New Releases – November 2, 2021

New month, new releases! Let’s see what is coming to the shelves of The Haunted Book Shop this week!

Poetry

Dearly: New Poems is Margaret Atwood’s first poetry collection in over a decade. While most associate Atwood with her fiction writing, with novels like The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments, among others, she is also an accomplished poet. This wide-ranging collection addresses themes of love, loss, the passage of time, the nature of nature, and – zombies. Atwood fans will enjoy this introspective, observant collection

Mystery/Thriller

Now available in paperback, Tana French’s bestseller The Searcher follows Cal Hooper, a newly divorced and retired Chicago police officer looking to “build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens.” But when a kid looking for his missing brother enlists Cal in the investigation, Cal uncovers dark shadows hiding in the town and learns that even small towns can hide dangerous secrets.

Another bestseller now available in paperback, The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins is a southern Gothic twist on the classic novel Jane Eyre. Newly arrived in Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker with a past working in the ritzy Thornfield Estates gated community. The recently widowed Edward is Thornfield’s most mysterious resident. As the two meet and begin to fall for each other, Jane finds herself haunted by the legend of Bea, Edward’s wife who drowned in a boating accident. Can Jane win Edward’s heart before their respective pasts catch up with them?

Fantasy

The God of Lost Words is the latest in A.J. Hackwith’s Novels from Hell’s Library series. Every book that isn’t finished resides in the Library of the Unwritten in Hell and it is up to the Librarian and her crew to protect it. In this installment, former librarian and Hero, Claire, must team up with Rami, the angel, and muse-turned-librarian Brevity to protect the unwritten wing and stave off the insidious reach of Hell’s most bloodthirsty generals, the evil Malphas. The group faces perilous odds – succeed and rewrite the nature of the library or lose and face obliteration.

Described as “Red White and Royal Blue meets Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, debut author Freya Marske’s A Marvelous Light takes place in an Edwardian England full of magic, contracts, and conspiracies. Robin Blythe already has enough on his plate when an administrative error sees him named the civil service liaison to a hidden magical society. The position sees Robin struggling with the beauty and danger of magic, a deadly curse, and alarming visions of the future, all alongside Edwin, his cold and prickly counterpart who clearly wishes he didn’t have to deal with Robin. 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.

Romance

A Certain Appeal by Vanessa King is a contemporary retelling of Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice. With her interior design career derailed, Liz Bennet found a new start in New York City as an executive assistant by day and a stage kitten by night, dancing at Meryton, one of the city’s top burlesque venues. Sparks fly when she catches the eye of Will Darcy at the club – sparks that quickly fade when she overhears him call her “merely tolerable.” Bennet hopes to write him off, but when their respective best friends fall for each other, she and Will find themselves together again and again. On top of that, when a charming newcomer arrives on the scene with accusations against Darcy, and a sudden development leaves Meryton’s fate in jeopardy. Who will Bennet trust to save her dreams and her found family?

Horror

The perfect gift for the horror lover in your life, The Necronomicon 5 Volume Box Set features more than 70 short stories from the masters of cosmic horror, including H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Arthur Machen, and more. With graphic cover designs, this gorgeous set is sure to scare and delight diehard horror readers!

Kids

Aaron Slater, Illustrator is the latest in The Questioneers series by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts! Aaron Slater loves listening to stories and wants to write his own one day. But Aaron struggles when it comes to reading, with the letters just looking like squiggles. When his teacher asks each child in the class to write a story, Aaron can’t get a single word down, and he is sure his dream of being a storyteller is out of reach. But when Aaron finds his inspiration, he learns he is able to write a story that is uniquely his. Written in dyslexia-friendly font, readers will find in Aaron the story of a boy with dyslexia who discovers that his learning disability may inform who he is, but it does not define him.

Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life is a collection of amazing dinosaurs, plants, and other prehistoric life that will wow readers of all ages. Showcasing more than 90 remarkable fossils, such as a fearsome Tyrannosaurus skull, delicate fern leaf, and perfectly preserved woolly mammoth, the gorgeous illustrations and storybook descriptions of the myths and legends surrounding these creatures will both inform and captivate readers.

Manu: A Graphic Novel by Kelly Fernández is a funny and heartwarming tale about friendship, defying expectations, and finding your place. Manu and her best friend Josefina live at a magical school for girls. Manu is always getting into trouble and one day when a prank goes wrong, Josefina gets angry and wishes Manu’s magic would go away – and it does. Manu tries a dangerous spell to restore it but now her magic is too powerful to control. How will Manu and Josefina cope? Read along and find out!

Our Table by Peter H. Reynolds is a story about love, tradition, and connection. Violet longs for the time when her family was more connected to one another, a time before life, technology, and other distractions got in the way. They used to gather at the table, sharing food, love, and memories, reveling in each others’ stories. With no one to gather around it, the table grows smaller and smaller. Can Violet bring her family back together around the table?

Since its first publication in 1922, The Velveteen Rabbit, Margery Williams’s much-loved, timeless tale of a toy rabbit’s fervent wish to become real has captured the hearts of millions of adults and children alike. This heritage edition of The Velveteen Rabbit features the original cover art and illustrations by William Nicholson.

Wednesday – The Forest of Secrets is the third book in Ralph Lazar’s Total Mayhem series. Dash Candoo is used to strange, mysterious things happening at school. But what has been happing recently is more strange and mysterious than usual. He really starts to wonder when weird tire marks and strange sounds start coming from Moremi Forest, next to Swedhump Elementary. When Dash and his friend Rob investigate, they can’t work out what is going on – but they know they’re being watched. Soon the eerieness finds its way into the elementary school halls. What is causing all this? Dash and Rob will try to find out!

Young Adult

Fantasy

Described as “Children of Blood and Bone meets The Little Mermaid,” Skin of the Sea is the debut novel by Natasha Bowen. Simi serves the gods as Mami Wata—a mermaid—collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home. But when she breaks a crucial rule – saving the life of a boy thrown overboard – Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends and protect the other Mami Wata. But the boy seems to know more than he should and something mysterious is shadowing Simi, something that wants to see her fail. With danger lurking around every turn, Simi risks the fate of all the Mami Wata and her world.

Horror

In this eleventh volume, Five Nights at Freddy’s creator Scott Cawthon spins three sinister novella-length stories from different corners of his series’ canon. Prankster includes terrifying tales featuring Jeremiah, Joel, and Aimee as they stand up for themselves and face terrible consequences. Readers beware: This collection of terrifying tales is enough to unsettle even the most hardened Five Nights at Freddy’s fans.

Graphic Novels

The Greek tale of Hades and Persephone gets a romantic modern update in Rachel Smythe’s Lore Olympus: Volume 1. Featuring scandalous gossip, wild parties, and forbidden love, follow the propulsive, classic love story, told through lavish illustrations and contemporary sensibilities. This edition also includes a brand-new, exclusive short story!

Food & Drink

Bring the literary world to your kitchen with Once Upon a Kitchen: 101 Magical Recipes by Leslie Bilderback! Featuring recipes inspired by Tolkien, Star Wars, fairy tales, and more, readers and chefs will enjoy making delicious treats like Mrs. Potts’s Tea Poached Salmon and Jedi Ration Bars to share with friends and family.

Mind & Body

The Tarot of Curious Creatures is an eccentric and playful deck of magical guides. With their illuminating conversations and grounded wisdom, the curious and quirky characters in this 78 (+1) card deck and accompanying guidebook are a strangely familiar twist on the traditional tarot.

Visit our website for information on these titles and more! And don’t forget – if we don’t have a book in stock we are more than happy to order it for you, or you can visit our Bookshop page!

We hope to see you soon!

New Releases – October 26, 2021

It’s the last Tuesday of the month and we’re sending October off with some great books at The Haunted Book Shop!

Kids

We know a lot of Wimpy Kid fans will be excited about this! Jeff Kinney is back with Diary of a Wimpy Kid #16: Big Shot! After a disastrous performance at field day, Greg decides it’s time to retire from sports. But when his mom convinces him to try out for basketball, Greg finds himself with a spot on the worst team. Will they even win a game? Will Greg make a shot?

Bestselling author Rick Riordan brings readers on an adventure in Daughter of the Deep, his modern take on Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. When high school freshman Ana and her classmates witness a terrible accident on their way to their big trial at sea, Ana has no idea that they found their way into fighting a war with a rival school that threatens to turn them into fish food. Riordan fans will enjoy this tale full of adventure, intrigue, and a little humor.

Dinosaur Ultimate Handbook is THE guide for the dinosaur-loving curious kid in your life! Containing a complete list of all dinosaur species found to date, this guide includes statistics, illustrations, information on habitats and diet, and comparison charts to help determine your Stegosaurus from your Spinosaurus, Jurassic from Triassic, and carnivores from herbivores!

“While kids write notes to Santa Claus, Sharks line up for Santa Jaws. They tell him all their Christmas wishes. Santa thinks they sound delicious!”

So begins Santa Jaws by Bridget Heos and Galia Bernstein! Santa Jaws celebrates Christmas under the sea, delivering presents and spreading cheer to all his fellow sharks. Kids will enjoy this new twist on classic holiday traditions!

Horror

I know we just talked about a Christmas book but it IS still Halloween season and we have some spooky stuff coming out this week, starting with Vampire Hunter D Omnibus: Book 1! It is 12,090 A.D. and the aristocratic vampire lords known as Nobles have inherited the world. The Nobles are hunted by the one who is half them—a dhampir, the unearthly beautiful wanderer known as D. This collection brings together the first three volumes in author Hideyuki Kikuchi’s adventure horror series: Vampire Hunter DRaiser of Gales, and Demon Deathchase. Illustrated by Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano, this book will bring you into the story from the beginning!

Travel

Atlas of Dark Destinations by Peter Hohenhaus is perfect for those travel enthusiasts who like to add a little fright to their adventures! Hohenhaus visited and photographed all 300 places featured in the book and brings his knowledge and expertise to every page. From nuclear bunkers to eerie catacombs and more, those interested in dark tourism will be packing up the suitcase and setting off on their next eerie adventure soon after reading this book!

Fun & Games

If you want something a little calmer to do this Halloween, maybe staying home with this World of Dracula Puzzle is for you! This 1000 piece puzzle features gorgeous illustrations by Adam Simpson of all your favorite characters and key scenes from the story. Put a Dracula audiobook on your headphones and eat your Halloween candy as you put the pieces of this puzzle together!

Fantasy

Rhythm of War is the latest book in bestselling author Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive Series! Book 4 picks up with Dalinar Kholin and his Knights Radiant having spent a year fighting a protracted, brutal war. With neither side gaining any advantage, new technological discoveries by Kholin’s scholars could change the face of the war. But the enemy may have other plans in the form of a bold and dangerous operation. That’s not all the action – the Windrunners are facing their own problems. As more and more deadly enemy Fused awaken to wage war, no more honorspren are willing to bond with humans to increase the number of Radiants.

Science Fiction

The Wandering Earth brings together ten of Cixin Liu’s short stories into this collection that together are a “blazingly original ode to planet Earth, its pasts, and its futures.” Liu’s stories take readers to the edge of the universe and to the end of time with characters who attempt to reason, navigate, and survive in an unknown, punishing world. This collection includes the title story, which is the basis for a movie now streaming on Netflix.

Mystery

Award-winning journalist Tamron Hall kicks off a thrilling new mystery series with As the Wicked Watch. Jordan Manning is a crime reporter who leaves her Texas hometown to take a job at a Chicago TV station. Known for being first on the scene, Jordan tries to do two things in her work – break the big stories and give voice to the voiceless. As she is trying to establish herself (and navigate a tumultuous personal life) Jordan finds herself covering the murders of two assaulted young girls. Suspecting the murders are connected, Jordan must unravel the disturbing mysteries surrounding the deaths, deemed the work of a serial killer terrorizing Chicago.

Humor

Need a break from the kiddos? Horizontal Parenting: How to Entertain Your Kid While Lying Down is the laugh-out-loud book from Michelle Woo that features” 50 hilarious and effective activities designed to entertain kids while you lie down.” With games like “What’s on my Butt? and “Railroad to Relaxation,” parents everywhere will get a laugh out of Woo’s ideas and Dasha Tolstikova’s hilarious illustrations. And who knows, maybe the kids will be entertained after all!

Mind & Body

Now available in paperback, Juliet Diaz’s Plant Witchery “initiates readers following the current witchy trends of herbal medicine and magic into a deeper, wilder connection with the ancient healing power of over 200 plants.” Readers will learn about the essential, magical, and medicinal properties of herbs, flowers, trees, and fruits along with rituals, spells, potions and more.

Visit our website for information on these titles and more! And don’t forget – if we don’t have a book in stock we are more than happy to order it for you, or you can visit our Bookshop page!

We hope to see you soon!

New Releases – October 19, 2021

When your birthday falls on a Tuesday (AKA, New Release Day) like mine (Aimee’s) does today, it’s like getting a ton of gifts from the book universe. Take a look at what special surprises came to The Haunted Book Shop this week!

Local Author Release!

We are so excited for local author Gabriella Saab’s debut novel The Last Checkmate! If you binged The Queen’s Gambit earlier this year, you will love this book! Maria, a young Polish resistance worker imprisoned in Auschwitz during World War II, plays chess matches to spare her life. In doing so, she fights to bring the man who destroyed her family to justice. Gabriella was so gracious to provide The Haunted Book Shop with signed copies of The Last Checkmate, so be sure to come by (or order) a copy!

Fiction

When you work in a shop with a name like The Haunted Book Shop, it’s no surprise that people come in wanting spooky, haunting ghost stories. The Wrong Turning: Encounters with Ghosts is sure to fit that bill! Edited by Stephen Johnson, this collection includes stories of ghostly encounters spanning world literature, from Europe to Russia, from the United States to China. Enjoy old favorites and discover new scary stories in this collection!

Fans of C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe will find familiar characters and questions in Patti Callahan’s Once Upon a Wardrobe. Megs Devonshire is driven to solve the great mysteries of physics, with her talents with numbers and equations taking her all the way to Oxford on a scholarship. But with her beloved younger brother George facing a terminal illness, Megs finds herself seeking answers for George that defy logic – namely, where Narnia, the land from George’s favorite book, came from. Follow along as Megs searches for answers and hope in this story about sibling bonds and family love.

Horror

A creepy story of a haunted house and steeped in Japanese folklore, Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw is a spine-tingling adventure that will stay with you long after the book ends. A bride-to-be has always dreamed of getting married in a haunted house and jumps at the chance to spend a weekend with friends in an abandoned Heian mansion rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a woman whose fiancé died before they could marry. The woman buried herself alive and forces a girl to be buried with her every year to keep her company. As the weekend devolves from fun and games into something more sinister, it seems that there might be more to the story than just rumors. Readers are sure to squirm at this lyrical, twisting story of grief, relationships, and the consequences of our actions.

Romance

Jen DeLuca’s Well Matched find soon-to-be empty nester (and single mom) April Parker looking to move on from her little town. She calls on old friend Mitch Malone to help her get the house ready to sell. Mitch agrees – as long as April will go with him to a family dinner and pretend to be his girlfriend. After dinner turns into a weekend, the plan goes off without a hitch and the two return to real life. But when April volunteers at the local Ren Faire (where Mitch is known for his kilt and toned abs) and runs into Mitch’s family, the game is on again. But could there actually be something here? You’ll have to pick up a copy and find out!

Science Fiction

Now available in paperback, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini finds main character Kira on a routine space mission to an uncolonized planet. When she discovers an alien relic she is initially excited, but excitement soon turns to fear as the ancient dust around her begins to move. Soon war breaks out among the stars and Kira must grapple with her own horrors as Earth and its colonies face annihilation.

Manga

It’s near impossible to defeat a mighty hero who won’t stay dead, as Monster Guild: The Dark Lord’s (No-Good) Comeback Vol. 1 shows us. The Dark Lord is stuck in a loop where he battles a good guy who won’t stay dead, and he finally loses the fight and meets his own end…or so it would seem. The Dark Lord actually saved himself by putting his soul into an empty vessel, and now he’s about to stage his own comeback. Weak but determined, he recruits his newfound fellowship of misfits—a slime, an orc, an ifrit, and a dark elf— to help him rebuild his evil empire, one bumbling step at a time.

Young Adult

I think I’ll let The Haunted Book Shop’s Candice introduce Lauren Blackwood’s Within These Wicked Walls: “I had immediate grabby hands for this debut when I learned it combined Jane Eyre gothic chills with Ethiopian Evil Eye folklore.” Andromeda was trained as as a debtera — an exorcist who cleanses houses of evil spirits — though her mentor refuses to license her officially. When the handsome young heir Magnus Rochester reaches out to hire her, she jumps at the chance. But the house, and Magnus, are hiding secrets far beyond what Andromeda ever imagined. Beginning to fall in love with Magnus, Andromeda knows that staying means risking death. But leaving doesn’t feel like an option either. See what happens in this engrossing fantasy retelling of a classic story!

Kids

Caela Carter’s Fifty-Four Things Wrong with Gwendolyn Rogers is a young girl named – what else- Gwendolyn Rogers. Gwendolyn has a lot of problems but no one seems to be able to get to the bottom of them. But Gwendolyn knows there is not just one problem, but 54 problems, according to a confidential school report she found while snooping. If she wants to go to horse camp with her half-brother Tyler, Gwendolyn must figure out how get these 54 problems under control. Follow along as Gwendolyn finds her way in this personal story of patience, support, and determination in finding a diagnosis for developmental issues that oftentimes get ignored.

The latest entry in the popular Who Would Win? series, Ultimate Reptile Rumble pits sixteen different reptiles against each other in one epic fight! Readers will learn about each reptile’s anatomy, behavior and more through photos, illustrations, and facts. You’ll be excited to see who comes out on top!

Join Phoebe on her latest adventure in Unicorn Playlist: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure! Best friends Phoebe and Marigold march to their own beat, but it isn’t all rainbows and unicorns for the pair. With drama at school and the other problems of the world, Phoebe doesn’t understand why unicorns can’t be in charge of the world instead of people. But Marigold brings magic to every day, introducing Phoebe to unicorn magic, crashing a goblin party, and finding long-lost family members like Infernus, the (surprisingly adorable) Unicorn of Death. Come along with this dynamic duo as they play all the hits!

Non-Fiction

In 2013, film and culture critic Zeba Blay was one of the first people to coin the viral term #carefreeblackgirls on Twitter. As she says, it was “a way to carve out a space of celebration and freedom for Black women online.” In Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black Women in Popular Culture, Blay expands on this idea through a series of essays that examine “the work and lasting achievements of influential Black women in American culture–writers, artists, actresses, dancers, hip-hop stars–whose contributions often come in the face of bigotry, misogyny, and stereotypes.”

Humor

I don’t think I could introduce Megan Lynn Kott’s Pawmistry: Unlocking the Secrets of the Universe with Cats better than this: It is a “tongue-in-cheek guide to the feline oracle and the supernatural signs your cat may leave behind…this playful and informative book offers instruction in a number of types of divination to practice with your cat, where messages and portents may be delivered by scattered cat toys, particular tail positions, and sleeping on your face.” Intrigued? Wondering what messages your cat might be trying to tell you? Better pick up a copy today!

Fun & Games

Austen fans will enjoy playing their favorite card games with these Jane Austen Playing Cards! Featuring gorgeous illustrations of all your favorite characters, the traditional four suits are themed on character traits, with hearts for Heroes and Heroines (like Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy) and spades for Fools and Bores. The pack also includes instructions for playing some of the card games featured in Austen’s novels!

Mind & Body

Discover how to use the moon as a cosmic timer with Moonology Manifestations, a magical 48-card oracle from bestselling Moonologer Yasmin Boland. Featuring beautiful cosmic collage imagery, each card explains what you’re bringing into your life, and how and when to supercharge your manifesting powers to achieve what you most desire. 

Visit our website for information on these titles and more! And don’t forget – if we don’t have a book in stock we are more than happy to order it for you, or you can visit our Bookshop page!

We hope to see you soon!

New Releases – October 5, 2021

We have so many new releases coming to The Haunted Book Shop this week that I hope our new releases window display can handle them all!

Local Interest

History buffs and foodies alike are sure to enjoy A Culinary Tour Through Alabama History! Author Monica Tapper “serves up a stick-to-your-ribs trek through Alabama history, providing classic recipes modified for the modern kitchen along the way.”

In April 1861, President Lincoln declared a blockade on Southern ports. Engineers built elaborate obstructions and batteries, and three rows of torpedoes were laid from Fort Morgan to Fort Gaines. Then, in August 1864, the inevitable came. A navy fleet of fourteen wooden ships lashed two by two and four iron monitors entered the lower bay, with the USS Tecumseh in the lead. A torpedo, poised to strike for two years, found the Tecumseh and sank it in minutes, taking ninety-three crewmen with it. In The USS Tecumseh in Mobile Bay, David Smithweck takes readers on an exploration of the ship that still lies upside down at the bottom of Mobile Bay.

Fiction

Crossroads is the first book in the highly anticipated A Key to All Mythologies trilogy, Jonathan Franzen’s “magnum opus” that will follow three generations of a Midwestern family from the Vietnam War to the 2020s. In this first volume, readers are introduced to the Hildebrand family of New Prospect, Illinois, outside Chicago – Russ, a pastor and former youth director, his wife Marion, and their four children. All are facing the challenges of life as they approach Christmas 1971.

Dave Eggers’ latest The Every is a “blend [of] satire and terror, while keeping the reader in breathless suspense.” Somehow, Delaney Wells finds herself working for the Every – the combination of the world’s largest search engine/social media site and the largest e-commerce site. And she wants to take it down. But of course, there is more than she bargained for under the surface. This title is available exclusively through independent bookstores and the book’s independent, nonprofit publisher, McSweeney’s produced multiple dust jacket color schemes, many of which we have available!

Being re-released in paperback The Gold Bug Variations by Richard Powers is a double love story of two couples separated by 25 years. When promising microbiologist Stuart Ressler sets out in 1957 to crack the genetic code, he becomes tangled in other codes – social, moral, spiritual, musical – as he falls in love with a member of his research team. Years later, another young couple tries to unravel another mystery: Why did Ressler seemingly just disappear from the science world?

Kids

Robie Rogge and Rachel Isadora created a fun way to learn manners with I Say Please and Thank You: Lift-the-Flap Manners! Join along as the children say hello to a unicorn, share pizza with a gorilla, apologize to an ostrich ballerina, welcome a bear at the door, and wave goodbye to a friend in a hot air balloon! Along the way, each page has a lift-the-flap surprise awaiting readers!

The Secret Lives of Dragons by Prof. Zoya Agnis and Alexander Utkin takes readers into the world of dragons, the scaliest of magical creatures! Explore the details of their wings and the history of their treasure as you learn about famous dragons from around the world. Dragon researchers will introduce dragons from tiny to huge, from sweet to ferocious. If you ever wanted to become a dragon expert, this is the book for you!

Tristan Strong Destroys the World is the second book in Kwame Mbalia’s Tristan Strong trilogy. Now available in paperback, Book 2 picks up with Tristan returning from Alke, the land of African American folk heroes and African gods, to the Strong family farm, where Tristan learns his Nana has been abducted. Tristan must return to Alke and reunite with his sidekick Gum Baby to save his grandmother and stop her captor from creating further devastation.

If Book 2 got you excited, lucky for you Book 3 is also available today! Tristan Strong Keeps Punching sees Tristan reunited with Ayanna and traveling up the Mississippi to face off with his archenemy King Cotton once and for all. But along the way, they encounter new haints who are determined to keep Tristan from returning to his hometown of Chicago.

Comics

Keanu Reeves makes his comic book debut with BRZRKR Vol. 1. Written alongside New York Times bestselling co-writer Matt Kindt and featuring illustrations by Ron Garney, BRZRKR follows B., the mysterious half-mortal, half-God cursed to live a life of violence. He finally finds a refuge working for the U.S. Government doing jobs too dangerous and violent for anyone else. In exchange, B. will learn the truth behind his mysterious existence – and maybe even how to end it.

The Snifter of Terror returns with Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Blood, an all-new “snark-fest” that combines six issues’ worth of anthologies. Stories include an update of “The Tell-Tale Heart” and a take by Tom Peyer and Allan Robinson on “Masque of the Red Death.”

Horror

Jane Shoringfield is looking for a marriage of convenience, someone who will allow her to maintain her independence and continue pursuing work she enjoys. When the handsome but reclusive doctor Augustine Lawrence agrees to the proposal, he puts forward one requirement of his own: Jane must never visit Lindridge Hall, his crumbling family manor outside of town. Of course, when an accident places Jane there at night, she sees Augustine transformed into a fearful man who believes Jane is a spirit come to haunt him. By morning, he is back to himself. Caitlin Starling’s The Death of Jane Lawrence will keep readers turning page after page in this haunting tale!

Originally written as an online serial that reached over 70,000 downloads, John Dies at the End by Jason Pargin has been described as “Horrortacular, an epic of spectacular horror that combines the laugh out loud humor of the best R-rated comedy, with the darkest terror of H.P. Lovecraft.” Follow along as John and David, a pair of slackers suddenly tasked with saving humanity from a drug-induced apocalypse. This updated special edition features additional material and “an even more ‘epic’ epic of slackers versus the occult!”

Sci-Fi

This edition of Robert A. Heinlein’s classic I Will Fear No Evil is published as part of the Science Fiction Classics collection. Follow the story of a supremely talented but immensely old man who, after undergoing the ultimate transplant, discovers his new life comes at a cost.

Another Robert A. Heinlein classic published as part of the Science Fiction Classics collection, Time Enough for Love “follows Lazarus Long through a vast and magnificent timescape of centuries and worlds. Heinlein’s longest and most ambitious work, it is the story of a man so in love with Life that he refused to stop living it, and so in love with Time that he became his own ancestor.”

Fantasy

Fans of V.E. Schwab’s bestselling The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue will love this special collector’s edition! This gorgeous edition features six new pieces of art from Addie’s story new to North American readers, a designed alternate debossed stamp under the cover, a ribbon bookmark, and an exclusive note from Schwab!

Alix E. Harrow’s A Spindle Splintered is a new version of the classic Sleeping Beauty story. Zinnia Gray is turning 21, and it’s a special birthday – it’s the last one she will ever have. Her best friend is determined to make this a birthday to remember with a full sleeping beauty experience. But when Zinnia pricks her finger, she is suddenly transported to another world, with another sleeping beauty desperate to escape her fate.

Young Adult

Fantasy

When the Pirate King dies without an heir, a competition to determine who will take the Bone Crown ensues in Kimberly Vale’s Crossbones. Csilla, Kane, and Lorelei each have their own reasons for wanting to win this deadly treasure hunt and take the crown. But of course, the sea won’t make it easy for anyone to prevail victorious.

Mystery/Thriller

When they meet on a dating app, she thought it might just be a hookup. But then she fell for him, and fell hard. Right when things seem to be going right, he disappears – profiles deleted, phone disconnected, leaving her ghosted. What happened? Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger follows her as she uncovers that there were other girls like her, and girls like her that went missing. Chasing down dark pasts, will she become the predator in this game – or the prey?

Romance

Not Your Average Hot Guy by Gwenda Bond is “a paranormal romantic comedy at the (possible) end of the world.” Callie promised her mother she could handle managing the family’s escape room business for the weekend alone. But she didn’t think a Satanic cult would show up claiming one of the prop spell books in one of rooms is real and they need it to summon the right hand of the devil. As Callie and her best friend Meg get swept up in the adventure, they meet Luke, a hot guy who offers to help them keep the group from at bay. But Luke is actually Luke Morningstar, Prince of Hell and son of the Devil himself. Can Callie, Luke, and Meg keep the group from inciting a global apocalypse?

Historical Fiction

In The Lincoln Highway, eighteen-year-old Emmett, recently released from a juvenile work farm, has one plan – pick up his little brother Billy from the foreclosed family farm and head to California to start anew. But two friends from the work farm have a different idea that will take Emmett in the opposite direction to New York City. Told from multiple perspectives, readers will enjoy seeing how this adventure unfolds from A Gentleman in Moscow‘s Amor Towles.

Classics

The Classic Jane Austen Collection is a must for any Austen fan! This gorgeous boxed set features six collectable paperbacks of Austen’s best-known works, including Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice. Even if you have read these front to back before, readers will enjoy the new introductions and contemporary cover designs!

Published in English for the first time, The Marquise de Gange is “a neglected Gothic classic by one of the most notorious authors in the literary canon.” Inspired by one of the most shocking crimes of the 17th century, the story follows Euphrasie, a beautiful and virtuous woman admired by the King who falls in love with the young and handsome Alphonse, Marquis de Gange. But inside the castle, sinister forces are conspiring against the young couple. Alphonse’s brothers, the Abbé and the Chevalier, want Euphrasie for themselves.

Biography

Dave Grohl has had a prolific music career, from drumming for Nirvana to forming the Foo Fighters, from jamming with Iggy Pop to drumming for Tom Petty, and everything in between. In The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music, Grohl brings those stories to the page, giving him a chance to shed a little light on what it was like being a musician and living out his dreams and “focusing the lens through which [he] see[s] these memories a little sharper” for fans and readers alike.

Essays

David Sedaris returns with his latest collection of diary entries in A Carnival of Snackery. Spanning from 2003 to 2020, journey along with Sedaris as he records his observations and adventures with his signature wit and humor.

Humor

Hobbies

Looking for a new coloring book that will make you laugh while also acknowledging troublesome double standards and frustratingly familiar acts of sexism? The How to Talk So Men Will Listen: A Coloring Book by Caitlin Peterson is the answer!

Visit our website for information on these titles and more! And don’t forget – if we don’t have a book in stock we are more than happy to order it for you, or you can visit our Bookshop page!

We hope to see you soon!

New Releases – September 28, 2021

It’s a Tuesday New Releases Round-Up coming to you on a Wednesday! Check out what we have coming to The Haunted Book Shop this week!

Kids

When Beatryce appears at the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrow monastery barn, Gentle Brother Edik nurses her back to health and uncovers her secret – she is the girl full of stories that the king wishes dead. As Beatryce ventures into the forest in search of the king’s castle, she knows that she has the support of others should something happen to her. The Beatryce Prophecy is a lyrical tale by Kate DiCamillo with gorgeous illustrations by Sophie Blackall that explores themes of love, fate, and the power of words.

Perfect for budding chefs and scientists alike, The Complete Cookbook for Young Scientists from America’s Test Kitchen combines recipes for skillet pizza, galactic mirror cake, and more with scientific inquiry. Like, why do some cheeses melt better than others? Read the book to find out, and make some delicious treats along the way!

Garlic feels like she can’t do anything right. All she wants to do is tend to her own little garden, where everything is nice and safe. But when her little village is faced with a new neighborhood vampire, the citizens deem Garlic the right choice to confront him. In this delightful debut graphic novel from Bree Paulsen, Garlic & the Vampire gives readers a precocious heroine to root for who shows us to believe in ourselves – and that people aren’t always as scary as they seem!

The latest book in John Patrick Green’s InvestiGators series, Ants in Our P.A.N.T.S. finds Mango and Brash trying to solve their latest mystery! With Brash in a mysterious coma, the technicians at S.U.I.T. have developed RoboBrash – he has hall the crime-fighting know-how as the original Brash, but has a few bugs to work out of his system. Can he team up with Mango to fight the giant ants overtaking the city? Readers will enjoy finding out!

The People Remember is the debut picture book from bestselling author Ibi Zoboi! With beautiful illustrations by Loveis Wise, Zoboi uses the seven principles of Kwanzaa to talk about the history of African Americans. Young readers enjoy learning something new on each reading of this “lyrical narrative that tells the story of survival as well as the many moments of joy, celebration, and innovation of Black people in America.”

After his father is taken away in the dead of night by three horsemen, twelve-year-old Silas is left scared and alone. Well, not really alone, as he still has his loyal companion ghost, Mittenwool. When a pony mysteriously shows up at his door, Silas decides to embark on a dangerous journey to find his father, an adventure that will force him to face his past and his fears. Pony by R.J. Palacio is a story of courage wrapped up in daring action!

Sparkleton #5: The Haunted Woods by Calliope Glass finds Sparkleton having to pass a wilderness skills test in order to go on the big class camping trip – but he’s too distracted to study! When he learns he can get wish-granting magic by spending a night in the haunted woods, Sparkleton thinks he has found the perfect solution. But how will he fare among the ghosts, glowing rocks, and the spooky Whirlwind Unicorn?! Young readers will enjoy going with Sparkleton on his latest adventure!

What Does the Constitution Say? A Kid’s Guide to How Our Democracy Works features fun facts, cool illustrations, and even the occasional joke to introduce young readers to the Constitution! Writer Ben Sheehan and illustrator Mary Kate McDevitt introduce the big concepts and “fancy words” in the Constitution through “bite-sized” information, historic quotes, and graphics. Curious kids and even adults will enjoy this look at American history!

Young Adult

Fantasy

The first book in a planned trilogy, Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray introduces readers to Koffi and Ekon, two Black teenagers living in the broken city of Lkossa. Koffi, indentured to the notorious Night Zoo where she cares for mysterious creatures, holds a power that she does not understand, a power that upends her life when unleashed. Ekon is destined to become an elite warrior and uphold his family legacy. But when he faces the Shetani, a monster that stalks the city, he meets Koffi, whose powers seem to keep the beast at bay. Koffi saves his life, but the fact that Ekon let her go means he won’t become a warrior. As the two team up to enter the Greater Jungle, one for revenge, one for answers, they begin to wonder if they are the hunters – or the hunted.

Violeta and her younger brother Arien expect to find a monster when they arrive at the haunted Lakesedge estate, thanks to the terrifying rumors that inhabitant Rowan Sylvanan drowned his entire family as a boy. But Violeta learns not all is as it seems and Rowan is bound to the Lord Under, a death god lurking in the black waters of the lake. As Violeta tries to save Rowan – and herself – she realizes she must decipher the mystery of the Lord Under. The Haunted Book Shop’s Candice described Lakesedge, the debut fantasy from Lyndall Clipstone, as a “lush, atmospheric Gothic novel” with “gorgeous prose.”

Sci-Fi

Steelstriker is the exciting conclusion to Marie Lu’s Skyhunter duet! The fall of her homeland has unleashed Talin’s worst nightmares. Faced with ever-daunting challenges, Talin must become a Steelstriker to save everything that matters to her, including Mara, her adopted homeland. Book one just came out a few weeks ago, so it won’t take long to catch up with Talin and her quest before embarking on Steelstriker!

Biography

Anthony Bourdain’s longtime assistant and confidante Laurie Woolever conducted nearly 100 interviews with people in Bourdain’s world for Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography. From his kitchen crews, to his television crews, to his daughter and closest friends, readers will get an in-depth look into the world of Anthony Bourdain, through the words and photos of those who knew him best.

Fiction

Cloud Cukoo Land is the highly-anticipated latest novel from Anthony Doerr, the author of All the Light We Cannot See. Told in three different timelines – 15th century Constantinople, present-day Idaho, and an interstellar ship decades into the future – through the eyes of five different characters, Doerr shows the connections, resilience, and hope that endures between people, places, and time.

Now available in paperback, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke explores a new world by turns enchanting and haunting. Piranesi lives in a house with infinite rooms and endless corridors; he lives to explore the house. There is one other person in the house, The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and helps research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But the more Piranesi explores, the more secrets and terrible truths begin to unravel.

Fantasy

It’s the year 2022 in England and there are 1.2 million human-sized rabbits living in the U.K. in The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde. When a family of rabbits decides to move into the cozy Much Hemlock village, it causes humans and rabbits alike to question everything they previously thought in this blend of satire, fantasy, and thriller.

The Last Graduate is the sequel to Naomi Novik’s A Deadly Education. El, Orion, and their schoolmates are facing their final year at the Scholomance and the deadly graduation ritual that barely half of students survive. El is determined that her group will make it out alive, but a series of obstacles stands in the way. The Haunted Book Shop’s Angela loved seeing how these obstacles forced El to open up more to friendship, love, and embrace her heroism!

Alix E. Harrow weaves together a story of sisterhood, magic, and the suffragette movement in The Once and Future Witches! It’s 1893 and there are no such things as witches; if a woman wants power, she must find it at the ballot box. When the Eastwood sisters – James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna – join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the old tricks that could turn the women’s movement into a witches movement. The sisters will have to rely on one another to survive, drawing new alliances and healing old grievances along the way.

Romance

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling is the perfect rom-com to take you into October! When Vivienne Jones and Rhys Penhallow broke up nine years ago, Vivienne responded as any young witch would: by putting a curse on him. But Vivienne didn’t expect the hex to have the repercussions it did. As Rhys comes back into town for the annual fall festival, he and Vivienne find the town plagued with murderous toys, a talking cat, and an angry ghost. Can Vivienne and Rhys work together to end the curse?

Mystery

From a Halloween rom-com to a Christmas mystery! A Garland of Bones is the latest Sarah Booth mystery from Carolyn Haines. Sarah is ready for Christmas and looking forward to a trip with Tinkie to a B&B in Columbus, Mississippi and take in all the Christmas activities happening around the state. But when one event after another is marred by calamity and injury. Enlisting the help of Tinkie and Sheriff Coleman Peters, Sarah is determined to figure out who is causing all the chaos.

Horror

Legendary horror editor Ellen Datlow brought together some of the leading writers in the genre for When Things Get Dark, an anthology in tribute to a titan of horror, Shirley Jackson. This collection of short stories by writers like Joyce Carol Oates, Paul Trembley, Carmen Maria Machado, and more were inspired by, and in tribute to, Jackson. Fans of Shirley Jackson, not to mention the writers featured here, will surely enjoy this haunting collection!

Manga

Hello World: The Manga introduces Naomi, a shy teenage boy who is visited by a mysterious stranger – himself, ten years into the future. Future Naomi comes with a warning that Ruri, Naomi’s soon-to-be girlfriend, will be in a tragic accident not long after they start dating. As the two try to change the future, Naomi starts to wonder if there is more to this mission than just saving Ruri’s life.

Essays

Allie Brosh is back with Solutions and Other Problems, a follow-up to her hit Hyperbole and a Half. This series of autobiographical and illustrated essays employ Brosh’s trademark humor to tell stories of her childhood, misbehaving animals, and musings on the absurdity of life alongside poignant pieces on grief, loneliness, and powerlessness. Fans new and old alike will enjoy hearing from Brosh again!

Science

Nature

Biologist Thor Hansen describes the amazing ways plants and animals are responding to climate change in Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid: The Fraught and Fascinating Biology of Climate Change. Hanson combines scientific inquiry with clarity to tell the stories of, for instance, Anole lizards growing larger toe pads in order to to grip more tightly in frequent hurricanes, and the changing appearance of Humboldt squids. Readers will enjoy how Hanson’s book demonstrates the hope and resilience of the natural world.

Social Science

In Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know, Malcolm Gladwell explores our interactions with strangers – and why they often go terribly wrong. Using contemporary examples, Gladwell explores history, psychology, and scandal to demonstrate how the strategies we use to make sense of other people actually results in conflict and misunderstanding.

Mind & Body

Rachel Lang’s Modern-Day Magic: 8 Simple Rules to Realize Your Power and Shape Your Life provides exercises, meditations, rituals, and journal prompts to facilitate weaving a magical practice into your busy daily life. The book also acts as a primer to introduce fundamental magic rules and practices to unlock your magical power and reshape your life for the better.

Visit our website for information on these titles and more! And don’t forget – if we don’t have a book in stock we are more than happy to order it for you, or you can visit our Bookshop page!

We hope to see you soon!

New Releases – September 7, 2021

New month, new releases!

Fiction

In Matrix, seventeen-year-old Marie de France, freshly cast aside from the royal court by Eleanor of Aquitaine, ventures to England as the designated new prioress of an impoverished abbey. As she tries to adjust to her new life, Marie resolves to use her tenacity and determination, cultivated from a long line of women warriors and crusaders, to forge a new path for the women she now leads and protects. Lauren Groff’s first novels since her best-selling Fates and Furies explores the power of female creativity in a corrupted world.

Romance

Witch Please by Ann Aguirre is a fun fall read! Danica Waterhouse is a witch dealing with the aftermath of a messy breakup when she makes a pact with her cousin: protect their hearts and have fun, away from the critical voices of Waterhouse women. The plan goes awry when Danica meets Titus Winnaker, a man trying to pick up the pieces after his own tragic loss amidst a curse of romantic doom. So what happens next? Find out in this rom-com perfect for fall weather and spooky season!

Portrait of a Scotsman by Evie Dunmore introduces Hattie Greenfield, a London banking heiress with ambitions – ambitions that seem all but destined to come to a halt when she meets her new husband, Lucien Blackstone. Lucien is a financier with a murky past and ruthless reputation with no room for Hattie’s ideas and apprehension. But a trip to Scotland brings the two a new perspective.

As the most successful producer in franchise history, Dev Deshpande spends his days crafting fairy tale moments for a popular reality dating show. When the show casts disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw, Dev has his work cut out for him. Charlie only agreed to do the show as a way to rehabilitate his tarnished image. On-camera, he is stiff and anxious with contestants; off-camera he is still awkward, but with an icy touch. As Charlie begins to open up to Dev, it becomes apparent he has more of a connection with Dev than any of the other contestants. What happens when the on-camera story veers from the formula? I guess you’ll have to read The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun to find out!

Young Adult

If you read HBS’s own Candice’s book The Existence of Bea Pearl, (which you all should!) Candice calls Gray, the main character in Dark and Shallow Lies “Bea Pearl’s older, edgier cousin from Louisiana.” In this paranormal thriller from Ginny Myers Sain, seventeen-year-old Gray spends the summers in La Cachette, Louisiana, the self-proclaimed “Psychic Capital of the World.” Gray’s best friend Elora disappeared from town six months ago, and Gray doesn’t understand how in a town full of psychics no one knows what happened. As Gray begins digging into the mystery, she learns everyone in town is hiding something. When a stranger emerges from the bayou with links to Elora and the town’s history, Gray learns there is more to the town than she ever knew.

In Your Life Has Been Delayed by Michelle I. Mason, Jenny Waters faces a strange new world. She boarded a flight in 1995, but upon landing, she and the other passengers are told they disappeared 25 years earlier and were presumed dead. As Jenny adapts to a world of smartphones and social media as her story goes viral, she also must contend with family and friends, including a former best friend, a growing crush on a boy with an uncomfortable connection to her past, and a world of conspiracy theorists determined to discredit Jenny’s experience.

Little Women is one of my favorite books and So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix by Bethany C. Morrow takes the classic story of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy and reimagines it as a story of four young Black women in 1863, coming of age during the Civil War on the North Carolina Freedman’s Colony of Roanoke Island.

When Bryn Roth receives a letter from her uncle Henrik on her eighteenth birthday, summoning her to return to Bastian, Bryn determines she will prove herself and finally take her place amongst her long-lost family. But Bryn soon finds that even though the family wields influence over Bastian, there are still remnants of the kinds of shady business that got her parents killed years ago. See how Bryn navigates personal and political influence in The Last Legacy by Adrienne Young.

Dahlia Adler brought together a team of writers to produce His Hideous Heart: A Collection of Edgar Allan Poe’s Most Unsettling Tales Reimagined. These new tales are featured alongside the original tales. Whether you know these stories by heart or are discovering them for the first time here, this collection is sure to amaze and inspire!

The Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty first came out when I was in middle and high school, so I feel like I grew up alongside Jessica. I am so excited that they are being re-released as part of the 20th anniversary of Sloppy Firsts (book one of the series), so a new generation can get to know Jessica. Charmed Thirds follows Jessica during her college years in New York City, years full of change, upheaval, and surprises. Told through journal entries, Jessica brings readers into her innermost thoughts as she navigates life.

Fazbear Frights: Friendly Face is Volume 10 in the Five Nights at Freddy’s series by Scott Cawthon. In three novella-length stories pulled from the series canon, Cawthon pulls out all the stops to scare even his hardiest series fans. Check this out if you want to be scared!

Kids

Another series I loved growing up, the Baby-Sitters Club, is reimagined as a series of graphic novels for a new generation! Kristy and the Snobs is the latest installment. After Kristy’s mom remarries and moves the family to the ritzy neighborhood across town, Kristy finds herself feeling out of place and unwelcome. The neighborhood kids make fun her clothes, the BSC, even Kristy’s old dog, Louie. Kristy leans on her friends as they try to find their footing in this new neighborhood.

This special edition of Dragonslayer (Wings of Fire: Legends) by Tui T. Sutherland takes readers back in time to view Pyrrhia with new eyes! Ivy does not trust the Dragonslayer, even if he is her father and beloved ruler of Valor. Leaf does not trust dragons – they killed his favorite sister, Wren, and now Leaf will do whatever it takes to slay them. But Wren survived. When the three cross paths with dragons, it shapes the destinies of both species.

Tiny T. Rex and the Tricks of Treating by Jonathan Stutzman and illustrated by Jay Fleck is another adorable book to get the kids excited for Halloween! Tiny and Pointy love Halloween and they want to share what they have learned so everyone can have the perfect treat-filled Halloween. But as Tiny and Pointy learn, sometimes the sweetest treat of Halloween isn’t the candy at all.

Willodeen by Katherine Applegate is about a little girl who wants to make a difference in the big world. Eleven-year-old Willodeen loves all creatures. She especially loves the strange, unlovable beasts called “Screechers” that inhabit her home village of Perchance. When Perchance faces a series of natural disasters, including the loss of the annual hummingbear migration, Willodeen, with the help of her new friend Connor, speaks up for the animals she loves.

When twin siblings Dani and Dorian miss the bus to magic school, they never imagined they would end up declared traitors and find themselves ensnared in a wild adventure to clear their names. Hooky by Miriam Bonastre Tur is based on the popular webcomic from WebToon and fans new and old will enjoy following Dani and Dorian on their wild mishaps and adventures.

Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero is a timely and powerful read from Saadia Faruqi. Yusuf Azeem has spent his life in Frey, Texas and has dreamed of competing in the local robotics competition, which he knows he can win. But this year’s competition falls on the 20th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, which has his family on edge and has Yussuf facing challenges beyond robotics. As a group of townspeople protest the building of a new mosque in town, Yusuf must face anger and bullies with understanding and love.

Fairy Tale Science: Explore 25 Classic Tales Through Hands-On Experiments combines the stories we know with a STEM twist! Readers can explore the laws of physics, principles of chemistry, and the wonders of biology through the stories of Snow White, Chicken Little, and more.

The Who Would Win? series is pretty popular with kids who come into the shop, and Who Would Win?: Extreme Animal Rumble combines five of those books into one exciting volume! Learn about animal anatomy, behavior, and more alongside photos and illustrations as you explore these exciting animal showdowns

In Pete the Cat’s Groovy Imagination, the 12th book in the Pete the Cat series by Kimberly and James Dean, Pete learns he can use his “groovy” imagination (and a cardboard box) to chase the blues away!

Thrillers

Never Saw Me Coming, the debut thriller from Vera Kurian, follows a group of students diagnosed with psychopathy who are being hunted on campus. Chloe Sevre is one of those students. An honors freshman with a high IQ and diagnosed psychopathy, Chloe wears a smartwatch that tracks her movements and moods as part of a clinical study. This study inadvertently brought together some of the most dangerous minds who feel no guilt or fear. When one of the participants is found murdered, it becomes clear that everyone, including Chloe, is in danger. As they join forces to figure out who is after them, the group must learn to trust each other.

Horror

The Haunting of Leigh Harker is the latest ghost story from Darcy Coates. Leigh Harker is certain her house is haunted – curtains open on their own, radios turn off and on, and a dark figure looms outside her window, waiting for her to let her guard down and fall asleep. Pushed to the brink but not wanting to abandon the home, Leigh searches for answers. But the more she digs, the more it seems the house may be the one keeping troubling secrets.

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is back in print and, for the first time ever, available in paperback! Domingo is a garbage-collecting street kid just trying to survive the streets of Mexico City when he meets Atl, a jaded vampire on the run. Atl is smart, beautiful, and dangerous – she the descendent of Aztec blood drinkers – and Domingo is mesmerized. Atl needs to escape the city and though she didn’t plan on Domingo coming along, the two band together to survive.

New Releases – August 31, 2021

Let’s close out August with another batch of new releases coming to The Haunted Bookshop!

Kids

Superspy-in-training Ben Ripley returns in Spy School Revolution, the eighth book in the Spy School series by Stuart Gibbs. When the CIA conference room next door is bombed, Ben is surprised to learn Erica Hale, a well-respected fellow spy-in-training, is the prime suspect. To prove Erica is not a double-agent, Ben must face the Croatoan – an evil organization so mysterious, the only proof it exists dates back to the American Revolution. How will Ben solve the mystery? Pick up this book to find out!

Two Spy School books in one week?! How lucky are we! In Spy School at Sea, the action picks up with Ben finding his nemesis Murray Hill in Central America getting ready to board the world’s biggest cruise ship, The Emperor of the Seas, as it heads out on its maiden voyage around the world. Ben poses as part of a family with Erica and his best friend Mike to board the ship and track Murray. But of course, nothing goes to plan. Enjoy this ninth book in the Spy School series!

Check out Big Nate: Aloha! the latest book in the Big Nate series by Lincoln Peirce! Because Aloha can mean both hello and goodbye, it is the perfect word to describe Nate’s current state – he doesn’t know if he’s coming or going. All of your favorite characters return for new adventures with Nate, including Nate needing to tap into his superhero side to solve a crime he witnessed at Klassic Komix.

The Table 5 gang try to find a way to keep Molly’s family from moving away in Trouble at Table 5: Countdown to Disaster, the sixth book in this series by Tom Watson. Readers will enjoy this illustrated chapter book as they watch Molly, Rosie, and Simon create a scavenger hunt to show Molly’s family how much they love their neighborhood – all before the moving trucks are set to arrive.

Friends Forever is a follow-up to Real Friends and Best Friends, the previous best-selling graphic memoirs from Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham. Shannon is in eighth grade and everything is changing. In the midst of all the chaos, Shannon struggles with insecurities, the fear of disappointing everyone, and her undiagnosed depression. Using humor, warmth, and insight, Hale and Pham give readers a reminder that we are all enough and need to love ourselves as we are.

Young Adult

In an extension of Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunters novels, Chain of Gold is the first in a new triology that follows Shadowhunter Cordelia Carstairs. When Cordelia’s father is accused of a terrible crime, she travels with her brother to London in hopes of saving the family from impending ruin. While her mother wants to marry her off, Cordelia aspires to be a hero, not a bride. When she meets up with childhood friends James and Lucie Herondale, Cordelia creates a new life for herself while in search of answers. But when a series of demon attacks shock and devastate London, Cordelia and her friends are faced with a series of challenges they have never encountered before.

Bestselling author Marie Lu returns with Skyhunter, a new YA sci-fi novel about a world broken by war and inhabited by danger around every corner. Mara is the only free nation left after the Karensa Foundation conquered twelve other kingdoms. Talin and her mother escaped the Federation and sought asylum in Mara, where they are not necessarily welcomed with open arms. Even as Mara looks like it too may fall to the Federation, Talin is not ready to give up. Check out Book One before the sequel comes out in September!

Enola Holmes is back with the latest book in the series, Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche by Nancy Springer! In this latest installment, the younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes steps in to help Letitia Glover, a distraught woman who showed up on Sherlock’s doorstep desperate for answers about her sister, Felicity. Armed with a vague note from her sister’s husband, the Earl of Dunhench, and a suspicious death certificate, Enola decides to go undercover to solve the mystery. Felicity may not be the first of the Earl’s wives to die under mysterious circumstances, and Enola feels the secret to unlocking the mystery lies with a black barouche that arrived at the Earl’s house in the middle of the night. As she digs deeper into the mystery, Enola enlists the help of a cast of characters, including her famous brother, to solve the case.

Fiction

Sci-Fi

Released in conjunction with the Apple TV+ series premiere, check out Foundation by Issac Asimov, the classic sci-fi epic that started it all. Hari Seldon is the creator of psychohistory, a revolutionary science that allows him to see into the future. As the Galactic Empire around him is dying, Hari must use his skills and gather the best minds in the Empire to preserve knowledge and save humankind. He calls this collective the Foundation. But as corrupt warlords encroach closer, the Foundation must figure out how to fight back, lest they be destroyed.

Fantasy

Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston is an epic fantasy that brings together Hairston’s masterful prose with folklore and storytelling traditions. Djola, a spymaster of the Arkhysian Empire, is desperately trying to save his adopted homeland even though he is stuck in exile. Awa is a young woman in training to become a powerful grigot, is meanwhile discovering her powers and pushing the limits of what she can accomplish. New to this edition is a conversation between Hairston and fellow author Daniel Jose Older.

Literary

The latest from author Richard Powers, Operation Wandering Soul takes place in the pediatrics ward of a Los Angeles hospital. Resident doctor Richard Kraft and therapist Linda Espera act as surrogate parents to the young patients, tasked with keeping them alive through stories of imagination and hope, even in a place where hope is in short supply. The two spin stories of restoration and escape, but as the inevitable ends draw near, Richard and Linda must face forgotten chapters of their own lives to brace themselves for what comes next.

Horror

Why is it so fun to scare ourselves? Darryl Jones explores this phenomenon alongside classic horror stories in Horror: A Very Short Introduction. Through his exploration of genre tropes like monsters, vampires, and ghosts, Jones address why the psychological thrills and macabre scenes disturb us and how society responds to the shock. This latest installment of the Very Short Introduction series would make a great accompaniment to any scary story as we head into the season of ghost stories and campfires!

Mystery/Thriller

Described as “Shirley Jackson meets Friday the 13th,” My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones follows Jade Daniels, a young girl with an abusive father, an absent mother trying to manage life in her small town. Jade loves horror movies and uses her knowledge of the genre to make sense of Proofrock’s history. But when the blood really starts running through the Indian River, Jade uses her wealth of knowledge to predict how the plot will unfold in town. And in the process lets readers into the world of a young woman angry and desperate for a home.

The latest book from The Girl on the Train‘s Paula Hawkins, A Slow Fire Burning is an equally twisting tale of murder and revenge. When the body of a young man is discovered on a London houseboat, the lives of three women are turned upside down in the search for answers. Each has a different connection to the victim and tensions simmer below the surface as the women seek answers and revenge.

Revisit Hercule Poirot with The Big Four by Agatha Christie. In this new edition that features exclusive content from Christie, Hercule Poirot finds himself embroiled in a global conspiracy as he tries to solve the mystery of the shadowy figure who appeared at his bedroom door one night.

Romance

The Heart Principle, the latest book by Helen Hoang, introduces readers to Anna Sun, a violinist who first went viral in a YouTube video who is now struggling to recapture the magic of that first hit. In the midst of struggling with burnout, her longtime boyfriend announces he wants an open relationship before making a final commitment. Fed up and angry, Anna decides to embark on a string of one-night stands. Enter Quan Diep, a motorcycle riding tattooed guy who upends Anna’s pursuit of reckless romantic abandon. When tragedy strikes Anna’s family, the expectations and stress threaten Anna’s and Quan’s budding relationship.

Body, Mind, and Spirit

Featuring recipes, spells, and guides for herbs and candle crafting, those interested in “the Lexicon of Witchcraft” will find Candlelight Spells by Gerina Dunwich their go-to source.

Visit our website for more information on these titles and more! And don’t forget – if we don’t have a book in stock we are more than happy to order it for you!

We hope to see you soon!

More New Releases!

We had an abundance of new releases this week that we couldn’t fit them all in one post! Check out more new releases from this week below!

The latest graphic novel from horror mastermind Junji Ito, Sensor follows a mysterious young woman who follows an invitation from a stranger to join him in a nearby village. Upon arrival, countless unidentified flying objects begin raining down on the citizens – a prelude to more terror sure to come.

Lobizona, a young adult novel and the first in a series by Romina Garber, introduces us to Manuela, or as she is better known, Manu. Undocumented and on the run from her paternal Argentine crime family, Manu spends her time in a small Miami apartment. Following a series of devastating events that leave her with more questions than answers, Manu begins investigating her past using a mysterious “Z” emblem as a starting point. Combining social justice themes with Argentine folklore, follow along as Manu uncovers her story and traces her heritage back to Argentina.

The latest novel from Mexican Gothic‘s Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Velvet Was the Night centers on Maite, a secretary living in 1970s Mexico City. As student protests and political unrest upend the city, Maite’s neighbor, the mysterious art student Leonora, goes missing. Maite goes in search of Leonora, uncovering her secret life of student radicals and dissidents. She looks for Leonora alongside Elvis, a gangster hired to find Leonora at the behest of his shady boss. As they close in Leonora, Maite finds herself in the kinds of passion and danger she only read about in her favorite romance novels.

The Infinite and The Divine is a sci-fi adventure by Robert Rath and a companion to the popular Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game. In this novelization, necrons Trazyn the Infinite and Orikan the Divine were polar opposites. When an important artifact emerges that may hold the key to the necrons’ next evolution, the ensuing fight between Trazyn and Orikan sets off a multi-millennia chase to find the answers. The big question? Will their fight save the necrons, or destroy them?

Battle Royal by Lucy Parker is a romantic comedy set in the high-stakes world of baking. When Sylvie Fairchild first met Dominic De Vere, she was a contestant on “Operation Cake” where Dominic was a judge – and no fan of Sylvie’s. Now Sylvie runs her own popular bakery and “Operation Cake” has come calling – along with a royal once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Sylvie’s quirky confections caught Princess Rose’s attention, but the palace prefers reliable Dominic’s style. Who will come out on top? I guess you’ll have to read the book to find out!

Another romantic comedy! Farrah Rochon’s The Dating Playbook introduces readers to Taylor Powell, a personal trainer at the top of her game professionally but financially stuck in the minor leagues. Enter Jamar Dixon, a former footballer who wants Taylor to get him back in NFL shape – but she can’t tell anyone. When the two are accidentally outed as a couple, chaos ensues and Taylor’s game plan is turned upside down.

Me (Moth) by Amber McBride is a young adult novel told in verse. Part coming-of-age, part ghost story, main character Moth feels lost and alone until she meets Sani, a boy feeling similarly lost and uprooted. Together, they embark on a road trip to track down answers about their respective ancestral roots.

Visit our website for more information on these titles and more! And don’t forget – if we don’t have a book in stock we are more than happy to order it for you!

We hope to see you soon!

VIDEO: Tour our Horror & Gothic Fiction Section

Continuing with our new series of videos to bring the bookstore into your home, here’s a video tour of our Horror and Gothic Fiction section! To shop our selection, go to our website at www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com

 

Our regulars are familiar with our setup, but for the uninitiated, we have info panels that show the history of the genre, and we hyper-categorize our sections. So in this video you will see smaller subsections at first, like Classics, Humorous, Stephen King, etc., and then our main Horror section, followed by more subcategories like Local Authors of Horror, and our New Releases, as well as our separate Gothic Fiction section, and then Stoker award winners and finalists. Enjoy!