October 31, 2026
Whenever I can, I like to hear authors talk about their work, which definitely enhances the reading experience for me. This year, I have been happy to see the number of programs that are being held in New Jersey close to where I live. When I cannot see them live, I enjoy watching and listening to videos and podcasts.
This week, we gave readers from across the country the opportunity to hear Kathryn Stockett talk about THE CALAMITY CLUB. In November, we are bringing you Sally Hepworth, who will be discussing MAD MABEL, which I loved.
Editorial Content for Dive Bar at the End of the Road
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
In DIVE BAR AT THE END OF THE ROAD, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong pairs the nail-biting tension of Final Destination with the apocalyptic terror of THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD. Read More
Teaser
Just before midnight, a car swerves to avoid something --- or someone --- mysteriously standing in the road, only to slam into a fallen tree instead. In the pitch black, four more cars follow in a pileup no one can seem to avoid. Stumbling out of the wreckage, five strangers find themselves in a backwoods dive bar, waiting for daybreak and hoping for cell service. But as tensions rise and a storm rages on outside, the occupants of the dive bar start to notice that not everything is as it seems. Time is moving differently, and they quickly learn that going outside --- whether to assist another accident victim or to hike for help --- is a very bad idea. There’s something in the woods, something that isn't natural. Could the figure in the road have been a warning? Or something more sinister?
Promo
Just before midnight, a car swerves to avoid something --- or someone --- mysteriously standing in the road, only to slam into a fallen tree instead. In the pitch black, four more cars follow in a pileup no one can seem to avoid. Stumbling out of the wreckage, five strangers find themselves in a backwoods dive bar, waiting for daybreak and hoping for cell service. But as tensions rise and a storm rages on outside, the occupants of the dive bar start to notice that not everything is as it seems. Time is moving differently, and they quickly learn that going outside --- whether to assist another accident victim or to hike for help --- is a very bad idea. There’s something in the woods, something that isn't natural. Could the figure in the road have been a warning? Or something more sinister?
About the Book
Final Destination meets THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD in this supernatural horror from New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong, in which a series of car accidents traps a group of strangers at a dive bar.
A forested road at night, slick from the pounding rain and eerily illuminated by flashes of lightning. Just before midnight, a car swerves to avoid something --- or someone --- mysteriously standing in the road, only to slam into a fallen tree instead. In the pitch black, four more cars follow in a pileup no one can seem to avoid.
Stumbling out of the wreckage, soaked from the rain and nursing various injuries, five strangers find themselves in a backwoods dive bar, waiting for daybreak and hoping for cell service. But as tensions rise and a storm rages on outside, the occupants of the dive bar start to notice that not everything is as it seems. Time is moving differently, and they quickly learn that going outside --- whether to assist another accident victim or to hike for help --- is a very bad idea.
There’s something in the woods, something that isn't natural. Could the figure in the road have been a warning? Or something more sinister? None of this is normal, and they'll need to work together to figure out what’s happening if they have any hope of surviving the night.
Audiobook available; read by Helen Laser, Sean Patrick Hopkins and Shane Ghostkeeper
Editorial Content for The Bishop of Durham Attempts to Surrender the City
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
In her prize-winning first novel, JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL, Susanna Clarke created a world in which two magicians appear to bring their strange and unusual talents to England during the Napoleonic Wars. Read More
Teaser
During the conquest of Northern England, the fairy host sweeps across the countryside. The city of Durham finds itself surrounded. But the encircling forces are not fairies or even other humans, but trees that trap the city within an eerie wood. Ranulf, Bishop of Durham --- a consummate politician --- understands that the survival of the Northern English people depends on his finding a way to unite the two races, human and fairy. And he's not averse to improving his own position at the same time. With these aims in view, he sets off for the New Castle in search of the new King --- the leader of the fairy host, rumored to be a mysterious human boy, no more than 14 years old, who speaks no word of any human language.
Promo
During the conquest of Northern England, the fairy host sweeps across the countryside. The city of Durham finds itself surrounded. But the encircling forces are not fairies or even other humans, but trees that trap the city within an eerie wood. Ranulf, Bishop of Durham --- a consummate politician --- understands that the survival of the Northern English people depends on his finding a way to unite the two races, human and fairy. And he's not averse to improving his own position at the same time. With these aims in view, he sets off for the New Castle in search of the new King --- the leader of the fairy host, rumored to be a mysterious human boy, no more than 14 years old, who speaks no word of any human language.
About the Book
From the bestselling and prize-winning author of PIRANESI, an enchanting, beautifully illustrated short story set in the world of JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL.
"He had already served three kings. He did not see why he should not be useful to a fourth."
During the conquest of Northern England, the fairy host sweeps across the countryside. The city of Durham finds itself surrounded. But the encircling forces are not fairies or even other humans, but trees that trap the city within an eerie wood.
Ranulf, Bishop of Durham --- a consummate politician --- understands that the survival of the Northern English people depends on his finding a way to unite the two races, human and fairy. And he's not averse to improving his own position at the same time. With these aims in view, he sets off for the New Castle in search of the new King --- the leader of the fairy host, rumored to be a mysterious human boy, no more than 14 years old, who speaks no word of any human language.
Set 700 years before the events of JONATHAN STRANGE & MR NORRELL, THE BISHOP OF DURHAM ATTEMPTS TO SURRENDER THE CITY is a bewitching, must-have addition to any fantasy reader's shelf, featuring beautiful illustrations throughout.
Audiobook available, read by Richard Armitage
Editorial Content for Look What the Cat Dragged In
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
For someone who loves cats and is on the precipice of adding two rescues to his posse, the title of Jason Rekulak’s novel had me hooked. LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN is a supernatural thriller of the highest magnitude that reads like ROSEMARY’S BABY with a cat. Read More
Teaser
Meet Penny Padgett, a 27-year-old cartoonist in Philadelphia who agrees to pet-sit a very peculiar cat named Godfrey in her home. At first, he’s a warm and affectionate companion who follows Penny all around the house and insists on sleeping by her side every night. But soon strange things are happening: Penny is haunted by disturbing and violent nightmares. There’s a terrible insect infestation in her basement. Her cute cartoon illustrations turn dark and surreal, as if influenced by some invisible hand. And her health starts failing, as if her mind and body are under attack by a sinister, malevolent force. Penny may be a cat person, but she’s starting to think Godfrey is no ordinary cat.
Promo
Meet Penny Padgett, a 27-year-old cartoonist in Philadelphia who agrees to pet-sit a very peculiar cat named Godfrey in her home. At first, he’s a warm and affectionate companion who follows Penny all around the house and insists on sleeping by her side every night. But soon strange things are happening: Penny is haunted by disturbing and violent nightmares. There’s a terrible insect infestation in her basement. Her cute cartoon illustrations turn dark and surreal, as if influenced by some invisible hand. And her health starts failing, as if her mind and body are under attack by a sinister, malevolent force. Penny may be a cat person, but she’s starting to think Godfrey is no ordinary cat.
About the Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of HIDDEN PICTURES and THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING comes a new supernatural thriller about a young woman pet-sitting a cat with a mysterious secret, featuring more than 80 pages of illustrations.
Meet Penny Padgett, a 27-year-old cartoonist in Philadelphia who agrees to pet-sit a very peculiar cat named Godfrey in her home. At first, he’s a warm and affectionate companion who follows Penny all around the house and insists on sleeping by her side every night. But soon strange things are happening: Penny is haunted by disturbing and violent nightmares. There’s a terrible insect infestation in her basement. Her cute cartoon illustrations turn dark and surreal, as if influenced by some invisible hand. And her health starts failing, as if her mind and body are under attack by a sinister, malevolent force.
Penny may be a cat person, but she’s starting to think Godfrey is no ordinary cat.
Fully illustrated with more than 80 pages of original artwork, Jason Rekulak’s new novel is intensely plotted, wonderfully frightening and wildly clever. He more than lives up to his reputation as having “a freakishly fertile imagination” (The New York Times).
Audiobook available, read by Stephanie Németh-Parker












