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A Plagued Sea by Kim Bo-Young

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A Plagued Sea by Kim Bo-Young
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A bodyguard takes a chance: running with her young niece into a disaster area to prevent the girl from being raised by her mother. After the earthquake and flood, a disease strikes Haewon Village, and Mu-young helps enforce strict quarantine measures. She loses her niece to the plague. When an irritating bureaucrat from Seoul visits the quarantined community, he brings even greater danger. H.P. Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth, reimagined through the lens of COVID and a government’s abandonment of its citizens, has a fishy chill as deep as the bottom of an ocean.

A Plagued Sea by Kim Bo-Young, (List Price: $24.99, Tor Nightfire, 9781250380753, August 2026)

Reviewed by Kelly, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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Old Flames by Nadine Gonzalez

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Old Flames by Nadine Gonzalez
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Though labeled a paranormal romance, I think this story is best enjoyed as steamy gothic fiction with a slow-burn cat-and-mouse romance intertwined. Speculative fiction writers gather in Key West for a conference, staying in a haunted hotel that has everyone on edge. July, a hard-shelled, enigmatic fantasy author, is reluctantly pulled to the ghostly presence on the property as well as the attention of fellow author Leo, who’s been drawn to her for a decade. Stellar writing that gives slightly more suspense than swoon— romance skeptics will appreciate this exploration of self-discovery, love, and real and metaphorical ghosts!

Old Flames by Nadine Gonzalez, (List Price: $18.99, MIRA, 9781335001214, August 2026)

Reviewed by Julia, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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Depraved by Daisy Dixon

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Depraved by Daisy Dixon
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An accessible, thorough analysis of the history of depraved art, this engaging book seeks to highlight the nuance between immorality, obscenity, and malevolence in art. Can art cause violence, or does it just stoke already volatile conditions? Dixon pays close attention to the way charges of depravity have been levied against the art of minority cultures throughout history to paint them as inferior. The book also offers a new perspective on “separating art from the artist”. Spoiler: often, you can’t! A fun, intelligent read, full of examples from classical art but also including music, film, and video games.

Depraved by Daisy Dixon, (List Price: $32, Viking, 9798217061846, August 2026)

Reviewed by Julia, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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Behind the Gate by Amparo Davila

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Behind the Gate by Amparo Davila
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As the world grows more and more deranged, I find myself seeking the most bizarre, oppressive, incomprehensible horror available. But there’s something strangely comforting about horror like Amparo Dávila’s. Stories that seem mostly normal, albeit odd, until something twists at the last moment and you’re left wondering. Seeing things in the corner of your vision, shadows on the walls, yawning eye sockets. Dávila’s writing makes the terrifying feel quiet, almost intimate.

Behind the Gate by Amparo Davila, (List Price: $16.95, New Directions, 9780811240581, October 2026)

Reviewed by Charlie, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun by Mónica Ojeda

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Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun by Mónica Ojeda
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Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun is hard to describe. Ostensibly, it follows two young women fleeing their home in Guayaquil, Ecuador, to attend a week-long experimental noise festival held at the foot of an active volcano. Their experience is strange, frightening, and revelatory. But this book is so much more than a bad trip. Ojeda’s writing forces emotion on you. It’s brutal, and beautiful, it contorts your brain into a shape you didn’t know it could fit into. As the story progresses, the lines between reader and character blur, and you become part of the noise, the fear, the feeling, the cruelty, the obliteration.

Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun by Mónica Ojeda, (List Price: $20, Coffee House Press, 9781566897556, May 2026)

Reviewed by Charlie, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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Story Rug by Sophie Blackall

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Story Rug by Sophie Blackall
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The braid craze has not only taken over the students in Story Rug, but also me! A story that blends community, culture, and fabric scraps, the art of craft and storytelling that is shown in this is just remarkable. Blackall’s gentle voice with humor looped in, paired with Wahl’s daydreamy, folky illustrations, makes this an unbeatable children’s book. New top contender for a picture book I wish I could live in, and I can’t wait to show this to anyone who has ever questioned my rag collection.

Story Rug by Sophie Blackall, (List Price: $18.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316535380, July 2026)

Reviewed by Grace, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales

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Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales
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Darcy tries to keep her head down and stay under the radar in her high school. No one can ever know that she’s the person behind Locker 89, the place her schoolmates write for anonymous relationship advice. Handsome and popular Alexander Brougham catches her collecting letters one afternoon and turns to blackmail – he will keep her secret if she helps him win back the girl that broke his heart. Desperate to keep her past less-than-great advice to her BFF (with whom she’s secretly in love) under wraps, she goes along with the scheme – with surprising results. This is a sweet, funny book about queer love and facing up to mistakes to try and be a better person. It’s the perfect snuggly read for cold winter months when you’re too stressed to read anything too heavy.

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales, (List Price: $13, Wednesday Books, 9781250830081, December 2022)

Reviewed by Andrea, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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Cooking the Borderlands by Claudette Zepeda

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Cooking the Borderlands by Claudette Zepeda
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This beautiful and mouthwatering cookbook is Top Chef star Claudette Zepeda’s culinary journey along the Mexican-American border, having grown up there herself! Vibrant, well-crafted recipes, Mexican-American food history, and personal narrative combine seamlessly! After foundational elements, the sections are organized geographically, with sweets sprinkled throughout. Highlights include: Chinese-Mexican fusion, a whole section dedicated to her family matriarchs’ recipes (including a family birria recipe), and salsas galore. I’m also hoping to achieve my lifelong dream of making the perfect chile relleno with Zepeda’s guidance. This book will make you hungry!!

Cooking the Borderlands by Claudette Zepeda, (List Price: $35, Clarkson Potter, 9780593796139, June 2026)

Reviewed by Julia, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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Puck by Samantha Allen

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Puck by Samantha Allen
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Allen’s latest is a modern-day A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and a queer delight! Puck is a reality dating show producer, and they know that they aren’t exactly creating great art, but they’re good at what they do. A surprise destination wedding turns into a matchmaking and match-breaking scheme, and Puck can’t help but catch the eye of the uptight Maid of Honor, which just complicates things more.

Puck by Samantha Allen, (List Price: $18, Zando, 9781638933410, June 2026)

Reviewed by Andrea, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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After Oscar: The Legacy of a Scandal by Merlin Holland

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After Oscar: The Legacy of a Scandal by Merlin Holland
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An extraordinary achievement from Wilde’s only grandson! Collected in this expansive work is the legacy of Oscar Wilde. In some ways, more interesting than Matthew Sturgis’s masterful Oscar Wilde: A Life, After Oscar instead focuses on the effect the man has had on us rather than the man himself. Starting while Wilde is still alive and scandalized, Holland takes us on a journey of his grandfather’s posthumous reputation. Homophobia, hypocrisy, hubris abound here. The crackling, droll prose (inherited, perhaps) makes reading this book an utter joy. Even while my emotions rode a roller coaster of surprise, rage, and amusement.

After Oscar: The Legacy of a Scandal by Merlin Holland, (List Price: $34, Europa Editions, 9798889661764, April 2026)

Reviewed by Kelly, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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Body Double by Hanna Johansson

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Body Double by Hanna Johansson
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Two women meet in a cafe after accidentally grabbing each other’s coats, the tan jackets identical, though it’s viewed as a small accident, the meeting lingers in both of their memories. Shortly after, they seek each other out, move in together, and immediately are bonded in a soul-bending way. Unreliable narration and blurred points of view carry the story of these women as they easily slip into a routine of sharing the same life. Coupled with narrations from an unnamed woman who works for a ghostwriter and her spiral after receiving a haunting tape, Body Double is a discomforting yet masterful and taut thriller of identity and power. By the end, the story has morphed into a different tale completely, Lynchian-esque literature at its finest!

Body Double by Hanna Johansson, (List Price: $27, Catapult, 9781646223138, April 2026)

Reviewed by Grace, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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And Side by Side They Wander by Molly Tanzer

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And Side by Side They Wander by Molly Tanzer
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Is it a space opera? A heist escapade? A retelling of the Orpheus myth? Yes! Yes! Yes! The best thing about this book is that I can’t classify it: it hits on so many levels. One of my favorite aspects of it is the examination of art, the reproduction of art, and what defines art’s value. Is a perfect reproduction as good as the real thing? If not, what makes them different? Tanzer manages that theme and several others, along with a strong depth of character and a moving love story. Also action. Also sentient fungi. Also clones and replicants? And in only 96 pages??? Enjoy!

And Side by Side They Wander by Molly Tanzer, (List Price: $24.99, Tordotcom, 9781250382054, May 2026)

Reviewed by Kelly, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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A Pathway for Pollinators by Michelle Schaub

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A Pathway for Pollinators by Michelle Schaub
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Picture books that center around finding fun and whimsy in our real world are like catnip to me, so when I saw this and noticed Gómez was the illustrator (from Bookie & Cookie fame!), I knew this would be my spring children’s book. The importance of green spaces in our communities, and how we can come together to make these little pockets of wildlife for our pollinator neighbors, all with cheeky rhyming language and nostalgic illustrations. And of course, facts in the back for the curious, future green thumb kids!

A Pathway for Pollinators by Michelle Schaub, (List Price: $18.99, Norton Young Readers, 9781324082118, May 2026)

Reviewed by Grace, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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City of Rats by Copi

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City of Rats by Copi
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Imagine: Remy from the classic Pixar film Ratatouille is fed up with the high-pressure life of a chef. He quits his job, opens up a worm-selling business on a Parisian street corner, and gets really into ketamine. This is the vibe of City of Rats. We follow Gouri, a Parisian rat, through a disastrous double date, a prison break, a meeting with the Rat Devil, an animal uprising, and, ultimately, the end of the world (sort of). It is a joyous, madcap, absolute TREASURE of a book, at once strange, sweeping, and deeply personal. I cannot express how much I loved this book.

City of Rats by Copi, (List Price: $15.95, New Directions, 9780811238373, March 2026)

Reviewed by Charlie, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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The Last Movement by Robert Seethaler

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The Last Movement by Robert Seethaler
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This stunning novella depicting the last days of Gustave Mahler will definitely be one of my top reads of 2026. Its emotional power far exceeds its diminutive length. I was transported into the mind of a musical genius, witnessed deep love and great heartache, and mourned the betrayal of an aging body. Lovers of the work of Claire Keegan will gravitate naturally to this book. Like her works, when I finished it, I was inspired to turn it over and read it a second time.

The Last Movement by Robert Seethaler, (List Price: $22, Europa Editions, 9798889661801, April 2026)

Reviewed by Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA

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