Five New Books to Read This Weekend

Cinema brings great films like You Can See Everything and The Devils, but this week also features major new book releases from the past year. These include a new Sarah J. Maas book, an occult horror book by a Nebula-winning author, and the first novel from Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma director Jane Schoenbrun. It is always a good time to read.

These books likely have a long hold list at the library. Readers can find them at local indie bookstores or on bookshop.org. Several highly anticipated releases arrive this week, making them perfect cozy Halloween reads. Grab a blanket, make a hot beverage, and open a Kindle or paper book.

Other notable recent books include Frieda McFadden’s The Witch, Barbara Kingsolver’s Partita, and Victorious, the third book in the Villains series by V.E. Schwab. Book enthusiasts have plenty of options this fall season.

A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas returns with the sixth book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, known as ACOTAR. This book picks up after the events of A Court of Silver Flames and House of Flame and Shadow, serving as Movement 1 of a larger multi-story arc called The Valkyrie Cycle.

Diehard romantasy readers anticipated this release from one of the most successful fantasy series of all time. The next part of this cycle continues with A Court of Forgotten Memory, which releases on January 12, 2027.

Public Access Afterworld by Jane Schoenbrun

Following the success of the film Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma and the 2024 hit I Saw the TV Glow, Jane Schoenbrun has released their first book, Public Access Afterworld. This horror novel focuses on obsession with media and TV. A collective searches for their inner TV show with out-of-this-world results, fitting in well with Schoenbrun’s cinematic work.

The book features psychedelic horror that pulls readers directly into the world of the novel. It is a binge-worthy choice for the spooky season.

From the Library of Jurgen Leitner by Premee Mohamed and Jonathan Sims

Part of the Magnus Archives, From the Library of Jurgen Leitner is co-written by Nebula award-winning author Premee Mohamed and Jonathan Sims of Rusty Quill. The book focuses on dealings with the occult and follows a fierce collector of books. Jurgen Leitner maintains a private library containing dangerous items, ranging from an ancient scroll that causes chilling breezes to a bound hardcover that demands the reader to dig.

This novel delivers thrills and chills for Halloween or Samhain, making readers question the strange books found at thrift stores.

The Brightness by Chad Harbach

Chad Harbach follows up his 2011 debut The Art of Fielding with The Brightness. Clocking in at nearly 700 pages, the novel takes place at the fictional Westish College in Wisconsin between late 2015 and early 2016. Two close friends witness a politically charged campus prank regarding sexual assault. A meta twist features one of the characters having written The Art of Fielding, reframing the events of that original book.

The book has received praise from The New York Times Book Review, which called it a bold and ambitious campus novel fifteen years in the making.

Venus, Vanishing by Rebecca Birrell

Rebecca Birrell makes her literary debut with a historical fiction novel set in Berlin during the underground art scene of the Weimar Republic. As an art historian, Birrell focuses her narrative on a young Jewish artist who flees an arranged marriage to study painting in Berlin.

The novel explores queer desire, hedonism, and men taking credit for the work of women during the rise of the Third Reich. It serves as a fitting historical read for the fall season.

Source: Polygon