{"id":316305,"date":"2026-10-28T20:04:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T20:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/316305\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T20:04:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T20:04:11","slug":"14-new-books-by-philly-authors-to-add-to-your-tbr-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/316305\/","title":{"rendered":"14 New Books by Philly Authors to Add to Your TBR List"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGuides<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

These new works by local authors are either on the shelves now or will be soon. Take note.<\/p>\n

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Mestra<\/a><\/p>\n

Madeline Miller
These days, the shelves are well-stocked with myth-mining romantasies filled with fates, fights and fornication, but let it be known that Madeline Miller is on a Mount Olympus all her own. In her spellbinding and best-selling novels The Song of Achilles (2011) and Circe (2018) she employed gorgeous and grounded prose to pull Greek mythology into a world that could pass for our own. Illness has hindered Miller\u2019s output in recent years, but let us take this new standalone short story as an auspicious omen. Mestra explores the lesser known tale of Erysichthon, a brazen king cursed with insatiable hunger after pissing off Demeter. <\/p>\n

The Night Parade and Other Stories<\/a><\/p>\n

Stephanie Feldman
Feldman, who made this city her chessboard in the supernatural suspense novel Saturnalia (2022), returns with a collection of doomy folk horror and mood-altering mini-thrillers that feel fresh and ferocious. CW: Jersey Devil.<\/p>\n

A Court of Splintered Harmony<\/a><\/p>\n

Sarah J. Maas
Yup, the NYC-born author of the wildly popular ACOTAR fantasy series lives somewhere near Philly these days, and every time she drops a new one, independent bookstores go ham with pre-orders, launch parties and such. Which is why it surprised me when a few indie booksellers showed up on my feed<\/a> wondering aloud why they had to wait until the official October 27th pub date to start selling A Court of Splintered Harmony, while Walmarts and Targets and such already had them on the shelves. Perhaps it\u2019ll be explained in Maas\u2019s next title, A Court of Corporate Bulk Orders. (JK; but when it comes to books, try to buy from the small guy.) Anyway. The next and penultimate installment in the series is A Court of Forgotten Melody<\/a> and it\u2019s coming out January 12, 2027.<\/p>\n

Look What the Cat Dragged In<\/a><\/p>\n

Jason Rekulak
Billed as \u201cGarfield meets Rosemary\u2019s Baby\u201d by Publisher\u2019s Weekly, Jason Rekulak\u2019s latest supernatural novel stars a young Philly cartoonist about to take the cat-sitting job from hell. It sounds like Rekulak\u2019s wheelhouse: funny, dark, and stuffed with illustrations. After serving 16 years at Philly\u2019s Quirk Books<\/a> as publisher and ghostwriter, the man has a sharp eye for creepy crowd-pleasers that both respect and upend the horror genre.<\/p>\n

The Seer: Toni Morrison Among the Ruins<\/a><\/p>\n

Farah Jasmine Griffin
Philadelphia-born author, scholar and Columbia professor Farah Jasmine Griffin explores the life and works of the great Toni Morrison in an important new tome billed as biography, literary criticism and memoir. The Seer isn\u2019t due out till January 12th, which gives you time to cross off some titles from your Toni checklist. Don\u2019t sleep on Sula.<\/p>\n

The Intangibles<\/a><\/p>\n

Nick Paumgarten
The New Yorker staff writer isn\u2019t from Philly, but he\u2019s a Flyers fan because his parents raised him right. In his new memoir, Paumgarten contemplates the intersection of masculinity and hockey through the lens of the players he knows best: his beer league teammates and the Broad Street Bullies. Due out November 10th.<\/p>\n

She Was Wild Grass<\/a><\/p>\n

Katie Bennett
Perhaps best known (to indie music nerds, anyway) as the singer-songwriter at the front of bygone Philly band Free Cake for Every Creature<\/a>, Bennett makes her literary debut with this \u201chybrid memoir\u201d in which her own life story is interwoven with that of tragic Beat Generation figure Joan Vollmer. L.A. Review of Books calls She Was Wild Grass \u201chaunting, compelling [and] thought-provoking.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Universe of Grace<\/a><\/p>\n

Rachel Calnek-Sugin
On a visit to the zoo, a jaguar locks eyes with a six-year-old girl from Mayfair and informs her that she\u2019s not she\u2019s not exactly human. So begins this disarming and peregrine debut novel about finding your place in an increasingly confusing world. Universe of Grace is a delightfully eccentric coming of age story; here\u2019s hoping finds its people. Publishes November 17th.<\/p>\n

Every Room Remembers<\/a><\/p>\n

Tara Badstubner
Dubbed \u201ca ghost story for the living,\u201d Tara Badstubner\u2019s debut novel follows a young interior designer who struggles to navigate her grief after the sudden death of her husband \u2014 who is apparently watching over her from beyond the grave. In a good way.<\/p>\n

The Hollow<\/a><\/p>\n

Michael Connelly
You probably know Michael Connelly\u2019s work \u2014 Blood Work, The Lincoln Lawyer, and several other screen-adaptable crime novels \u2014 but did you know he was from Philly? What a world. The Hollow has ex-LAPD detective Harry Bosch hunting down a crumb bum from his childhood. The Real Book Spy calls it \u201cDark, haunting, and deeply personal.\u201d<\/p>\n

WTF is a Podcast with Marc Maron<\/a><\/p>\n

Brian \u201cBox\u201d Brown
We already did a whole thing<\/a> on this documentary-style graphic novel by the prolific graphic novelist, but it bears repeating. Fast-paced and funny, WTF is a Podcast with Marc Maron uses fresh interviews with the titular comedian and his producer Brendan McDonald \u2014 plus 16 years of archives \u2014 to detail the rise and graceful exit of a little show that started in a garage and became a national sensation. Publishes November 3rd.<\/p>\n

My Destination<\/a><\/p>\n

Daisy Fried
In her fifth collection, longtime Philly poet Daisy Fried (now based in San Francisco) pulls at the seams of heavy topics like motherhood and childhood, grief and death. Says Litstack<\/a>: \u201cFried is a master at engaging, challenging the reader as a participant in the painful lived experience of loss.\u201d True, but this line cracked me up: \u201cYou made your students write stories about happiness and they were, you said, the worst.\u201d<\/p>\n

How Do I Know You?<\/a><\/p>\n

Kate McGrath
A contemplative debut novel about characters who make daily visits to a quiet cemetery just west of Philly. \u201cFor weeks, they pass one another. They nod. They do not stop. Then one night in late autumn, something happens that none of them can walk away from.\u201d I am intrigued. McGrath will appear at Bookish Notions<\/a> in Media on November 9th.<\/p>\n

Multitudes: The Multiracial Experience and How to Forge a Culture of Absolute Belonging<\/a><\/p>\n

Karabi Acharya
With multiracial identities on the rise in the U.S., the esteemed public health advocate argues for better understanding and inclusion of people who don\u2019t fit neatly into census categories. The topic is personal for Dr. Acharya whose English-German-Bengali heritage meant she often felt out of place growing up, whether she was in India with her father\u2019s side of the family or in the Midwest with her white relatives. Publishes November 10th; Acharya will be at Celia Bookshop<\/a> in Swarthmore on November 15th.<\/p>\n