Five years after the vote ceding political control to an AI leader to save humanity, another challenge and vote for humanity’s survival unravels with its complex machinations in Infinite Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver. Having ceded control to Solomon, an AI charged with navigating humanity through climate change impacts for their survival, five years ago, there’s been relative stability after the initial shock as people adapted; however, with the information that Marcus Tully’s team had begun to uncover that helped Solomon win the election, it becomes apparent that there’s more to the story.

It's officially autumn, and with this month ushering this best season in I read 10 books, which brings me to 85% of annual goal. September Release Round-Up: Crone by Keith Rosson The Need by Megan Mostyn-Brown The Henchperson's Guide to Unionizing by Marshall J. Moore Birds Beyond Reach by Dwayne Ulliac

Class Reunion by Gail Ward Olmsted is out today.

A group of coworkers visits an attraction of abandoned houses, an event that will soon dramatically change the course of their lives in Going to Summertime by Kaaron Warren. While every house contains its secrets and ghosts to contend with, the abandoned houses of Summerland Place seem to have more than their fair share, so much so that it’s become an attraction to explore, run by Milton, who grew up in that cul-de-sac.

Birds Beyond Reach by Dwayne Ulliac is out today.

Wanting to achieve something greater with his life, the changes a man makes reveal surprising truths about himself in Birds Beyond Reach by Dwayne Ulliac. Eager for a career beyond bartending in his hometown, Peter takes the opportunity of a new job and uproots his life from the familiarity of Thunder Bay to the exciting unknown of a life in Ottawa.

Subordinate to whatever plans their masters have in place, they might not individually be able to change their lot, but if they band together, that could prove to be different in The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing by Marshall J. Moore. After being driven out of their latest town by an angry, torch- and pitchfork-bearing mob, Igor and the Doctor relocate to Ravenwald Manor to resume the Doctor’s experiments in creating new life from repurposed body parts; however, the manor is already home to the Doctor’s distant relative, a vampiric Count and his long-suffering bride, Cornelia, and there’s a witch, Aunt Mag, and her cat familiar, Grim, who would like to use the manor as the site for a magical ritual.

Crone by Keith Rosson, The Need by Megan Mostyn-Brown, and The Henchperson's Guide to Unionizing by Marshall J. Moore are out today.

Every family has their quirks, but the secrets and proclivities that have been kept within one drive others to extreme actions in The Need by Megan Mostyn-Brown. A small percentage of the population has a genetic disorder some refer to as The Need, where they need to consume human flesh, but how it’s perceived varies, with some thinking it is a form of power while others think of it as a curse.

A small town with a deeply ingrained drug culture shaping lives sees drastic, life-altering changes from the actions of something seemingly supernatural in Crone by Keith Rosson. Eli’s life has undergone many changes, including the loss of his career as a detective, a slide into and out of drug use, and grief over the loss of his wife and later the disappearance of his daughter; his investigation of the latter, and the escalated events that took place as a result of his heightened emotions, have indebted him to the local drug gang, the Crooked Wheel, which he now serves as an enforcer.

Artificial life and eternal suffering, a monster under the bed, alien encounters, and numerous pieces of zombie fiction set in varying situations - though many are apocalyptic in nature - a collection of short fiction is gathered together in Yes, I Am A Vampire by Stephen Kozeniewski, along with accompanying story notes that incorporate a deeply personal autobiographical exploration to provide context for events taking place in the time period surrounding the writing and publication of the stories.

There’s something in the hospital that’s a bit strange and perhaps even evil, though by the time it’s realized, it’s likely already too late in Where the Roaches Are by C.C. Adams. In St. James Hospital, after a patient’s visiting wife is mysteriously found dead, along with a strange abundance of roaches, a series of increasingly strange and unfortunate events, which includes the deaths of staff and patients alike, soon follow.

A phone call from a former classmate asking for help will introduce complications and changes into the trajectory of a woman’s career and life in Class Reunion by Gail Ward Olmsted. Just before a long weekend begins, attorney Lennon Gallagher receives a surprising phone call from a former law school classmate, Erin, with whom she shares a complicated past, asking for help in dealing with a domestic violence charge.

And with that, we've now entered into the -ber months, though seems a far way from the brr enrtu. Throughout this past month, I read 9 books, which brings me to a total of 75% of my annual goal. August Release Round-Up: A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett The Witch Queen by Heather Walter The Hill in the Dark Grove…

Following a meticulous procedure and with keen observational skills that note everything in his surroundings, a man reaches a critical decision point in his years of travel in Black Tank by Wade Prull. The RV that he’s been traveling in for the past four years was supposed to be a shared journey with his wife, Claire, who provided valuable input on its selection, but instead Gary has had the company of his memories and a procedure.

As a rare comet makes its way around Earth and manages to leave a path of destruction, the true impact it has gradually unfolds, changing the lives of many in Generation Comet by Lynn W. Francis. On the day that the Hicks-Cooper comet was passing, and before it fell, changing the course of their lives, Ivy was determined to bring her life to an end, while for Hugo it was simply another ordinary day of working his summer job before going home and reading comics with his niece, Samantha.

Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki and translated by Jordan Taylor and The Whitechapel Full Moon Society by Elizabeth DeLozier are out today.

A young woman ventures questionably into London while it’s facing a series of brutal murders as she tries to learn the truth in her search for her missing brother in The Whitechapel Full Moon Society by Elizabeth DeLozier. Searching for her brother, Charlie, at the last location she knew him to be, a men’s boarding house known as the Whitechapel Full Moon Society, Caroline is faced with a dilapidated exterior but a well-run interior, though with no leads on her brother’s whereabouts.

The mysterious cat-run café that appears where and when it desires, Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki and translated by Jordan Taylor explores the different forms love can take in the interconnected lives of three people. In Leo Season, when there are greater possibilities and the potential for people to be receptive to the special, helping talents of Neptune, who adopts the name Sala as one they are more comfortable with, they provide dreams to guide the customers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop that would assist them in facing their personal conflicts.

Tapeworm by A.P. Thayer and The House That Eats the Dead by Max Doty are out today.

An apparent dream home that is accompanied by a strange, rather inexplicable appetite that needs to be sated in a rather unique manner in The House That Eats the Dead by Max Doty. Moving to the suburbs was meant to give Claire and her family a fresh start. While the house does present new opportunities for her husband, Tom, to show off while striving for promotion, and for her two children, Derek and Grace, to have new experiences and make new friends in a safer environment, there’s something a little strange about the house as things go missing or are oddly forgotten.

During an annual desert retreat with friends, there’s something strange threading its way into their frayed group and feeding upon and into their desires in Tapeworm by A.P. Thayer. As Victor has been undergoing a prolonged and uncomfortable separation from his wife, Trish, he recognizes just how much he’s been repressing his desires as his sexual fixations and frustrations rise to the surface during the annual friends’ trip in the desert town of Superstition, which he takes without Trish in tow for the first time as they can’t seem to reconcile enough to be together in front of their friends.

In the midst of a snowstorm, the body of a murdered man sparks an investigation that proves to be impactful for the small town in Means and Motive by Andrew Oliver. Jack, the police chief for a small town in Maine has been called to the dead body of Ben, who has been found shot as a snowstorm rages around them, making him question the vehicle he saw leaving the scene.

The Witch Queen by Heather Walter, The Hill in the Dark Grove by Liam Higginson, and She Haunts Me Still by De Elizabeth are out today.

Seeking answers about her mother’s past to understand what haunted her, a young woman follows her footsteps, perhaps too closely, learning of a curse afflicting her family that she may also fall victim to unless she acts in She Haunts Me Still by De Elizabeth. Mallory’s past is an unfortunate one filled with ghosts and haunted by the gruesome death of her mother, but wanting to learn more about what was haunting her mother, she decides to attend the same small college built upon the bones of a sanitarium, certain that she’ll find answers there.

The uncovering of a strange stone head buried in remote Welsh farmlands ushers in unfathomable changes to sheep farmers’ formerly quiet lives in The Hill in the Dark Grove by Liam Higginson. Carwyn and his wife Rhian have tended to his ancestral lands in the remote Welsh mountains for years, living a quiet life as sheep farmers; however, as the years have passed, they’ve taken their toll with increasing debts, the loss of friends to age or other causes, and the influx of English tourists disrespecting the land or purchasing houses and leaving them vacant for most of the year.

A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett is out today.

I have yet again progressed in my chronological aging - woo. Throughout this month, I read 10 books and have now reached 66% of my annual goal. July Release Round-Up: The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance by Chiara Bullen Perfect Life by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores Dominion by Jean Kwok

Rival gentry families are left with one family’s son accused of murdering the daughter of the other, yet what the investigation uncovers is both mundane in motive and shocking in origin and application potential in A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett. While Ana and Din have been called to investigate a seemingly simple murder case and prove a man’s innocence in the death of a young woman, the fate of two powerful families within the Empire will impact not only their lines of succession but the livelihood of the entire Empire as the foreboding sense of tension and impending war that fills the farming region of Sapirdad threatens to plunge them into starvation.

In the years since embracing power, both magical and ruling, there’s a fine balance to navigate, yet looming threats of the rise of the "true queen" spur action that cannot be undone in The Witch Queen by Heather Walter. Three years after releasing Malum, binding the king to a magic mirror, sending Princess Blodwyn to her aunt in the countryside to convalesce, using her huntsman Shade to obtain the magic of the coven witches, and taking control as queen, Ayleth has the kingdom under her command; yet there remains a looming fear that she’ll be discovered as a witch, threats of the rise of the true queen touted by Followers of Meira, and complicated lingering thoughts and feelings of loss over Jacquetta’s betrayal.

Caught up in a mass shooting while coincidentally crossing paths in an airport, the loosely connected lives of a small group of people aim to usher in change through a musical project in Singing for Change by Emily Gallo. As Dutch, a musician with fame built in the ‘60s, traveled to LA for a gig and used the opportunity to catch up with old friends along the way, he became acquainted with some new friends whose lives would soon be greatly altered.

Noticing some seemingly impossible patterns leads to the unraveling of a larger AI infrastructure that had been guiding daily life in The Rat Kings by Vladimir Provorov. Kate Vostok is an adept pattern analyst, able to note minute trends in global markets, so when she finds a correlation that should be statistically impossible, her curiosity is elevated, and she begins to track details back to learn what few others have or would believe.

The Strange Courtship of Kathleen O’Dwyer by Robert Temple is available in ebook edition through Piccadilly Publishing today.

Dominion by Jean Kwok is out today.

Returning from a ghost tour, two sisters encounter something even more haunting in Shaded Grove by Oliver C. Seneca. Driving home from a ghost tour of the Ashland house, where a woman killed her three children, husband, and herself, sisters Megan and Dianne Willis suddenly brake to avoid hitting an elderly woman who appears in the middle of the road in the rainy night.

Violently impactful life events and subsequent injustices change the course of a young woman’s life in The Day My Soul Died by Rishi Vohra. Sunaina had her life planned out with a long-term boyfriend, Paras, on track for marriage after he gets his MBA, and she has a job that brings in a steady, if low income but would keep her near her family.

The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance by Chiara Bullen and Perfect Life by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores are out today.

Dealing with the aftermath of the lives impacted after the murder of a friend, one man navigates a variety of choices made in matters of love, loyalty, and grief that will dictate more than just his future in A Moment’s Surrender by John Burt. After visiting his friend Paul Bishop, Tom Corbin is murdered in a robbery that appears to have escalated.

Newly released from prison, a man navigates the world with the restrictions placed upon him as a registered sex offender in Reckoning: A Sex Offender Faces the Truth of His Crime by J.P. Zeeb. Having newly reentered his hometown from serving his sentence in prison, Warren is finding that life is much more difficult while on parole and as a registered sex offender.

Summer is officially underway, and during the month of June, I've read 9 books, reaching 56% of my annual goal. June Release Round-Up: The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden The Chateau on Sunset by Natasha Lester Almost the End of the World by Mike Schlossberg Wildflower by Becky Jenkinson Tillinghast by Clare Cavenagh

While trying to survive, covering the needs of daily life and suppressing the rebellious fire within that marks her from the Soulless, one woman’s deal attempting to save her family might just ignite something greater in Airabeth (The Sacred Seven Series: Book 1) by Jojo Bee. As Flames, Nadia and her siblings have been defying the orderly governance of the Sacred Seven and the strongholds the Masters place within their minds, fighting against the invasion to retain control over their own thoughts.

Tillinghast by Clare Cavenagh is out today.

With the progression of an undead army causing devastation, a last chance for humanity's survival might come from awaking a tyrant king in The Awakening: A King Reborn by John Hempstock. As fortress cities and outlying villages continue falling to Maltherion’s Deathless Legion, a desperate search for a way to defeat him and his undead forces ensues while people continue to flee or perish.

Within a world with delineations made by magic level and Dominions, a woman with no memory of her past and a man who struggles to see his future collide as the world most needs saving in Dominion by Jean Kwok. With four rival Dominions splitting the world and further driving an emphasis on the level of magical power that people can wield, there are limited opportunities for sustaining a livelihood for Azure refugees in the Silver Tyger Dominion, which Rubi Morningtail is all too familiar with as someone eking by with her ribbon dancing, singing, and very little magic.

Wildflower by Becky Jenkinson is out today.

Having abandoned her life in California to build the new one she has in Florida, the past is catching up with alarming vengeance in Perfect Life by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores. Este has established a new life in Winter Park, Florida, over the past five years with her husband, Beau, among the monied and social elite, after leaving behind the one that imploded in California, constantly aware of the secrets and mess that was left behind.

While a governess may dutifully care for her new charges, that’s not the only reason she’s taken up the position in Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito. The new governess to the Pounds family, Winifred, Fred, Notty is prepared and committed to fulfill her role tutoring the children, Andrew and Drusilla, who have had their share of governesses come and go from Ensor House.

A scholar’s new research project sends him to a curious inn at the foot of a mountain, where what he uncovers proves to be life-changing in The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance by Chiara Bullen. Ainsworth, an ambitious scholar, is sent on a research project to document the tales of the adventurers who pass through the Misnich Inn, situated at the foot of Mount Vengeance, as a storied yet mysterious place on their way to face the mountain and the dragon rumored to inhabit it.

Almost the End of the World by Mike Schlossberg is out today.

After an irregularly long and lonesome life, a man is finally resigned and ready for his end until a young woman arrives to entirely unbalance that resolution in Tillinghast by Clare Cavenagh. Reverend Stutley Tillinghast’s life has been a long one, filled with numerous identities he’s assumed over the years and the many names of those he’s killed to sustain himself residing in his head, as well as the cellar.