The September Aardvark picks are here and this might be the most on-brand lineup they’ve ever put together. Six books, heavy on horror and dark fiction, heading straight into spooky season with zero hesitation. This month’s box has a little bit of everything except romance or anything that has cozy good feelings. Instead we get plenty of generational horror, international dark comedy, epic fantasy, cult-favorite authors, and provocative literary fiction. Whether you’re fully in your summerween era or just starting to lean into fall reading, Aardvark said we’re going dark and I respect that deeply. Let’s break down the full box.
If you are still looking for something to read be sure to check out some of my Most Anticipated New Releases lists. If you’re looking for add-ons to put into your boxes, be sure to check out other reviews from previous Aardvark picks.
September MOST ANTICIPATED
Fall Most Anticipated
AARDVARK 2023
September Picks
The SEcret Dinner review
My Box
My pick this month is Mazywood by Tananarive Due and I’m thrilled it made the box. Due is a repeat Aardvark author and the follow-up to the award-winning The Reformatory delivers generational horror set between present day and Old Hollywood with a literal monster in the woods. It’s being comped to All the Sinners Bleed meets Erasure and early reviews are calling it a top book of 2026. Peak Aardvark. Perfect for: readers who want their horror literary, layered, and emotionally devastating.
I also finished The Secret Dinner by Raphael Montes and my review is up now. Four friends in Rio start hosting secret dinner parties for the elite that spiral into something much darker than anyone imagined. Also can we talk about how many cannibalism books there are right now? Or am I just gravitating toward them? And what does it say about me that I’m enjoying them? Choosing not to answer that. Perfect for: strong stomachs who want something dark, gory, funny, and completely unhinged.
The SEcret Dinner review
Crone by Keith Rosson is another horror pick from the author of the Fever House duology which Stephen King personally praised. Aardvark loves championing authors doing smart literary horror and Rosson fits perfectly. Perfect for: your next “stayed up too late and regret nothing” read.
Blacktail by Scott Hawkins is the one I’m most curious about — Hawkins wrote the cult-favorite The Library at Mount Char and if this is anything like that we’re in for something dark, strange, and completely original. Perfect for: the reader who wants something genuinely weird and unlike anything else on their shelf.
Fruit Fly by Josh Silver is one I called in my predictions — a washed-up author appropriating a young gay man’s tragic story to claw her way back to relevancy. BBC must-read of 2026 and it reads like Yellowface but sharper. Perfect for: anyone who loved Yellowface or wants a book club pick that will start arguments.
Scion by James Islington rounds out the box as book three in the Hierarchy series. Islington is huge in epic fantasy and this series has a massive fanbase. Perfect for: fantasy readers who want something immersive to sink into as the weather cools down.
What did you decide on this month? Let me know in the comments below, over on my Instagram HERE, or on my TikTok HERE.