Wondering what to read now? Here are all the hot new October 2021 book releases for you. I’ll let you know what I’ve read, what I can’t wait to read, and what’s getting all the attention this month.
In case you’re new to Booklist Queen, every month I cover all the hottest new book releases. I try to read as many new book releases as I can to give you an honest perspective on what to read and what to skip.
However, I realize that my to-read list might not exactly match yours. That’s why, this year, I’ve decided to also include some of the most popular October 2021 book releases from your favorite authors.
Enough from me. Let’s get on to the October 2021 book releases so you can fill up your to-read list.
Top October 2021 Book Releases
The Lincoln Highway
Amor Towles
Read with Jenna Book Club Pick. After spending a year at a prison work farm for involuntary manslaughter, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson returns to his Nebraska hometown. With his mother gone and his father recently deceased, Emmett plans to pick up his eight-year-old brother and head West. But his plans are derailed when two friends from the work farm suddenly appear with a scheme of their own.
We Are Not Like Them
Christine Pride and Jo Piazza
Told from alternating perspectives, We Are Not Like Them tells of a friendship between two women, one white and one Black, that faces its ultimate test. Jen and Riley have been best friends since kindergarten but their lives have taken different directions lately – Jen pregnant with her first baby and Riley the first Black woman anchor at the local Philadelphia station. When Jen’s husband, a police officer, is part of a shooting of an unarmed Black teenager, Riley is assigned to cover the career-making story.
State of Terror
Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton teams up with acclaimed mystery novelist Louise Penny in one of the most-anticipated best new thriller books of Fall 2021. Years of American withdrawal from the world stage have left a power vacuum that its enemies have been more than happy to fill. After a series of terrorist attacks, novice Secretary of State Ellen Adams, under the administration of her rival, must unravel a deadly global conspiracy.
Crossroads
Jonathan Franzen
On a snowy Chicago day in December 1971, a family is at a crossroads as the parents contemplate divorce and each family member craves freedom that is threatened by the others. Russ and Marion Hildebrandt are tired of their joyless marriage and desperate to leave. As their children return home for Christmas – Clem, the college student full of moral absolutism; Becky, the homecoming queen turned counterculture hippie; and Perry, the drug-dealing high schooler sworn to be better – the complications of their interactions are told in a way only Jonathan Franzen can.
Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World
Benjamin Alire Sáenz
In Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, two boys fell in love in a border town. Now in the long-awaited sequel, Ari and Dante are in their senior year. Being with Dante has pushed Ari to make new friends and stand up to bullies. But a loss will force Ari to fight for the life he truly wants even if the world around him doesn’t understand.
Book of the Month – October 2021
Receiving my blue box from Book of the Month Club is a highlight of every month.
Here’s how it works – each month, they pick 5 books and you get to choose one book or skip until the next month. If you want to add any extra books, then you get them at a discounted price.
Each month is usually a mix of new releases and advance copies of unreleased books. If you are interested in joining, right now you can use my Book of the Month Club affiliate link to get your first book for $5!
The October Book of the Month selections are:
See the Complete List of Upcoming Releases!
Oprah Winfrey’s October 2021 Book Club Pick
Bewilderment
Richard Powers
Richard Powers, the author of the bestseller The Overstory, contemplates the world we are leaving for our children in his newest book release. As widowed astrobiologist Theo Byrne searches for life on other planets, he struggles with raising his nine-year son. Sweet nature-loving Robin is on the verge of being expelled from third grade. Robin’s teachers and doctors tell Theo that Robin needs drugs to help him be normal, but Theo refuses, leaning on the love of the natural world to help Robin cope.
Reese Witherspoon October Book Club
Sankofa
Chibundu Onuzo
Feeling lost in her 40s, Anna feels lost now that her daughter is grown up and her mother is dead. Going through her mother’s things, Anna finds some clues to the identity of her African father she never knew. Surprisingly, Anna discovers he became the leader (or dictator, depending on whom you talk to) of a small African country and is still alive today.
Exciting New October 2021 Book Releases
Three Sisters
Heather Morris
In the conclusion of her bestselling Tattooist of Auschwitz trilogy, Heather Morris tells the true story of three Slovakian sisters who promised to stay together, no matter what. When fifteen-year-old Livia is sent to Auschwitz, her oldest sister Cibi volunteers to join her to protect her. Later, Magda is also sent to Auschwitz, where they fight to survive the unbearable horrors and eventually move to Israel hoping to find freedom.
The Judge’s List
John Grisham
After taking on a criminal syndicate that was paying off a federal judge in The Whistler, Florida Board of Judicial Conduct investigator Lacy Stoltz returns in Grisham’s latest thriller. In her latest case, the crimes are even worse than before. Instead of taking bribes, a corrupt judge is taking lives with his own hit list.
Oh William!
Elizabeth Strout
In the third book of the Amgash series, writer Lucy Barton returns in this in-depth look at the mysteries of marriage. Although they’ve been divorced for years, Lucy and her ex-husband William have remained close. He’s always been a closed book to her, so she is surprised when he asks her to join him on a trip to explore a recently uncovered family secret that changes how they view those closest to them.
Last Girl Ghosted
Lisa Unger
Wren met Adam on a dating app. But what starts as a quick hook-up quickly turns to something more. Which is why Wren is shocked when Adam ghosts her. As Wren investigates, she learns that she is not the only woman Adam has ghosted. The more she digs the more obsessive she becomes, blurring the lines between predator and prey.
Sleepless
Romy Hausmann
After serving a prison sentence for a cruel crime, Nadja Kulka wants nothing more than a quiet, ordinary life. When Laura, Nadja’s friend and the wife of her boss, kills her lover, Nadja finds herself dragged into covering it up. As the plan to bury the body in the woods falls apart, Nadja realizes she has unwittingly set herself up as the perfect scapegoat for the murder.
After loving the uber-creepy Dear Child last fall, I was ecstatic to read Hausmann’s latest. I shouldn’t have been because it was the most confusing book I read all year. Nadja’s story is interspersed with a past timeline of a man having an affair and letters from an unknown sender. It took about 100 pages for the stories to make even an ounce of sense, but by then I was completely put off. It pains me to say it, but avoid avoid avoid is my advice.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Flatiron Books. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Once Upon a Wardrobe
Patti Callahan
When her terminally ill brother asks her to find out where Narnia come from, Megs Devonshire, a mathematics student, strikes up a friendship with author C. S. Lewis. All she wants is a straight answer, but instead, he tells her tales of his life, stories that teach her to move beyond logic and begin to hope.
Patti Callahan was smart to write about C. S. Lewis’s life in vignettes, hitting the interesting details and using the story of Megs and her brother George to carry the reader’s interest. The story lacked depth, never rising above sweet, with little character development and plenty of clichés. Ideal for a nice cozy read that is enjoyable without being too emotional.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harper Muse. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 19 October 2021
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These Silent Woods
Kimi Cunningham Grant
Ever since she was a baby, eight-year-old Finch and her father Cooper have lived in isolation in the remote Appalachian mountains. Cooper is in hiding from his past, and other than a mysterious neighbor, their only visitor is Jacob, who brings them supplies once a year. When Jacob fails to show, Cooper must break their isolation, with disastrous results.
Almost nothing actually happens in the glacially slow plot of These Silent Woods. Although the mystery has a bit of suspense, it takes over half of the book for the action to even begin. With a religious spin and endless descriptions of nature, the book is definitely more contemporary fiction than thriller.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 26 October 2021
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Thursday is the New Friday
Joe Sanok
I am a sucker for any and all business and productivity books, so I was intrigued by Joe Sanok’s promise to help you create the schedule you want. Constant hustling will just lead to burnout, and Sanok is dead on that you need to combine rest and slow down with focused sprints to be your most productive and happier.
Unfortunately, Sanok is a terrible storyteller, miserably failing to connect his personal anecdotes into larger concepts and completely lacking in transitions between anything – topics, chapters, even paragraphs. The occasional pieces of decent advice are obscured by boring scientific statements, pointless tangents, and cliché personality tests. Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from HarperCollins Leadership through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 5 October 2021
Amazon | Goodreads | More Info
Popular October Upcoming Releases
What October 2021 Book Releases are You Most Excited to Read?
What books can you not wait to get your hands on this month? Did I miss any October 2021 book releases that you are anticipating? As always, let me know in the comments!
More New Book Releases:
Ann says
Just placed my BOTM order for The Lincoln Highway and Sankofa!
Will try and squeeze in a book before those arrive.
I have a copy of The Secret History I got last month & currently reading Forever Young, by Hayley Mills! I just love her & so far the book is great I love her cheeky sense of humor. So cool reading her story!
Ann says
Well shoot! I hit “go” by accident, so I’ll post again??
I just placed my order with BOTM for The Lincoln Highway (ReadwithJenna’s pick) and Sankofa (Reese’s pick).
I think the Reese’s readers were hoping for a Witchy read for October.
My local library did not have Sankofa, so was glad I was able to get that as my add on.
Will try & read a book before those arrive. I have The Secret History from last month.
Currently reading Forever Young. This is Hayley Mills bio y’all! I am such a fan and so far the book is so good.
KAREN says
I am anxiously awaiting Broken Pots by Heather Tucker. I read Clay Girl and it was super good!
Peggy says
Looking forward to The Judge’s List and The Lincoln Highway. Just finished Project Hail Mary and currently reading Apples Never Fall.
So many books, so little time!!