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Week of October 2, 2023

Paperback releases for the week of October 2nd include John Irving's long-awaited 15th novel, THE LAST CHAIRLIFT, which is part ghost story and part love story, and spans eight decades of sexual politics; THE LAST KINGDOM, Steve Berry's 17th Cotton Malone adventure, in which the discovery of a lost historical document challenges the global might of the United States; THE HERO OF THIS BOOK, a taut, groundbreaking novel from Elizabeth McCracken about a writer’s relationship with her larger-than-life mother --- and about the very nature of writing, memory and art; UNMASKED, a fascinating memoir by Paul Holes, a retired cold case investigator who is perhaps best known for tracking down the Golden State Killer; DOWN AND OUT IN PARADISE by Charles Leerhsen, the unauthorized biography of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, which is based on extensive interviews with those who knew the real story; and the paperback original ONE LAST KILL, a nerve-shattering thriller from Robert Dugoni that finds homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite drawing a long-dormant serial killer out of hiding.

October 2023

October's Books on Screen roundup includes the series premiere of "Lessons in Chemistry" on Apple TV+; the films Killers of the Flower Moon, Desperation Road and Foe in theaters, along with Pet Sematary: Bloodlines on Paramount+ and The Pigeon Tunnel on Apple TV+; the season premiere of "Bosch: Legacy" on Amazon Freevee; the season finales of "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon" on AMC, "The Wheel of Time" on Amazon Prime Video, and "When Calls the Heart" on Hallmark Channel; the continuation of "The Morning Show" on Apple TV+; and the DVD releases of The Boogeyman, Blue Beetle and Shortcomings.

October 3, 2023

In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of October 2nd and October 9th that we think will be of interest to Bookreporter.com readers, along with Bonus News, where we call out a contest, feature or review that we want to let you know about so you have it on your radar.

This week, we are calling attention to our Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks feature for October, which includes Indie Next, LibraryReads, the Barnes & Noble Book Club, Reese's Book Club, the "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club, the "Good Morning America" Book Club, and more.

Links to https://tbrnetwork.com/podcasts/bookreporter-talks-to/bookaccino-live-book-group-with-alice-elliott-dark/.

Anne Enright, author of The Wren, the Wren

Nell McDaragh never knew her grandfather, the celebrated Irish poet Phil McDaragh. But his love poems seem to speak directly to her. Restless and wryly self-assured, at 22 Nell leaves her mother Carmel’s orderly home to find her own voice as a writer. As she chases obsessive love, damage and transcendence, her grandfather’s poetry seems to guide her home. Carmel knows the magic of her Daddo’s poetry too well. In his poems to her, Phil envisions his daughter as a bright-eyed wren ascending in escape from his hand. But it is Phil who departs, abandoning his wife and two young daughters. Carmel struggles to reconcile “the poet” with the father whose desertion scars her life, along with that of her fiercely dutiful sister and their gentle, cancer-ridden mother.

Jayne Anne Phillips, author of Night Watch

In 1874, in the wake of the War, erasure, trauma and namelessness haunt civilians and veterans, renegades and wanderers, freedmen and runaways. Twelve-year-old ConaLee, the adult in her family for as long as she can remember, finds herself on a buckboard journey with her mother, Eliza, who hasn’t spoken in more than a year. They arrive at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia, delivered to the hospital’s entrance by a war veteran who has forced himself into their world. There, far from family, a beloved neighbor, and the mountain home they knew, they try to reclaim their lives. They get swept up in the life of the facility --- the mysterious man they call the Night Watch; the orphan child called Weed; the fearsome woman who runs the kitchen; and the remarkable doctor at the head of the institution.

Donna Leon, author of Wandering Through Life: A Memoir

In a series of vignettes full of affection, irony and good humor, Donna Leon narrates a remarkable life she feels has rather more happened to her than been planned. Having recently celebrated her 80th birthday, Leon poignantly confronts the dual challenges and pleasures of aging. Complete with a brief letter dissuading those hoping to meet Guido Brunetti at the Questura, and always suffused with music, food and her sharp sense of humor, WANDERING THROUGH LIFE offers Donna Leon at her most personal.

Loren Grush, author of The Six: The Extraordinary Story of the Grit and Daring of America's First Women Astronauts

When NASA sent astronauts to the moon in the 1960s and 1970s, the agency excluded women from the corps, arguing that only military test pilots --- a group then made up exclusively of men --- had the right stuff. Eventually, though, NASA recognized its blunder and opened the application process to a wider array of hopefuls, regardless of race or gender. From a candidate pool of 8,000, six elite women were selected in 1978: Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid and Rhea Seddon. In THE SIX, acclaimed journalist Loren Grush shows these brilliant and courageous women enduring claustrophobic --- and sometimes deeply sexist --- media attention, undergoing rigorous survival training, and preparing for years to take multi-million-dollar payloads into orbit.

Richard Osman, author of The Last Devil to Die: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery

It's rarely a quiet day for the Thursday Murder Club. Shocking news reaches them --- an old friend has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing. The gang's search leads them into the antiques business, where the tricks of the trade are as old as the objects themselves. As they encounter drug dealers, art forgers and online fraudsters --- as well as heartache close to home --- Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim have no idea whom to trust. With the body count rising, the clock ticking down, and trouble firmly on their tail, has their luck finally run out? And who will be the last devil to die?

Thrity Umrigar, author of The Museum of Failures

When Remy Wadia left India for the United States, he carried his resentment of his cold and inscrutable mother with him and has kept his distance from her. Years later, he returns to Bombay, planning to adopt a baby from a young pregnant girl --- and to see his elderly mother again before it is too late. She is in the hospital, has stopped talking, and seems to have given up on life. Struck with guilt for not realizing just how ill she had become, Remy devotes himself to helping her recover and return home. But one day in her apartment, he comes upon an old photograph that demands explanation. As shocking family secrets surface, Remy finds himself reevaluating his entire childhood and his relationship to his parents, just as he is on the cusp of becoming a parent himself.

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