Wondering what to read now? Here are all the hot new October 2026 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 I’ve also included some of the most popular October 2026 book releases from your favorite authors.
Enough from me, let’s get on to the October 2026 book releases so you can fill up your to-read list.
Top October 2026 Book Releases
A Court of Splintered Harmony
Sarah J. Maas
In the sixth book of the bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series, Koschei the Deathless is stirring from his millennia of imprisonment. He has powerful allies bent on controlling the human lands once again ready to join him. To protect the world, the Night Court must unite the fae, resurrecting old alliances and repairing rifts even as they face their own betrayals.
Peck & Peck
Bonnie Garmus
In 1982, new college graduate Batter Gray receives a job offer at the prestigious New York poetry journal, Peck & Peck. Thrown into the literary world, Batter finds himself caught between the battling twin Peck brothers as they fight over for control. Meanwhile, Batter becomes entangled in the private lives of the thirty-nine staff editors whose drive for originality and creativity lead to a fully dysfunctional workplace.
Every Story is a Love Story
Imbolo Mbue
Three years after his wife was killed in a tragic car accident, Wolo has rebuilt his life with a small group of friends where his grief is more manageable. When a letter arrives from the woman who killed his wife asking to meet him, Wolo’s family all insist he should have nothing to do with her. Yet, Wolo agrees to meet and her deep remorse and compassion make him wonder if the long road to healing can be shared.
Vibe
Adam Grant
Adam Grant teaches how to build meaningful ties in a world where face-to-face interactions are constantly being subordinated by digital connections. Using interesting anecdotes and fascinating science, Grant explores how to create deeper relationships and tighter communities. With examples ranging from astronauts who dislike each other but work together to comedy troupes who need their time apart to stay close, Vibe focuses on building better interactions with those around you.
The Witch
Freida McFadden
When Julia Barlow loses her job, she moves into Pemberton, her family’s 17th-century rural Massachusetts estate, to help her aging grandfather. What should be a reprieve begins to turn to a nightmare as the lights flicker and she hears a disembodied voice outside her room. Digging into the house’s history, Julia suspects they are being haunted by a woman who was executed for witchcraft and possibly other women who have been wronged by her family.
Book of the Month – October 2026
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 5-7 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!
Reese’s Book Club October 2026 Pick
Sophie, Standing There
Meg Mason
Sophie Pattinson had a dream life: work at a book festival, a devoted husband, lifelong best friend and a close relationship with her brother. However, since Christmas, Sophie has been living alone estranged from everyone she loved. In her solitude she seeks comfort in books and becomes obsessed with the dream of meeting her favorite author in a story about the journey from isolation to love.
GMA’s Book Club October 2026 Pick
Bad Words
Ríoghnach Robinson
Parker Navarro thought his debut novel would ignite his career until critic Selina Chan’s scathing review turned it to a complete failure. Now Parker hopes his second novel is his chance at redemption. Selina can’t resist reviewing him again and her review creates a viral feud that shifts both of their fortunes overnight. Yet behind-the-scenes of their public sparring is a quiet dialogue that makes both of them rethink their ideas of success, sincerity, and each other.
Read with Jenna’s October 2026 Book Club Pick
Partita
Barbara Kingsolver
Livia Cable has made peace with her quiet life and stable marriage in the farm country where she was raised until she receives a shocking phone call from an old lover. Decades earlier when he knew her, Livia was a student at a musical conservatory estranged from her family and friends. As she debates whether to meet him again, she can’t help remembering the passion she has as a pianist and how this man broke her belief in love and ruptured her whole life.
Oprah’s Book Club October 2026 Pick
Hungered
Amanda Rizkalla
Sofia’s mother promises that soon she will be able to do the things she used to: go to school, see friends or eat a pretty cake from the grocery store. For now, 12-year-old Sofia lives in her car with her mother and younger brother where each day is a struggle to find a place to park for the night. Sofia strives to stay in the present as her family slowly disintegrates.
The Most Anticipated October 2026 Book Releases
A Married Little Christmas
Abby Jimenez
Known for her summer romances, Abby Jimenez takes on a holiday romance in her new collection of three novellas. When her high school ex shows up for Christmas dinner, Anna hatches a fake dating plan to save face with their families. After losing a bet, Matty has to sit all day in a diner dressed as a zombie Santa but his cute server makes it all worth it. Finally, Lauren tries to convince her best friend that getting married after a three-day relationship isn’t ridiculous. Or will she change her tune once she meets the best man?
Home for the Homicides
Elle Cosimano and Hannah Morrissey
In the tourist town of Christmas, crime never happens so the police are not prepared to handle the murder of a tourist stabbed by an icicle ornament. Special Agents Holly Frost and Mark Shepherd are called in to solve the murder before the town’s annual Jingle Bell Jubilee festival. Whoever solves the case will be promoted to Major Crimes so the rivals must work fast while not thinking too hard about their regretful holiday hookup last year.
Miss Wolcott’s Ghost
Louise Penny
In the 21st book in the series, Chief Inspector Armand is awoken to a mysterious phone call claiming there is a body in Lost Nation. Tracking down the legend of the Lost Nation, Armand and his team discover a dead man dressed in ancient clothes lying on a nameless grave in an abandoned cemetery. The mysterious phone call seems to have come from his neighbor who denies all knowledge. But there is a connection between the Lost Nation and Three Pines that someone doesn’t want revealed.
The Brightness
Chad Harbach
Follow along the lives of best friends Pella and Irma as they leave their Midwestern college behind and try to navigate the world at large. Pella has recently graduated and is engaged to Mike while helping her friend plan his own destination wedding. But a wild wedding weekend blows up all her plans and sends her to an unplanned future in New York City. Meanwhile, Irma is still as school but a politically charged prank that has caught national new coverage threatens to derail her future.
Look What the Cat Dragged In
Jason Rekulak
A cartoonist in Philadelphia, Penny Padgett agrees to pet sit her neighbor’s cat Godfrey. At first, things are great and Godfrey is Penny’s constant companion. Then strange things begin to happen. Penny has bizarre nightmares, the basement becomes infested with insects, and Penny’s illustrations take on a dark twist that she can’t seem to control. As her health starts failing, Penny suspects that Godfrey is no ordinary cat in Jason Rekulak’s latest horror novel.
Life Out of Order
Audrey Niffenegger
In a sequel to The Time Traveler’s Wife, Alba DeTamble has the same Chrono-Displacement Disorder as her father Henry. Living her life out of order, Alba has slipped through the decades and seen a future she cannot change. With her partner Zach, she has built a life among a group of artists and activists in a tale that testifies to the power of art and community in an unstable world.
What did I just read? Life Out of Order is a complete mess with no cohesive theme, no overall messaging, boring characters, and a plot that completely drags. For starters, Niffenegger decides she doesn’t want to explain anything. Not the weird dsytopian version of modern society. Not Clare’s remarriage and daughter. Then just when you think the story will settle into a time travel love triangle for Alba, Life Out of Order decides to abandon that storyline for the next half of the book. Instead you get dragged back into Clare’s history after Henry’s death and then the backstory of Alba’s second husband. Neither of which are actually interesting. Finally in the last bit we come back around to that love triangle which is now settled into a threesome. And did I mention the weird AI sister who merges with someone else. The whole book is a nightmare and I only suffered through the entire thing so you don’t have to.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harlequin Trade Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 6 October 2026
Learn More: Goodreads | StoryGraph
Buy Now: Amazon | Apple Books
UPCOMING October 2026 BOOK RELEASES BY DATE
October 6th Book Releases
October 13th Book Releases
October 20st Book Releases
October 27th Book Releases
What October 2026 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 2026 book releases that you are anticipating? As always, let me know in the comments!
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