Happy Tuesday, shipmates. It’s Alex, and I’m SO EXCITED because we’re finally at my favorite month of the year — October!! And wow, are we off to a massive start on the book release front. There were at least 26 new books I found for this week alone — and I may well have missed some from smaller publishers that I’ll catch up on later. I think everyone was saving their witch-related and creepy SFF offerings for this month, too. Understandably. So, while I normally try to do themed recommendations throughout October, this week, it’s going to just be a lot of new releases because I was apparently kidding myself when I said last month was the deluge. Stay safe out there, space pirates, and kiss a black cat between the ears for good luck! I’ll see you on Friday.
Autumn is here, which means it’s time to curl up with a great read and get cozy — whatever your version of cozy looks like. Whether it’s romance, creepy reads, modern classics, or cozy fantasy novels you crave, TBR can help you find the perfect books for your fall reading, with options curated to your specific reading tastes.
Let’s make the world a better place, together. Here’s two places to start: Maui Aloha: The People’s Response, which sends support to those affected by the wildfires on Maui, particularly first responders; and Entertainment Community Fund, which supports entertainment workers who are striking for living wages and a future where humans can continue to create art for each other.
Bookish Goods
Watcha Reading? T-shirt by kiwiandthebird
October is the official birthday of all black cats, so that makes this adorable T-shirt extra appropriate! $22
New Releases
Beholder by Ryan La Sala
Athan has spent his life making it on charm and good looks…and that turns out to be a bad choice when he gets himself invited to a penthouse party attended by artsy elites. Because when he sneaks off to use the bathroom, everyone else at the party has been massacred…and arranged into an elegant sculpture. As the only survivor, Athan is the primary suspect, and he must solve a supernatural mystery if he wants to prove his innocence.
The Owl Cries by Hye-Young Pyun, translated by Sora Kim-Russell
In the western woods, a dark and chill place that emanates foreboding, a park ranger disappears. The investigation should be a simple enough thing. But everyone who once knew the man denies his existence. When an accident and a death derail the investigation further, the park ranger who replaced him, In-su Park, begins his own search in the woods, prompted by a mysterious message left under his desk: “In the forest the owl cries.”
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
At least 26 new SFF books came out this week, so you bet I’m going to use my opportunity to tell you about two more—my goodness.
The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon
Talasyn has only known war and ruin, born in a nation besieged by the Night Emperor and torn by constant hurricanes. But she has a secret: light magic that could cut through the emperor’s shadows, if only she survives long enough to use it. When the emperor’s son, Prince Alaric, sees her shining on the battlefield, he tries to kill her, recognizing the magic that destroyed his grandfather and turned his father into a monster. But instead of striking her dead, his magic combines with hers to make a power the likes of which no one has before seen…a magic that could end the wars, and perhaps save them all from an even greater danger that lurks just out of sight.
Before the Devil Knows You’re Here by Autumn Krause
In 1836 Wisconsin, Catalina lives with her father and brother in desperate conditions at the edge of the woods. Then her father dies of a sudden illness, and the Man of Sap, a strange figure with leaves growing from his head and sap dripping from his eyes, abducts her brother. Determined and with nothing else to lose, Catalina takes her father’s knife and embarks on a journey to get her brother back.
See you, space pirates. If you’d like to know more about my secret plans to dominate the seas and skies, you can catch me over at my personal site.