Why does it seem like allll the good books are coming out in October this year?

Seriously, my most anticipated reads of the year— in some cases, books I’ve been waiting on for several years— are all coming out like, this week. Two have already arrived wrapped in their bright and shiny dust jackets and are sitting on my coffee table beckoning to me while I finish rereading a beloved series.

(Something about pregnancy has me returning to old faves rather than starting new books… maybe because I need the comfort? Or because it’s been awhile since I’ve really loved something new? I’m not sure.)

In no particular order, the lovely hardcovers that have arrived or are soon to arrive at my apartment this month are:

The Witch Elm by Tana French — Okay, this one’s my MOST anticipated because she’s my favorite writer of all time. I expect another beautifully written Irish crime thriller in the vein of this and this and this. From Goodreads:

Toby is a happy-go-lucky charmer who’s dodged a scrape at work and is celebrating with friends when the night takes a turn that will change his life: he surprises two burglars who beat him and leave him for dead. Struggling to recover from his injuries, beginning to understand that he might never be the same man again, he takes refuge at his family’s ancestral home to care for his dying uncle Hugo. Then a skull is found in the trunk of an elm tree in the garden – and as detectives close in, Toby is forced to face the possibility that his past may not be what he has always believed.

The Witch Elm asks what we become, and what we’re capable of, when we no longer know who we are.

But honestly, the book description doesn’t matter to me, because I would read this woman’s grocery lists. She’s that good.

Vengeful by VE Schwab — another gorgeous writer. You have to read Vicious first, because this is a sequel, but trust me, you WANT to read that book. (Here’s a brief review of it, and there’s a longer review of her other series here.) Vicious was my favorite of her books. So odd and beautiful and dark and well, vicious. These books are about 2 college roommates who figure out how to acquire superpowers and become arch-nemeses. From Goodreads:

Sydney once had Serena—beloved sister, betrayed enemy, powerful ally. But now she is alone, except for her thrice-dead dog, Dol, and then there’s Victor, who thinks Sydney doesn’t know about his most recent act of vengeance.

Victor himself is under the radar these days—being buried and re-animated can strike concern even if one has superhuman powers. But despite his own worries, his anger remains. And Eli Ever still has yet to pay for the evil he has done.

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor — Another sequel, this one to Strange the Dreamer, maybe the best fantasy I read last year. (I reviewed it here.) Laini Taylor writes such beautiful, amazing fantasy with morally gray characters on both sides. I’m not copying the Goodreads description because there are spoilers in it if you haven’t read the first book, so go pick up that one and then go get this one. I can’t WAIT to see how this story ends.

Broken Things by Lauren Oliver — Another of my favorite writers! I review some of her other books here and here and here. Her books are lyrical and unputdownable and this thriller promises to be the same. From Goodreads:

It’s been five years since Summer Marks was brutally murdered in the woods. 

Everyone thinks Mia and Brynn killed their best friend. That driven by their obsession with a novel called The Way into Lovelorn the three girls had imagined themselves into the magical world where their fantasies became twisted, even deadly.

The only thing is: they didn’t do it. 

On the anniversary of Summer’s death, a seemingly insignificant discovery resurrects the mystery and pulls Mia and Brynn back together once again. But as the lines begin to blur between past and present and fiction and reality, the girls must confront what really happened in the woods all those years ago—no matter how monstrous.

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak — He wrote The Book Thief, one of my favorite books of all time, and so of course I’m going to pick up the first book he’s written in about 10 years. I just love his writing style so much. The description from Goodreads:

The breathtaking story of five brothers who bring each other up in a world run by their own rules. As the Dunbar boys love and fight and learn to reckon with the adult world, they discover the moving secret behind their father’s disappearance.

At the center of the Dunbar family is Clay, a boy who will build a bridge—for his family, for his past, for greatness, for his sins, for a miracle.

The question is, how far is Clay willing to go? And how much can he overcome?

All of this on top of the 20 or so books I already own that I haven’t read yet! I feel like it’s my birthday. (Which it is, in 2 weeks.) Either that or the book universe (bookverse?) knew I’d be 8 months pregnant this month and in need of distracting myself from dwelling on all the worries that come along with childbirth (and the parts that come after.)

What are you reading this fall? Any of these on your list? Let me know!

Photo by Brandi Redd on Unsplash