Our Marriage Is Murder
Carol Goodman
William Morrow Paperbacks, 2026, $18.99
Few writers blend Gothic atmosphere and page-turning suspense as deftly as Red Hook author Carol Goodman. In her latest mystery, a married crime-writing duo heads to a glamorous writers’ conference at a medieval Italian castle hoping to revive both their careers and their faltering relationship. Instead, they find themselves at the center of a real-life murder spree. As bodies begin piling up in ways that mirror scenes from their own bestselling novels, the couple must untangle a mystery rooted in the castle’s haunted past while confronting secrets of their own. Equal parts whodunit, literary satire, and summer escape, Our Marriage Is Murder is tailor-made for poolside reading.
All the Feels: How to Stay Human in the Digital World
Pamela Pavliscak
Algonquin Books, 2026, $30
In an age when every frustration seems to inspire calls for a digital detox, Rhinebeck author Pamela Pavliscak offers a more nuanced approach. Drawing on her background in psychology, design, and human-computer interaction, Pavliscak explores how technology shapes our emotional lives and argues that the answer isn’t logging off altogether. Instead, she examines how the quality of our online interactions—from group chats to emojis to virtual communities—can foster genuine connection and well-being. Blending research, personal stories, and practical insights, All the Feels is a thoughtful guide to navigating a world where our emotional and digital lives are increasingly intertwined.
An Armsfull of Birds: A Personal Field Guide to Love, Loss, and Commitment
Cara Benson
Health Communications Inc, 2026, $16.95
Part memoir, part nature writing, part meditation on grief, Cara Benson’s An Armsfull of Birds traces the intertwined stories of recovery, love, and the natural world. Organized around the birds that accompany different chapters of her life, the book follows the Cropseyville resident from addiction and an abusive relationship to sobriety, partnership, and, ultimately, the devastating loss of her beloved Jon to suicide. As she turns to the forests, trails, and wildlife of upstate New York in the aftermath, Benson discovers unexpected lessons about commitment—to another person, to herself, and to a planet in crisis. Lyrical, intimate, and unsparing.
Empire of Ink: The Printers, Rogues, and Radicals Who Invented the American Newspaper
Alex Wright
Basic Books, 2026, $34
At a moment when the future of journalism seems perpetually under debate, Alex Wright looks back to the chaotic, combustible origins of the American press. In Empire of Ink, the Rhinebeck traces the rise of newspapers from the Revolutionary era through the dawn of mass media, introducing a cast of partisan editors, itinerant printers, reformers, inventors, and media moguls who helped shape both journalism and the nation itself. Rich with colorful characters and surprising parallels to today’s information ecosystem, Wright’s sweeping history argues that battles over truth, technology, and power have been with us from the beginning.
Olive of Ashokan: United Fauna Dispatches Vol. 1
Collin Douma
Independent, 2026, $39.99
In this striking blend of art, storytelling, and environmental advocacy, Woodstock artist Collin Douma imagines a world where wildlife adapts to humanity’s disruptions with ingenuity, resilience, and a touch of myth. Beginning with Olive, an ancient snapping turtle whose life spans the creation of the Ashokan Reservoir, the collection pairs vividly illustrated animals with machines—from helicopters and ferries to tanks and motorcycles—to create ecosurreal fables about habitat loss, extinction, pollution, and survival. By turns playful, poignant, and unsettling, Olive of Ashokan invites readers to reconsider humanity’s place in the natural world and the costs of environmental change.
This article appears in July 2026.
