Release Week: 1 September 2026
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Release Week: 1 September 2026
Posted on 2026-09-01 at 12:00 by Samuel Montgomery-Blinn
PICKS OF THE WEEK:
The Disappearers by Marlon James, read by a full cast for Books On Tape -- "In 1988, eight men in Kingston, Jamaica, begin rehearsals for a play. Though strangers to one another, they share an inescapable truth: All of them are gay. And they live in a world that refuses to accept them. One night the men are savagely beaten and one of them is killed. As their bodies heal, the survivors begin to face the hatred and contempt that the violence laid bare. Some try to ignore what happened. Others double down on retribution. Some disappear completely."
All the Hidden Places: Stories by Cadwell Turnbull, read by Dion Graham, Bahni Turpin, January LaVoy, and Ron Butler for Blackstone -- "In his debut collection, acclaimed novelist Cadwell Turnbull takes readers across an omniverse of monsters, gods, and people, all trying to make peace with the parts of themselves they don’t want others to see. Until they are forced to face all their hidden places."
Survivor by Octavia E. Butler (1978), read by Robin Miles for Grand Central -- "Returning to print after nearly 50 years, and available for the first time in unabridged audio, Survivor completes Octavia E. Butler’s thrilling Patternist series, including a short story from the Patternist saga and new historical essays from a major Butler scholar."
MORE FICTION PICKS:
Rabbit, Fox, Tar by P. C. Verrone, read by Bahni Turpin for Audible -- "A mesmerizing, fable-like debut novel about a mysterious young Black woman whose arrival in an insular neighborhood threatens to shake its foundations."
Blacktail: A Novel by Scott Hawkins, read by MacLeod Andrews for Random House -- "The long-awaited second novel from the author of the cult hit The Library at Mount Char, a one-of-a-kind dark fantasy in which a wolf sets out on an epic journey of revenge."
Under Story by Chloe Benjamin, read by Maggi-Meg Reed for Penguin -- "An intimate yet epic love story—and a sweeping odyssey of scientific discovery, inviting us to consider the promise of this life, what might lie beyond it, and how far we would go for more time with the people we love."
The Extraordinary Florence Stoker by Karen Brooks, read by Naomi Frederick for Harper -- "A compellingly realised story of an enigmatic figure, the beautiful 19th century muse and brilliant social powerhouse Florence Stoker, whose life, in spite of her many gifts, was overshadowed by one of the most abiding and terrifying of contemporary culture's monsters, the vampire Dracula - her husband's creation."
The Birthing Tree by Amanda Peters, read by Julia Ulayok Davis for Books On Tape -- "From the bestselling author of The Berry Pickers, an unforgettable novel about a woman who must confront her family’s buried truths and memories of passionate young love when her grandmother’s death leaves her as the only guide to her community’s future."
Paper Ghosts: A Novel by Sarah Addison Allen, read by Marin Ireland for Macmillan -- "Part ghost story, part love story and steeped in magical realism, Paper Ghosts will transport you to a place where old secrets echo through the years and love finds a way of bringing us home."
The Most Dangerous Games by MrBeast and James Patterson, read by Nolan North for Harper -- "The Games begin in Antarctica, where one wrong step on the ice kills you, and they never let up: Shark water off a remote Chilean island, desert heat that cooks you where you stand, storm-battered peaks, and caves so black you cannot find your own hand. No rescue. No second chances. A billion dollars to whoever is still standing. Then the terrain stops being the thing that can kill you, and the other players start. Alliances turn into ambushes. Trust becomes the sharpest weapon. And somewhere above it all, a hidden voice is watching every move, testing, deciding who deserves to survive."
Still Lost: Tales from the Year 2080 by Sam A Miller, read by the author with a full cast for Penguin -- "From the beloved creator of the wildly popular Sam O’Nella Academy YouTube channel, an irreverent and timely science fiction collection that offers a wry look at the not-so-distant future."
I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell by Mackenzie Reed, read by Jaime Lamchick for Penguin -- "When staying late at the office leads to witnessing an exorcism, Brie Benson's mundane life takes a hellish turn…literally."
NON-FICTION WATCH:
Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature by Emily Wilson, read by the author for HighBridge -- "From the most celebrated translator of our time comes a visionary exploration of how translation reshapes and enriches our understanding of the ancient world."
Profits, Prophets, Coaches, and Kings: (When) Do Leaders Matter? by Jared Diamond, read by Christopher Ragland for Harper -- "From the author of?the Pulitzer Prize-winning, multimillion-copy bestselling classic Guns, Germs and Steel,? a landmark study of leadership across politics, religion, business, and sports—seeking to decode how and why leaders matter."
BACKLIST WATCH:
The Best Short Stories of J. G. Ballard (1978), read by Raphael Corkhill for Audible -- "The best science fiction stories by the author of High-Rise that reveal the variety of his projections of twentieth-century technology in post-atomic worlds."
Super-Cannes: A Novel by J.G. Ballard (2000), read by Julian Elfer for Audible -- "Eden-Olympia is more than just a multinational business park, it is a virtual city-state in itself, with the latest in services and facilities for the most elite high-tech industries. Isolated and secure, overlooking the luxurious French Riviera, the residents lack nothing. Yet one day Dr. Greenwood from Eden-Olympia's clinic goes on a suicidal shooting spree. Dr. Jane Sinclair is hired as his replacement, and she and her husband, Paul, are given Dr. Greenwood's house as a residence. Unable to work while recovering from an accident, Paul spends his days taking a close look at the house where Dr. Greenwood shot himself and three hostages. He discovers clues in the house lead him to question Eden-Olympia's official account of the killings. Drawn into investigating the activities of the park's leading citizens, while Jane is lured deeper into Eden-Olympia's inner workings, Paul uncovers the dangerous psychological vents that maintain Eden-Olympia's smoothly running surface. An experiment is underway at Eden-Olympia, an experiment in power and brutality. Soon Paul finds himself in race to save himself and his wife before they are crushed by forces that may be beyond anyone's control."