October’s fiction release calendar finds plenty of new horror, from the slightly creepy to the gory; new titles by big names, such as Jonathan Franzen and Amor Towles; a debut from an astronaut; a posthumous release by a master of spy fiction; and much much more.
10/5: The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman
In this final book in the Practical Magic series, three generations of the Owens family wage a final battle against the curse that has plagued them since the 17th century that has caused anyone who has loved an Owens to die. (fantasy/general fiction)
10/5: Cackle by Rachel Harrison
After a devastating breakup, Annie Crane starts over in a small town in upstate New York. She quickly makes a new friend in Sophie, who seems to lead a charmed life but also inspires fear in the townsfolk. Could she be … a witch? (fantasy)
10/5: Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen
This first in a new trilogy introduces Midwestern family the Hildebrandts as Pastor Russ, wife Marion, and their children grapple with the preoccupations and dilemmas of the 1970s. (general fiction)
10/5: The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling
Practical, grown orphan Jane Lawrence has settled on a plan to secure her future, by marrying local doctor Augustine in a union of convenience. She agrees to his only stipulation, that he always spend the night at his ancestral home, and that she never do. But then comes an accident, and a breaking of the promise, and the discovery of the ghosts that Augustine has hidden. (horror)
10/5: An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten
Swedish octogenarian Maud returns with six recollections of her creative, sometimes murderous solutions to righting wrongs throughout her life. (mystery)
10/5: Fight Night by Miriam Toews
Nine-year-old Swiv, suspended from school for fighting, undertakes a project with her Grandma where they each explain their lives in letters they will never send. Grandma narrates her life, her upbringing in a strict religious community and her quest for joy, while spirited Swiv navigates unprecedented change. (general fiction)
10/5: I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness by Claire Vaye Watkins
Struggling with post-partum depression, a woman sets off on a solo trip to Nevada where she struggles with her feelings around motherhood and family while grappling with the legacies of her parents. A Peak Pick! (general fiction)
10/5: The Jealousy Man and Other Stories by Jo Nesbo
Twelve stories cover murder, vengeance in a post-pandemic world, uncomfortable airline seatmates, and much more. By the author of the Harry Hole Scandinavian noir mystery series. (thriller/short stories)
10/5: The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
In 1954, 18-year-old Emmett Watson is dropped off at his family’s foreclosed farm after serving 15 months on a juvenile work farm for involuntary manslaughter. He’s got a car, a younger brother, and a plan to head to California, until two friends escaped from the work farm convince him to head for New York. By the author of A Gentleman in Moscow. (historical fiction)
10/5: My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
A collection of short stories finds complex characters exploring the legacies of slavery and questions of racial identity and post-racial society, including in a novella set in the near future where the Black descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings leads a group fleeing extremists to safety at Jefferson’s historic plantation. A Peak Pick! (short stories)
10/5: Reprieve by James Han Mattson
In 1997, four contestants have made it to the final escape room in the scary Quigley House, only to have one of their members murdered. Mattson weaves the group’s progress through the various escape rooms together with trial transcripts in which the participants relate their experiences for a complex psychological thriller. (horror)
10/5: What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J.A. Chancy
Set against the backdrop of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, ten individuals connected by blood or friendship are impacted by the aftermath and seek a variety of paths forward. (general fiction)
10/12: Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield
In 1973 NASA prepares a last, top-secret mission to the Moon. Meanwhile, the Soviet space program has big plans for a new satellite. When the American and Soviet crews collide on the lunar surface, secret allegiances are revealed far from the reach of help. The first novel from real life astronaut Chris Hadfield. (historical thriller)
10/12: Brides of Maracoor by Gregory Maguire
The island of Maracoor Spot is always inhabited by seven Brides, who live in seclusion and weave nets that organize time and allow civilization to function. Then green-skinned Rain, the granddaughter of Elphaba, washes up on shore with no memory. The start of a new series by the author of Wicked. (fantasy)
10/12: Silverview by John Le Carré
A retiree recently arrived at an English seaside town; a Polish émigré with a shadowy past; and an anonymous warning of sensitive information being leaked feature in this final, posthumous novel from spy fiction master Le Carré. A Peak Pick! (thriller)
10/12: State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny
A newly sworn in American secretary of state is faced with a series of international terrorist attacks, the first salvo in a large scale conspiracy encompassing nuclear weapons, the Russian mob, Middle Eastern politics, and a slow-to react American government. From politician Clinton and Penny, author of the Inspector Gamache series. (thriller)
10/12: This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno
Mexican American couple Thiago and Vera move into a Chicago condo beset by unexplained occurrences: cold spots; scratching in the walls; an unruly smart speaker. After Vera dies in a freak accident Thiago moves to a remote cabin in Colorado, where once he realizes he‘s facing something cosmically sinister it’s already too late. (horror)
10/12: When Two Feathers Fell from the Sky by Margaret Verble
In 1926 Nashville, a young Cherokee horse-diver suffers an accident during her show and teams up with companions from the Glendale Park Zoo to get to the bottom of a mystery spanning decades. A Peak Pick! (historical fiction)
10/19: Monster in the Middle by Tiphanie Yanique
The start of a new relationship between musician Fly and high school teacher Stela is interwoven with the family histories and emotional inheritances that have shaped them. (general fiction)
10/19: Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Five thrill-seeking friends reunite at an isolated, dilapidated Japanese mansion for a pre-wedding party. Legend has it that a spurned bride was buried alive in the foundations, joined each year by another girl to keep her company – and now the bride wants her tribute. (horror)
10/19: Oh William! By Elizabeth Strout
As Lucy Barton mourns the death of her second husband she accompanies her first husband, William, on a road trip to Maine and reflects on their marriage, her childhood, their lives. By the author of Olive Kitteridge. A Peak Pick! (general fiction)
10/26: Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau
Actor Ryan is coping with bad reviews of his latest film as well as grief from losing a parent when he stumbles into Lindsay’s Toronto bakery. When Ryan is booked on a celebrity cooking show, he convinces Lindsay to be his baking teacher, and sparks fly. (romance)
10/26: Far from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson
Shell Campion, first mate of the colony ship Ragtime, wakes up from a medical coma to find the ship’s AI inactive, and 30 cryogenically frozen passengers dead. As they orbit around their destination, investigator Rasheed Fin and his android assistant are sent to find the answers. (science fiction)
10/26: Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest
When psychic travel agent Leda Foley tells her client, Seattle detective Grady Merritt, not to get on a plane that subsequently explodes, Grady is inspired to ask for Leda’s help with a case. A cozy mystery featuring a Seattle setting and lots of karaoke. (mystery)
~ posted by Andrea G.
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