Unboxing My Latest Book Haul
Book Mail: A Roundup of the Book Mail I Received Last Week
Mid-October has that golden, just-right kind of glow, and this week’s book mail made it feel like a little miracle. My TBR pile has grown into a cozy tower of anticipation, thanks to a book haul overflowing with new book releases that promise laughter, heartbreak, and quiet moments of wonder. Each envelope carried thoughtful book recommendations, tiny invitations from friends and fellow readers to get lost in stories that feel made just for me. With so many titles that could easily be counted among the best books of 2025, it’s impossible not to feel that autumn has arrived just to make room for reading, warm drinks, and the simple, perfect joy of a stack of fresh books.
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.
What I Wore:
In mid October, when the leaves start to turn and cozy routines take center stage, a green and white striped top paired with jeans becomes the perfect main character outfit—simple yet full of main character vibes. Styled with your everyday gold hoop earrings and your signature herringbone necklace layered with a graduated rope chain, the look embodies main character fashion that feels both polished and approachable. As you peruse a fresh stack of book mail, filled with character-driven novels and books for self-discovery, you’re reminded of how wardrobe choices and reading lists alike are acts of fashion for self-expression. This is main character aesthetic books and clothing in harmony: aesthetic clothing that inspires confidence, paired with books that make you feel good and fuel your main character mindset. In that quiet, inspired moment, you’re living your main character life—curating both outfit and story with intention, style, and joy.
This Week’s Book Mail Includes:
Time for Bed by Estrela Lourenco — Peek scampers through cozy rooms to find mischievous Boo before lights-out in a playful, peek-a-boo bedtime hunt.
When Bumblebees Go to Sleep by Claire Wrenn Bobrow — Drift through moonlit flowers with drowsy Bumble as he finds the perfect petal bed for sweet bee dreams.
The Garden and the Jungle by Edwy Plenel — A fearless manifesto challenges Europe to confront its colonial myths and choose solidarity over supremacy.
The Shadow of the Mammoth by Fabio Morábito — Eighteen sly, minimalist tales tug reality sideways to reveal the strange logic of everyday life.
Your Knife, My Heart by K.M. Moronova — In a brutal underworld, a lethal soldier and a condemned recruit ignite a dangerous, addictive romance that could save—or destroy—them both.
Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World by Mark Waddell — A cube-dwelling striver strikes a shady deal for a promotion and accidentally jump-starts the apocalypse—with HR watching.
My Favorite Holidate by Lauren Blakely — A fake-dating pact between a designer and her billionaire boss turns steamy as holiday sparks threaten to melt office rules.
No One Would Do What the Lamberts Have Done by Sophie Hannah — When one accusation endangers a beloved dog, a mother gambles everything in a jaw-twisting thriller about devotion and dread.
Extremity by Nicholas Binge — A disgraced detective chases cloned corpses and time-warped conspiracies to stop a future engineered to end us.
The Second Story Bookshop by Denise Hunter — She inherited her dream bookstore—along with the ex who broke her heart—and now the only way forward might be together.
The Ever Queen by LJ Andrews — Stolen from her ruthless king, a furious queen fights sky and sea to return to the monster who loves her.
Into the Storms by Nicholas Sansbury Smith — Before Hell Divers, three unlikely heroes face reawakened war machines in the first sparks of humanity’s darkest day.
The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi — A seventy-something “final girl” sleuths a killer stalking her retirement home before she becomes the next obituary.
Class Action by Gail Ward Olmsted — A law student dodges a cheating ring, a family bombshell, and a risky lawsuit in a taut tale of ethics and identity.
Darkrooms by Rebecca Hannigan — Two haunted women reopen a 1999 disappearance in a small Irish town where the woods keep their own secrets.
Catching Cheats by Erik Lie — A forensic finance sleuth shows how numbers tattle, exposing the patterns that unmask Wall Street’s biggest liars.
The Magic of Imperfection by Jason F. McLennan — Ship your art, not your doubts: a pragmatic playbook for finishing more by letting go of perfect.
The Accident by Lori Miller Kase — A teen torn between brother and boyfriend guards a deadly secret as a small-town hit-and-run unravels her life.
Ship of Spells by H. Leighton Dickson — A battle-scarred mage with a lethal secret boards a legendary sentient ship and sails into war, intrigue, and impossible magic.
By the Horns by Ruby Dixon — A fledgling artifact-hunter who hears the dead must clear her name—and resist a dangerously charming Taurian who thinks she’s the thief.
The Midnight Show by Lee Kelly & Jennifer Thorne — Fame rockets a late-night comedy troupe to glory until its brightest star vanishes, leaving four decades of secrets to sift.
Sisters in Death by Eli Frankel — A true-crime insider links the Black Dahlia to a forgotten Midwest murder, closing an 80-year-old case with startling new evidence.
The Gallery Assistant by Kate Belli — After a wild night and an artist’s murder, a gallery assistant pieces together her lost hours amid the cutthroat NYC art scene.
Night Night Tyrannosaurus by Chris Ferrie — Say goodnight to dino friends while spotting shapes on their scaly bodies in a sleepy, science-sweet board book.
Glow to Sleep, My Little Bear — Follow Little Bear’s twinkling path to bed as gentle lights and soothing art turn stargazing into slumber.
The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs — A spurned princess storms a brutal academy to win back her prince—and instead finds courage, combat, and a complicated new love.
The Devil She Knows by Alexandria Bellefleur — Six wishes, one loophole, and a pink-clad demon complicate a woman’s plan to win back her ex—and maybe her heart.
Soul Searching by Lyla Sage — A ghost-sensitive wanderer and a guarded upholsterer become reluctant roommates as Sweetwater Peak—and its spirits—nudge them toward love.
Groove by Bernice L. McFadden — Four friends chase heat, money, and desire through a sultry NYC summer until one dangerous fling threatens them all.
Fever by Bernice L. McFadden — Three years later, secrets simmer on both sides of the Atlantic as old flames, new temptations, and meddling friends reignite the drama.
Save the Date by Mallory Kass — A lavish wedding weekend implodes as a missing bride, forbidden crushes, and a fake-dating scheme collide into true love.
Princess of Blood by Sarah Hawley — Newly crowned and newly endangered, a fae princess must pick a king, survive a civil war, and resist a perilous romance.
The Second Son by Simon Gervais & Ryan Steck — A soldier-turned-sommelier uncorks his past to clear his brother’s name and stop a global syndicate closing in.
Deliver Me by Elle Nash — In a brutal Ozarks slaughterhouse, a pregnant woman claws for meaning, love, and survival as bodies and expectations pile up.
London Sojourn by Rebecca Knuth — At sixty-five, a former professor rebuilds her life in London, finding wonder, bruises, and a hard-won new self.
I Wish, Therefore I Am by Gary Lippman — A surreal mixtape of wishes—comic, carnal, and cosmic—braids memoir, myth, and mayhem into one restless life.
The Christmas Ring by Karen Kingsbury — Searching for a lost heirloom, a widow finds hope, new love, and a miracle that could change two families’ Christmas.
When Shadows Burn by Todd Brown — A true-crime podcaster digs into a missing teen and a cursed house as a Virginia town’s polite veneer goes up in flames.
It’s Not Her by Mary Kubica — After a lakeside double murder, a frantic aunt races to find her missing niece while a town’s buried sins surface.
A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang — Haunted by folklore and a father’s prophecy, a daughter unravels generations of trauma from Manchuria to modern China.
Whidbey by T Kira Madden — After a predator’s murder, three women bound by his violence tell a razor-edged story of vengeance, power, and who owns the truth.
Mindworks by Neal Shusterman — From soul-stealing soup to time-bending attics, a master storyteller delivers mind-twisting tales—including new Scythe stories.
Princess Margaret and the Curse by Meryle Secrest — A bold reexamination asks whether a royal rebel was doomed from birth—and misunderstood by history.
Dear Orchid by Carol Van Den Hende — Lyrical letters blend fact and fiction to trace love, loss, disability, and second chances across continents and time.
Goodnight Astronaut by Michelle Robinson & Nick East — Tuck in with rockets, planets, and starlight as a gentle rhyme launches little space lovers toward dreamland.
