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UK Book Releases: October
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October is the month that autumn reading comes into its own — darker evenings, bigger books, and a packed release calendar to match. From major new novels by Barbara Kingsolver and Elif Shafak to thrillers, fantasy, and more, there’s plenty worth clearing space for.
Your TBR isn’t going to fill itself — here’s where we think you should start.
The Siren — Tomi Adeyemi — 1 October
When Emery arrives at Dartmouth determined to leave her troubled past behind, she’s quickly drawn to the glamorous Roux and her close-knit circle of “sirens.” But beneath their intoxicating world lies a dark and dangerous power—and Emery soon decides she wants it for herself, whatever the cost.
The Weight of Angels — John Boyne — 1 October
In 1895, Oscar Wilde made the fateful decision to sue the Marquess of Queensberry for libel, setting in motion the scandal and imprisonment that destroyed his life. Boyne imagines another path: what might have happened if Wilde had simply walked away, in an ambitious alternative history spanning seven decades.
The Witch — Freida McFadden — 6 October
After losing her job and apartment, Julia Barlow retreats to her family’s centuries-old Massachusetts estate—only to find the house plagued by strange disturbances and a dark history stretching back to the Salem witch trials. As buried family secrets begin to surface, Julia starts to wonder whether the women of Pemberton’s past are quite as dead as everyone believes.
Partita — Barbara Kingsolver — 8 October
Former piano prodigy Livia has long since settled into a quiet rural life when an unexpected phone call from an old love brings her abandoned musical ambitions and complicated past rushing back. Moving between Livia’s youth and middle age, Kingsolver explores grief, class, love and the paths a life might have taken.
In One Brief Moment All Eternity — Elif Shafak — 15 October
Elif Shafak reimagines the life of Madame Bovary author Gustave Flaubert through the voices of the women—both real and fictional—who shaped him. Spanning nineteenth-century France, Istanbul, Cairo and beyond, this inventive novel asks who gets remembered, who gets silenced and what stories can offer us in times of upheaval.
As You Wake, Break the Shell — Becky Chambers — 22 October
On the barely habitable planet Fortune, pilot Cora risks losing both her livelihood and her extraordinary bond with Colibri, the alien creature she pilots, when a dangerous condition threatens her life. Her only hope is Signy, a reclusive botanist whose bio-printed medicine could save her, drawing the two women into a tender story of risk, trust and community.
Peck & Peck — Bonnie Garmus — 27 October
Young poetry obsessive Batter Gray lands a job at Peck & Peck, New York’s most prestigious—and spectacularly dysfunctional—poetry journal, where thirty-nine eccentric editors take the written word very seriously indeed. Funny and heartfelt, Garmus’s follow-up to Lessons in Chemistry is a celebration of creativity, originality and the people willing to fight for art.
Public Access Afterworld — Jane Schoenbrun — 27 October
In 2009, two TV-obsessed teenagers become entangled in a mysterious pirate broadcast hidden in the static of America’s switch from analogue to digital television. Seventeen years later, their discovery connects to a trans content moderator and a strange realm lurking beyond our screens in Schoenbrun’s sprawling, reality-bending blend of horror, speculative fiction and conspiracy.
We hope you’ve found something that piques your interest! Let us know in the comments. And be sure to download the Novellic app to peruse all of our curated collections.
Happy reading, book friends!