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Forty in-depth reviews of travel series, spanning hikes in national parks to a perfect day in Positano. To help manage selection, we provide full bibliographic data for 533 individual titles that make up this series review, along with a downloadable spreadsheet of every title sortable by BISAC.
South Korean novelist Han Kang, best known for 2016’s Booker Prize–winning The Vegetarian, wins the Nobel Prize in literature. The shortlist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize is announced. BBC’s Between the Covers book club has revealed its books and guests for its eighth season, starting with Chris Whitaker’s All the Colors of the Dark. Winners of the New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards and Scholastic UK’s inaugural Graphic Novel Prize are announced. Created by Humans, a company that helps writers license their works for use by AI, has forged a partnership with the Authors Guild. Plus new title bestsellers.
Dolen Perkins-Valdez returns with a novel inspired by the real-life Kingdom of the Happy Land, Jennifer Weiner pens a story about sisters who form a pop supergroup, and Nancy Thayer offers another Nantucket-set novel.
Oprah picks From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley, with Riley Keough, for her book club. Publishers Weekly rounds up the rest of October’s book club picks. Finalists for the Governor General’s Literary Awards and the Wonderland Awards are announced. October’s Loanstars features top pick The Waiting by Michael Connelly. LibraryReads and LJ offer read-alikes for top holds title The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak. BBC will adapt Janice Hadlow’s The Other Bennet Sister, to be aired during the 30th anniversary of BBC’s classic Pride and Prejudice series. Plus, the latest on the Princess Diaries 3 film, based on the books by Meg Cabot.
Leong’s debut is a delightful cozy fantasy that will appeal to fans of Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree and A Pirate’s Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne.
The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.
Former librarian Terah Shelton Harris has been named Target’s author of the year; The Women by Kristin Hannah is book of the year. The Elgin Awards winners are announced. The 2024 Nobel prize in literature will be awarded this Thursday. From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir by Lisa Marie Presley with Riley Keough gets reviews and buzz. The Millions revisits Claudia Rankine’s Citizen 10 years after its publication. Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty will get a new series adaptation, courtesy of Nicole Kidman. Colleen Hoover’s Reminders of Him will be adapted for film. NYT looks at weeding in libraries. Plus, LJ announces a new partnership with the Libraries Lead podcast.
The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak leads holds this week. Also getting buzz are titles by Sophie Kinsella, Patricia Cornwell, Melania Trump, and James Patterson and Brian Sitts. Five LibraryReads and five Indie Next picks publish this week. The Millions releases “The Great Fall 2024 Book Preview.” Salman Rushdie announced he will publish a series of novellas, his first works of fiction since his stabbing in 2022. And novelist Robert Coover has died at the age of 92.
The finalists for the Cundill History Prize are announced, the winners of the Ned Kelly Award for Australian crime writing, the shortlist for the Endeavour Award for SFF by Pacific Northwest authors is announced, and the winners of the Rhysling Awards for speculative poetry are announced. The Garnett Girls by Georgina Moore wins an Isle of Wight Book Award. A federal judge has ordered an Arkansas library to stop segregating controversial books into special “social sections.”
The shortlist for the Goldsmiths Prize and the finalists for the Writers’ Trust of Canada Balsillie Prize for Public Policy are announced. Reese Witherspoon announces her first novel, a thriller cowritten with Harlan Coben and due out next fall. Plus, new title bestsellers and interviews with Ta-Nehisi Coates, Kate McKinnon, Lola Milholland, and Kate Conger and Ryan Mac.
It is game, set, and match as romances capture readers’ attention and provide swoony delights. Sports romances set pulses racing, romantasy rises, and moms star in rom-coms.
Jamie Wesley is the author of A Legend in the Baking, Fake It Till You Bake It, and the “One-on-One” series. When she’s not writing or reading romance, Jamie can be found watching TV, rooting for her favorite sports teams, or planning her next trip to Disney World. She talks with LJ about the appeal of romance, athletes as protagonists, and favorite tropes.
This fun, well-written adventure romance from Segura is unputdownable. Perfect for readers who enjoy a slow burn, witty banter, and plot twists and turns.
Readers who have been swept up in the cozy charm of Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee will fall hard for the mix of magical realism, fantasy mystery, and star-crossed romance in this novel.
The National Book Award Finalists are announced, as are the longlist for the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation and Audiofile’s October 2024 Earphones Award winners. The 2024 slate of MacArthur Fellows includes writers Ling Ma, Juan Felipe Herrera, Jason Reynolds, and Jericho Brown. Reese Witherspoon selects Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown for her October book club. The October book club pick for both Read with Jenna and B&N is The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich. According to NYT,Jimmy Carter, who turned 100 yesterday, is the most prolific author of all ex-presidents.
Bestselling Chuck Wendig returns with a tale of small-town scares and a mysterious staircase to nowhere, while S.A. Barnes offers more space horror; plus multiple terrifying debuts.
Juliette Cross launches a series featuring a dragon shapeshifter, Venessa Vida Kelley debuts with a historical romantasy about a Coney Island merman, and RuNyx offers a twist on the Hades and Persephone myth, set in a dark academia world.
Chef José Andrés shares life lessons, Admiral William H. McRaven offers advice, and Gretchen Rubin distills her insights into the secrets of adulthood.
Olivie Blake returns with the story of three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted siblings, and Nghi Vo continues the story of Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby from her acclaimed novel The Chosen and the Beautiful.
The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.
With intricate worldbuilding and a unique magic system, Robinson draws readers in and delivers a compelling debut that will captivate fans of Nicola Tyche’s North Queen.
Readers who have been swept up in the cozy charm of Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee will fall hard for the mix of magical realism, fantasy mystery, and star-crossed romance in this novel from Sotto Yambao (The Beginning of Always). Highly recommended.
Vaughn’s (Questland) historical fantasy captures both the science and the magic of the natural world, as well as 19th-century sexism. With a unique magic system and engrossing character arcs, this novel will speak to fantasy and lit fic readers alike.
Readers who found the struggle to communicate in Ray Nayler’s The Mountain in the Sea will enjoy the equally fraught miscommunications between the minarchs, the “stickmen,” and the humans, while fans of the classic Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Darmok” will find this to be a familiar and similarly complex and heartbreaking tale.
Highly recommended for readers who love mythological retellings like Madeline Miller’s Circe or those who enjoy tales of fierce women seizing control of their own destiny.
Will satisfy those looking for more momentum in the series’ central romance as well as fans compelled by the investigation. Second-act revelations will have readers clamoring for the next installment; those new to the series should begin with book one, Liar City.
This sequel to A River of Golden Bones carries forward its intriguing relationships and high-stakes adventures, along with exploring gender and race in a high-fantasy setting.
Lakshminarayan (The Ten Percent Thief) offers an engaging story that dives into themes about the appreciation of food, colonization, and xenophobia and features two morally gray queer women attempting to find their footing with each other.
Readers still reeling from the plummet off the edge of the cliff-hanger ending of the first book will be desperate to get their hands on this epic conclusion to the “Guardians of the Gods” duology, while those who have loved the African-inspired epic stories of lies, secrets, and powerful tricksters found in the works of Moses Ose Utomi and Nnedi Okorafor will be thrilled to add Ogundiran to their lists of must-reads.
Even as the character arcs pack emotional punches and the plot builds with intensity, the story is balanced with the humor and wry character introspection Klune (In the Lives of Puppets) is known for. Previously self-published, this reissued stand-alone only solidifies Klune’s reputation for skillful prose and worldbuilding.
Leong’s debut is a delightful cozy fantasy that will appeal to fans of Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree and A Pirate’s Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne.
Readers who love an old-fashioned heist story, anyone who loves witty, banter-driven romps, and those who have gotten caught up in SF/mystery stories, such as The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal or Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis, will love the fluffy but ultimately dangerous misdirection of this one.
The real history of the red-haired warrior queen is given new life in Cast’s (Out of the Dawn) well-told reimagining and worldbuilding, with prose that allows readers to see both a battle-hardened leader and a mother fighting for those she loves.
Searcy’s debut novel is a fun romp that will feel nostalgic to players of Dungeons & Dragons, as it seems to be the first adventure in a larger campaign. This will appeal to readers (teens and up) who love a good fantasy with a mix of humor and interesting worldbuilding.
This reference guide is an accessible addition to any undergraduate reading list, but it will be particularly useful for social sciences students. It is well-written, clearly structured, and easy to read and use.
A solid Pentecost and Parker installment, Spotswood’s newest title takes on another closed-door mystery to great effect. He balances the tension, the red herrings, and the clues well, and fans of the series will be in for a treat. Mystery readers in general would do well to place this series on their TBR lists to enjoy the twists and turns that make these titles a joy to read.
It might disappoint readers seeking a character-led story, but this novel speaks to budding foodies, who will appreciate the recipes and culinary setting, as well as readers who favor a neatly tied-up mystery.
Byrne’s sequel to Deadlock is a fast-paced, explosive thriller with a charming hero, Russian terrorists on U.S. soil, high-stakes money schemes, and a worthy opponent.
This entertaining sequel vividly depicts the IP-obsessed contemporary comic book world and its threats to comic artists, such as being replaced by artificial intelligence. It’s a compelling setting for Segura’s richly complicated characters, who make up for some clunkiness and contrivance in the plotting.
Connolly (A Sporting Season), known for romances, ably opens this new ro-mystery series, crafting a slow, charming, sweet fall and filling the case with details of baking, estate living, and reality TV filming.
The dialogue sparkles and the eccentric characters will delight readers. For fans of the movie Knives Out and those who zipped through Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Dial A for Aunties.
As much as Griffiths’s fans will be excited for this collection, mystery readers in general will enjoy these fun mystery and ghost stories. This is a strong purchase for mystery collections.
The follow-up to Hillbilly Hustle is vicious, violent rural noir, a story of warring Kentucky drug kingpins who are reminiscent of the Hatfields and McCoys. The language and violence will turn some off, but it may remind readers of S.A. Cosby’s novels, without the humor.
This atmospheric mystery from a pseudonymous novelist, actor, dramatist, and professor will appeal to readers who enjoy Southern or bookstore settings, quirky characters, and beautiful, descriptive writing.
Tipping her literary cap to Stephen King’s The Shining, Konen serves up a superbly crafted novel of suspense that will thrill and delight fans of Lucy Foley, Alice Feeney, and Sarah Pearse.
Readers may find this an unnecessarily complicated puzzle mystery with little real suspense and few memorable characters. The ending will be unanticipated, though perhaps too tricky to fall for.
Clark follows Fall with the third in the series featuring a complex Black police officer haunted by multiple violent deaths in her life. Characters are well-developed in this hard-hitting police procedural that examines justice, and who metes it out.
Cozies don’t often work when the author removes the amateur sleuth from their usual environment, but Gemma’s gang comes along to comfort series readers. Fans who traveled to London with the crew in There’s a Murder Afoot will enjoy the return.
Readers who enjoy stories about organized-crime families will appreciate this book. Give to fans of Five Families by Selwyn Raab and For the Sins of My Father by Albert DeMeo.
While this is largely a work of urban history, it will also appeal to readers interested in understanding the intersection of city, state, and federal policies (and funding).
Deliberately off the mainstream, this engaging collection of intellectual, approachable essays is both a good entry point for those readers unfamiliar with Graeber’s work as well as a worthwhile read for audiences who know his writing well.
Parr never overreaches or preaches. He doesn’t slight Malcolm’s rigidities but he enriches readers’ appreciation of one of the most influential spokespersons of a tumultuous age.
Commodore founders’ personalities are expertly presented in this recommended book that offers insight into how and why corporate and marketing decisions were made.
An intriguing perspective on a lesser-known case. This book proves that history can repeat itself in unexpected ways, and not everyone is eager to revisit the past.
The skillfully written familial dynamics and the success of Armfield’s previous novel, Our Wives Under the Sea, make this an easy purchase recommendation for most libraries.
Via breezy, engaging storytelling, Gu’s realist novel explores the roles of women, with protagonists who discuss parenting and work-life balance while contending with meeting social, cultural, and societal mores. Readers will eagerly follow this story through to see which couples, if any, succeed in meeting the concept behind this distinctive living situation. A good pick for book clubs.
At times a meditation on romance, reality vs. fantasy, ghosts, and the power of written words, this metaphysical novel examines the questionable value of timekeeping while thoroughly exploring unconditional love, self-imposed constraints, and deaths of one’s body and soul.
This well-written novel evokes other Hollywood-centric fictional biographies, such as Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Recommended for readers who enjoy a book that deals with human nature, relationships, heartache, and love; a bit of Hollywood glamour makes it even better.
This fantastical, spectacular, riveting tale is incredibly well-written, and it gives off a vibe that is fiercely intense and consuming. An existential detective thriller from an engaging writer and thinker.
A satirical look at the cultish nature of beauty and influencer mentality, Sathue’s debut deserves to be heard. Jackson’s narration pops and snaps the sharp dialogue and alliterative writing like bubblegum. Similarly disturbing tales about the dark side of the beauty industry are Ling Ling Huang’s Natural Beauty and Mona Awad’s Rouge.
This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a richly detailed historical mystery with a classic Christie-esque detective denouement. Recommended for fans of Nicola Upson, Fiona Davis, and Jessica Fellowes.
Despite the thought-provoking premise and outstanding narration, Shepherd’s choose-your-own-adventure novel is somewhat confusing in audio and may be better experienced in print.
Recommended for all libraries and for reflective listeners seeking tenderly depicted characters who tug at the heartstrings. Perfect for fans of Frances Maynard’s The Seven Rules of Elvira Carr.
Barnes crafts an oppressive space horror that’s equally a psychological and bodily nightmare, with Johnson’s narration providing additional layers of dread. Fans of the Alien film franchise will feel right at home with this title.
The fraught relationships, deeply held secrets, and mysteries of astrology might pique the interest of listeners seeking suspense about betrayal and revenge.