The leaves are starting to turn and the air is finally gaining a bit of fall crispness. The nights are getting longer and whether you’re celebrating spooky season or the start of cozy season, it’s the perfect time to curl up with a blanket and good book.
Fiction
Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World by Mark WaddellÂ
You’d think that bargaining with a shadowy figure for a promotion would be standard at a workplace like Dark Enterprises, but while Colin does get promoted, he also unleashes an ancient evil. Now Colin has to save the world because there are a few things he likes about it –his best friend, the new guy he’s been seeing, and of course, his new job. Welcome to Nightvale meets The Office in this darkly humorous horror satire that doesn’t skimp on the romance or action. Available October 7. // Library catalog link here.
Local Heavens by KM FajardoÂ
In 2075 the class divisions in New York have reached dystopian proportions. Corporate hacker Nick Carraway has arrived in town to investigate the elusive billionaire Jay Gatsby, only to get drawn into his glittering world. This queer cyberpunk thriller retelling of The Great Gatsby retains its timeless explorations of wealth, class, loss, and the damage careless people can cause while going after their desires. Available October 14. Library catalog link here.
Dead and Breakfast by Kat Hillis and Rosiee ThorÂ
Arthur used to live in Trident Falls and remembers it fondly, so he and his husband move there to try and turn around a failing bed and breakfast. But Arthur was mortal then and now he and Sal are vampires, and the village isn’t overly accepting of paranormals. A new city manager is trying to make the town more paranormal-friendly, but when the mayor’s body turns up in the inn’s flowerbed with suspicious puncture wounds on his neck, the vampire couple need to find the real killer before the body count gets higher. Full of puns and great side characters (including a barista werewolf), this cozy paranormal mystery is a fun and delightful read. Available October 14. Library catalog link here.
The Missing Pages by Alyson RichmanÂ
Harvard’s Widener Library was built as a memorial to Harry Widener, a young alum who died on the Titanic. His ghost is said to haunt the room that holds his recreated study. In 1992, a student mourning the recent drowning death of her boyfriend gets a job at the Widener library, where Harry’s ghost sends her on a mission to rediscover the past. Weaving the history of Widener, the library, and a 90s vandalism case, with a ghostly mystery and love story, Richman tells a tender story of love and the power of books. Available October 14. Library catalog link here.
Nonfiction
Finding My Way: A Memoir by Malala YousafzaiÂ
The college years often include bad grades, worse boyfriends, questionable fashion choices, late-night parties, and learning who you really are. All of this is further complicated if you’ve already won the Nobel Peace Prize and are a global figure for surviving the death threats that haven’t gone away. In this candid and dynamic memoir, Malala Yousafzai confronts a public image no one could actually live up to as she learns who she actually is, on her terms. Available October 21. Library catalog link here.
The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U BaconÂ
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead, when the gales of November come early. November 10th marks the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a Great Lakes shipwreck immortalized in song by Gordon Lightfoot. Bacon’s absorbing and in-depth look at the wreck examines the economic importance of Great Lakes shipping, despite how dangerous sailing the lakes can be (between 1875 and 1975, the lakes averaged a shipwreck a week, losing over 30,000 sailors and 6,000 ships). Interviewing sailors who served on the Fitz or under her captain in previous tours, as well as survivors who sailed through the same storm on other vessels, he gives a gripping account of what we know, and don’t, about what happened that night. Most importantly, he introduces us to the 29 men lost when she went down, their lives on board and on shore, and the loved ones they left behind. A heartbreaking and fascinating account. Available October 7. Library catalog link here.
The Grave Robber: the Biggest Stolen Artifacts Case in FBI History and the Bureau’s Quest to Set Things Right by Tim CarpenterÂ
For over five decades, a lone thief looted artifacts and human remains from cemeteries, cultural sites, and sacred spaces around the world. Following an anonymous tip, FBI Lead Investigator Tim Carpenter tracked down Don Miller, who had amassed a collection of over 42,000 items, including the remains of over 500 people. Once discovered, Carpenter’s team then undertook the task of returning and repatriating the remains, working with the impacted communities and helping redefine how the FBI deals with cultural crimes. Available October 14. Library catalog link here.
I Deliver Parcels in Beijing by Hu Anyan, translated from Chinese by Jack HargreavesÂ
Hu Anyan has held numerous jobs in China’s gig economy including the nightshift at a logistics center, convenience store clerk, waiter, and courier. He started posting essays about his experiences online and went viral for his humor, self-reflection, and sharp analyses of work and the hustle needed to survive. A bestseller in China. Available October 28. Library catalog link here.
Middle Grade
Vanishing of Lake Peigneur written by Allan Wolf and illustrated by Jose Pimienta
On November 20, 1980, a routine drilling operation on Lousiana’s Lake Peigneur went very, very wrong, created a giant whirlpool and the entire lake drained away into the salt mines underneath. This thrilling and dramatic graphic novel is narrated by the lake itself and details the lives of the people caught in the disaster as they escaped, from boaters on the lake to the miners caught in the flood when the lake came rushing in. Their level-headedness in disaster means no humans died. Their dramatic tales make for gripping reading about this little-known environmental disaster. Available October 7. Library catalog link here.
Teen
I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by Mariama J Lockington
Beauty content creator Lyric plans on spending the holiday season continuing to build her platform and get the most out of her latest brand collaboration. When a spur-of-the-moment photo with new classmate, Juniper, goes viral, the girls decide to make the most of the moment and start fake dating for the clicks (and the accompanying money, which will fund their respective post-high school plans.) Only the line between reality and social media blurs quickly in this slow-burn Christmas romance. Available October 14. Library catalog link here.
Jennie Rothschild is a collection engagement librarian for Arlington Public Library.