This is probably not comprehensive, or even probably accurate. This month is going to be very hectic for me from some changes in my personal life (more to come, all good things), but man do I want to read everything, particularly fun spooky stuff. October is the month before my birthday, and I live for it. My hometown has a lot of fall activities that make the season worth celebrating (apple picking, autumn ocean swims, spiced wine…) and I am all in. So without further ado, a wishlist:

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Physical Copies:

My little pedestal photo shows some of the books for this month, including my current read The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin (I will finish this book even if it kills me). Bear and the Nightingale is a hopeful reread because I loved it so much, and I plan on rereading the whole trilogy if possible before the end of the year. The Night Swim was my August BOTM pick that I never got around to (whoops!); Left Handed Booksellers was on my “most anticipated books of the year” list; I have heard too many good things about The Gilded Wolves not to give it a try; and Rebecca is the reread that I deserve, particularly with the new movie coming out. However, my preorders for October are missing from this picture, which include…

Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas, out October 6. This series is an automatic preorder for me – I am obsessed with historical mysteries and Sherlock Holmes, so the Lady Sherlock series is everything I want it to be and more. I got denied for this ARC, but I am almost happy about it because there is something to look forward to. While I love getting to read some books ahead, the ones I have coming in the month that I’ve already read just make me sad I can’t have the first read experience again.

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A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik, out September 29. Because this is a preorder and Bookshop/Barnes and Noble shipping isn’t the best, I haven’t received my copy yet; however, the suspense is almost half the fun. I don’t even check my tracking number because I love being surprised. This one is a no brainer, since Naomi Novik is a genius and I have heard basically nothing but wonderful things about this book. It feels perfect for my fall spooky feels.

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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, also out September 29 – another slow boat shipment for more delightful suspense of checking the mailbox. I didn’t know much about this one before reading everyone’s reviews on WordPress and Goodreads, however everything I have read points to me loving it. Also, I am a major sucker for books with library, particularly enchanted library, settings (think Genevieve Cogman and A.J. Hackwith), so this vibes with me greatly (did I use that term right? I’m getting old…)

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Dark Archives: A Librarian’s Investigation Into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin by Megan Rosenbloom, out October 20. I don’t generally get that excited about nonfiction (I make exceptions for people I love like Alex Trebek and Anthony Bourdain), but this book has been on my radar forever. Books bound in human skin – they how, the why, and the lore. I am so excited to see what kind of research Rosenbloom has done.

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Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman, out October 6. Like most self-respecting witches, watching Practical Magic the movie as a kid made up my mind about the kind of life I wanted, and Alice Hoffman has never written a book I couldn’t cry to. I may hold this one off until November for my birthday, but this was my BOTM pick (I also grabbed Mexican Gothic since I had credits) so I figured I must add it to the October TBR. Who doesn’t love a good carry over?

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Kindle E-Books:

I don’t love reading on an e-reader, but the Kindle Paperwhite at the very leas minimizes some of the glare and harsh lighting. Also, the fact of the matter is that most ARCs are sent through e-book nowadays, so we all adjust.

The Orphan of Cemetery Hill, by Hester Fox. This will honestly probably be the next book I read, since I was sent a copy of this from a Goodreads giveaway and I try to read them timely. I was immediately drawn to the cover, and while I haven’t read any prior Hester Fox books, she has always been on my radar. I am so excited to break into her works, and read something delightfully spooky for my favorite season. While everyone says this isn’t Fox’s best, everyone still seems to love it.

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One for the Books, by Jenn McKinlay. I love Jenn McKinlay’s cozy mysteries, and the Library Lover’s Mystery series is consistently one of my favorites. The main character is a library director who deals with the very real every day struggle of running a public library, the love interest is a hunky fisherman, and it is set in an adorable New England town. All of my favorite elements in a cozy. These read so quick and so well, it doesn’t even feel like book 11.

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Murder is a Must, by Marty Wingate. This doesn’t actually come out until December and it is on my preorder list, but I have the pleasure of reading it as an e-ARC and I am so excited to read it that I will probably finish it before the end of October. Wingate is also one of my favorite cozies, and this series is so much fun – the protagonist runs a private book collection dedicated to first edition Golden Age of Mystery books. My favorite.

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Last but not least, Idols and Enemies by Meghan Ciana Doidge. It is my honest belief that Meghan Ciana Doidge is an unsung hero of urban fantasy – she is an amazing writer, and her series are beautifully interwoven with one another to create a massive complex universe. She manages to include dragons, elves, witches, and government conspiracies into her series without any of it seeming kitschy or cliché, which is a feat. Everyone should go give her love at her blog.

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Conclusion:

I have clearly bitten off more than I can chew. However, this month and this season just have me so excited about reading again, since the spring and summer were replete with COVID depression and overheating. My prediction: Out of the fifteen books above, I am estimating eight of them will be read at my current pace of two books a week. However, I would love to surprise myself.

What is everyone else planning on reading?! Drop your October TBR in the comments; I would love to chat! Happy reading 🙂