Stories, Sequels, and Standalones: 35 Reads for October

October is arguably the biggest month in publishing this year. Just look at how many highly anticipated titles are finally hitting shelves! From cozy romances to horror novellas, blockbuster literary fiction to the classics, our booksellers are excited to share the books they’re loving with you. Happy reading!

FICTIONRecommended by Jake A Sunny Place for Shady People: Stories

By Mariana Enriquez, Megan McDowell (Translated by)

Mariana Enríquez returns with yet another excellent short story collection. Equal parts enthralling and entertaining, terrifying and terrific, A Sunny Place for Shady People is filled to the brim with stories you won’t soon forget, no matter how hard you try. A wicked blend of sacred, surreal, darkly funny and deeply depraved, this is one of the best short story collections of the year.

Recommended by Kathy The Sequel

By Jean Hanff Korelitz

No, this is not The Plot! The nearly-same covers are meant to show that this thriller picks up right after the shocking ending of The Plot. What has happened to plagiarist Jacob Finch Bonner and his stalker, now his wife?

Recommended by Cheryl By Any Other Name

By Jodi Picoult

What if Shakespeare’s works were written by a woman? This historical novel is convincing and captures the difficulty of being a female playwright even today.

Recommended by Rachel Graveyard Shift: A Novella

By M. L. Rio

M.L. Rio returns! This novella is the perfect way to spend a rainy evening. Graveyard Shift is a story made up of insomniacs and their worst imaginings. Nightmares meet reality, and it all unfolds in the span of a few sleepless hours. I could read it again and again!

See M.L. Rio in conversation with Rachel at Parnassus on October 9th!

Recommended by Ashby The Hitchcock Hotel

By Stephanie Wrobel

Would you want to stay in a Hitchcock-themed hotel room? One based on The Birds? Or Vertigo? Psycho? For the one-year anniversary of his Hitchcock Hotel, Alfred invites his college film club to come and stay. Something happened 16 years ago and a body at the hotel will bring everything back. Hitchcock lovers will have fun with the references, quotes, and information about the man himself.

Recommended by Playground

By Richard Powers

Richard Powers, you never cease to amaze me. In a tale structured somewhat reminiscent of his Pulitzer-winning The Overstory, Powers this time explores how our world is fundamentally an ocean one, and how disparate themes such as imperialism, exploitation of resources, A.I., marine biology, and pollution all relate to each other. If James doesn’t get the Pulitzer, I think this will.

Recommended by RJ The City in Glass

By Nghi Vo

The City in Glass follows an immortal demon as she oversees the cycle of destruction and rebirth her chosen city finds itself caught in. I am amazed that a story of such epic emotional and temporal scale could be contained in a book this short. It had me by the heart the entire time. Perfect for fans of This is How You Lose the Time War.

Recommended by Jennifer Buried Deep and Other Stories

By Naomi Novik

Naomi Novik is back with a collection of fantasy short stories. Spanning from a retelling of Pride and Prejudice where Elizabeth rides a dragon to spin offs of some of her most popular series, Naomi Novik doesn’t disappoint with her spellbinding worldbuilding and tough as nails characters.

Recommended by Jordan My Vampire Plus-One

By Jenna Levine

I can’t remember the last time I fell in love with two fictional characters as much as Reggie and Amelia in this follow-up to My Roommate Is A Vampire. Get ready to laugh out loud as you root for their fauxmance to become the real deal.

Recommended by Sydney The Bog Wife

By Kay Chronister

This book is so, so weird—in a really good way. The Haddesley family has an ancient pact with the Appalachian bog they live in. With each generation, the patriarch succumbs to death, and the bog provides a new bride for the eldest son. The family line mustn’t branch off. The bog belonged to them and they to it. This is Southern gothic perfection and would make for a fantastic October read.

Recommended by Rachel And He Shall Appear

By Kate Van Der Borgh

When I started the first page, I had to jump up and search my house for a pen, because the words needed to be underlined. The writing drew me in like a spell, and five hours later, I’d reached the end, staring at my wall, overcome with dark, obsessive love and music. I still cannot get over it. A must read.

Recommended by Jenness Exposure

By Ramona Emerson

The second Rita Todacheene novel is deeper and darker than Shutter (also great), as we see not only inside the mind of Rita – coping with the stress and disconnect of her job photographing crime scenes (and being followed by the victims’ ghosts), but also that of the serial killer – a self-imagined avenging angel – whom she pursues. It’s both horrific and soulful.

Recommended by Cheryl Casket Case

By Lauren Evans

Clever rom-com about a woman who comes back to her small town in AL to sell caskets at her family’s business. She meets a handsome stranger who is kind and caring. However he travels a lot with his logistics business and somehow seems to be around people who die soon after. Can she trust him?

Recommended by Ashby Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge

By Kjersti Herland Johnsen, Olivia Lasky (Translated by)

It’s a book advent calendar. In 24 chapters, this romantic mystery is about family and what’s right in front of us. After a climbing accident, Ingrid returns to run the lodge. Leaking pipes, a pregnant influencer, possible mold, nosy Americans, mice – everything gets resolved by Christmas…or on Christmas. Set in Norway, the book taught me about holiday customs, food, geography, and figuring out what pinnekjøtt was.

Recommended by Kathy The Wildes: A Novel in Five Acts

By Louis Bayard

Who knew that Oscar Wilde had a loving wife and children? Louis Bayard brilliantly depicts their family story as Wilde struggles to discover his true self in a time of forbidden and illegal forms of sexuality. I think this is historical fiction at its finest; it could be my favorite book of 2024 so far.

Recommended by Maddie Hard Copy

By Fien Veldman, Hester Velmans (Translated by)

This book is so fun to read, you almost forget to notice how stuffed to the brim it is with pointed commentary. Hard Copy is not just an insight into how normalized it is for workplaces to dehumanize us (although it is that), it is a look into questions of self: Who are we when we can no longer relate to the people around us? How much value can one’s inner thought life have if it’s not being shared with others?

Read Maddie’s interview with translator Hester Velmans!

Recommended by Rachel My Neighbor Totoro Film Comic: All-in-One Edition

By Hayao Miyazaki (Created by)

Beautiful and full length film comic of My Neighbor Totoro! Reading this immersed me into this cozy and magical Miyazaki story in a whole new way!

Recommended by Jenness Death at the Sign of the Rook

By Kate Atkinson

A Christie-esque country house murder mystery filled with interesting, suspicious(?) characters orbiting each other until the final reveal. And the usual, welcome Atkinson humor. A very satisfying read.

Recommended by Tara Deja Brew

By Celestine Martin

Deja Brew is like a perfect mashup of Halloweentown meets Stars Hollow. This makes for the perfect magical fall read.

Recommended by Rae Ann The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

By Ally Carter

Reading this book felt like stepping into a Clue game. Two American mystery authors are summoned to an English estate where a famous author disappears from a locked room. This is a laugh out loud whodunit full of twists and turns, and romantic chemistry.

Recommended by Patsy The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

By Anna Johnston

Frederick unwittingly finds himself mistaken for Bernard Greer, a nursing home resident. The fall he took on a seaside excursion has made “Bernard” kinder. This is a delightful tale of second chances and friendship. Fans of Mr Kato Plays Family and The Thursday Murder Club will love this debut novel.

NONFICTION & POETRYRecommended by Ashby The Vibrant Hong Kong Table: 88 Iconic Vegan Recipes from Dim Sum to Late-Night Snacks

By Christine Wong

A bus tour of Hong Kong. At once memoir, travel journal, photo album, gardening how-to, and vegan cookbook. I was charmed from the first pages. Want to grow bean sprouts? There’s a how-to and why. The food pictures are indeed vibrant and enticed me to try several recipes, including steamed eggs which produced the creamiest eggs I have ever eaten. Flipping through was a journey of sights, sounds, smells, and tastes.

Recommended by Tara Empresses of Seventh Avenue: World War II, New York City, and the Birth of American Fashion

By Nancy MacDonell

A great look back into the history of New York becoming a major hub for fashion. It details the period when America was cut off from the Parisian designers they relied on so heavily pre-World War II. A great book for any fashion lover.

Recommended by Sarah How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music

By Inc National Public Radio, Alison Fensterstock, Ann Powers (Introduction by)

From Celia Cruz to Rihanna, Barbra Streisand to Megan Thee Stallion, How Women Made Music charts the myriad ways women have influenced the trajectory of music and popular culture. This volume combines over 50 years’ worth of work from all of your favorite music writers into one beautiful package.

Recommended by Mac Women in Power: Classical Myths and Stories, from the Amazons to Cleopatra

By Stephanie McCarter (Editor)

This wonderful new anthology from proven powerhouse translator, Stephanie McCarter, is a great place to look for anyone curious about classical womanhood (through the classical patriarchal lens). Women in Power is the fruit of wonderful collaboration by McCarter, her colleagues, and past translators. A great and focused way to approach primary texts that many readers might not think to look for.

Recommended by Rachel The Girl Who Became a Rabbit

By Emilie Menzel

This book-length lyric poem explores the creature inside all of us: the human heart. With beastly fables and lush language, these words will crawl inside you and stay forever.

Recommended by A.J. Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding A True Faith

By April Ajoy

At times funny, at times scathing, always insightful, Ajoy tells her story of being raised in Christian nationalism without having the vocabulary to identify it as such, then distancing herself from it as she grew into maturity. If you’ve lost loved ones down the Fox News rabbit hole like I have, this is the book for you.

Recommended by Ashby Colorful Living: Simple Ways to Brighten Your World through Design, Décor, Fashion, and More

By Rachel Mae Smith

I LOVE COLOR and I loved this book. A roadmap for what and how–color theory to assembling a color palette. It made me think about which colors make me smile and surrounding myself with them. When stores and homes have moved to cream, beige, grey, and tan, this book makes you think about surrounding yourself with colors even on insides of cabinets or edges of doors. Surround yourself with colors that make it yours.

Recommended by Patsy Moving the Moon: A Night at the Acropolis Museum

By Andrea Marcolongo, Will Schutt (Translator)

Classicist Marcolongo spends the night among the relics of Greek antiquity, reflecting upon the injustices of the taking of art, Lord Elgin, and her own family life. This slim volume offers much food for thought that lovers of art history will appreciate.

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by Lindsay Tin Man

By Sarah Winman

I read this book in an afternoon and sobbed so hard I had to cancel plans that night so I could sit in a dark room while I pondered the existential weight of queer history and art as a means of survival. If that sounds like your idea of a great Saturday night, pick up Tin Man!

Recommended by Elizabeth The Library Book

By Susan Orlean

If you love niche history and identify as a bibliophile, you will love this book. Susan Orlean explores the unsolved mystery of the Los Angeles Public Library fire of 1986, considering the range of possibly guilty parties. This quirky history book will reawaken in you a love of libraries and a deep appreciation for how they support communities across the United States.

Recommended by Paige The Rules of Magic

By Alice Hoffman

Did you read or watch Practical Magic and fall in love with the story of the Owens women? The Rules of Magic is the second of four books about the Owens women (it’s my favorite but they are all great!). A prequel that is the origin story of the aunts we met in Practical Magic, this book is a beautiful tale of family and self-discovery. Grab your tea, light your candles, and fall under the spell of this magical novel.

Recommended by A.J. Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks

By Keith Houston

I tore through this book in a single sitting, and I’m here to say if you think you’re immune to guffawing over punctuation—you’d be wrong. If you love words, saucy tales, bone dry humor, history, fonts, classical languages, etymology, graphic design, or any other laundry list of niche interests as much as I do, this is the book for you. Great pick for book lovers/word nerds who want to dip their toe into nonfiction.

First Editions Club: October Selection The Mighty Red

By Louise Erdrich

Okay, first things first: I think Louise Erdrich should win the Nobel Prize. This idea is not original to me but still, I want to put it out there. If you have friends in Sweden, give them a call.

Why do I think this? Well, look at The Mighty Red, the story of a young girl on the verge of making the colossal mistake of marrying someone simply because he won’t stop asking her. It’s about the physical and mental toll of a life of manual labor. It’s about the destruction of the earth through pesticides and irresponsible farming practices. It’s about the long-term effects of trauma on a community. And yet somehow, miraculously, this is a loving, funny, and, dare I say, hopeful book. How does anyone pull this off? It helps to be one of the very best writers in the world. This book flies. I couldn’t read it fast enough, and at the same time I never wanted it to end. Erdrich, who after winning the National Book Critics Circle Award and the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize (and pretty much everything else except the Nobel), might be tempted to coast a bit, but this isn’t coasting. This is re-imagining how a novel can be made. This is fully inhabiting every last character, from the loveable to the reprehensible, and meeting each one with compassion.

The Mighty Red is a tour de force.

Enjoy.

Ann

More about our First Editions Club: Every member receives a first edition of the selected book of the month, signed by the author. Books are carefully chosen by our staff of readers, and our picks have gone on to earn major recognition including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Plus, there’s no membership fee or premium charge for these books. Build a treasured library of signed first editions and always have something great to read! Makes a FABULOUS gift, too.

Love, Parnassus: October Selection If I Stopped Haunting You

By Colby Wilkens

An enemies to lovers romance with a spooky twist where two feuding writers end up on a writers retreat together at a haunted castle in Scotland. Full of spooky chills and even more sexy thrills, If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens is the funny, fast-paced romp romance readers have been waiting for!

“The horror-tinged romance moves at breakneck speed, careening between moments of laugh-out-loud humor and chilling encounters.” – Publishers Weekly

“Scorchingly hot.”- Booklist

The Love, Parnassus box is a monthly subscription box for romance readers curated by the experts at Parnassus Books. Each month you will receive a first edition book (which is sometimes signed), a letter from the author, a custom sticker, and a bookmark to track your reading. The Love, Parnassus selection will focus on debut and new-to-you romance authors. Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite romance reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.