Brea and Mallory name their most anticipated books of September! Plus, they interview Mike Chen about his debut YA novel! Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!

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Mike Chen
Of Sorcery and Science

Books Mentioned -

The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith

Murder Bimbo by Rebecca Novak

How the Story Always Ends by Wendy Heard
Someone Else’s Daughter by Andrea Stewart
 

SEPTEMBER

The Knave and the Moon by Rachel Gillig
Romantasy, sequel to The Knight and the Moth

Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel
Literary sci fi, dystopian, time travel

Trust Fall by Lynn Painter
YA romance, contemporary, autumn, rom com, enemies to lovers

The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman
Historical fantasy, witches, dark academia, 1950s Boston

The Wretched Divine by Adalyn Grace
Romantasy, lady knight, demons, high fantasy

Tempest by Victoria Aveyard
Historical romantasy, pirates, adventures, pirate queen

Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley
Mystery in the Agatha Christie universe, cozy, Swiss Alps

Grim Tidings by B.K. Borison
Paranormal romance, angel and reaper, enemies to lovers, grumpy/grumpy

Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo
Third in Ninth House trilogy

Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros
Short stories in the Empyrean universe

Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang
Literary fantasy, coming of age, summer, romance, Taipei

Morfran, Dark Lord Reformed by S.B. West
High fantasy, funny, romantasy, rebellion, found family

The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon
Historical fiction, pirates, fantasy, Ireland, 16th century

We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman
Mystery, sequel to We Solve Murders

Bodies of Magic by Freya Marske
Fantasy, dark academia, Grey’s Anatomy meets A Deadly Education, queer

Sometimes I Scare Myself by Jeneva Rose
Horror short stories

The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw
Literary, wife of a megachurch pastor’s secret comes to light

Free Falling by Lyla Sage
Paranormal romance, haunted small town, fake relationship

Hawk and Sparrow by Ayana Gray
YA romantasy, mystery, magic, Gilded Age, historical

Scion by James Islington
Sci fi thriller, cyberpunk, John Wick meets Blade Runner

It’s Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh
Thriller, woman attempting to catch cheating husband finds him dead

Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison
Horror, time loop, serial killer, romance

Under Story by Chloe Benjamin
Sci fi, romance, time travel, Antarctica, near future

A Time of Witches by Madeline Martin
Historical fantasy, witches, parallel timelines

American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee
Historical fiction, family epic, Seoul, Sydney, California

Reign by Bethan Croome
Romantasy, found family, forbidden love, magic, adventure

Mazywood by Tananarive Due
Historical horror, female rage, Black Hollywood, filmmaking, California mountains

The Black Orchid by Loreth Anne White
Thriller, murder on a cruise through Aegean Sea

Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason
Literary fiction, mental health, books about books, loneliness

Cursed City by Kate Golden
Harker Academy #2, romantasy, dark academia

Big Bad Wolf by Laurie Gilmore
Paranormal romance, small town, Little Red Riding Hood retelling

Buried in the Woods Below by Daniel G. Miller
Thriller, psychological suspense, isolated setting, secrets, Minnesota

Nightjars by Michael Wehunt
Horror, Memento meets Dracula, man caught for crimes he doesn’t remember

The Commons by Rebecca Ihim
New Adult romantasy, dystopian dark academia

Switzy by Emma Cline
Literary fiction, aging man’s last pilgrimage

Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen
Magical realism, romance, ghosts, parallel timelines, 1970s, North Carolina

The Sweetest Fiend by Raven Kennedy
Dark romance, fae, enemies to lovers, Pied Piper retelling

Midnight Curfew by Penelope Douglas
Queer dark romance, MLM, enemies to lovers, rivals from opposing families

Protocols: An Operating Manual for the Human Body by Andrew D. Huberman
Nonfiction, science, self help

The Pumpkin Bride by Fiona Buttercup
Cozy romantasy, autumnal, second chance romance, Shrek meets Princess Bride with pumpkins

Ply by Hernan Diaz
Sci fi, dystopia, far future, humans reinventing society

Blightfall by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson
YA sci fi, space, dystopia, intergalactic mission to an alien world

Trad Wife by Sarah Langan
Horror, trad wife influencers, social media, journalist’s descent into evil world of influencing

I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell by Mackenzie Reed
Horromance, office worker accidentally witnesses her hot boss performing an exorcism

The Three Graces of Pearl Street by Elizabeth Wellington Rollins
Historical fiction, Italy, family saga, three Italian American generations of women

Harbinger by Geneva Lee
New Adult romantasy, magic, mythology, magic

Bones by K.L. Speer
Dark romantasy, dystopian, post-apocalyptic, magic

The Disappearers by Marlon James
Historical fiction, 1980s Jamaica, murder of a gay man

The Siren by Tomi Adeyemi
YA fantasy, dark academia, rage, yearning, woman’s darkness

Ungrateful Immigrant Daughter: A Memoir from the Child of a Mail-Order Bride by Katya Suvorova
Nonfiction

Crown of Crimson and Crows by Tessa Hale
Romantasy, why choose, witches, vampires, enemies to lovers

Love Felt Like This by Julie Olivia
Romance, small town, grumpy rock star + sunshine children’s show creature working together

Espiritu by Aiden Thomas
Sequel to Cemetery Boys!!!

Kneel Before Me by Lindsay Straube
Kiss of the Basilisk book #3

The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury
Historical romance, mystery, post WWII Oxford University, undercover operatives

Empire by Sabaa Tahir
Heir Duology #2

Doomsdate by Laura Piper Lee
Horromance, rom com, zombie apocalypse

I Am the Monster Under the Bed by Emily Zinnikas
Horror, invisible entity under a bed, return to small town

Fallow by Sarah Anderson
Sci fi, funny, young woman signs up to be the world’s first in-house corporate surrogate

Our Cut of Salt by Deena Helm
Horror, haunted house, three generations of Palestinian women deal with haunting in ancestral home

We Already Dug the Grave by Emma C. Wells
Thriller, Southern Gothic, Sharp Objects with a dash of Practical Magic

Kiss of the Black Flame by Helene Scheuerer
Romantasy, books about books, magic, found family, forced proximity

Blacktail by Scott Hawkins
Dark fantasy, a wolf sets out on a journey of revenge

The Paradox Club by Charlie Lovett
Sci fi mystery, secret society, woman uncovers truth about her father’s death that could alter course of history

The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson
Truly Devious #6

The Lost Spectacular by Zoe Duhaime
Fantasy, romance, Night Circus meets Midnight Library

Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
Nonfiction

The Dark Lord’s Guide to Honeymooning (and Other Acts of Tyranny) by Tiffany Hunt
Guides to Villainy and Love #2, romantasy

Wildwood by Ashley Woo
Mystery, horror, gothic, family estate with secrets, creepy forest

The Birthing Tree by Amanda Peters
Historical fiction, family, legacy, small Nova Scotia town, Indigenous traditions

Beyond the Graves Waits Mist and Sea by Kathleen Kaufman
Horror, fantasy, gothic, mystery, microbial biology, witchcraft

So It Grows by Andie Burke
Romance, cozy, small town, business rivals to lovers, plant shop

You’re the One That I Haunt by Katie Jung
Paranormal romance, woman teams up with hot ghost to save her childhood crush from a curse

The Strangers by Naomi Alderman
Sci fi, grief, weird new animal spreading across America

A Snake Among Swans by Hannah Kaner
Queer romantasy, sapphic, epic fantasy, magic, warring kingdoms, female rage

If Not You by Ellen O’Clover
Romance, rival copywriters, forced proximity

The Thief and the Traitor Bride by V.L. Bovalino
Romantasy set in the world of The Second Death of Locke

The Mystic and the Missing Girl by Vikki VanSickle
Mystery, reluctant psychic, tarot, cold case

Baldur’s Gate 3: Astarion by T. Kingfisher
Horror fantasy, vampires

In the Dark by Shain Rose
Dark romance, secret society, enemies to lovers, ultra-private billionaire enclave

The Sisters of Crimson House by Melissa Anderson Sweazy
Horror, gothic, mystery, ghosts, psychic, haunted house, evil entity

In the Woods They Wait by Carrie Lee South
Horror, thriller, park ranger obsesses with case of missing child that mirrors disappearance of her brother

 

Something Followed Us Home: Tales of Latine Horror edited by Cynthia Pelayo
Horror short stories

Witch Daughter by Tanaz Bhathena
Historical fantasy, retelling of Tahmineh, Persian mythology, witches

Anger Is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo
YA, novel in verse, mental health

EVEN MORE BOOKS HERE!! 

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Brea and Mallory tick off another box on the 2026 Reading Glasses Challenge: update your wheelhouse! Plus, they give advice on reading challenges, and recommend some mysterious hotel books. Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!

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See Brea’s Movie in Virginia!

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Books Mentioned -

Magic and Mischief at the Wayside Hotel by Elizabeth Everett
Happiness by Will Ferguson

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis

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Brea and Mallory debate the rules of letting people borrow your books. Plus, they give advice on bloody library books, and recommend pre-historic fiction. Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!

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Books Mentioned - 

Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy

A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon

Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson

Ivory Carver series by Sue Harrison

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Brea and Mallory recommend books with unique structures! Plus, they solve a reader problem about offensive audiobook narrators, and recommend horror graphic novels. Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!

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Books Mentioned - 

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, translated by Ros Schwartz

The Lesbian Bar Chronicles by Rachel Karp

Long Division by Kiese Laymon

All This & More by Peng Shepherd

No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood

Remember You Will Die by Eden Robins

The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

The Yield by Tara June Winch

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

Strange Houses and Strange Buildings by uketsu, translated by Jim Rion

Clara & the Devil by Olivie Blake and Little Chmura

The Hills of Estrella Roja by Ashely Robin Franklin

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Brea and Mallory help you de-shame your reading life! Plus, they solve a problem about finding a book from your past, and recommend books written by an author pair. Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!

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Mallory and Clay at Ripped Bodice

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Recommendation Party - Members Only August 21st 6pm PT

Books Mentioned -

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances by Glenn Dixon

Poseidon’s Steed: The Story of Seahorses, From Myth to Reality by Helen Scales

The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery

The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World’s Most Coveted Fish by Emily Voigt

Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

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Brea and Mallory give out book rex for their beloved MaxFun members! Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!

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Books Mentioned - 

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

Time Was by Ian McDonald

Even Though I Knew The End by C.L. Polk

Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

 

Vicious by V. E. Schwab

The Pallbearer’s Club by Paul Tremblay

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

All Hallows by Christopher Golden

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Brea and Mallory tick off another box on the 2026 Reading Glasses Challenge: have a themed snack or drink with the book you’re reading! Plus, they give advice on what to do with gifted books, and talk to publisher and web series creator, Matthew Medney from Gungnir Books. Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!

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Dark Horse Union

Gungnir Books

Badd Grammmar

Books Mentioned -

I Found Puppets Living in My Apartment Walls by Ben Farthing

Strange Buildings by uketsu, translated by Jim Rion

Teddy Bears Never Die by Yeeon Cho, translated by Sung Ryu

How to Lose a Goblin in Ten Days by Jesse Silva

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown

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Brea and Mallory have a new genre alert for healing fiction! Plus, they give advice on reading too much of the same genre, and recommend asexual romance novels. Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!

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Books Mentioned - 

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

Lovers XXX by Allie Rowbottom

Before the Coffee Gets Cold

Kamagowa Food Detectives

The Traveling Cat Chronicles

 

Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop

If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann

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Brea and Mallory name their summer reading essentials! Plus, they give tips on getting through required reading and recommend weird space books. Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!

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Books Mentioned - 

Teddy Bears Never Die by Cho Yeeun, translated by Sung Ryu

Turn Off the Light by Jacquie Walters

 

Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove

The Sixth Nik by Daniel Kraus

The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean

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Brea and Mallory talk about their most anticipated books for July and August 2026! Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!

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Books Mentioned -

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Trash! by Simon Pare-Poupart, translated by Pablo Strauss

FULL LIST OF JULY AND AUGUST BOOKS HERE!!

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Brea and Mallory tick off another box on the 2026 Reading Glasses Challenge: read a book set in a hotel or motel! Plus, they test out the viral purse bookmark, and debate whether or not you should steal a signed book from the library. Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!

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Books Mentioned - 

Strange Bedfellows by Amanda Motlock

The Girl with a Thousand Faces by Sunyi Dean

Magic and Mischief at the Wayside Hotel by Elizabeth Everett

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

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