The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry by Ransom Riggs

Seventeen-year-old Leopold Berry is seeing weird things around Los Angeles. A man who pops a tooth into a parking meter. A glowing trapdoor in a parking lot. A half-mechanical raccoon with its tail on fire that just won’t leave him alone. Every hallucinatory moment seems plucked from a cheesy 1990s fantasy TV show called Max's Adventures in Sunderworld—and that’s because they are.

Not a good sign.

In the blurry weeks after his mother’s death, a young Leopold discovered VHS tapes of its one and only season in a box headed for the trash—and soon became obsessed. Losing himself in Sunder was the best way to avoid two things: grieving his mother and being a chronic disappointment to his overbearing father. But when the strange visions return—at the worst possible time on the worst possible day—Leopold turns to his best friend Emmet for help. Together they discover that Sunder is much more than just an old TV show, and that Los Angeles is far stranger than they ever imagined. And soon, he’ll realize that not only is Sunderworld real, but it’s in grave danger.

Certain he’s finally been chosen for greatness, Leopold risks everything to claim his destiny, save the world of his childhood dreams, and prove once and for all that he’s not the disappointment his father believes him to be. But when everything goes terribly, horribly, excruciatingly wrong, Leopold’s disappointments prove to be more extraordinary than he ever could have imagined.

How do you battle darkness when no one believes in you—not even yourself?

Welcome to Sunderworld.

Happy #Bookbirthday! 1 Oct 2026

Happy Thursday! This week there are FOUR books on our lists publishing!

The Discworld Bestiary by Terry Pratchett and Paul Kidd

From the Terrible Man-Eating Sloth of Clup to the Ambiguous Puzuma, this gorgeously presented and utterly addictive bestiary from Terry Pratchett's Discworld boasts breathtaking art from Paul Kidby.

An exhaustive illustrated guide to the creatures and critters of Discworld, packed with wisdom from the great minds of the Disc, as well as interjections from some of its more unconventional thinkers.

Discover the best way to care for the Terrible Man-Eating Sloth of Clup, the eating habits of the Ambiguous Puzuma, and marvel at the startling prevalence of ominous ducks in cosmic matters.

Wriggling with insights, crawling with wisdom and packed with extra advice from Rincewind, Unseen University’s latest (and reluctant) adjunct professor of Perplexing Beasts and curator of its curiobiological museum.

Gracie by Judi Curtin

It's 1930. Twelve-year-old Gracie has always lived in a tiny cottage bursting with brothers and sisters, until she's sent to stay with her widowed Aunt Peg. Suddenly Gracie finds herself in a big, empty house feeling very alone.

Enter the Travelling Players and their theatre. Liliana and her family are wild, funny and talented – and fill Gracie's days with colour and excitement.

Can she be happy here after all?

Weekly recap Sep 26 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

A Raven of the Rainforest - MG fun with birds

Bad Words - Adult fun with bitter enemies

Tales from the Territory - Short fun with gnomes. No, wait...

The Little Shop of Gentle Magics Cosy fun with tea

This week, I read

Gracie - Joy and grief in 1930s Ireland

The Discworld Bestiary - Absolutely beautiful and surprisingly educational!

I also DNF'd two books that just weren't suiting me

Coming up 

Tis the season...for reading all my downloaded books before downloading anything new.

TBR check in:

My TBR is sitting at 35 as publishers start to wind down for Christmas. My queue is at 10 but some of those are for a theme week in December so I won't be reading them just yet! For the first time in a while Contemporary Fiction has (just) overtaken Fantasy at 10 to 9, with Horror, Mystery, Sci Fi and Romance bringing up the rear.

The Little Shop of Gentle Magics by Jessica Rosenberg

Magic smells of Earl Grey and possibility...

Meg MacIntosh descends from a long line of kitchen witches—women capable of working miracles with a pinch of flour and a ray of moonlight. But there's nothing magical about Meg, or the beautiful hand-decorated sugar cookies she pours her heart into.

When Meg's marriage falls apart, instead of going home where she never fit in, she impulsively buys a cozy teashop in the tiny Scottish town of Banhaven. She begins by ripping up ancient linoleum, collecting cute mismatched teacups, and stacking jars of loose-leaf tea all the way to the ceiling. And before she's even mixed her first batch of cookie dough, a customer finds a little gray cat that claims the best chair by the window. Outside, the hills are turning amber and rust. Inside, Meg's little shop smells of Earl Grey and possibility.

Then Arthur shows up at her door—warm, determined, and the first man who's ever truly seen her—and suddenly everything changes. Somewhere between the cookie cutters and the tea leaves, far from her family’s critical gaze, Meg's magic finally awakens—not what was expected, but more powerful than anyone could have imagined.

Tales from the Territory by Travis Baldree

From international bestseller Travis Baldree, Tales from the Territory is a beautiful collection of cosy fantasy tales, set in the much-loved world of Legends & Lattes.

There are many tales yet untold . . .

'GOBLINS & GREATCOATS': Chaos goblin Zyll is involved in a case of mistaken identity, where she solves a murder at an inn whilst simultaneously stealing all the cutlery.

'JUST A THIMBLEFUL': The sweet rattkin baker Thimble finds a new home for his soon-to-be famous cinnamon rolls.

'PAGES TO FILL': An act of mercy leads to a life-changing discovery for warrior orc Viv.

In 'MIROGRAPH', young succubus Tandri assists a university professor on a mysterious project where art and science collide.

In 'CAVALIERS & COFFEES', Viv, now the owner of Legends & Lattes coffee shop, discovers that imitation is not the highest form of flattery.

Happy #BookBirthday! 24 Sep 2026

Happy Thursday! This week there are TWO books on our lists publishing!

Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson

Bad Words follows Parker Navarro, whose debut was snapped up in a million-dollar deal and pegged to be the book of the year—until notorious City Magazine critic Selina Chan tore it apart, turning it into the decade’s biggest flop. Now, four years later, Parker’s second novel is about to drop, and he’s desperate for redemption. But when Selina’s brutal new review goes viral, history repeats itself, and a fiery, very public blowout between them at a publishing party turns them into instant enemies of the literary world.

As their feud plays out through snarky interviews and tense convention run-ins, their jabs about writing, criticism, and who gets to lead an artist’s life start to give way to the realization they might be more like-minded than they thought. While the feud carries on in public, a different conversation is taking place in private, especially after they're thrust together for one snowy New York evening and begin an epistolary communication that starts to feel a lot like flirting.

A Raven of the Rainforest by Rosanne Parry

On Westerly the raven’s otherwise ink-black tail, one bright white feather stands out. Westerly stands out, too. She isn’t like her brother and sister—she’s different. Everyone knows it, including the roost’s storykeeper, who proclaims that Westerly alone is destined to save her fellow ravens from a terrible fate. Questioning her destiny, isolated from her family, and full of doubt, Westerly takes to the sky, vowing never to return. But when a once-in-a-lifetime volcanic eruption finds her, she has no choice but to flee in the direction of home.

The Camelot Oracle by John Matthews and Will Worthington

Enter the mystical world of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table with The Camelot Oracle, a transformative divination tool that offers oracular guidance from the legendary figures you encounter along your journey.

Rooted in the timeless Arthurian myths, The Camelot Oracle invites you to walk in the footsteps of heroes, face challenges, and uncover profound truths about your life’s path. Unfold the included Map of the Lands Adventurous and unwrap the included Place, Hallows, and Character cards, and your journey from Camelot is ready to begin. With a champion and companion at your side, discover the path to where your challenger awaits to hear and answer your questions.

This enhanced, reissued edition of the original features 46 total cards, including four added Hallows cards, two new alternative character cards, and a beautifully redesigned card back and book design. The guidebook is newly revised with entries on the new cards and additional insights.

Whether you’re a novice or an experienced practitioner, The Camelot Oracle will inspire clarity, self-discovery, and a deeper connection to your inner wisdom.

Weekly recap - 19 Sep 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

The Strangers - the hardest to define book you'll read all year

Board Games & Broomsticks - the cosiest book about magical board games you'll read all year

The Big Bang Theory Pop Culture Reference Guide - the most referential book you'll read all year

The Purgatory Hotel for Wayward Ghosts - the highest theoretical stakes and the lowest story stakes you'll read all year

This week, I read

The Little Shop of Gentle Magics - the most tea in a blurb and least tea in a story you'll read all year

Sunderworld Vols 1 and 2 - the coolest magic hidden in LA book - well, you know.

Coming up 

Some very beautiful hardbacks and some very interesting paperbacks.

The Purgatory Hotel for Wayward Ghosts by Katy Nyquist

👻 Welcome to the Purgatory Hotel . . . where you must take your test and meet your fate 👻

Seven floors. Seven trials.

Limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, and violence.

The Purgatory Hotel for Wayward Ghosts is a temporary passing place, and the final test for those who lived middling lives. Passing through your floor fully reformed means going up to heaven, but succumb to temptation, and it's straight to hell . . .

Delilah has successfully completed her test on the floor of Greed, her worst sin whilst alive, and is ready to be taken up to heaven in the rusty elevator that runs through the hotel.

But before Damien, the elevator boy, can press that glorious white button, the lift breaks.

As the number of guests rises, unable to pass through the hotel as intended, chaos ensues. Heather, the receptionist, finds herself dealing with the discontented dead, disappearing ghosts, and a glitching hotel.

Can a rag-tag team of workers and guests navigate their way through the hotel and discover the problem festering at its heart before it's too late?

The Big Bang Theory Pop Culture Reference Guide by Matt Browning

An indispensable companion to one of the most binged shows in streaming history

The Big Bang Theory Pop Culture Reference Guide is an in-depth look at the thousands of topical references to people, places, movies, music, science, and events which make up many of the funniest lines on the enduringly popular television series The Big Bang Theory, bringing new and long-time fans alike in on the joke.

It was 2007. The era of Must-See TV had ended. There was no Friends, no Will and Grace, no Seinfeld. The broadcast airwaves were being ruled by reality television series like American Idol and Big Brother, coupled with the expanded offerings of cable networks. Only CBS was seeing some success with the traditional multi-camera sitcom structure through shows like How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. Into that very lineup, sandwiched between the two hit series, came a fresh take on the sitcom setup: What would happen if two brainy nerds found themselves living next door to a beautiful woman? And television history was made, while educating readers about pop culture and world events.

The relatively simple premise didn’t stop there. The Big Bang Theory was not only funny—–it was smart. Very smart. Centering the action around a group of researchers at a prestigious university elevated the dialogue above standard sitcom fare. Just like setting had been considered a character on earlier shows like Northern Exposure, for The Big Bang Theory, science was one of the stars of the show. And so was pop culture. Because not only were our beloved nerds—Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Rajesh—brilliant in the laboratory, they were peerless in the comic book store too. Each episode is peppered with pop culture references drawn from science fiction: comics, books, television, film, music, board games, video games, and more. While Sheldon might be brilliant in string theory, he was equally brilliant in Star Trek lore. And the humor didn’t only revolve around nerd culture. For every obscure reference pulled from Klingon and Dungeons & Dragons, neighbor Penny could match wits when it came to the Kardashians and Juicy Couture.

Over the course of 12 seasons and 279 episodes from 2007 to 2019, The Big Bang Theory became a cultural touchstone with an extraordinarily devoted fan base. In every episode, its fast-paced style of dialogue offered biting observations and timeless humor about issues ranging from comic books to scientific discoveries. Meticulously researched episode by episode, The Big Bang Theory Pop Culture Reference Guide is an eye-opening, illuminating encyclopedia of thousands of topical jokes that will help both new and longtime fans experience their favorite show in a whole new light.

Happy #BookBirthday! 17 Sep 2026

Happy Thursday! This week there are FOUR books on our lists publishing!

Board Games and Broomsticks by Selina Spellman

Every witch knows that playing with magic is a risky game...

Nyssa Hawthorne is at the top of her as a high-flying mage leading a coven, she has everything she’s ever wanted. But her job requires long days, late nights and endless spell-casting - this witch is burnt out! And when a simple enchantment almost goes disastrously wrong, Nyssa realises she needs to hang up her broomstick and put herself first.

Retreating to her late grandmother’s lakeside cottage – a place she’s avoided for the last decade - Nyssa rediscovers her collection of beloved board games with endless worlds to escape into. Vowing to share this magic with the locals, Nyssa opens a board game café in the village with well-worn sofas, a stove in the corner, and blankets covering every surface. Soon, she’s surrounded by friends old and new.

When an old enemy arrives on her doorstep, Nyssa mixes her witchcraft with the boardgames in the ultimate roll of the dice - but is it worth the risk to protect the true magic she's finally found?

The Strangers by Naomi Alderman

They came from nowhere, and now they are everywhere.

A few months after her mother dies, the novelist Naomi Alderman sets up a wildlife camera in the back garden of her parents’ home. It captures the first image of a strange new animal. Low to the ground, about the size of a badger, flat face, long, trunk-like nose. Suddenly these “mimmoths” are as common as foxes or dogs. And no one knows where they’ve come from.

As Alderman negotiates the territory of grief – a place with its own logic and rhythms – the mimmoths spread. From the UK east and west, to the United States, to Russia, to India. They seem harmless, but oddly intelligent. They cannot be captured, they will not take food from humans, they have their own purposes.

Alderman cannot shake the feeling that she has a particular connection to the creatures. Or is she just succumbing to ‘mimmoth psychosis’? As the impact of the mimmoths increases, she is pulled into the cross currents of conspiracy theories and global power struggles. Have her deeply personal forms of mourning lent recent events a surreal air, or is our reality changing drastically and irrevocably?

From the award-winning author of the international bestseller, The Power, The Strangers is a thrillingly original and devastatingly moving novel that blurs the lines between fiction and reality, inviting us to reconsider what it means to be human. It’s like nothing you’ll have read before.

Weekly recap - Sep 13 2026

Happy Sunday, all! Welcome to the weekly recap. 

This week, I reviewed

Lights, Camera, Mayhem! - Middle grade fun in historical Dublin

Georgie - an intensely personal story set in Wales

Until the Last Light Goes Out - mind bending horror with walls that move

Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel - classic closed circle mystery with the grand dame of murder (solving, not commiting)

This week, I read

The Strangers - part biopic, part spec fic, all its own thing

A Raven of the Rainforest - animal fiction from one of the best

Tales from the Territory - short stories set in the world of Legends and Lattes

The Purgatory Hotel for Wayward Ghosts - am I allowed to hope I end up here?

Coming up 

Ireland, Scotland, Alternate LA and Outer Space. Probably not in that order.

Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley and Agatha Christie

High in the Swiss Alps, accessible only by a single, winding railway, stands the luxurious Grand Alpine Hotel. With glorious mountain views and exclusive access to powdery slopes, it draws guests from far and wide.

The notorious actress.

The high-flying politician.

The society wife.

The reckless friend.

The shrewd doctor.

But not everyone is here for a winter holiday.

Beneath the champagne and furs, dark histories simmer; old grudges emerge like cracks in the ice.

And someone is watching from the shadows. A polite, unassuming woman with an extraordinary mind: Miss Marple.

When a body is found and a blizzard cuts off all escape, only Miss Marple can connect the clues before the killer strikes again. Because it isn’t a question of who has a motive, but who’s next…

Until the Last Light goes Out by Courtney Gould

You may not escape, but the truth will.

Twenty-five years ago, the Ripley Memorial High School senior class entered the luxurious Kaleidoscope Key resort deep in the remote Florida Keys. Despite international intrigue and years of investigation, no one truly knows how the 183 students died. And they never will, since the five survivors of the massacre have never spoken a word about what happened to them that night.

Paige Keller, daughter of one of the Kaleidoscope Key Massacre’s infamous survivors, has grown up determined to steer her life away from the resort and the unsolved mysteries her ex-best friend, KJ, can’t leave alone. Paige has moved to a fancy new college and it seems that, finally, she’s banished the shadows of Kaleidoscope Key completely. But when she’s called home on the 25th anniversary of the massacre, she finds that KJ has gone missing.

Paige knows there’s only one place KJ could be: her obsession, the now-abandoned resort. When Paige and the remaining Survivors’ Kids go in after her, they’re forced to confront their―and their parents―pasts once and for all.

Kaleidoscope Key is waiting, and it's starving. Once they find their way inside, there may not be a way out. And one way or another, the truth of the massacre will come to light.

Captivating and chilling, Courtney Gould’s Until The Last Light Goes Out is a horror story, a love story, and an ode to the pain passed between generations that you won’t soon forget.