Top new literary-fiction books in October 2024
Last updated:
October 31, 2024
October 2024 featuring new releases by Paula Hawkins, Louise Erdrich, Sophie Kinsella, Lynda Cohen Loigman, Susanna Clarke, Victoria Sawdon, Marybeth Mayhew Whalen, Susan Rieger, Kathleen Glasgow, Neal Stephenson, Danielle Trussoni and many more.
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The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins
The spellbinding new novel from the internationally bestselling author of The Girl on the Train.An isolated Scottish island, accessible to the mainland only twelve hours a day. A famous (some might say infamous) artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared after visiting her twenty years ago... -
![The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich]()
The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich
In this stunning novel, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award–winning author Louise Erdrich tells a story of love, natural forces, spiritual yearnings, and the tragic impact of uncontrollable circumstances on ordinary people’s lives.History is a flood. The mighty red . . .In Argus, North Dakota, a collection of people revolve around a fraught wedding... -
![What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella]()
What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella
From #1 bestselling author Sophie Kinsella, an unforgettable story—by turns heartbreaking and life-affirming—of a renowned novelist facing a devastating diagnosis and learning to live and love anew.“The bravest book you’ll read all year.”—Jodi Picoult “What Does It Feel Like? is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. Eve’s story is my story...romance · fiction · womens-fiction · contemporary · literary-fiction · grief · family · female-mc · book · adult -
![The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman]()
The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern by Lynda Cohen Loigman
It's never too late for new beginnings.On the cusp of turning eighty, newly retired pharmacist Augusta Stern is adrift. When she relocates to Rallentando Springs—an active senior community in southern Florida—she unexpectedly crosses paths with Irving Rivkin, the delivery boy from her father’s old pharmacy—and the man who broke her heart sixty years earlier...north-america · usa · florida · urban · new-york-state · romance · historical-fiction · fiction · magical-realism · fantasy -
![The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke, Victoria Sawdon]()
The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke, Victoria Sawdon
'A church is a sort of wood. A wood is a sort of church. They're the same thing really.'Nineteen-year-old Merowdis Scott is an unusual girl. She can talk to animals and trees—and she is only ever happy when she is walking in the woods.One snowy afternoon, out with her dogs and Apple the pig, Merowdis encounters a blackbird and a fox...fantasy · fiction · magical-realism · audiobook · animals · season-winter · historical · historical-fiction · outdoors · magic -
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![Every Moment Since: A Novel by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen]()
Every Moment Since: A Novel by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
A small Southern town. An ordinary Saturday night. A little boy disappears without a trace.Everyone in Wynotte, North Carolina, knows the name Davy Malcor. Knows the video clip of him juggling four balls, "All at the very same time!" Knows the Marty McFly jacket his mother made for his birthday that he wore proudly, and often...mystery · fiction · audiobook · contemporary · womens-fiction · suspense · crime · grief · thriller · family -
![Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger]()
Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger
An enthralling novel about three generations of strong-willed women, unknowingly shaped by the secrets buried in their family’s past.Detroit, 1960. Lila Pereira is two years old when her angry, abusive father has her mother committed to an asylum. Lila never sees her mother again...fiction · historical-fiction · literary-fiction · contemporary · mystery · family · audiobook · drama · feminism · friendship -
![The Glass Girl by Kathleen Glasgow]()
The Glass Girl by Kathleen Glasgow
Everyone in fifteen-year-old Bella’s life needs something from her. Her mom needs her to help around the house; her dad needs her to not make waves; her ex needs her to not be so much. The only person who never needed anything from her was her grandmother—and now she’s dead.There’s only one thing that dulls the pressure: alcohol...young-adult · mental-illness · fiction · contemporary · audiobook · realistic · dark · psychological · family · substance-abuse -
![Polostan by Neal Stephenson]()
Polostan by Neal Stephenson
The first installment in Neal Stephenson’s three-part Bomb Light cycle, Polostan follows the early life of the enigmatic Dawn Rae Bjornberg. Born in the American West to a clan of cowboy anarchists, Dawn is raised in Leningrad after the Russian Revolution by her Russian father, a party line Leninist who re-christens her Aurora...fiction · historical-fiction · sci-fi · historical · audiobook · fantasy · espionage · 20th-century · politics · mystery -
![The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni]()
The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni
It is the Year of the Wood Dragon, and the ingenious Mike Brink has been invited to Tokyo, Japan to open the legendary Dragon Box, a mysterious nineteenth-century puzzle that has remained unsolved for over 150 years.The box was constructed during one of Japan’s most tumultuous periods, when the samurai class was disbanded and the shogun lost power...mystery · fiction · serial-killers · sci-fi · audiobook · suspense · supernatural · horror · psychological · female-mc -
![Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer]()
Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer
Ten years after the publication of Annihilation, the surprise fourth volume in Jeff VanderMeer’s blockbuster Southern Reach Trilogy.When the Southern Reach Trilogy was first published a decade ago, it was an instant sensation, celebrated in a front-page New York Times story before publication, hailed by Stephen King and many others... -
![Right Hand by Natalie Zina Walschots]()
Right Hand by Natalie Zina Walschots
The Boys meets Starter Villain and Assistant to the Villain in Natalie Zina Walschots’s electrifying, sharp, violent, and hilarious sequel to the highly acclaimed novel, Hench, in which the Auditor must confront the near-impossible in order to right the many wrongs in the superhuman industry…or cause more of them. She’s not picky...fantasy · fiction · super-powered · lgbtq · literary-fiction · romance · action-adventure · horror · female-mc · book -
![Women's Hotel by Daniel M. Lavery]()
Women's Hotel by Daniel M. Lavery
From the New York Times bestselling author and advice columnist, a poignant and funny debut novel about the residents of a women’s hotel in 1960s New York City.The Beidermeier might be several rungs lower on the ladder than the real-life Barbizon, but its residents manage to occupy one another nonetheless...historical-fiction · fiction · literary-fiction · humor · historical · lgbtq · wlw · comedy · politics · urban -
![The Book of George by Kate Greathead]()
The Book of George by Kate Greathead
From the author of the critically acclaimed Laura & Emma comes a The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. for our times: Kate Greathead's razor-sharp but big-hearted excavation of millennial masculinity, The Book of George.If you haven’t had the misfortune of dating a George, you know someone who has...fiction · romantic-love · 21st-century · 20th-century · travel · satire · humor · literary-fiction · historical · book -
![Blood Test: A Comedy by Charles Baxter]()
Blood Test: A Comedy by Charles Baxter
From the winner of the PEN/Malamud Award and “one of our most gifted writers” (Chicago Tribune) comes a comic novel about a divorced Midwestern dad who takes a cutting-edge medical test and learns that he has a predisposition to murder... -
![Dear Eliza by Andrea J. Stein]()
Dear Eliza by Andrea J. Stein
Ten years after her mother’s death, Eliza Levinger never imagined she’d hear from her again. But then The Letter arrived. Eliza’s world broke apart when she was sixteen and her mom died of cancer...romance · fiction · contemporary · family · womens-fiction · audiobook · literary-fiction · slow-burn · friends-to-lovers · grief -
![The Masks She Wore: A Secret Society dark romance by H.G. Johnston]()
The Masks She Wore: A Secret Society dark romance by H.G. Johnston
Jack Ashrin is the son of Malachi Adler, one of the most prolific criminal masterminds in the world.His rules were get an assignment, get it done, move on.That was until a manilla envelope from an anonymous source fell on Malachi’s desk with a new name.No details.No reason.Just a name.It should have been easy, but when Jack found out the truth about his new target, his interest grew...grumpy-sunshine · cheerful-mc · grumpy-mc · gothic · enemies-to-lovers · dark · romance · psychological · steamy · literary-fiction -
![Pride and Prejudice in Space by Alexis Lampley]()
Pride and Prejudice in Space by Alexis Lampley
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is arguably the forerunner of all romantic comedies and certainly one of her most popular and irreverent works...romance · sci-fi · retellings · fiction · space · classics · fantasy · feminism · literary-fiction · time-travel -
![The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister]()
The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister
In this atmospheric Appalachian gothic, the Haddesley siblings of West Virginia must unearth long-buried secrets to carve out a future when the supernatural bargain entwining their fate with their ancestral land is suddenly rupturedSince time immemorial, the Haddesley family has tended the cranberry bog. In exchange, the bog sustains them...horror · gothic · fiction · fantasy · literary-fiction · folk-horror · rural · southern-gothic · family · supernatural -
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![Eight Nights to Win Her Heart by Miri White]()
Eight Nights to Win Her Heart by Miri White
Bask in the warm glow of the menorah in this debut Jewish rom-com featuring a hard of hearing hero and a Chanukah meet-cute.Andie Williams is not looking forward to spending her first Chanukah alone after her father’s death. About to lose her job, with her only prospect for another work opportunity across the country, she could use some chutzpah to make it through the eight nights alone...romance · fiction · season-winter · contemporary · humor · holidays · literary-fiction · book · adult -
![Somewhere Along The Line by Mallory Thomas]()
Somewhere Along The Line by Mallory Thomas
Their marriage of convenience was supposed to exist on paper. Can these strangers act convincingly in love when the pressure’s on?Piper Paulson’s life is finally on the upswing. She has a new job, a BFF roommate, and a commitment to avoid dating after an ex cost her her peace—and her former career. She may not have two nickels to spare, but that’s another day’s problem... -
![The Lost Apprentice by Tara O’Toole]()
The Lost Apprentice by Tara O’Toole
FÁILTE TO THE SOSFiadh Whelan should be over the moon. After months spent burning the midnight oil, at twenty-three years of age, everything she’s worked hard to achieve is finally within her grasp. Incredibly, she has her pick of prestigious apprenticeships. But when her beloved cousin goes missing, Fiadh’s world falls apart...fantasy · female-author · fiction · literary-fiction · urban-fantasy · romance · contemporary · paranormal · book · adult -
![How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? by Anna Montague]()
How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? by Anna Montague
For fans of Less and Remarkably Bright Creatures comes a funny and moving novel about love, loss, and new beginnings found on an unlikely road tripMost days, Magda is fine. She has her routines. She has her anxious therapy patients, who depend on her to cure their bad habits. She has her longtime colleagues, whose playful bickering she mediates...fiction · lgbtq · audiobook · contemporary · grief · friendship · realistic · family · female-mc · literary-fiction
