The Scunnered Lady Retreat | The Library | October 2026
New voices, familiar favourites, unexpected adventures and enough literary temptation to make a serious dent in your bookshelf.
There’s something rather exciting about a new book arriving in the shops.
Perhaps it’s the long-awaited sequel to a novel you adored. Perhaps it’s an unfamiliar author whose story sounds irresistible. Or perhaps you’ve simply wandered into a bookshop intending to have a quick look and emerged forty minutes later carrying a bag you absolutely hadn’t planned to purchase.
We’ve all been there.
Here at The Scunnered Lady Library, we’re keeping an eye on the publishing world, looking beyond the publicity campaigns to discover which new books deserve a closer look.
This autumn brings a particularly interesting mixture of literary fiction, gothic mysteries, romantic fantasy and imaginative adventures.
Here are some titles that have caught our attention.
1. Life Out of Order — Audrey Niffenegger
Genre: Literary fiction, romance and time travel
Readers who remember The Time Traveller’s Wife may be especially intrigued by Audrey Niffenegger’s return to its extraordinary world.
Her new novel follows Alba, the daughter of Henry DeTamble, who has inherited her father’s unusual relationship with time.
But Alba’s predicament is complicated by matters of the heart. She finds herself caught between two very different relationships: one with Oliver, who shares her condition, and another with Zach, whose life unfolds in ordinary chronological order.
The premise raises fascinating questions about love, choice and what it means to share a future with another person.
Can a relationship survive when time itself refuses to cooperate?
And how do you build a life when tomorrow isn’t necessarily where you expect to find yourself?
Why it caught our attention: It’s an intriguing choice for readers who enjoy emotional stories with an imaginative twist, particularly those who appreciate fiction that explores relationships in unusual ways.
2. Peck & Peck — Bonnie Garmus
Genre: Literary fiction and satire
Following the enormous success of Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus returns with Peck & Peck, a novel exploring literary ambition.
For readers who enjoyed the sharp observations and social commentary of her earlier work, this is certainly a title worth investigating.
The world of writing and publishing offers rich opportunities for satire. Ambition, competition, artistic egos and the sometimes absurd business of turning creativity into commercial success can make for entertaining material.
And let’s face it, few industries are entirely free of people who take themselves rather too seriously.
Why it caught our attention: The prospect of a witty novel examining literary ambition from an author already known for memorable storytelling makes this one an appealing addition to our discovery shelf.
3. Mystery Play — Elizabeth Kostova
Genre: Gothic fiction, historical mystery and supernatural suspense
If your literary tastes lean towards atmospheric mysteries, unsettling secrets and the occasional encounter with something that really ought to have remained buried, Elizabeth Kostova’s Mystery Play deserves attention.
Kostova, whose earlier novel The Historian explored the enduring legend of Dracula, returns to a world of historical intrigue and dark supernatural forces.
This new story follows the last surviving member of a family of historians who has long been pursued by sinister forces connected to Dracula.
Now a fresh threat emerges.
There is something wonderfully appealing about gothic fiction when it’s done well: the sense that history is never entirely finished with us, and that ancient mysteries can still reach into the present.
Why it caught our attention: An intriguing prospect for readers who enjoy historical research woven into dark, atmospheric storytelling.
Grayson has already expressed an interest in this one, although he maintains that our own Library contains nothing remotely supernatural.
An interesting statement from a man who refuses to enter the east corridor after midnight.
4. Victorious — V. E. Schwab
Genre: Fantasy and speculative fiction
Fans of V. E. Schwab’s Villains series have a significant release to explore this autumn.
Victorious brings the trilogy to its conclusion, making it particularly interesting for readers who have followed its morally complicated characters and extraordinary abilities.
One of the attractions of darker speculative fiction is its willingness to question traditional ideas about heroes and villains.
What happens when extraordinary power belongs to people who are neither entirely good nor entirely evil?
Can someone who has done terrible things ever genuinely change?
And is the person claiming to be the hero necessarily the person we should trust?
Why it caught our attention: This is a release for readers who appreciate morally ambiguous characters, high stakes and fiction that refuses to divide the world neatly into good people and bad people.
New readers would be better starting at the beginning of the trilogy.
5. Reap & Sow — Charlotte B. Plumb
Genre: Romantic fantasy
For readers who enjoy fantasy with a strong romantic element, Reap & Sow offers an intriguing premise.
A young woman makes a bargain with a demon to save her brothers, only to find that the consequences extend far beyond what she anticipated.
It’s a story involving dark magic, sacrifice, unexpected affection and the complicated nature of mortality.
The idea of bargaining with a supernatural being is hardly new, but it remains a fascinating storytelling device.
After all, the real trouble with making a deal is discovering exactly what you’ve agreed to.
Why it caught our attention: This could appeal to readers who enjoy slow-building romance, magical worlds and characters faced with impossible choices.
And a word of advice from The Scunnered Lady: always read the small print before entering into any agreement with a demon.
6. The Puffin — Michelle Lovric
Genre: Historical fiction
Now here’s something a little different.
Set in Venice in 1817, Michelle Lovric’s The Puffin introduces a most unusual visitor to the city’s famous Rialto Market.
A nobleman seizes a mysterious puffin, setting in motion a story involving troubled relationships, human behaviour and the unexpected influence of a rather remarkable bird.
Venice is an extraordinary setting for historical fiction. Its waterways, grand architecture, complicated history and distinctive atmosphere provide a wonderful backdrop for unusual stories.
And a puffin is certainly not the creature one immediately associates with nineteenth-century Venetian society.
Why it caught our attention: This is exactly the sort of unusual literary discovery we want to celebrate in the Library.
An intriguing premise, an atmospheric historical setting and a story that appears determined to follow its own peculiar path.
Rab the Gab McSquawk has naturally demanded to know why a puffin is receiving literary attention when no publisher has yet expressed interest in his memoirs.
We haven’t had the heart to explain that shouting at visitors doesn’t necessarily constitute a compelling autobiography.
7. The Frozen King — Pari Thomson
Genre: Children’s fantasy and adventure
We couldn’t explore new releases without including something for younger readers.
Pari Thomson’s The Frozen King takes readers back into the magical world of Greenwild.
The story introduces Annika, an eleven-year-old heir to an ocean kingdom who would much rather travel with her theatre troupe than prepare for royal responsibilities.
When her uncle returns seriously injured from a secret mission, Annika embarks on a dangerous quest to find a cure.
Her journey leads into a frozen northern landscape filled with formidable natural obstacles and powerful magic.
Why it caught our attention: Adventure, mystery, imaginative world-building and a young heroine faced with difficult responsibilities make this an appealing choice for confident younger readers.
It’s also the sort of title we may explore further in our Children’s Bookshelf.
What Makes a New Release Worth Reading?
It’s tempting to assume that a book receiving enormous publicity must be extraordinary.
Sometimes it is.
Sometimes it’s simply extraordinarily well marketed.
A celebrity endorsement, an attractive cover or a place on a bestseller list can introduce us to wonderful books, but none guarantees that a particular story will suit our tastes.
That’s why we prefer to consider several things when exploring new releases.
Does the premise offer something interesting? Is the author approaching a familiar subject from an unusual perspective? Does the book appeal to a particular kind of reader?
And perhaps most importantly, does it make us curious enough to turn the first page?
We’ll distinguish between books we’ve actually read and titles we’re recommending for consideration based on their descriptions, themes and publishing information.
A book that sounds promising isn’t automatically a book we’ve personally reviewed.
Don’t Forget the Smaller Publishers
While major publishing houses dominate many bestseller lists, smaller independent publishers also make an important contribution to the literary world.
They often introduce new voices, champion translated fiction, revive forgotten works and take chances on stories that might not fit neatly into established commercial categories.
Some of the most interesting books are those that arrive without enormous publicity.
We’ll make a point of exploring these quieter corners of publishing alongside the major releases.
Because a wonderful story doesn’t become less wonderful simply because it isn’t stacked six feet high beside a bookshop till.
The Next Chapter
The publishing calendar never stands still.
As new titles arrive, we’ll continue exploring fiction and nonfiction across a wide range of genres, from literary prize contenders and gripping crime novels to imaginative fantasy and fascinating true stories.
Some releases will become enormous successes. Others will quietly find devoted audiences. A few may disappear from public attention before they receive the recognition they deserve.
Our aim is to help readers discover books that genuinely interest them, rather than simply follow whatever happens to be fashionable.
So whether you’re waiting impatiently for your favourite author’s next novel or hoping to discover somebody entirely new, keep an eye on the Library shelves.
There will always be another story waiting.
And remember, buying books and reading books are two entirely different hobbies.
There’s absolutely no reason you can’t enjoy both.
Over to our readers: Which new book are you most excited to read in 2026? Are you loyal to a favourite author, or do you prefer discovering somebody completely new?
The Scunnered Lady Retreat — Sharing tips, tales and mild irritation since 2026.