Now that the outside temperatures are reflecting the season, pumpkins and apples are filling my kitchen, and beautifully cozy photos have taken over my Instagram feed, I’m feeling like a reader again. September ended on a good reading note, so that has a little to do with this feeling too, I suppose.

Books On My Radar

From My Shelves (Physical + Electronic)

The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica
- I’m currently on page 80 of this murder mystery set on a Maine island, and it has definitely hooked me. A coworker loaned it to me after we were talking about mystery books, and I’ll definitely be taking more of her recommendations.

Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to small-town Maine when their neighbor, Morgan Baines, is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie, who is terrified by the thought of a killer in her very own backyard.

But it’s not just Morgan’s death that has Sadie on edge. It’s their eerie old home, with its decrepit decor and creepy attic, which they inherited from Will’s sister after she died unexpectedly. It’s Will’s disturbed teenage niece Imogen, with her dark and threatening presence. And it’s the troubling past that continues to wear at the seams of their family.

As the eyes of suspicion turn toward the new family in town, Sadie is drawn deeper into the mystery of Morgan’s death. But Sadie must be careful, for the more she discovers about Mrs. Baines, the more she begins to realize just how much she has to lose if the truth ever comes to light.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
- My book club selected this for our October read, and I’ve been listening to the audiobook before rereading the physical copy. I have about three hours left to listen, which I’m hoping to finish over the course of this week’s commute time.

1939. Europe teeters on the brink of war. Ten strangers are invited to Soldier Island, an isolated rock near the Devon coast. Cut off from the mainland, with their generous hosts Mr and Mrs U.N. Owen mysteriously absent, they are each accused of a terrible crime. When one of the party dies suddenly they realise they may be harbouring a murderer among their number.

The tension escalates as the survivors realise the killer is not only among them but is preparing to strike again… and again…

Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu
- It wouldn’t be an October reading list without some Gothic fiction. This novella is one of the earliest works of vampire fiction (pre-Dracula), and I happened upon it while browsing one of my local bookstores. A win all around.
  - If you are in the US (restrictions may apply outside the US), you can read the Carmilla ebook for free via Project Gutenberg.

In an isolated castle deep in the Austrian forest, Laura leads a solitary life with only her ailing father for company. Until one moonlit night, a horse-drawn carriage crashes into view, carrying an unexpected guest – the beautiful Carmilla. So begins a feverish friendship between Laura and her mysterious, entrancing companion.

But as Carmilla becomes increasingly strange and volatile, prone to eerie nocturnal wanderings, Laura finds herself tormented by nightmares and growing weaker by the day…

When the Crow’s Away (Evenfall Witches B&B Mystery #2) by Auralee Wallace
- I finally ordered this, so while it’s currently not physically on my shelves, it will be soon. I read the first book last year and loved it – I recommend it if you like spooky, witchy, and small town mysteries.

When a guest dies in the B&B she helps her aunts run, a young witch must rely on some good old-fashioned investigating to clear her aunt’s name in this magical and charming new cozy mystery.

For four hundred years, the Warren witches have used their magic to quietly help the citizens of the sleepy New England town of Evenfall thrive. There’s never been a problem they couldn’t handle. But then Constance Graves–a local known for being argumentative and demanding–dies while staying at the bed and breakfast Brynn Warren maintains with her aunts. At first, it seems like an accident…but it soon becomes clear that there’s something more sinister at work, and Aunt Nora is shaping up to be the prime suspect.

There’s nothing Brynn wants more than to prove Nora’s innocence, and it hurts her to know that even two years ago that might have been easier. Brynn, after all, is a witch of the dead–a witch who can commune with ghosts. Ghosts never remember much about their deaths, but Constance might remember something about her life that would help crack the case. But Brynn hasn’t used her powers since her husband died, and isn’t even sure she still can. Brynn will just have to hope that her aunts’ magic and her own investigative skills will lead her to answers–and maybe back to the gift she once thought herself ready to give up forever.

Library Books

The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson
Moon Over SoHo by Ben Aaronovitch
Dessert Can Save the World by Christina Tosi

Reading Challenges

I’ve really neglected my Classics Club Reading List this year. I may need to print out a copy of it to post on the wall next to my computer so I can actually attend to it…

And that does it for my October Reading Preview. If you are interested in seeing which books I end up reading throughout the rest of the month, keep an eye out for my WWW Wednesday posts, follow me on Instagram, or find me on The StoryGraph. I would also love to know which books, reading challenges, or other bookish topics you are excited about this month—feel free to share in the comments!

Happy reading!