A new year means new books—and January is already stacked with releases that feel destined to be everywhere.
In this episode, Eve Laren breaks down the must-read January releases you’ll be seeing all over your feeds, group chats, and bookstore tables. From buzzy literary fiction that’s already sparking debate, to romantasy packed with dark academia and tarot magic, to addictive thrillers, cult stories, and powerful historical fiction inspired by true events—there’s something here for every kind of reader.
Whether you’re setting reading goals—or ignoring them entirely—this episode is your guide to what’s new, what’s now, and what belongs on your January TBR.
✨ Spoiler-free
📚 New & noteworthy
🔥 Books you’ll be hearing about everywhere
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In this episode of Now in Books Podcast, Eve Laren reviews King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby — a Southern crime novel.
King of Ashes follows Roman Carruthers as he’s pulled back into his Virginia hometown after a family crisis—and forced to confront old wounds, dangerous power players, and the cost of protecting the people you love.
⚠️ Spoiler note: This episode includes character names and references (but doesn't detail) widely known plot points.
If you love crime fiction, high-intensity reads, and character-driven stories that don’t shy away from darkness, this one’s for you.
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Join our Listener Club and find your next book obsession. Visit nowinbooks.com/podcast.
Connect with me @nowinbooks. My DMs are always open for book chats, feedback, and special requests.
I went into The Housemaid movie completely blind—no book, no plot summary, no reviews—and that turned out to be the best decision I could’ve made.
In this episode of Now in Books Podcast, I’m breaking down my reaction to the film adaptation of Freida McFadden’s bestselling thriller.
We’re talking first impressions, favorite scenes, what worked (and what frustrated me), and why I walked out ready to read the entire book series immediately.
No major spoilers—just vibes.
If you love psychological thrillers, messy characters, and stories that slowly reveal their teeth… this one’s for you.
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Join our Listener Club and find your next book obsession. Visit nowinbooks.com/podcast.
Connect with me @nowinbooks. My DMs are always open for book chats, feedback, and special requests.
Looking ahead to 2026 and building your future TBR? This episode is for the planners and anyone who wants to know what’s next in books.
In this episode, Eve Laren shares her six most anticipated book releases by Black authors coming out from January through June 2026—one title per month.
Whether you’re planning your 2026 reading goals early or just love staying ahead of upcoming releases, this episode will help you start curating your list now.
✨ Upcoming 2026 releases
✨ Book by Black authors
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Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | wherever you get your podcasts.
Join our Listener Club and find your next book obsession. Visit nowinbooks.com/podcast.
Connect with me @nowinbooks. My DMs are always open for book chats, feedback, and special requests.
Get into the holiday spirit with this mini-roundup of festive reads!
Whether you're in the mood for a NYC Christmas romance, the hijinks found at a small-town Christmas tree farm, a snowed-in romance or a darkly comedic family chaos, there’s something for every reader this season.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | wherever you get your podcasts. ✨ Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps new readers discover the show!
Join our Listener Club and find your next book obsession. Visit nowinbooks.com/podcast.
Connect with me @nowinbooks. My DMs are always open for book chats, feedback, and special requests.
December may be known for slow book releases, but this year said “plot twist.”
In this episode, Eve Laren breaks down the standout new titles hitting shelves this month—from epic fantasy to dark academia, psychological thrillers, swoony romance, LGBTQ stories, and buzzy debuts you need on your radar.
We’re talking the books that survived the end-of-year marketing chaos and still managed to shine. Plus, a quick update on the Goodreads Choice Awards finals, and a peek at the holiday vibes shaping Eve’s December reading mood.
If you’re looking for fresh new books by BIPOC and LGBTQ authors or something truly unputdownable to close out your reading year—this guide has you covered.
Chapters
00:00 — December Book Releases Overview
02:22 — Holiday Vibes and Personal Reflections
04:30 — Goodreads Choice Awards Update: The Finals
05:51 — Epic Fantasy: Dawn of the Firebird
08:12 — Dark Academia: An Arcane Inheritance
10:40 — Dark Romance: Love Me Stalk Me
13:06 — Psychological Thriller: The House Guests
15:08 — Romance: Sea Salt and Coffee Beans
16:58 — LGBTQ Rep: The Book of Luke
19:08 — Buzzy Debut: When Fireflies Dance
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | wherever you get your podcasts. ✨ Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps new readers discover the show!
Join our Listener Club and find your next book obsession. Visit nowinbooks.com/podcast.
Connect with me @nowinbooks. My DMs are always open for book chats, feedback, and special requests.
In this week’s episode, Eve Laren reviews The White Hot by Quiara Alegría Hudes—an emotional, layered story about mothers, daughters, and the generational weight women carry. From April Soto’s explosive “white hot” moment to the legacy of Las Mujeres Soto, Eve unpacks the rage, trauma, and inheritance stitched into this powerful novel.
If you love complex female characters, messy choices, and stories that challenge you, this episode is for you.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | wherever you get your podcasts. ✨ Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps new readers discover the show!
Join our Listener Club and find your next book obsession. Visit nowinbooks.com/podcast.
Connect with me @nowinbooks. My DMs are always open for book chats, feedback, and special requests.
The 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards nominees have dropped—and suddenly the internet realized what many BIPOC readers have known for years: Goodreads is a popularity contest, not a measure of the year’s best books.
This week, Eve Laren breaks down exactly why the 2025 Goodreads Awards are overwhelmingly white, how the algorithm quietly reinforces publishing bias, and why this “just for fun” award has very real consequences for authors of color.
If you care about diverse books, authors of color, and breaking the bias in book awards, this is the episode to take notes on. The system is flawed—but readers can shift it. Let’s talk about how.
Chapters:
01:05 – How the Goodreads Choice Awards Actually Work
03:45 – The Feedback Loop: Marketing, Hype & Privilege
06:10 – Why Readers Are Mad in 2025
08:40 – Why This Award Still Matters
10:12 – How Readers Can Influence the 2026 Awards
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | wherever you get your podcasts. ✨ Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps new readers discover the show!
Join our Listener Club and find your next book obsession. Visit nowinbooks.com/podcast.
Connect with me @nowinbooks. My DMs are always open for book chats, feedback, and special requests.
This week, we’re sitting down with debut author Joanne Yi to talk about her unforgettable young adult novel, All the Tomorrows After. A story of grief, love, and family, Joanne’s book follows Winter Moon—a Korean American teen navigating loss and identity in the wake of her grandmother’s illness.
We’ll explore how the story took shape through Joanne’s personal journey with grief, the role of motherhood, and how food, music, and memory become a language of love and healing. Joanne also opens up about her writing process, the emotional vulnerability of publishing a debut novel, and what readers can expect from her next book.
Episode Highlights:
The inspiration behind All the Tomorrows After and how it grew from personal loss.
Writing grief through the lens of a teenager — and why “grief doesn’t begin with death.”
The significance of mother figures: Halmoni, Sunny, and Helena.
Using food and music as emotional anchors in storytelling.
How Winter’s “prickly” nature reflects real teenage isolation and resilience.
A look at Joanne’s next project and her favorite recent reads.
About the Author: Joanne Yi is a Korean American writer and poet. Her debut novel, All the Tomorrows After, is a Now in Books Book Club Pick and a deeply intimate exploration of family, grief, and belonging. Find her on Instagram @writingjojo or visit joanneyi.com.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | wherever you get your podcasts. ✨ Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review—it helps new readers discover the show!
Join our Listener Club and find your next book obsession. Visit nowinbooks.com/podcast.
Connect with me @nowinbooks. My DMs are always open for book chats, feedback, and special requests.
It’s a brand new month, and the book world is delivering big.
In this week's episode, we’re diving into the most anticipated fiction releases of November 2025—six fresh new stories from bold, diverse voices redefining what it means to write about power, legacy, and reinvention.
From Ayana Gray’s I, Medusa, a fierce feminist reimagining of Greek myth, to Justinian Huang’s Lucky Seed, a glitzy family saga steeped in superstition and satire, this lineup spans myth, magic, motherhood, AI, and multigenerational drama.
Whether you love introspective literary fiction, near-future thrillers, or darkly humorous family tales, these are the books you’ll want on your reading list before the month is out.
Join our Listener Club and find your next book obsession. Visit nowinbooks.com/podcast.
Connect with me @nowinbooks. My DMs are always open for book chats, feedback, and special requests,
Are vampires making a comeback? This week, Eve Laren sinks her teeth into the return of our favorite undead icons—from new bestselling books like Blood Slaves and Blood Moon to Ryan Coogler’s record-breaking film Sinners.
We trace how vampires evolved from monsters to icons, explore the diverse voices redefining the genre, and unpack why 2025 might just be the start of a new vampire era.
Books Mentioned:
Blood Slaves - Markus Redmond
Blood Moon - Britney S. Lewis
A Cruel Thirst - Angela Montoya
Bride - Ali Hazelwood
So Thirsty - Rachel Harrison
A Dowry of Blood - S. T. Gibson
The Gathering -C. J. Tudor
Immortal Dark - Tigest Girma
Vampires of El Norte - Isabel Cañas
A Tempest of Tea - Hafsah Faizal
The Vampyre — John William Polidori
Dracula — Bram Stoker
Interview with the Vampire — Anne Rice
The Queen of the Damned — Anne Rice
Twilight — Stephenie Meyer
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This week on Now in Books, Eve Laren dives deep into Netflix’s new thriller The Woman in Cabin 10, based on Ruth Ware’s bestselling novel.
From a luxury yacht to a chilling mystery at sea, Eve breaks down what the movie got right, what it changed, and why the adaptation might just outshine the original book.
Tune in for a smart, spoiler-filled review that compares both versions, explores the biggest story changes, and answers the question every reader wants to know—was the movie better than the book?
🎬 Featuring: Keira Knightley, David Ajala, Lisa Loven Kongsli
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This week, Eve Laren sits down with Markus Redmond—the actor, writer, and filmmaker whose credits include Doogie Howser, M.D., Fight Club, and NYPD Blue—to talk about his bold debut novel, Blood Slaves.
Described by Eve Laren as "one of the best books released this year", Blood Slaves reimagines history through a dark and gripping vampire tale.
Tune in to this riveting conversation to learn about African mythology, the history behind the story and the anger that fueled its creation, and find out what readers can expect next from the Blood Saga.
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What happens when justice becomes a spectacle?
That's the question we explore in this week’s episode with debut author Helena Haywoode Henry who joins the show to give a behind-the-scenes look into her electrifying new young adult novel, Last Chance Live!—a dystopian story where death row inmates compete for public forgiveness on a live reality show.
Tune in to the thought-provoking conversation that left me inspired and contemplating all the ways I need to work on myself to be a better person!
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In today’s episode, I'm sharing the best new releases arriving this month—five powerhouse titles that you should be most excited for and that deserve a spot on your TBR!
From YA thrillers to adult debuts, this month brings stories that are twisty, haunting, and perfect for book clubs. Plus, I’m announcing our October Book Club Picks, and you're the first to hear them.
📚 Don’t forget: check out our full October release list on Instagram @nowinbooks and share this episode with your book-loving friends!
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This week, we delve into the concerning decline in reading habits in America and recent industry news, including the closure of Fabled Co and upcoming book releases.
Chapters
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Award-winning senior editor and debut novelist Amber Oliver joins Now in Books to discuss her compelling new book When the Music Hits—a story about Black women in corporate America that's as relevant as today's headlines.
In this episode, you'll discover:
Perfect for listeners who love: Contemporary fiction, music industry insights, discussions about workplace diversity, publishing industry conversations, books by Black authors, stories set in New York City.
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Join our Listener Club
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Join the Club to get new and diverse books every month. Visit Now in Books for more info and find past Book Club Picks.
Want to share your feedback, have a question, or suggest a topic/author for the show? Contact us.
In this powerful conversation, debut author Kristen L. Berry joins Now in Books to discuss her new bestselling novel We Don’t Talk About Carol—a suspenseful, emotionally charged story about family secrets, generational trauma, and the forgotten cases of missing Black girls.
Together, we dive into the novel’s complex characters, the weight of silence in families, and the research that shaped it.
If you’re looking for a story that’s as gripping as it is thought-provoking, this episode is one you won’t want to miss.
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Welcome back, book lovers, for part two of our September book roundup!
In this episode, I'm diving deeper into the literary goodness of the month, what I'm calling "The Met Gala Season of Books," and sharing five incredible new fiction releases guaranteed to grab your attention.
This episode is packed with recommendations for every kind of fiction fan, from those who love a happily ever after to readers who enjoy a good scare.
Join our podcast newsletter and find your next book obsession. Visit nowinbooks.com/podcast to choose how often you want to be alerted to new episodes.
Welcome back, book lovers! We' re kicking things off with a bang.
September is the best month for books (and you can't convince me otherwise!). So today, I'm sharing my top 5 most anticipated young adult book releases of the month.
This episode is packed with recommendations for every kind of reader, from die-hard romantasy fans to those looking for their next deeply impactful read.
Enjoyed the show? Don't miss out on the next one. Join our podcast newsletter and choose how often you want to be alerted to new episodes. Visit nowinbooks.com/podcast.