Welcome to September, one of the biggest new book release months of the year. This year is so extra, with way too many new releases for any one person to read. I’m highlighting ALL the books I want to read, but this is a menu of what I’ll be choosing from. With all these choices, it’s bound to be a great month! And you’ll notice that pre-spooky season is in full swing, since I have a lot of horror books to read this month.
The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi. “Brimming with dark humor, violence, and mystery, The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre is a blood-soaked slasher sure to keep readers cringing, laughing, and guessing until the very last page.”
Play Nice by Rachel Harrison. “A woman must confront the demons of her past when she attempts to fix up her childhood home in this devilishly clever take on the haunted house novel from the USA Today bestselling author.”
Spread Me by Sarah Gailey. “Spread Me is a darkly seductive tale of survival from Sarah Gailey, after a routine probe at a research station turns deadly when the team discovers a strange specimen in search of a warm place to stay.”
Breathe In, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley. “It’s a Midsommar night’s Scream in this blood-soaked thriller set at a remote healing retreat from horror author Brian McAuley.”
Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby. “A gothic feminist body horror in two timelines revolving around three Anatomical Venuses—ultrarealistic wax figures of women—that come to life at night to murder men who have wronged them.”
Veil by Jonathan Janz. “From beloved horror author Jonathan Janz, Veil is a heart-stopping story of one father who will stop at nothing to save his family.”
Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson. “From the author of the “exciting, suspenseful, horrifying” (Stephen King) Fever House, a Vietnam veteran and his adopted niece hunt—and are hunted by—the vampire that slaughtered their family.”
You Weren’t Meant to be Human by Andrew Joseph White. “Alien meets Midsommar in this chilling debut adult novel from award-winning author Andrew Joseph White about identity, survival, and transformation amidst an alien invasion in rural West Virginia.”
The Faerie Morgana by Louisa Morgan. “In this atmospheric and bewitching novel, Louisa Morgan reimagines the story of Morgan Le Fay, one of the most enigmatic and powerful women in Arthurian legend.”
Moonflow by Bitter Karella. “Moonflow is three-time Hugo Award nominee Bitter Karella’s debut horror novel-a gloriously queer and irreverent psychedelic trip into the heart of an eldritch wood and the horrors of sisterhood. Answer the call of the forest, if you dare.”
Fiend by Alma Katsu. “Historical horror maven Alma Katsu turns her talents to the modern world for the first time, in this terrifying tale about an all-powerful family with an ancient evil under its thumb.”
The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson. “From award-winning and USA Today bestselling author Kosoko Jackson comes his adult fantasy debut, a stand-alone novel blending of art history, time- and globe-hopping adventure, and dark horror and fantasy about ten cursed paintings and the lengths people will go to collect them, destroy them…or be destroyed.”
Terms of Service by Ciel Pierlot. “When her cousin gets kidnapped by a dastardly trickster, Luzia is forced to sell herself in servitude to the Eoi in exchange for his life. But the terms of the deal turn out to be much more complicated than she ever imagined…”
The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt. “Horror Movie meets the scope and emotion of Stephen King in this heart-pounding, magnetic tour de force about a woman pulled into a cult horror film that is determined to have a sequel, by critically acclaimed author Michael Wehunt.”
Exiles by Mason Coile. “In this wicked, taut, one-sitting read, Mason Coile blends science fiction and psychological horror in a story that terrifies and unnerves as it engages some of humanity’s deepest questions.”
Tracer by Brendan Deneen. “From bestselling and award-winning author Brendan Deneen comes Tracer, a fast-paced sci-fi romance adventure that sends one mercenary on a dangerous mission across a postapocalyptic landscape. Perfect for fans of Mad Max and Blade Runner.”
Hot Wax by M.L Rio. “The new novel from the bestselling author of If We Were Villains and Graveyard Shift—a vivid and immersive tale of one woman’s reckless mission to make sense of the events that shattered her childhood, and made her who she is.”
The Formidable Miss Cassidy by Meihan Boey. “A Scottish governess arrives in Singapore to take up her new post, only to find a host of problems await that require her very unique skills in this award-winning and incredibly entertaining historical fantasy novel.”
Demon Song by Kelsea Yu. “An eerie and unsettling gothic horror about the heady and hungry price of fame, drawing on Chinese mythology. Perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Cassandra Khaw.”
Sunward by William Alexander. “A cozy debut science fiction novel by National Book Award–winning writer William Alexander, this story of found family follows a planetary courier training adolescent androids in a solar system grappling with interplanetary conflict after a devastating explosion on Earth’s moon.”
House of Idyll by Delilah Dawson. “From the New York Times bestselling author of Bloom and Guillotine comes a darkly seductive tale of beautiful rock stars, sinister cults, and a magical oasis where dreams come true… for a price.”
Other People’s Houses by Clare Mackintosh. “New York Times bestselling author Clare Mackintosh is back with another unputdownable installment in the DC Morgan series.”
Catch Your Death by Ravena Guron. “A mind-blowing thriller from the author of THIS BOOK KILLS, perfect for fans of Holly Jackson and Karen McManus.”
Pre-spooky season, yes bring it on!!! 😀
It’s in full force already!
That is a lot of new releases! Hard to choose when there’s so many that look so good.
It’s very hard to choose. I may need to draw a name out of a jar or something, lol.
Wow, so many to consider! The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre looks interesting, especially since the only book I’ve read by that author was sci-fi. I’ll be curious to hear more about it. I think I’ll want to read the Sarah Gailey book (since I tend to read all of their books!), but may hold off a bit. I’m scaling way back on ARCs and I”m enjoying not feeling pressured to keep up with new releases! Hope you enjoy all of these!
At least I have lots of choices!
This is quite the list! A few are new to me, too. Bring on the spooky season! 😀
Spooky season is going to be strong this year:-)
September is a great month for books & a bad month for my bank account.
Ha ha so true!
The only one I am reading for sure is the Stephanie Burgis. I’ll have to look at some of the others.
I may read it next, since I just finished a book.
Omg you have a lot of books you’re excited for this month. I’m very excited for The Faerie Morgana and Slashed Beauties, although I’m hoping the latter won’t be too much gore wise for me lol I also somehow forgot all about Coffin Moon but it sounds so good. I hope you have a wonderful chance and manage to check lots of these out. Demon Song sounds good too, Chinese mythology and mentions of gothic? How could I resist?
I can’t wait to start The Faerie Morgana, and I hope we both love it:-)
You Weren’t Meant to Be Human is one I can’t wait to hear what you think. It sounds good! You’ve got a lot on your plate for September, I hope you’re able to get to all the best ones!
Thanks Lisa! I hope I choose wisely:-)
So many amazing sounding books are coming out! Have a great month, Tammy!
Ooh, lots of fun ones here. I’m curious about Play Nice, after enjoying Cackle just this weekend!
Definitely a huge list!
September-October are also the big months for new releases in France.
But this year, only one is really tempting me, and I am actually already listening to it, a historical mystery related to the genocide in Rwanda.
https://wordsandpeace.com/2025/09/01/the-top-7-books-to-read-in-september-2025/
The journey I went on with the description of Slashed Beauties!!
” body horror” – eek!, not for me… “that come to life at night to murder men who have wronged them” …. Take my money.
The journey I went on with the description of Slashed Beauties!!
” body horror” – eek!, not for me… “that come to life at night to murder men who have wronged them” …. Take my money.
I might be most curious about Coffin Moon. Feels like too long since I read a good vampire story.
I’m 70% through THE FAERIE MORGANA & loving it. Some might call it slow paced, but it’s working for me & I’m savoring it.
Whew there are a LOT of amazing looking books here! I finished Tracer and really liked it! Play Nice and You Weren’t Meant to Be Human are fighting over which one I start tonight heh. I also have Exiles and Autumn Springs for review, and I have Spread Me on my absolute MUST read list! Then I also want to read The Macabre, Fiend, Bitterflow, Sunward… honestly like all of them! I cannot wait to read your thoughts on these!
I love the look of Sunward, which looks amazing. And I’d also head straight for the Stephanie Burgis offering – I do love her writing, but her books are always so expensive for their length. But you are spoilt for choice, Tammy and it looks like you’re in for an amazing month of reading:)).
I might be tempted by Rachel Harrison as I used to read her books and I love Stephanie Burgis books!
How many interesting titles!! I loved the Burgis book soooo much!! And I have the Fracassi book on my TBR because of you, but there are other titles that sound really intriguing, like Catch Your Death and Slashed Beauties. This last one is not right up my alley but the cover is beautiful and the premises are interesting!!
Sunward sounds really interesting to me, too! Hopefully it’s as enjoyable as it sounds. Happy reading!
September is jampacked with releases. I was trying to narrow mine down, but it was so hard. Coffin Moon looks like a really intriguing read.
I’m loving The Faerie Morgana so will give it a shout out.
Lynn 😀
Whew, creepy season is coming up, I’m excited for the horror and dark reads. Just finished Play Nice and I’ve just starter Fiend!