October is finally here, which can only mean one thing…it’s time for some spooky reads!
This month is awash with both seasonally appropriate and yearlong delights, from a surprise new novel from Jeff VanderMeer to plenty of debuts and long-awaited returns! There are plenty of ways to celebrate the start of fall, so why not start with these 12 must-read books?
American Scary: A History of Horror, from Salem to Stephen King and Beyond
By Jeremy Dauber
Algonquin Books
There’s no better way to get in the Halloween spirit than reading American Scary, a comprehensive and continuously compelling exploration of our national obsession with horror and the legacy of the genre. Columbia professor Jeremy Dauber takes readers on a haunted history lesson for the ages, from the Salem witch trials and enslaved-person narratives to the champions of the form including Shirley Jackson, Jordan Peele, and Stephen King. American Scary is sure to deepen your love for the horror genre or give you the push you need to begin to indulge in the terrifying delights.
Absolution
By Jeff VanderMeer
MCD
It came as a surprise to everyone when Jeff VanderMeer announced that he would be releasing a fourth volume in his famed Southern Reach series. For years, fans of his surreal, eco-horror storytelling have been captivated by the ever-shifting world of Area X, so to say that Absolution is a treat would be an understatement. To put it simply, Absolution is VanderMeer unleashed: weird, disorienting, and filled with humor and heartbreak, this new entry into the Southern Reach series will both answer questions and leave you satisfied for the wild ride he took you on.
Brutal Companion
By Ruben Quesada
Barrow Street Press
Our team is always delighted to read the poetry of Ruben Quesada, so it’s cause for celebration that he’s releasing a new collection in October. Brutal Companion is a dazzling ode to longing that finds beauty in the slightest movements to the grandest panoramas. Some of the most captivating entries are the quietest, in which the speaker’s gazes upon the flowers in his mother’s backyard and becomes transported in her story and impact on their life. If you are even remotely a lover of poetry, be sure to pick up Brutal Companion.
Season of the Swamp
By Yuri Herrera
Graywolf Press
Perhaps one of my most gripping reading experiences in recent memory was when I first encountered Yuri Herrera’s Signs Preceding the End of the World, so I certainly have his latest release marked on my calendar. Season of the Swamp follows exile Benito Juárez who arrives in New Orleans in 1853, marking the beginning of his path toward becoming the first indigenous head of state in the postcolonial Americas. Accompanied by a small group of fellow exiles who plot the overthrow of the Mexican dictatorship, the novel fills the gaps in the historical record of this consequential man. Season of the Swamp is a perfect example of historical fiction at its best.
The Braille Encyclopedia: Brief Essays on Altered Sight
By Naomi Cohn
Rose Metal Press
In The Braille Encyclopedia, Naomi Cohn provides a poignant look into progressive vision loss and the way society views disability. Told in a series of imagined alphabetical encyclopedia entries, this unforgettable essay collection refuses to be categorized or ignored. Part memoir and part historical and medical research, The Braille Encyclopedia is a work that needs to exist in the world, written by a generous and insightful writer.
The Adventures of Cancer Bitch
By S.L. Wisenberg
Tortoise Books
Chicago author S.L. Wisenberg brings the humor and the righteous rage in this exploration about the expected rites of breast cancer—from diagnosis and surgery to chemotherapy. Wisenberg’s wit is on full display in The Adventures of Cancer Bitch, as she takes aim at the frustrating elements of the treatment cycle such as the ad campaigns of cancer charities, inept medicals staffs, and the inequalities of the US healthcare system. Biting and memorable, The Adventures of Cancer Bitch is a can’t-miss.
Dogs and Monsters
By Mark Haddon
Doubleday Books
It’s been a while since we’ve been treated to a new book from Mark Haddon, author of critically-acclaimed novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. In Dogs and Monsters, he reimagines the classic Greek myths to fascinating ends, while other stories play upon modern mythic tropes such as genetic engineering and the attempt to escape the future. Haddon is a deeply empathetic author, and his love and interest shine through in this latest story collection.
The Coiled Serpent
By Camilla Grudova
Unnamed Press
A custard factory explosion reveals shocking ramifications for a small community. A cursed hotel for ailing girls welcomes a new guest whose period has mysteriously stopped. A book promises three young men enlightenment if they restrain from their most primal urges. These are the explosive and surreal stories of The Coiled Serpent, Camilla Grudova’s latest revelation and 2024 Dylan Thomas Prize longlisted work. With shades of Ottessa Moshfegh, this collection lays bare the absurdities of old-world Britain and modern late-stage capitalism.
Ripcord
By Nate Lippens
Semiotext(e)
It goes without saying that we can’t deny a Midwest story, and Nate Lippens’s Ripcord paints a vivid portrait of the region. Stuck in Milwaukee, the narrator cobbles together the bare minimum to survive by bartending and catering weddings while becoming enmeshed in a semi-affair with a younger, married man. Desperate for intimacy and a way out of his cycle of solitude, he turns to his friend Charlie, an aging punk from the 1990s Chicago queercore scene, and Greer, a painter who is trying to break through in the art world. Ripcord is a prosaic masterwork, exploring the desire for escape and connection with an unflinching gaze at the American Midwest.
Roman Year: A Memoir
By André Aciman
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
In his latest memoir, André Aciman delivers all the notes of his bestselling novel Call My By Your Name and deep introspection about his family’s first days in Rome after being expelled from Egypt. Exploring the ripples of his family’s struggles to make a life in a new city, Roman Year is a moving love story about a transitory home he found and the memories that lingered with him long after his family moved on across the ocean.
Masquerade
By Mike Fu
Tin House Books
When Meadow Liu is house-sitting for his friend, artist Selma Shimizu, he stumbles upon The Masquerade, a translated novel about a masked ball in 1930s Shanghai. But perhaps most interesting is that the author’s name is the same as Meadow’s own in Chinese. This coincidence sparks a series of strange occurrences, which begin to blur the boundaries of what’s real and imagined. Mike Fu’s debut does an excellent job at putting readers on their back foot, making for a surreal journey into the strangeness and beauty of youth.
Annihilation
By Michel Houellebecq
Translated from the French by Shaun Whiteside
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
It’s 2027 and France is in a state of economic decline and moral decay. Welcome to the world of Annihilation, in which a country on the edge becomes further unstabled when a series of cyberattacks showing videos of brutal decapitations plunges the presidential race into chaos. Michel Houellebecq has crafted a thrilling and terrifying look into social instability and the lives it puts at risk.
