I’m linking up with Top Ten Tuesday, which was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Check out upcoming Top Ten themes on Jana’s blog.
The second half of the year is often the most exciting for new book releases, especially if you enjoy dark fiction. Plus publishers often release their most anticipated books in the Fall. So of course it was hard for me to choose only ten books. I also just realized that all of these books are by favorite authors, and it’s exciting just how many of my favorite authors have new releases this year! I also want to point out that I’ll be able to use two of these for my Alphabet Challenge (letters P and Y), very excited:-) Here are twelve of my MOST anticipated books that will be released July – December 2026 (in order of release date):
Be Still My Unbeating Heart by Josh Winning. August 4th. “A cozy vampire vacation mystery set in a seaside Italian village, featuring a reformed vampire, his magical talking cat, and a handsome, brooding detective.”
The Calamities by Chuck Wendig. August 18th. “The heir to one of the world’s most influential families reckons with the demonic secret to their power, in this contemporary dark fantasy that melds occult magic with shocking family drama from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Accidents.”
Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison. September 8th. “Every wedding guest’s worst nightmare is on repeat in this wild and twisty new horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of So Thirsty and Play Nice.”
Exit Party by Emily St. John Madel. September 15th. “The award-winning, bestselling author of Station Eleven and Sea of Tranquility returns with a breathtaking novel of doubles, shadow worlds, and fractured timelines as a man disappears from a glittering Los Angeles party, and a woman—a gunrunner, an art collector, an operative of the State—searches for answers.”
Worry Box by Chris Panatier. September 22nd. “The Martins need a new home for their growing family. For Alison, Nathan, daughter Dru, and foster child Lailah, it’s love at first sight when they see the house in Tumbling Hills. It even has a cozy attic, which is great for Lailah: she needs a quiet place to be alone when her intrusive thoughts creep in.”
Newbourne Park by Jennifer Thorne. September 29th. “From the USA Today bestselling author of Diavola comes a darkly funny, blood-soaked horror novel about the terrifying seduction of unlimited power.”
Off the Reservation by Stephen Graham Jones. October 13th. “Jones has crafted another American Indian novel for our times, shining the light on the dark corners of this country’s history while also showing the desperate choices people make when they’re put up against the wall. With his beloved mix of humor and dread, Jones’s companion to The Only Good Indians is a story that will haunt you.”
The Porcelain Sisters by Daryl Gregory. October 27th. “A shy young woman and her deeply unpleasant—and literally porcelain—sister fight for their inheritance, taking on an impossible array of enemies: a chain-smoking demon crow, an unkillable assassin, and a secret clan of French sorceresses. In his newest adventure, Daryl Gregory (Spoonbenders) takes us on a dizzying romp through the horrors of sisterhood.”
The Killing of a Chestnut Tree by Oliver K. Langmead. October 27th. “Be gay, solve crimes! The Killing of a Chestnut Tree introduces Havelock Harper, an all-new queer gentleman detective in the tradition of Sherlock Holmes, with a cozy, fantastical mystery.”
Monsters of Ohio by John Scalzi. November 3rd. “Monsters of Ohio is a heartfelt exploration of a tentacular solution to the struggles of the modern world from the New York Times bestselling author of Starter Villain.”
Pinfeathers by Christina Henry. November 17th. “A tense, gripping novel about a mother whose child begins to change in ways she can’t explain, from the national bestselling author of The Place Where They Buried Your Heart.”
The Yule Day Slaughter (Slasher Season #2) by Craig DiLouie. November 17th. “From horror master Craig DiLouie comes the brutal and terrifying sequel to The Summer Fun Massacre. Summer camp was just the beginning…”
“Be gay, solve crimes! made me laugh. I hope you enjoy your selections
Thanks for sharing your #TTT
Worry Box sounds interesting!
I can’t wait for Worry Box!
Another Scalzi! Enjoy them all
Thanks Emma!
Kiss Slay Replay and Exit Party are on my list this week too, I completely forgot about the Scalzi book (which I’m absolutely looking forward to) and I ended up leaving off Newbourne Park because I ran out of room — I should have gone to 12 too!! So many great books to look forward to!
It’s a very packed six months for sure!
Oh noooo, I want to read them all!!!
LOL right???
Added Kiss Slay Replay to my TBR!
It sounds so good, right?
Monsters of Ohio sounds excellent.
I agree, Scalzi always adds lots of humor to his books.
Whenever I see a Stephen Graham Jones book I keep thinking I need to read one of his books and yet I still haven’t. I need to make this happen!
You should definitely try one of his books!
I’m getting very tempted by Kiss Slay Replay, I must admit!
Yes, try it!
The Rachel Harrison is tempting Tammy!
It sounds so good!
Oh yes, the newest Rachel Harrison! It is also on my list. And I gotta check out the other books on your list, some look very delicious.
SUPER excited for the Rachel Harrison!
So many books to be excited about.
And I’m excited about way more than these!
I just got an arc of Worry Box today and I hadn’t seen the cover of the Craig DiLouie book yet and I LOVE IT! How cool to have a winter holiday slasher. So many good books here I can’t wait to read!
I’m so excited for a Christmas themed slasher!
I’m so drawn to the cover of The Killing of Chestnut Tree, but I’m not really a mystery reader. I’ll have to keep an eye out for reviews!
I’ll let you know! The author doesn’t write conventional books, so it will be interesting to see his take on a “mystery.”
Craig DiLouie is releasing two slasher books this year?! Pinfeathers looks really good too. Hope you enjoy all these!
I’m very glad Craig DiLouie’s series will be released so quickly, I hate waiting!
So many good ones. Calamities and The Killing Of A Chestnut Tree are especially interesting.
Those are two I’m VERY excited to read!
Somehow I have NONE of these on my TBR [writing them down furiously]. You may well be the only one I’ve seen without a Trade of Blood on their list. I mean, it’s not going on mine either, but that’s just because I’m not waiting til the second half of the year to read it lol
I really want to read Trade of Blood, but I doubt I’ll be able to catch up with A Drop of Corruption, the way my TBR is going.
I volunteer to do it for you:)
Im excited for a few of these too and definitely need to make sure I read The Only Good Indians ready for Off The Reservation. How wonderful that you have so many books by favourite authors to look forward to. Im surprised to see the sequel to Summer Fun Massacre releasing so soon although I have noticed a couple arriving surprisingly quickly lately. Hope you love all of these.
I’m glad The Yule Day Slaughter is being published so quickly. Then I can say I read an entire series this year:-)
I cannot believe the year is moving along so fast! So many of these look good, especially Yule Day Slaughter.
It’s crazy it’s already mid-year!
I’m not usually one for dark books or mysteries, but I might have to read Be Still My Unbeating Heart because it has a talking cat and I love the cover! Happy reading 🙂
It sounds really cute and fun, and I will read anything with a cat on the cover:-)
I’m looking forward to so many of these and really good to see Yule Day Slaughter already in the pipeline.
Lynn 😀
I love that DiLouie’s duology continues in a few months!
Of these, I’m must curious about Calamities and Exit Party, even though I’ve yet to try Emily St. John Madel. And seeing a new Scalzi book reminds me I want to get back into the Old Man’s War series one of these days.
I’m very excited for a lot of these as well! I’m hoping to start reading The Calamities sooner rather than later because I think it’s another chunky one, haha. Also very excited for Off the Reservation! The second half of the year is looking good!