Unboxing My Latest Book Haul
Book Mail: A Roundup of the Book Mail I Received Last Week
Late September has that unmistakable feeling that fall has finally arrived—the light is softer, the evenings are cooler, and suddenly every afternoon seems made for disappearing into a good book. This week’s book mail brought a book haul overflowing with new book releases, sending my already ambitious TBR pile to wonderfully unreasonable heights. Each package feels like a small surprise waiting on the doorstep, filled with stories that may soon become favorite book recommendations passed eagerly from one reader to another. And somewhere in this stack, I’m certain, are a few of the best books of 2026—just waiting to be discovered with a warm drink nearby and an entire autumn of reading still ahead.
Where to Buy These Books:
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:
Wolftamer by Maggie Rapier - Saoirse and Faolan must face ancient magic, deadly rivals, and impossible sacrifices in a lush, high-stakes finale where freedom could cost them everything.
Demons and Diplomacy by Megan Frampton - In supernatural Victorian London, a human diplomat must strike a dangerously seductive bargain with the Devil’s son to stop a conspiracy from tearing their uneasy world apart.
Mantras and Minotaurs by Ashley Bennett - A single mom ready for a fresh start unexpectedly falls head over hoof for a sweet, swoon-worthy minotaur in this steamy romance about taking another chance on love.
Among the Ruins by Claire Coughlan - A working mother and journalist in 1970 Dublin risks her career, family, and life when an investigation into a suspicious death draws her into an increasingly dangerous mystery.
If Not You by Ellen O'Clover - Two fiercely competitive copywriters with five years of rivalry are forced onto a monthlong business trip where winning the account may prove easier than resisting each other.
Chomping at the Bit by Matt Evans - An aspiring horse veterinarian who knows surprisingly little about horses stumbles toward his dream career with plenty of mishaps, memorable animals, and self-deprecating humor along the way.
All My Sisters and Me by Sheryl Lister - Four sisters-in-law carrying jealousies, grief, resentments, and secrets are thrown together for a weeklong family celebration that could finally unite them—or tear them apart for good.
The Meaning of Daughter by Alexia Nader - Three generations of women navigate motherhood, ambition, art, and complicated family expectations in an intimate saga spanning Haiti, New York, and Miami.
The Table Where We Meet by Jess Janz - Drawing on dinners with more than a thousand strangers, Jess Janz explores how better questions, greater vulnerability, and a willingness to be seen can transform small talk into genuine connection.
But I Hate Him by Page Powars - An ambitious academic golden boy plots to make his infuriatingly brilliant rival fall in love with him—and then break his heart—in this sizzling queer YA enemies-to-lovers romcom.
The World's Most Haunted Places by Jeff Belanger - Take a chilling trip through haunted battlefields, castles, ships, catacombs, landmarks, and more in this globe-spanning exploration of history’s most enduring ghost stories.
Between the Horns by Elwynn Green - A no-nonsense guide strips away modern stereotypes of witchcraft to explore traditional practices, spellcraft, energy work, folklore, and a deeper relationship with the liminal world.
Astrology for Changemakers by Leslie Tagorda - Learn to use the strengths and patterns in your birth chart to embrace your authentic leadership style, transform self-doubt into wisdom, and create meaningful change.
The Home Within by Sabrina Soto - Interior designer Sabrina Soto blends practical design advice with personal reflection to show how changing your surroundings can help reshape your habits, confidence, and life.
The Ballad of the Fugitive William Parker by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz - This propulsive true story resurrects the extraordinary 1851 Christiana resistance, when a diverse community of abolitionists stood against slave catchers and found themselves accused of treason.
But for Fortune by Erin Miller Reid - A medical student’s rotation at the psychiatric institution where her grandmother spent decades uncovers buried family secrets in this intergenerational story of mental illness, silence, and the fight to reclaim one’s own narrative.
The Age of Blood and Magic by Hannah Mathewson - When the CEO of a trillion-dollar magical empire dies at a lavish family gathering, a ruthless succession battle, locked-room mystery, and seductive vampire turn the weekend into a deliciously dark fight for immortality.
The Gates of Midnight by Helene Wecker - Reunited in 1930s New York and Chicago, a golem and a jinni face a final reckoning with an old enemy—and with love, freedom, belonging, and the lives they have built apart.
Turncloak by L. K. Steven - Three rival mages collide in a dangerous game of vengeance, betrayal, forbidden love, and shifting loyalties as Saffron considers rewriting time even if it means becoming the world’s villain.
The Magnificent Banyan and the Green Tong Lau by Stephanie Ellen Sy and Ishita Jain - A tiny seed becomes a magnificent banyan growing across a Hong Kong apartment building in this beautifully illustrated modern fable about resilience, community, and recognizing unexpected gifts.
