The Sound of Madness Reading Challenge 2026 is back for the 6th year! For the oldtimers, welcome back! For the newcomers, I hope you’ll have a lot of fun this year trying to fill out these music-based reading prompts as I had a lot of fun (and pain, so much pain) coming up with them.
New in the Asylum
Bjørn’s pick this week is Invisible Light by Scissor Sisters feat. Sir Ian McKellen.
Timy reviews DROP DOWN DEAD, the fifth book in the DI Simon Wise crime thriller series by Michael Dylan.
Bjørn’s pick this week is Que mon cœur lâche by Myléne Farmer.
We at the Asylum are excited to host the cover reveal for Shannon Knight’s upcoming new horror novel, CATAMORPHOSIS! The expected publication is in 2026.
Timy’s pick this week for Music Monday is Let Me Be Myself by 3 Doors Down.
We at the Asylum are excited to host the cover reveal for Jess Mey’s upcoming debut mystery novel, GRACE & JO HAVE NEVER SOLVED A MURDER! The expected publication is October 13, 2026, by Datura Books.
Latest Reviews
MORE REVIEWSTimy reviews THE VENETIAN HERETIC, a historical fiction novel by Christian Cameron.
Team Asylum reviews our tenth and last SPFBO Champion, THE LOST WAR by Justin Lee Anderson. Reviews are from Arina, Drew, and Timy.
Timy reviews QUEEN OF THE DEAD, a standalone urban fantasy novel by Sarah Broadway.
Team Asylum reviews our ninth SPFBO Champion,REIGN & RUIN by J. D. Evans. Reviews are from Drew, Rari, Timy, and Tru.
Bjørn reviews SON OF A LICHE and DRAGONFIRED, books 2 and 3 of J. Zachary Pike’s satirical fantasy series, The Dark Profit Saga.
Team Asylum reviews our eight SPFBO Champion, BY BLOOD, BY SALT by J.L. Odom. Reviews are from Arina, Drew, Rari, and Tru.
All Things Bookish
MORE BOOKISH ARTICLESSlightly late to the party, but it’s time for Arina’s top 10 reads of 2025!
Here are my reading goals for 2026, including reading challenges and a shortened TBR list I’d like to focus on this year.
This year, I’m stepping up my bujo game with quite a few changes and I wanted to show it all off and maybe inspire you. Here is my 2026 bullet journal!
Keeping with traditions, we waited until January to tell you which books we enjoyed in 2025. It’s time for Timy’s top 10 reads of 2025!
Author Spotlight
MORE AUTHOR SPOTLIGHTSWe at the Asylum are excited to host the cover reveal for Shannon Knight’s upcoming new horror novel, CATAMORPHOSIS! The expected publication is in 2026.
We at the Asylum are excited to host the cover reveal for Jess Mey’s upcoming debut mystery novel, GRACE & JO HAVE NEVER SOLVED A MURDER! The expected publication is October 13, 2026, by Datura Books.
We at the Asylum are excited to host the cover reveal for Nils Ödlund’s upcoming new fantasy novel, AT THE ROAD’S END, the first book in the Gone Home series! The expected publication is December 1, 2025.
We at the Asylum are excited to host the cover reveal for Jennings Zabrinsky’s upcoming new adventure/dark fantasy novel, THEATER OF BLADES, the second book in the Strange Frontier series! The expected publication is November 2025.
Features
MORE FEATURESSharon Rivest, the author of DECEIT, chose Tales from the Asylum as her SPFBO 9 spotlight, so let’s see how she imagines our home!
Brendan Noble, author of A Dagger in the Winds chose the challenge of What the Hungarian?! for his SPFBO 9 spotlight. Let’s see how he did with it!
Part 4 of the second SPFBO 9 To Be Continued… story, The Illusionist’s Nightmare is written by Mike Rousseau. Time to find out how Ezri’s story ends!
Part 3 of the second SPFBO 9 To Be Continued… story, The Illusionist’s Nightmare is written by Ryan Kirk. Her plan being made, it’s time for Ezri to get to work.
