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September saw the start of the fall publishing season, and October sees the industry hitting its stride. The theme this month is big: big names, big print runs and big hype. For readers, it’s a bounty of options across genres and ages. So make room on your holds lists, set aside some reading time, and prepare to settle down with your pumpkin spice latte, because there’s bound to be something for everyone this month.
--Although it feels like just yesterday that John Grisham and Michael Connelly were atop the bestseller lists with new releases, it was in fact only a few months ago. The two are back with novels in their signature genres with The Rooster Bar and Two Kinds of Truth, respectively. Add to the mix perennial blockbuster John Sandford (Deep Freeze, a new Virgil Flowers series entry) and Dan Brown (Origin), and you’re likely going to see names that will dominate the bestseller lists this fall.
--Debuts! The Last Mrs. Parrish, a domestic suspense/thriller debut from sister team Liz Constantine, has been getting lots of pre-pub praise, including from our own Jane who got her hands on an advance copy back in June. Francesca Hornak’s Seven Days of Us depicts a family forcibly quarantined together over Christmas in a crumbling old house lacking wi-fi. Both novels hit shelves October 17. Uncommon Type has been getting uncommon attention, as it marks the debut of Tom Hanks (yes, that Tom Hanks). A collection of short stories, each carries some connection to typewriters, a long-time passion for the actor.
--A strong nonfiction field is in the offering for October. Ron Chernow will see if he can do for Grant what he did for Hamilton, while Walter Isaacson adds Leonardo di Vinci to the list of innovators he has profiled. Political and sociology readers will get more food for thought with Matt Taibbi’s A Killing on Bay Street, Ta-nehisi Coates’ We Were Eight Years in Power and Andrew O’Hagan’s The Secret Life. If one is looking for lighter fare, the bold John Hodgson takes readers to Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches and Anna Faris offers Unqualified, stories and advice garnered from a career in comedy.
--Kids and adults will want to take notice of The Book of Dust, Philip Pullman’s return to the world of His Dark Materials trilogy. The new book will follow heroine Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon about a decade before the events of The Golden Compass and is the first in a planned trilogy. Fantasy fans can look forward to another installment in Rick Riordan’s Magnus Chase series with Ship of the Dead. Finally, one novel sure to have crossover appeal will be John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down. Like his previous novel The Fault in Our Stars, Turtles promises to take on some heavy topics—in this case depression—with a mix of mystery, romance and snappy dialogue.
Click on through for the complete list. Happy reading!