Book Mail: A Roundup of the Book Mail I Received Last Week

Mid-August has that golden-hour feeling when summer lingers just a little longer, and this week’s book mail felt like the happiest kind of surprise. My TBR pile has grown into a wonderfully optimistic stack, thanks to a book haul brimming with new book releases that practically beg to be read on a porch swing or beneath the shade of a favorite tree. Each package arrived with thoughtful book recommendations, like little love letters from fellow readers who know that the right book can change an ordinary afternoon. As I add each one to the pile, I can’t help but imagine that somewhere among these pages are the best books of 2026—the stories that will stay with me long after the last warm days of summer have faded.

Where to Buy These Books:

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I want to note that I do not get paid to do these posts, I just love authors and the book industry. However, they do take time and energy to create. If you want to donate a few dollars to my coffee fund, which keeps this blog going, you can do so here: https://venmo.com/AshleyHasty or here: http://paypal.me/hastybooklist.

This Week’s Book Mail Includes:

The English Bookstore in Bologna by Boo Walker – Five lost expats find friendship, second chances, and unexpected healing inside a charming English bookstore tucked away in the heart of Bologna.
Our Long Goodbye: A Daughter, a Father, a Best Friend, and the Journey Through Alzheimer’s by Teri Roche Drobnick – A moving memoir about love, memory, and the lifelong friendship that helps a daughter reconnect with her father as Alzheimer's slowly takes him away.
Unfolding the Heart by Rosanne Annoni – A deeply personal memoir tracing one woman's decades-long journey through trauma, spirituality, and healing in search of her truest self.
Open the Floodgates by Nina Schuyler – When a polluted river is granted legal personhood, an imaginative and thought-provoking novel asks what humanity truly owes the natural world.
The Scallop Plot by Judy Foreman – An investigative reporter and a fearless fisherwoman race to expose a deadly conspiracy threatening Cape Cod's waters before it's too late.
Dance of the Owl Woman by K.M. Huber – A courageous young woman must embrace her destiny and ancient magic as she fights for justice in this sweeping historical fantasy.
Plant Lady by Min Young Kang – A seemingly peaceful plant shop hides a dark secret in this deliciously twisted Korean thriller about revenge, misogyny, and murder.
For the Love of Money: Four Dizzying Decades of Riding the Merrill Lynch Bull by James Patrick Rooney – A veteran Wall Street insider reflects on four decades of financial upheaval, personal growth, and the pursuit of meaning beyond money.
Resonance by Michael S. Tobin and Daniel Chertoff – Two women separated by fifty years are connected through a forgotten diary in this powerful novel about art, identity, and survival.
How to Train Your Evil Robot by Joy McCullough and Eduardo Medeiros – A hilarious picture book introduces kids to artificial intelligence through the misadventures of one tiny robot with very big dreams.
Twin Moons of Eldradune by A.D. Solomon – A covert military mission turns into an epic battle for survival on a magical alien world where prophecy and war collide.
Tata by Valerie Perrin – A woman's discovery that her aunt has seemingly died twice unravels a captivating mystery filled with family secrets and hidden lives.
Time Travel for Beginners by Jaclyn Moriarty – A magical time travel agency offers ordinary people the extraordinary chance to revisit the moments that shaped their lives.
This Changes Everything by Lisa Scottoline – Two best friends uncover a dangerous conspiracy after a shocking murder forces one woman to trust her intuition and fight for the truth.
Big and Lily by Lisa Roe – Two sisters embark on a rugged Alaskan adventure that forces them to confront old resentments, family bonds, and the lives they thought they wanted.
The Doctor's Widow by Daniel Hurst – A wealthy widow's carefully constructed new life begins to unravel when a charming stranger threatens to expose her darkest secret.
The Introvert's Guide to Kissing in Europe by Brenda Janowitz – A gap year across Europe helps one cautious teenager discover love, adventure, and the courage to embrace life's unexpected turns.
Ten Perfect Guests by Jonathan Santlofer – Ten heirs gather on a secluded island for an inheritance only to discover that someone may have planned the perfect deadly reunion.
Trigger Happy by Meredith Trap – Two rival assassins pretending to be happily married discover that surviving each other may be harder than completing their mission.
A Taste for Murder by Matt Baker – A grieving detective's restorative trip to Capri is interrupted when a murder investigation draws him back into danger.
For the Love of the Quest by Alexandra Ammon Parthun – A determined noblewoman and the criminal hired to escort her find adventure, romance, and Arthurian legend on a quest for Excalibur.
(Mostly) Human Resources by Grace Viall – Office politics meet cryptid hunting when an ambitious HR professional ventures into monster-filled Appalachia to save both a missing coworker and her career.
Poker Wars by Philip Guitar and Jim Martyka – Discover the wild true story of the colorful gamblers, criminals, and visionaries who transformed poker into a billion-dollar phenomenon.
Fruit Fly by Josh Silver – A biting satirical thriller explores ambition, exploitation, and literary fame when a desperate author steals someone else's tragic story.
The Jezebel List by Alisa Dean – A sheltered college senior begins reclaiming her life one rebellious bucket list item at a time—with unexpected romance along the way.
Any More Questions for the Corpse? by J. J. Unthank – A reluctant necromancer who can speak to the dead joins an unlikely magical team to hunt a serial killer haunting England's hidden supernatural capital.
It's a Business Doing Pleasure with You by Lindsay Lewis – A buttoned-up life coach and a rebellious UFC fighter strike an unlikely bargain that teaches them both how to truly live.
City of Promises by Victoria Thompson – A former con artist must outwit a dangerous swindler before another innocent woman falls victim to his carefully crafted deception.
Little Monsters by Maire Roche – This enchanting supernatural retelling of Little Women follows four monster sisters determined to protect their family—and their biggest secret.