October Books

Fiction

The Last Ballad, by Wiley Cash

The author of the celebrated best-seller A Land More Kind Than Home returns with a new novel. Set in the Appalachian foothills of North Carolina in 1929 and inspired by actual events, it chronicles an ordinary woman’s struggle for dignity and her rights in a textile mill.

Origin, by Dan Brown

A new Robert Langdon thriller that takes him to a location he’s never been before — Bilbao, Spain. On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon uncovers clues that ultimately bring him face-to-face with a shocking discovery
. . . and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us. 

Manhattan Beach, by Jennifer Egan

From one of the greatest novelists of our time, winner of a National Book Critics Circle Award, a National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize and best-selling author of A Visit from the Goon Squad, comes a stunning new novel set in Brooklyn in the years before and during World War II. With the pace and atmosphere of a noir thriller and a wealth of detail about organized crime, the merchant marine and the clash of classes in New York, Egan’s first historical novel is a masterpiece.

Stolen Marriage, by Diane Chamberlain

In 1944, 23-year-old Tess DeMello abruptly ends her engagement to the love of her life when she marries a mysterious stranger and moves to Hickory, North Carolina. Strangeness ensues . . .

Rules of Magic, by Alice Hoffman

From beloved author Alice Hoffman comes the prequel to her best-selling novel, the classic Practical Magic, taking us inside the lives of Jet and Frances Owens before Sally and Gillian came along. While this new novel connects her older fans to the previous book, Rules of Magic stands on its own as a marvelous work in Hoffman’s canon.

Seven Days of Us: A Novel, by Francesca Hornak

A warm, wry, sharply observed debut novel that portrays what happens when a family is quarantined together over the holidays — and when keeping secrets is no longer an option.

The Rooster Bar, by John Grisham 

Mark, Todd and Zola came to law school to change the world, to make it a better place. But now, as third-year students, these close friends realize they have been duped. They all borrowed heavily to attend a third-tier, for-profit law school so mediocre that its graduates rarely pass the bar exam, let alone get good jobs. And when they learn that their school is one of a chain owned by a shady New York hedge fund operator who also happens to own a bank specializing in student loans, the three know they have been caught up in The Great Law School Scam.

The Power, by Naomi Alderman

When an unknown charge begins to emerge in teenage girls the power dynamics of men and women change until the novel reflects our world in a mirror. 

Nonfiction

Leonardo da Vinci, by Walter Isaacson

This is the fourth of Isaacson’s acclaimed biographies of geniuses who joined the disciplines of art and science: Benjamin Franklin, Einstein, Steve Jobs, and now “the greatest genius of all time,” Leonardo da Vinci.

We Were Eight Years in Power, by Ta-Nehisi Coates

The narrative is bookended by two new essays that look back at the Obama era, and forward to what’s coming next. Each essay includes a new, short introduction detailing how Coates’ thoughts have evolved, and why it reflects significantly on the Obama era.

Grant, by Ron Chernow

The Pulitzer Prize-winner and biographer of Alexander Hamilton, George Washington and John D. Rockefeller, Chernow returns with a sweeping and dramatic portrait of one of our most complicated generals and presidents, Ulysses S. Grant.

Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II, by Liza Mundy

Washington Post reporter Liza Mundy reveals the previously hidden history of the women who worked in secrecy to defeat the Axis forces in WWII. Using recently declassified government documents and interviews with the surviving women, Code Girls unveils their efforts to invent new technologies and techniques that helped win the war. Many of the women never broke their vow of secrecy and hadn’t revealed their heroics to their own families until Mundy called.

Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend, by Meryl Gordon

With access to all of her papers, Gordon chronicles Bunny Mellon’s life throughout the 20th century. 

From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death, by Caitlin Doughty

Exquisitely illustrated by artist Landis Blair, From Here to Eternity is an adventure into the morbid unknown, a story about the many fascinating ways people everywhere have confronted the very human challenge of mortality.

David Sedaris Diaries: A Visual Compendium, by David Sedaris

Discover dimensions of David Sedaris even his devoted fans haven’t seen. Jeffrey Jenkins compiled ephemera stuffed into decades of Sedaris’ diaries to make this coffee table collection.

Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life, by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush

An American story unlike any other: Jenna and Barbara Bush share essays about growing up not just in the public eye, but in the White House, first as grandchildren and then the children of the president. Theirs is not a political book. Barbara runs a health nonprofit in Africa, and Jenna works in the media. It’s a celebration of sisterhood and true patriotism.

American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West, by Nate Blakeslee

A riveting multi-generational wolf saga that tells a larger story about the clash of values in the West (and the nation as a whole) between those fighting for a vanishing way of life and those who believe a more diverse world is a richer one.

The Origins of Creativity, by E.O. Wilson 

The most famous and important evolutionary biologist since Darwin brings us a book about the origins of creativity, the defining role of our species, highlighted by the Third Enlightenment when science and the humanities merge.

The Second Coming of the KKK: The Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s and the American Political Tradition, by Linda Gordon 

By legitimizing bigotry and redefining so-called American values, a revived Klan in the 1920s left a toxic legacy that demands reexamination today. This book has impeccable scholarship, obvious relevance and has a state-by-state analysis including a long chapter set in Oregon.

Children’s books

The Antlered Ship, by Dashka Slater

“Do islands like being alone? Do waves look more like horses or swans?  And what’s the best way to find a friend you can talk to?”  Marco the fox has so many questions.  So when the brilliant Antlered Ship anchors in the harbor, he sets off to check it out.  Reminiscent of vintage Chris Van Allsburg, this gorgeous book illustrated by the Fan Brothers, Terry and Eric (The Night Gardner), is sure to get Caldecott nods this award season. Ages 4-8.

Princess Truly: I am Truly, by Kelly Greenwalt

Whether it’s tying a shoe, taming a lion, learning Japanese or becoming an engineer, this powerful little book truly does encourage girls to set their personal goals high.  Whether for graduation, birthday or just an ordinary day, I Am Truly is the perfect way to tell an amazing young woman just how awesome she is. Ages 4-8.

Superbat, by Matt Carr

Pat is an ordinary bat who wants to be a superhero, but having the ability to fly, amazing hearing and being able to locate things in the dark are not enough to make him super in a colony where everyone else has the same talents. Just as Pat is pondering, “What is a superhero anyway?” the opportunity arises to find out.  With fun bat facts and the recognition that everybody is somebody, Superbat is a great choice for fall. Ages 3-6.

Snow and Rose, by Emily Winfield Martin

An unusually large gentle bear, a strange little man, a boy who lives in a world filled with mushrooms, a mother who knits while she waits and two very special sisters come to life in this wonderfully told tale by the amazingly talented Emily Winfield Martin.  Sure to become a classic, Snow and Rose is the perfect read-aloud for long winter nights. Ages 7-10.

Warcross, by Marie Lu

Warcross is all the rage.  Absolutely everyone plays this virtual reality game where the commonplace becomes spectacular, the flawed made perfect, and where advanced players are practically gods.  So when almost-homeless hacker Emika Chen takes advantage of a glitch and finds herself invited to the championship game, she is thrown into a world of glitz, glam, challenge and intrigue like she could never have imagined. This fast-paced gem of a gamer-thriller will keep readers on the edge of their seats with twists and turns.  Ages 12 and up.

Invictus, by Ryan Graudin

From the very first page, readers will find themselves buried in this fascinating book. A genre-bending time travel adventure for young adults and sci-fi/fantasy loving adults alike, Invictus keeps the reader enthralled until the last page.  Age 12 and up. PS

Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Talley

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