It’s time for my favorite monthly guessing game: October BOTM predictions! October is always one of the more fun months to predict because I’m hoping BOTM leans into a few spooky, atmospheric, or mysterious reads while still giving us the usual mix of romance, historical fiction, and contemporary fiction. There are so many good October releases this year that narrowing these down was not easy, but I’ve pulled together the books I think have the best chance of making an appearance. As always, these are just predictions and books I’d love to see picked. I could be completely wrong, but honestly, the anticipation and guessing is half the fun, right?!
Whether or not these are actually picks, only time will tell. Even if they are not all or most of these are on my October Most Anticipated New Releases list, which you can see HERE! When the picks are announced and you find you have space in your box still, make sure to also check out my most recent version of BOTM Add-On recommendations HERE!
Fall Most Anticipated List
September MOST ANTICIPATED LIST
October Most Anticipated List
BOTM ADD-ON GUIDE
Keep in mind that these are simply predictions and books I hope get chosen. I could get these completely wrong but the anticipated and guessing is part of the fun right?!
Mysteries & Thrillers
I feel pretty good about both of these as potential BOTM picks. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder has that very BOTM-friendly combination of mystery, romance, humor, and a holiday setting, with a billionaire heir, a childhood rival, a missing man, and a murder to solve. An Unlikely Visitor is a little quieter and more unusual, blending mystery and a ghost story with grief and the disappearance of a woman’s daughter.
Romance
Bad Words feels like a particularly strong contender to me. It’s a bookish enemies-to-lovers romance between an author and the literary critic who absolutely destroyed his debut and then finds herself reviewing his next book. A romance about books, authors, reviews, and publishing? You already know I’m interested. Once, Again, Always is a second-chance romance with a fun twist: Molly wakes up after an accident with no memory of the past six years and discovers that she apparently married the man she used to hate. Both feel very much like books BOTM could slot into the romance category.
Historical Fiction
Historical fiction was very easy to fill this month because there are some seriously buzzy releases coming. The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford takes us to 1920s Oklahoma, where the death of an infamous moonshiner leaves four wives and plenty of secrets in its wake. Whale Harbor is a sweeping multigenerational family saga following eleven brothers across Ireland, England, Montana, and New York. Then there’s Peck & Peck, Bonnie Garmus’s highly anticipated follow-up to Lessons in Chemistry, set in the chaotic world of a prestigious New York poetry journal in the early 1980s. And Queen of Lombard Street gives us Victorian London, a brilliant female economist, an undercover detective, financial intrigue, and romance.
Science Fiction & Fantasy
I had a harder time narrowing down this category, but there are some fun possibilities. Life Out of Order is Audrey Niffenegger’s new novel about two great loves, a life that refuses to stay in order, and a world in chaos, so obviously that one caught my attention. The Memory of Borrowed Books also feels very BOTM, with its magical library premise, while The Bookshop Book gives us fantasy and books-about-books, which is basically catnip for me.
This is probably my biggest wildcard category, but October feels like a month where BOTM could surprise us with something a little magical.
Contemporary & Literary Fiction
I’m keeping this category a little smaller because these are the two that really stand out to me. The Brightness is Chad Harbach’s long-awaited follow-up to The Art of Fielding, following friendship, love, art, grief, and the messy transition into adulthood. Fair Ones is a slightly more unconventional pick, following two Brooklyn women in their forties as they deal with the sudden death of their friend, new relationships, old secrets, and the complicated realities of friendship. Both have that character-driven, discussion-worthy quality that makes me think BOTM could be interested.
I hope you found a book that you are truly excited about in this post. Let me know which other new releases you are excited for this month or that you’re hoping are BOTM picks, by commenting below or by messaging me on Instagram @speakingof_books. Don’t forget to follow me to get weekly updates and new reviews!
Happy Reading!
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