Reader's Corner: Books We Can’t Wait to Read in October
Our Most Anticipated New Releases to add to your TBR
Hello, Protagonists!
It’s the end of the month, which means it’s time for a favorite ritual: previewing some of the upcoming book releases we’re excited about—the ones that have caught our eye, tugged at our curiosity, or whispered “You’ll love me.”
xo,
Joanna & Evelyn
Note: We don’t receive affiliate commissions or payment for these mentions. We haven’t read these yet; these are genuine picks based on love of the author, intriguing premises, or early buzz that feels promising.
Who is Joanna? - In case you missed it:
📚 October’s Most Anticipated New Releases
The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson (October 14)
A sweeping historical epic about Kōrero, a young girl from a remote Tongan island who becomes her people’s queen. Drawn into a world of mystical wonders, royal feuds, and an empire on the brink of collapse, she must navigate perilous choices between survival and betrayal. Lushly imaginative and deeply human, the novel blends myth, history, and adventure into a timeless tale of resilience and destiny. For fans of ambitious historical fiction like Wolf Hall and Shōgun.
A Guardian and A Thief by Megha Majumdar (October 14)
A tense, compassionate story in a near-future Kolkata collapsing under famine and flood. When Ma’s purse with her family’s precious visas is stolen just before they’re to leave for America, her desperate search collides with the equally desperate choices of Boomba, the thief trying to feed his own family. Told over a single week, the novel explores survival, love, and the lengths parents will go to to protect their children amid encroaching catastrophe.
Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor (October 14)
Wyeth, a painter in New York, wrestles with art, faith, and identity during a sweltering summer. His chance encounter with a former seminarian sparks searching conversations, while his research into a forgotten artist forces him to confront what it means to create art in a turbulent world. With Taylor’s signature insight, the novel is a tender, thought-provoking exploration of creativity, belief, and connection.
Bad Bad Girl by Gish Jen (October 21)
In Bad Bad Girl, Gish Jen blends autobiography and fiction to trace her mother’s extraordinary journey from privileged Shanghai beginnings to an immigrant life in America, and the fraught bond between them. With sharp humor and emotional depth, she captures the echoes of generational expectations, cultural dislocation, and the ways love and criticism intertwine in a mother-daughter relationship. Spanning continents and decades, it’s a wise, funny-sad exploration of family, identity, and resilience.
Wreck by Catherine Newman (October 28)
A warm, funny, and heartfelt novel about a family navigating everyday life in Western Massachusetts. Between adult children moving in and out, a widowed father under her roof, and her own spiraling worries, Rocky confronts the messy realities of love, uncertainty, and family dynamics. With Newman’s humor and insight, this story captures both the absurdities and the tenderness of ordinary life when it doesn’t go as planned.
🥰 Your Turn: What Are You Looking Forward To?
What have you read recently that made you feel something?
What new releases are you most excited about this month?
Leave a comment below — we’d all love to grow our TBRs together.
Calming, brilliant escape to rural countryside Japan English translation June 2025, highly recommend The Summer House by Masashi Matsuie.
Want to especially read: The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny.
I’m re-reading The Ultimate Gift series by Jim Stovall.
Really looking forward to Stephanie Garber’s The Alchemy of Secrets this month.
Going to re-read Anne of Green Gables because Fall and October.
The Things Gods Break by Abigail Owen.
Overdue by Stephanie Perkins.