6 new book releases to get you through 2025

As the days get shorter and courses start ramping up, it may seem like there is nothing more to look forward to this year, but fret not! There are still plenty of books that have yet to be released this year, which can give you an incentive to make it through each week.

‘Alchemy of Secrets’ by Stephanie Garber — Oct. 7

Well, look at that, this one is already out!

Garber, author of the “Caraval” and “Once Upon a Broken Heart” series, starts her new series following Holland St. James, a graduate student who ends up taking a class in an old movie theater in Los Angeles. The class, Folklore 517: Local Legends and Urban Myths, is taught by a woman called the Professor.

The woman spins tales of urban legends and magic that leave Holland curious. In her search for the truth, she meets a local legend called the Watch Man, whose watch tells you when you will die. In their meeting, the Watch Man reveals that she will die tomorrow at midnight, unless she performs a task for him, leading her deeper into a world of magic she never thought possible.

‘Girl Dinner’ by Olivie Blake — Oct. 21

Known for her books “The Atlas Six” and “Alone With You in the Ether,” Blake takes her first steps into the horror genre with “Girl Dinner.”

In the novel, everyone’s lives coincide with The House, the home of the most exclusive sorority on campus. Nina Kaur, a sophomore, hopes that her newfound sisterhood will protect her from the future, all while Dr. Sloane Hartley, The House’s academic liaison, revels in the alumnae’s wealth and power.

However, it is not until they both discover the sorority’s arcane rituals that they realize that being invited to the table comes at a price.

‘The Tortoise’s Tale’ by Kendra Coulter — Nov. 4

After being taken from her home, a giant tortoise finds shelter on the grounds of a wealthy estate in southern California. For generations, the tortoise, named Magic, watches as the estate and the world change around her — encountering social, economic and environmental changes. It’s heartbreaking. It’s uplifting. It’s human. What more could a person ask for?

‘Cold Wire’ by Chloe Gong — Nov. 4

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In a dystopian world, people live in two societies: in the upcountry, a sparkling virtual reality that allows citizens to live in a digital world, or in the downcountry, the real world that has been ravaged by rising seas and uncontrollable epidemics. If you can afford a subscription to the virtual world, you have access to all that the upcountry has to offer.

However, it is far from perfect. Even in a digital society, a cold war between two powerful nations, Medaluo and Atahua, threatens to upend the lives of average citizens and orphans, who are required to enroll at Nile Military Academy. In their journey just to survive, two orphans begin to understand that their lives are the cogs of a powerful conspiracy, and it is up to them to solve it.

‘Brigands & Breadknives’ by Travis Baldree — Nov. 11

In the world of complex fantasies, why not read one that doesn’t leave you still confused halfway through the book (says a certified fantasy lover)?

Back in the cozy atmosphere of “Legends and Lattes,” this book follows Fern, the foul-mouthed bookseller, as she moves to the city of Thune to open up a new store next to her friend’s coffee shop. She hopes to live a nice, comfortable life with her books and maybe even get a nice renovation of the store.

That is her plan, until she wakes up from a drunken night miles away from home, and in the company of a legendary warrior and chaos-loving goblin. In their company, Fern learns to reconnect with the person she is without the stress of her job.

‘Before I Forget’ by Tory Henwood Hoen — Dec. 2

Following her father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, 26-year-old Cricket Campbell is not exactly taking adult life easy. After moving back into her family’s lakeside house, Cricket realizes that as her father loses the past, he is able to predict the future. However, as Cricket listens to her dad’s prophecies, she recalls a past she had shut away a long time ago, and she realizes that the only way to move forward is to go back.

pedenae@miamioh.edu