna Clarke
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Release Date (paperback): September 28, 2021

From the New York Times bestselling author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an intoxicating, hypnotic new novel set in a dreamlike alternative reality.

Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.

There is one other person in the house?a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

For readers of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane and fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe, Piranesi introduces an astonishing new world, an infinite labyrinth, full of startling images and surreal beauty, haunted by the tides and the clouds.

Hardcover Book Dimensions: 5.82 x 1.07 x 8.58 inches; 272 pages
Paperback Book Dimensions: 5.57 x 0.79 x 8.32 inches; 272 pages

The Lighthouse Witches
Paperback | Kindle | Audiobook
By C. J. Cooke
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: October 5, 2021

Two sisters go missing on a remote Scottish island. Twenty years later, one is found–but she’s still the same age as when she disappeared. The secrets of witches have reached across the centuries in this chilling Gothic thriller from the author of the acclaimed The Nesting.

When single mother Liv is commissioned to paint a mural in a 100-year-old lighthouse on a remote Scottish island, it’s an opportunity to start over with her three daughters–Luna, Sapphire, and Clover. When two of her daughters go missing, she’s frantic. She learns that the cave beneath the lighthouse was once a prison for women accused of witchcraft. The locals warn her about wildlings, supernatural beings who mimic human children, created by witches for revenge. Liv is told wildlings are dangerous and must be killed.

Twenty-two years later, Luna has been searching for her missing sisters and mother. When she receives a call about her youngest sister, Clover, she’s initially ecstatic. Clover is the sister she remembers–except she’s still seven years old, the age she was when she vanished. Luna is worried Clover is a wildling. Luna has few memories of her time on the island, but she’ll have to return to find the truth of what happened to her family. But she doesn’t realize just how much the truth will change her.

Book Dimensions: 5.44 x 0.99 x 8.19 inches; 368 pages

Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir: Inspired by True Events
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
By Brent Spiner and Jeanne Darst
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release date: October 5, 2021

Brent Spiner’s explosive and hilarious novel is a personal look at the slightly askew relationship between a celebrity and his fans. If the Coen Brothers were to make a Star Trek movie, involving the complexity of fan obsession and sci-fi, this noir comedy might just be the one.

Set in 1991, just as Star Trek: The Next Generation has rocketed the cast to global fame, the young and impressionable actor Brent Spiner receives a mysterious package and a series of disturbing letters, that take him on a terrifying and bizarre journey that enlists Paramount Security, the LAPD, and even the FBI in putting a stop to the danger that has his life and career hanging in the balance.

Featuring a cast of characters from Patrick Stewart to Levar Burton to Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, to some completely imagined, this is the fictional autobiography that takes readers into the life of Brent Spiner, and tells an amazing tale about the trappings of celebrity and the fear he has carried with him his entire life.

Fan Fiction is a zany love letter to a world in which we all participate, the phenomenon of “Fandom.”

Book Dimensions: 6.12 x 9.25 inches; 256 pages

Fathers, Brothers, and Sons: Surviving Anguish, Abandonment, and Anthrax
Hardcover
By Frank Bello with Joel McIver; Foreword by Gene Simmons
Publisher: Rare Bird Books
Release date: October 12, 2021

Frank Bello, bassist with the legendary New York thrash metal band Anthrax since 1984, has sold over ten million albums, travelled the globe more times than he cares to count, and enthralled audiences from the world’s biggest stages. His long-awaited memoir would be a gripping read even if its pages only contained stories about his life as a recording and touring musician. While those stories are indeed included?and will blow your mind?Bello also focuses on deeper subjects in Fathers, Brothers, and Sons. Once you’ve heard his life story, you’ll understand why.

Born into a family of five, Frank grew up in difficult circumstances. His father abandoned his wife and children, and Frank’s mother moved heaven and earth to keep them fed and educated. Left with no male role model, Frank found inspiration in heavy metal bass players, following their example and forging a career with Anthrax from his early teens?first as a roadie, and then as the group’s bass player.

International stardom came Frank’s way by the mid-to-late 1980s, when he was still in his early twenties, but tragedy struck in 1996 when his brother Anthony was murdered in New York. Although the case went to trial, the suspected killer was released without charge after a witness, intimidated by violent elements, withdrew his testimony.

Two decades later, Frank is a father himself to a young son. Like many men who grew up without the guidance of a dad, he asks himself important questions about the meaning of fatherhood and how to do the job well. This is the wisdom which Fathers, Brothers, and Sons offers readers.

Despite the emotive nature of these topics, Fathers, Brothers, and Sons is a funny, entertaining read. A man with a keen sense of humor and the perspective to know how surreal his story has been, Frank doesn’t preach or seek sympathy in his book. Instead, he simply passes on the wisdom gained from a lifetime of turbulence, paying tribute to his loved ones in a way that will resonate with us all.

Book Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5 inches; 256 pages

The Art and Soul of Dune
Hardcover
By Tanya Lapointe; Foreword by Denis Villeneuve
Introduction by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
Publisher: Insight Editions
Release Date: October 22, 2021

Immerse yourself in the world of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and discover the incredible creative journey that brought Frank Herbert’s iconic novel to the big screen.

Frank Herbert’s science fiction classic Dune has been brought to life like never before in the breathtaking film adaptation from acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049, Arrival). Now fans can be part of this creative journey with The Art and Soul of Dune, the official companion to the hugely anticipated movie event.

Written by Dune executive producer Tanya Lapointe, this visually dazzling exploration of the filmmaking process gives unparalleled insight into the project’s genesis—from its striking environmental and creature designs to its intricate costume concepts and landmark digital effects. The Art and Soul of Dune also features exclusive interviews with key members of the cast and crew, including Denis Villeneuve, Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, and many more, delivering a uniquely candid account of the hugely ambitious international shoot.

Showcasing Villeneuve’s visionary approach to realizing Herbert’s science fiction classic, The Art and Soul of Dune is an essential companion to the director’s latest masterpiece.

Book Dimensions: 11 x 1.2 x 10 inches; 240 pages

Wendy and Tink: A Novel
Paperback | Kindle Edition
By Kelly Ann Jacobson
Publisher: Three Rooms Press
Release Date: October 26, 2021

What happens when Tinker Bell is in love with both Peter Pan and Wendy? In this sparkling re-imagining of Peter Pan, Peter and Wendy’s granddaughter Hope Darling finds the reclusive Tinker Bell squatting at the Darling mansion in order to care for the graves of her two lost friends after a love triangle gone awry. As Hope wins the fairy’s trust, Tink tells her the truth about Wendy and Peter—and her own role in their ultimate fate. Told in three alternating perspectives—past, present, and excerpts from a book called Neverland: A History written by Tink’s own fairy godmother—this queer adaptation is for anyone who has ever wondered if there might have been more to the story of Tinker Bell and the rest of the Peter Pan legend.

238 pages
Reading age: 15 – 17 years; Grade level: 10 – 12

A Marvelous Light
Book 1: The Last Binding
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
By Freya Marske
Publisher: Tor Books
Release date: November 2, 2021

Red White & Royal Blue meets Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell in debut author Freya Marske’s A Marvellous Light, featuring an Edwardian England full of magic, contracts, and conspiracies.

Robin Blyth has more than enough bother in his life. He’s struggling to be a good older brother, a responsible employer, and the harried baronet of a seat gutted by his late parents’ excesses. When an administrative mistake sees him named the civil service liaison to a hidden magical society, he discovers what’s been operating beneath the unextraordinary reality he’s always known.

Now Robin must contend with the beauty and danger of magic, an excruciating deadly curse, and the alarming visions of the future that come with it?not to mention Edwin Courcey, his cold and prickly counterpart in the magical bureaucracy, who clearly wishes Robin were anyone and anywhere else.

Robin’s predecessor has disappeared, and the mystery of what happened to him reveals unsettling truths about the very oldest stories they’ve been told about the land they live on and what binds it. Thrown together and facing unexpected dangers, Robin and Edwin discover a plot that threatens every magician in the British Isles?and a secret that more than one person has already died to keep.

Book Dimensions: 5.38 x 8.25 inches; 384 pages

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT… SOME BOOKS RELEASED EARLIER IN 2021.

Whisper Down The Lane
Hardcover | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Clay McLeod Chapman
Publisher: Quirk Books
Release Date: April 6, 2021

Inspired by the McMartin preschool trials and the Satanic Panic of the ‘80s, the critically acclaimed author of The Remaking delivers another pulse pounding, true-crime-based horror novel.

Richard doesn’t have a past. For him, there is only the present: a new marriage to Tamara, a first chance at fatherhood to her son Elijah, and a quiet but pleasant life as an art teacher at Elijah’s elementary school in Danvers, Virginia. Then the body of a rabbit, ritualistically murdered, appears on the school grounds with a birthday card for Richard tucked beneath it. Richard doesn’t have a birthday—but Sean does . . .

Sean is a five-year-old boy who has just moved to Greenfield, Virginia, with his mother. Like most mothers of the 1980s, she’s worried about bills, childcare, putting food on the table . . . and an encroaching threat to American life that can take the face of anyone: a politician, a friendly neighbor, or even a teacher. When Sean’s school sends a letter to the parents revealing that Sean’s favorite teacher is under investigation, a white lie from Sean lights a fire that engulfs the entire nation—and Sean and his mother are left holding the match.

Now, thirty years later, someone is here to remind Richard that they remember what Sean did. And though Sean doesn’t exist anymore, someone needs to pay the price for his lies.

Book Dimensions: 6.26 x 1.08 x 9.29 inches; 304 pages

Victories Greater Than Death
Unstoppable, Book 1
Hardcover | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Charlie Jane Anders
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: April 13, 2021

Outsmart Your Enemies. Outrun the Galaxy.

“Just please, remember what I told you. Run. Don’t stop running for anything.”

Tina never worries about being ‘ordinary’–she doesn’t have to, since she’s known practically forever that she’s not just Tina Mains, average teenager and beloved daughter. She’s also the keeper of an interplanetary rescue beacon, and one day soon, it’s going to activate, and then her dreams of saving all the worlds and adventuring among the stars will finally be possible. Tina’s legacy, after all, is intergalactic–she is the hidden clone of a famed alien hero, left on Earth disguised as a human to give the universe another chance to defeat a terrible evil.

But when the beacon activates, it turns out that Tina’s destiny isn’t quite what she expected. Things are far more dangerous than she ever assumed–and everyone in the galaxy is expecting her to actually be the brilliant tactician and legendary savior Captain Thaoh Argentian, but Tina….is just Tina. And the Royal Fleet is losing the war, badly–the starship that found her is on the run and they barely manage to escape Earth with the planet still intact.

Luckily, Tina is surrounded by a crew she can trust, and her best friend Rachel, and she is still determined to save all the worlds. But first she’ll have to save herself.

Buckle up your seatbelt for this thrilling YA sci-fi adventure set against an intergalactic war from internationally bestselling author Charlie Jane Anders.

Book Dimensions: 6.49 x 1.09 x 9.81 inches; 288 pages
Reading age: 13 – 18 years; Grade level: 7 – 9

The Ultimate Evil
The Search for the Sons of Sam
Paperback | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Maury Terry
Publisher: Quirk Books
Release Date: April 20, 2021

The true-crime cult classic that inspired the Netflix docuseries The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness and a companion podcast, The Ultimate Evil follows journalist Maury Terry’s decades-long investigation into the terrifying truth behind the Son of Sam murders.

On August 10, 1977, the NYPD arrested David Berkowitz for the Son of Sam murders that had terrorized New York City for over a year. Berkowitz confessed to shooting sixteen people and killing six with a .44 caliber Bulldog revolver, and the case was officially closed.

Journalist Maury Terry was suspicious of Berkowitz’s confession. Spurred by conflicting witness descriptions of the killer and clues overlooked in the investigation, Terry was convinced Berkowitz didn’t act alone. Meticulously gathering evidence for a decade, he released his findings in the first edition of The Ultimate Evil. Based upon the evidence he had uncovered, Terry theorized that the Son of Sam attacks were masterminded by a Yonkers-based cult that was responsible for other ritual murders across the country. After Terry’s death in 2015, documentary filmmaker Josh Zeman (Cropsey, The Killing Season, Murder Mountain) was given access to Terry’s files, which form the basis of his docuseries with Netflix and a companion podcast. Taken together with The Ultimate Evil, which includes a new introduction by Zeman, these works reveal the stunning intersections of power, wealth, privilege, and evil in America—from the Summer of Sam until today.

Book Dimensions: 6.01 x 1.4 x 9.02 inches; 544 pages

Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: Book II: Greater Good
Book 2: Star Wars: The Ascendancy
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
By Timothy Zahn
Publisher: Del Rey
Release date: April 27, 2021

Thrawn and his allies race to save the Chiss Ascendancy from an unseen enemy in the second book in the epic Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy from bestselling author Timothy Zahn.

Thrawn’s latest triumph still rests newly on his shoulders. He has led the Chiss to victory and brought glory to the House of Mitth, but the true threat to the Ascendancy has not yet been extinguished. Their foes do not send threats or ultimatums, do not mass ships on the edge of the Chaos. Their weapons come cloaked in smiles and generosity: Gifts offered freely. Services granted unconditionally.

Across the Ascendancy, seemingly inconsequential events could herald the doom of the Chiss. As Thrawn and the Expansionary Defense Fleet rally to uncover the plot, they discover a chilling truth: Rather than invade Chiss capitals or pillage resources, their enemy strikes at the very foundation of the Ascendancy, seeking to widen the rifts between the Nine Ruling Families and the Forty Great Houses below. As rivalry and suspicion sow discord among allies, each warrior must decide what matters most to them: the security of their family or the survival of the Ascendancy itself.

Book Dimensions: 6.2 x 1 x 9.5 inches; 432 pages

Project Hail Mary: A Novel
Hardcover | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Andy Weir
Publisher: Random House | Ballantine Books
Release Date: May 4, 2021

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone.

Or does he?

An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could deliver, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian—while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.

Book Dimensions: 6.35 x 1.6 x 9.55 inches; 496 pages

The Shadow of the Gods
Book 1: The Bloodsworn Trilogy
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
By John Gwynne
Publisher: Hachette Book Group | Orbit
Release date: May 6, 2021

THE GREATEST SAGAS ARE WRITTEN IN BLOOD.

A century has passed since the gods fought and drove themselves to extinction. Now only their bones remain, promising great power to those brave enough to seek them out.

As whispers of war echo across the land of Vigrið, fate follows in the footsteps of three warriors: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman pursuing battle fame, and a thrall seeking vengeance among the mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.

All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods.

Set in a brand-new, Norse-inspired world, and packed with myth, magic and bloody vengeance, The Shadow of the Gods begins an epic new fantasy saga from bestselling author John Gwynne.

Book Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.81 x 9.29 inches

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires: A Novel
Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle | Audiobook
By Grady Hendrix
Publisher: Quirk Books
Release date (paperback): May 25, 2021

Now in paperback, Steel Magnolias meets Dracula in this ’90s-set horror novel about a women’s book club that must do battle with a mysterious newcomer to their small Southern town, perfect for murderinos and fans of Stephen King.

Bonus features:
• Reading group guide for book clubs
• Hand-drawn map of Mt. Pleasant
• Annotated true-crime reading list by Grady Hendrix
• And more!

Patricia Campbell’s life has never felt smaller. Her husband is a workaholic, her teenage kids have their own lives, her senile mother-in-law needs constant care, and she’s always a step behind on her endless to-do list. The only thing keeping her sane is her book club, a close-knit group of Charleston women united by their love of true crime. At these meetings they’re as likely to talk about the Manson family as they are about their own families.

One evening after book club, Patricia is viciously attacked by an elderly neighbor, bringing the neighbor’s handsome nephew, James Harris, into her life. James is well traveled and well read, and he makes Patricia feel things she hasn’t felt in years. But when children on the other side of town go missing, their deaths written off by local police, Patricia has reason to believe James Harris is more of a Bundy than a Brad Pitt. The real problem? James is a monster of a different kind—and Patricia has already invited him in.

Little by little, James will insinuate himself into Patricia’s life and try to take everything she took for granted—including the book club—but she won’t surrender without a fight in this blood-soaked tale of neighborly kindness gone wrong.

Book Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches; 424 pages

Bookish and the Beast
Book 3 of 3: Once Upon A Con
Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle | Audiobook
By Ashley Poston
Publisher: Quirk Books
Release date (paperback): June 1, 2021

A tale as old as time is made new in Ashley Poston’s fresh, geeky retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Rosie Thorne is feeling stuck—on her college application essays, in her small town, and on that mysterious General Sond cosplayer she met at ExcelsiCon. Most of all, she’s stuck in her grief over her mother’s death. Her only solace was her late mother’s library of rare Starfield novels, but even that disappeared when they sold it to pay off hospital bills.

On the other hand, Vance Reigns has been Hollywood royalty for as long as he can remember—with all the privilege and scrutiny that entails. When a tabloid scandal catches up to him, he’s forced to hide out somewhere the paparazzi would never expect to find him: Small Town USA. At least there’s a library in the house. Too bad he doesn’t read.

When Rosie and Vance’s paths collide and a rare book is accidentally destroyed, Rosie finds herself working to repay the debt. And while most Starfield superfans would jump at the chance to work in close proximity to the Vance Reigns, Rosie has discovered something about Vance: he’s a jerk, and she can’t stand him. The feeling is mutual.

But as Vance and Rosie begrudgingly get to know each other, their careful masks come off—and they may just find that there’s more risk in shutting each other out than in opening their hearts.

Book Dimensions: 5.23 x 0.82 x 8 inches; 304 pages
Reading age: 14 – 17 years

A Psalm for the Wild-Built
Book 1: Monk & Robot
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
By Becky Chambers
Publisher: Tor Books
Release date: July 13, 2021

In A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Hugo Award-winner Becky Chambers’s delightful new Monk and Robot series gives us hope for the future.

It’s been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend.

One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of “what do people need?” is answered.

But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how.

They’re going to need to ask it a lot.

Becky Chambers’s new series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?

Book Dimensions: 5.31 x 0.71 x 8.27 inches; 160 pages

The Final Girl Support Group
Hardcover | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Grady Hendrix
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: July 13, 2021

In horror movies, the final girls are the ones left standing when the credits roll. They made it through the worst night of their lives…but what happens after?

Like his bestselling novel The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, Grady Hendrix’s latest is a fast-paced, frightening, and wickedly humorous thriller. From chain saws to summer camp slayers, The Final Girl Support Group pays tribute to and slyly subverts our most popular horror films—movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Scream.

Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre. For more than a decade, she’s been meeting with five other final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, working to put their lives back together. Then one woman misses a meeting, and their worst fears are realized—someone knows about the group and is determined to rip their lives apart again, piece by piece.

But the thing about final girls is that no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up.

Book Dimensions: 6.37 x 1.16 x 9.28 inches; 352 pages

Disney Villains: A Portrait of Evil
History’s Wickedest Luminaries (Books About Disney Villains)
Hardcover
By Pat Shand (author), Justin Hernandez (illustrator)
Publisher: Insight Editions | Insight Kids
Release Date: July 20, 2021

Learn the darkest secrets of the most infamous Disney villains!

This gruesome grimoire collects the deepest secrets and darkest spells of dastardly Disney villains like Maleficent, Cruella de Vil, Ursula, Mother Gothel, and Prince Hans. Look behind doors and lift secret flaps to uncover the villains’ personal keepsakes and collectibles, including the incantation the Evil Queen summoned to poison Snow White’s apple and Doctor Facilier’s tarot cards.

Stunning Original Artwork: Lavishly filled with rich and moody never-before-seen illustrations of Disney villains.
The Evil Truth Behind Beloved Tales: Discover the stories and experiences that make each Disney villain uniquely evil.
Artifacts of Evil: Packed with interactive elements and keepsakes from their most devilish plots, Disney Villains: A Portrait of Evil puts the evidence of their wicked deeds right in the palm of your hand.
For Disney Villains fans of all ages: Girls and boys, or women and men, Disney Villains: A Portrait of Evil will delight fans of any age.

Book Dimensions: 9.75 x 0.5 x 11.5 inches; 40 pages
Reading age: 8 – 12 years; Grade level: 4 – 6

Billy Summers
Hardcover | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Stephen King
Publisher: Scribner
Release Date: August 3, 2021

From legendary storyteller Stephen King, whose “restless imagination is a power that cannot be contained” (The New York Times Book Review), comes a thrilling new novel about a good guy in a bad job.

Billy Summers is a man in a room with a gun. He’s a killer for hire and the best in the business. But he’ll do the job only if the target is a truly bad guy. And now Billy wants out. But first there is one last hit. Billy is among the best snipers in the world, a decorated Iraq war vet, a Houdini when it comes to vanishing after the job is done. So what could possibly go wrong?

How about everything.

This spectacular can’t-put-it-down novel is part war story, part love letter to small town America and the people who live there, and it features one of the most compelling and surprising duos in King fiction, who set out to avenge the crimes of an extraordinarily evil man. It’s about love, luck, fate, and a complex hero with one last shot at redemption.

You won’t put this story down, and you won’t forget Billy.

Book Dimensions: 6.13 x 1.7 x 9.25 inches; 528 pages

Starlight Enclave: A Novel
Book 1: Way of the Drow
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
By R. A. Salvatore
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release date: August 3, 2021

From New York Times bestselling author R. A. Salvatore comes a new trilogy and adventure of Drizzt and fantasy’s beloved characters from Dungeons & Dragons’ Forgotten Realms.

After the settling dust of the demon uprising and two years of peace, rumblings from the Menzoberranzan drow have Jarlaxle nervous. Worried his allies may be pulled into a Civil War between the great Houses, he is eager to ensure Zaknafein is armed with weapons befitting his skill, including one in particular: Khazid’hea. A powerful artifact, the sword known as “Cutter” has started wars, corrupted its users, and spilled the blood of many, many people. Nonetheless—or maybe because of that—the rogue Jarlaxle and a small group of friends will go on an expedition looking for the weapon’s last wielder, Doum’wielle, in the freezing north, for she may be the key to unlocking the sword’s potential…and perhaps the key to preventing the bloodshed looming over the Underdark.

And as they explore the top of the world, Drizzt is on a journey of his own—both spiritual and physical. He wants to introduce his daughter Brie to Grandmaster Kane and the practices that have been so central to his beliefs. But, having only recently come back from true transcendence, the drow ranger is no longer sure what his beliefs mean anymore. He is on a path to determining the future, not just for his family, but perhaps the entire northlands of the Realms themselves.

Two different roads. On one, Jarlaxle and Zaknefein are on a quest to find pieces that could offer salvation to Menzoberranzan. On the other, Drizzt seeks answers that could offer salvation to not just his soul, but all souls.

And no matter the outcome of either journey, the Realms will never be the same again.

Book Dimensions: 6.35 x 1.52 x 9.28 inches; 464 pages

Star Trek: Designing the Final Frontier
How Midcentury Modernism Shaped Our View of the Future
Hardcover
By Dan Chavkin and Brian McGuire
Publisher: Weldon Owen
Release date: August 3, 2021

Celebrate Star Trek: The Original Series and the show’s distinctive Midcentury modern design that would change design– and television–forever.

Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969) was the first installment of one of the most successful and longest-running television franchises of all time. Today, Trek fans champion its writing, progressive social consciousness, and aesthetic. Designing the Final Frontier is a unique, expert look at the mid-century modern design that created and inspired that aesthetic. From Burke chairs to amorphous sculptures, from bright colors to futuristic frames, Star Trek TOS is bursting with mid-century modern furniture, art, and design elements—many of them bought directly from famous design showrooms.

Together, midcentury modern design experts Dan Chavkin and Brian McGuire have created an insider’s guide to the interior of original starship Enterprise and beyond, that is sure to attract Star Trek’s thriving global fan base.

Book Dimensions: 10.5 x 0.7 x 9.5 inches; 168 pages

A Terrible Fall Of Angels
Book 1: A Zaniel Havelock Novel
Hardcover | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Laurell K. Hamilton
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: August 17, 2021

Angels walk among us, but so do other unearthly beings in this brand new series by #1 New York Times Bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton.

Meet Detective Zaniel Havelock, a man with the special ability to communicate directly with angels. A former trained Angel speaker, he devoted his life to serving both the celestial beings and his fellow humans with his gift, but a terrible betrayal compelled him to leave that life behind. Now he’s a cop who is still working on the side of angels. But where there are angels, there are also demons. There’s no question that there’s evil at work when he’s called in to examine the murder scene of a college student—but is it just the evil that one human being can do to another, or is it something more? When demonic possession is a possibility, even angelic protection can only go so far. The race is on to stop a killer before he finds his next victim, as Zaniel is forced to confront his own very personal demons, and the past he never truly left behind.

The first in a new series from the author of the Anita Blake and Merry Gentry series.

Book Dimensions: 6.27 x 1.34 x 9.27 inches; 400 pages

The Pariah
Book 1: The Covenant of Steel
Paperback | Kindle | Audiobook
By Anthony Ryan
Publisher: Hachette Book Group | Orbit
Release date: August 24, 2021

The Pariah begins a new epic fantasy series of action, intrigue and magic from Anthony Ryan, a master storyteller who has taken the fantasy world by storm.

Born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine, Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw. Quick of wit and deft with a blade, Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves. But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path – one of blood and vengeance, which eventually leads him to a soldier’s life in the king’s army.

Fighting under the command of Lady Evadine Courlain, a noblewoman beset by visions of a demonic apocalypse, Alwyn must survive war and the deadly intrigues of the nobility if he hopes to claim his vengeance. But as dark forces, both human and arcane, gather to oppose Evadine’s rise, Alwyn faces a choice: can he be a warrior, or will he always be an outlaw?

Book Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.85 x 9.2 inches; 608 pages

Feral Creatures
Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook
By Kira Jane Buxton
Publisher: Hachette Book Group | Grand Central Publishing
Release date: August 24, 2021

In this stunning follow-up to Hollow Kingdom, the animal kingdom’s “favorite apocalyptic hero”is back with a renewed sense of hope for humanity, ready to take on a world ravaged by a viral pandemic (Helen Macdonald).

Once upon an apocalypse, there lived an obscenely handsome American crow named S.T….

When the world last checked-in with its favorite Cheeto addict, the planet had been overrun by flesh-hungry beasts, and nature had started re-claiming her territory from humankind. S.T., the intrepid crow, alongside his bloodhound-bestie Dennis, had set about saving pets that had become trapped in their homes after humanity went the way of the dodo.

That is, dear reader, until S.T. stumbled upon something so rare—and so precious—that he vowed to do everything in his power to safeguard what could, quite literally, be humanity’s last hope for survival. But in a wild world plagued by prejudiced animals, feather-raising environments, new threats so terrifying they make zombies look like baby bunnies, and a horrendous dearth of cheesy snacks, what’s a crow to do?

Why, wing it on another big-hearted, death-defying adventure, that’s what! Joined by a fabulous new cast of animal characters, S.T. faces many new challenges plus his biggest one yet: parenthood.

Book Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.45 x 9.35 inches; 368 pages

Magic: The Gathering: Planes of the Multiverse: A Visual History
Book 3: Magic: The Gathering: A Visual History
Hardcover | Kindle
By Jay Annelli | Wizards of the Coast
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Release date: August 24, 2021

An official visual guide to the fantastical worlds and legendary characters of Magic: The Gathering

The many planes of Magic: The Gathering’s storied Multiverse have served as host to countless epic battles and dramatic cataclysms—and each world is richly and uniquely populated with its own fantastical creatures, iconic characters, and legendary Planeswalkers. In Magic: The Gathering: Planes of the Multiverse, author Jay Annelli presents a visual guide to the history behind lore-defining events from the Phyrexian Invasion to the War of the Spark, as well as character profiles for Karn, Narset, Vraska, Sorin Markov, and other fan-favorite Planeswalkers.
Planes of the Multiverse pairs original artwork—in many instances reproduced for the first time outside of the card frame—with detailed primers on each plane. This collection offers exclusive insight into the art and mythology of some of Magic: The Gathering’s most popular and enduring locales—and the characters that inhabit them.

Book Dimensions: 5.95 x 1 x 7.4 inches; 256 pages

Alice Isn’t Dead: A Novel
Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle Edition | Audiobook
By Joseph Fink
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Release Date: August 31, 2021 (Paperback release)

From the bestselling co-author of It Devours! and Welcome to Night Vale comes a fast-paced thriller about a truck driver searching across America for the wife she had long assumed to be dead.

“This isn’t a story. It’s a road trip.”

Keisha Taylor lived a quiet life with her wife, Alice, until the day that Alice disappeared. After months of searching, presuming she was dead, Keisha held a funeral, mourned, and gradually tried to get on with her life. But that was before Keisha started to see her wife, again and again, in the background of news reports from all over America. Alice isn’t dead, and she is showing up at every major tragedy and accident in the country.

Following a line of clues, Keisha takes a job as a long-haul truck driver and begins searching for Alice. She eventually stumbles on an otherworldly conflict being waged in the quiet corners of our nation’s highway system—uncovering a conspiracy that goes way beyond one missing woman.

Book Dimensions (Paperback): 6 x 0.88 x 9 inches; 352 pages

COOKBOOKS, CRAFTS, AND GUIDES

Supernatural Tarot Deck and Guidebook
Hardcover
By Minerva Siegel
Publisher: Insight Editions
Release Date: April 27, 2021

Join the hunt for answers with this collectible Supernatural tarot deck and guidebook, featuring Sam and Dean Winchester, their friends, their enemies, and all the angels, demons, ghosts, and monsters of the hit TV series.

The long-running television series Supernatural is now an illustrated tarot deck! Featuring original artwork inspired by classic tarot iconography, the 78-card deck includes all your favorite characters from Sam and Dean to Bobby Singer to Castiel to Crowley. The deck also comes with a helpful guidebook explaining the meaning of each card as well as a few simple spreads for easy readings. It’s the perfect gift for Supernatural fans and tarot enthusiasts alike!

Book Dimensions: 3.88 x 2 x 5.75 inches; 128 pages

Star Wars: Galactic Baking
The Official Cookbook of Sweet and Savory Treats From Tatooine, Hoth, and Beyond
Hardcover
(Authorized by Disney / Lucasfilm)
Publisher: Insight Editions | Insight Kids
Release Date: May 4, 2021

Embark on a baking journey through the Star Wars galaxy, and craft scrumptious treats inspired by fan-favorite planets.

Get ready to tour the galaxy with this baking cookbook inspired by the snowdrifts of Hoth, the wastelands of Tatooine, and beyond. Star Wars: The Official Baking Cookbook is the most delicious way to experience the planets, flora, and fauna of the Star Wars galaxy. Whether you’re throwing a watch party or hosting members of the Galactic Senate, this cookbook is a must-have for fans of all ages.

• Over thirty mouthwatering recipes: Star Wars: The Official Baking Cookbook features recipes such as Mustafarian Molten Lava Cakes, Cloud City Marshmallows, Life Day Cake, Loth-Cat Kibble, Keshian Spice Bread, Dagobah Bog Pie, and more.

• Bake your way through the galaxy: Packed with stunning food photography that’s sure to inspire your inner chef, this cookbook will transport you to planets such as Kashyyyk, Jakku, Endor, Bespin, Coruscant, and everywhere in between.

• For all skill levels: All types of bakers—from Padawans to Jedi Masters—will be able to enjoy recipes based on the Star Wars galaxy, from the Skywalker Saga to Star Wars Rebels.

• Own the official Star Wars baking cookbook: This officially licensed guide to the galaxy’s best sweets and treats will be a delectable addition to your Star Wars collection.

Book Dimensions: 7.25 x 0.6 x 8.25 inches; 128 pages
Reading age: 8 – 12 years; Grade level: 4 – 6

Disney Villains: Devilishly Delicious Cookbook
Hardcover | Spiral-Bound Edition
By Julie Tremaine
Publisher: Insight Editions | Insight Kids
Release Date: July 20, 2021

Let Cruella de Vil, Maleficent, Ursula, and other beloved baddies guide you through some of their favorite devilishly delicious delicacies with this exciting and beautiful Disney Villains cookbook.

Being bad has never tasted so good! This deliciously evil cookbook features more than 50 tasty, easy-to-follow recipes inspired by the dastardly Disney Villains. From bewitching appetizers to delectable mains to decadent desserts, this cookbook offers Disney Villain-themed treats for every meal and occasion.

Featuring full-color photography, suggestions for alternate ingredients, and tips and tricks from some of your favorite Disney Villains, this all-ages cookbook is the perfect way to bring friends and family together with delicious Disney trickery.

Book Dimensions: 7.5 x 1 x 8.75 inches; 128 pages

The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Official Cookbook & Entertaining Guide
Hardcover | Spiral-Bound
Recipes by Kim Laidlaw; Crafts by Caroline Hall; Text by Jody Revenson
Publisher: Insight Editions
Release Date: August 28, 2021

Throw the spookiest soiree of the season with this delightful cookbook and entertaining guide inspired by Tim Burton’s iconic film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Brimming with scary good fun, The Nightmare Before Christmas Cookbook & Entertaining Guide has everything you need to plan the perfect party. Is it Halloween? Christmas? Your birthday? No matter the occasion, this book will help you take your next dinner or event from routine to inspired—with a little help from Jack Skellington, Sally, Sandy Claws, and all their friends in Halloween Town. This book is divided into two parts. Part one includes over fifty mouthwatering recipes for appetizers, entrees, desserts, and drinks inspired by the movie—with options for sugar-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian guests. Part two includes detailed blueprints and planning instructions for several complete The Nightmare Before Christmas–themed parties, including creative crafts for DIY decorations, amusing activities, frightful favors, and more. Replicate these events exactly or mix and match ideas to create your own custom event. Make it stylish and scary or charming and full of cheer—either way your guests are guaranteed to have a screaming good time. Bursting with vibrant photography and free downloadable templates for invitations, decorations, and other printable ephemera, this book will make every party frighteningly fun. It’s a true must-have for The Nightmare Before Christmas fans everywhere.

Book Dimensions: 8 x 1 x 10 inches; 192 pages

Friends: The Official Central Perk Cookbook
Series: Classic TV Cookbooks, 90s TV
Hardcover | Gift Set
By Kara Mickelson
Publisher: Insight Editions
Hardcover Release date: October 5, 2021; Gift Set: October 26, 2021

Celebrate your favorite coffee shop and one of the most iconic television series of all time with Friends: The Official Central Perk Cookbook!

Gather your friends on your favorite couch and prepare over 50 recipes inspired by the iconic Central Perk café from the beloved hit sitcom Friends. Friends: The Official Central Perk Cookbook offers a variety of recipes for chefs of all levels. From appetizers and small bites to drinks and desserts, each chapter includes iconic treats from the show and café. The latest in Insight Editions’ best-selling line of Friends products has more than 50 recipes and beautiful full-color photography, as well as classic stills and iconic quotes from the show. This will be the year’s best home cooking companion for fans of the show that has always been there for you.

Hardcover Book Dimensions: 8 x 0.9 x 10 inches; Hardcover: 176 pages

This Gift Set makes Friends: The Official Central Perk Cookbook even better! Friends: The Official Central Perk Cookbook Gift Set is packaged in a deluxe gift box and combines the exciting new Friends & Central Perk-themed cookbook with an exclusive apron emblazoned with the Central Perk logo. Your holiday gift-giving challenge has been solved!

75 Brand New Recipes: Inspired by beloved moments from the show and Central Perk, this book includes delicious recipes such as I Hate Rachel Thai Iced Tea, Ross’s Space Princess Fantasy Cinnamon Rolls, and Joey’s Peanut Butter Spoon Shaped Cookies & Jam.
Over 20 Café-Inspired Drinks: This book includes recipes for over 20 coffee- and tea-based drinks, perfect for mastering your own caffeinated start to the day.

Includes Iconic Central Perk Apron: This high-quality apron features adjustable straps, a large front pocket, and the iconic Central Perk logo.

Gift Sete Dimensions: 8 x 0.47 x 10 inches

AUDIOBOOK SPOTLIGHT

The Sandman: Act II
Audiobook
Written by Neil Gaiman; Narrated by Neil Gaiman, and includes a full cast directed by Dirk Maggs.
Audible Originals
Release date: September 22, 2021

Act II adapts the DC/Vertigo Comics graphic novels collected Volumes 4 (Season of Mists) and 5 (A Game of You) in their entirety, and most of Volume 6 (Fables & Reflections).

Troy: The Greek Myths Reimagined
Audiobook
Written & Narrated by Stephen Fry
Chronicle Books
Release date: June 22, 2021

Book 3 of actor Stephen Fry’s The Greek Myths Reimagined trilogy, this time retelling the famous tale of the Trojan War. Also available in Hardcover & Kindle.

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