Jamie Canavés is the Tailored Book Recommendations coordinator and Unusual Suspects mystery newsletter writer–in case you’re wondering what you do with a Liberal Arts degree. She’s never met a beach she didn’t like, always says yes to dessert, loves ‘80s nostalgia, all forms of entertainment, and can hold a conversation using only gifs. You can definitely talk books with her on Litsy and Goodreads. Depending on social media’s stability maybe also Twitter and Bluesky.
October means it is officially fall and spooky season! And a new month always brings the book club’s pick announcements. I really love seeing what these book clubs have picked, especially since they are all so different from each other. They also allow readers to participate as little or as much as is best for them. All the book clubs are either virtual or have virtual components, and at least two also have in-person meetings if you like to chat IRL. It’s once again a wonderful month to be a reader!
NYPL’s Teen Banned Book Club has a new pick covering October and November. I love to see that Reese’s Book Club has added a mystery YA title for the fall, and GMA’s Book Club is now also doing a bonus monthly YA pick — starting with a new series set in the same world of An Ember in the Ashes! There’s also a revenge thriller following the fathers of a murdered couple, a middle grade fantasy retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, a literary horror novel (’tis the season!), a PI mystery set in Jersey, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel now with an adaptation, a collection of essays centering Haiti and the Haitian diaspora, a fantasy inspired by the legend of Xishi, a past death and secret society mystery, a YA paranormal romance, and Louise Erdrich’s new novel! You will definitely be settling in with a good book this month!
Subtle Asian Book Club
Hamra and the Jungle of Memories by Hanna Alkaf
About the book club: Tiffany and Alexandra, longtime friends, created the Subtle Asian Book Club in 2020 with the goal of uplifting Asian voices and storytellers. You can read along with the monthly book pick, join in on discussions on social media, and watch videos of their live author interviews.
About the book: If you’re in the mood for a middle grade fantasy retelling of “Little Red Riding Hood”, this is your book club this month!
Follow Subtle Asian Book Club on social media: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Discord
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The Stacks Book Club
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
About the book cub: Hosted by Traci Thomas, The Stacks is a podcast that chats all about books, and there’s a monthly book club! The book chosen for the month is discussed on the podcast the last week of the month with a selected special guest.
What The Stacks Book Club said about the book: “You’ve all been waiting for our October book club pick. We are going to be reading the 2019 novel, The Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead. It is a gripping story of injustice, resilience and survival, set against the backdrop of a corrupt reform school during the Jim Crow era. The book won the Pulitzer Prize. It is being adapted to a film that comes out on october 25 and our episode will drop on October 30. You have to listen to our October 2 episode to find out who our guest will be for this discussion.”
Follow The Stacks on social media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
Reese’s Book Club
Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown
About the book club: Every month, Reese Witherspoon picks a book for Reese’s Book Club that centers a woman in its story.
What Reese said about the book: “#SocietyOfLies by @LaurenLingBrown is our October @ReesesBookClub pick! 🤗📚 This gripping thriller follows Maya as she returns to Princeton for her sister’s graduation, only to be thrust into a chilling mystery surrounding her sister’s death and a secret society she knows all too well. If you’re looking for a page-turner that keeps you on the edge of your seat this spooky season, this one is a must-read!”
BONUS: “Autumn is officially here, which means there’s no better time to dive into a twisty whodunit that weaves loss, betrayal, and a very real issue together. 👀📖🔎
We can’t wait for you to start reading our Fall YA Pick Looking for Smoke by @KA_Cobell.”
Follow Reese’s Book Club on social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube
Matzah Book Soup: A Jewish Own Voices Book Club for All
Night Owls by A. R. Vishny
About the book club: Lillianne Leight and Amanda Spivack created this book club with a focus on Jewish books and characters “with varying relationships to Judaism” that welcomes all readers — Jewish and non.
What Matzah Book Soup said about the book: “Hiiii Matzah Book Soup friends 🫶🏻 we are so excited to announce our OCTOBER PICK!!!! This month we’re reading NIGHT OWLS by @AR_Vishny 🦉
We’ll be chatting with A. R. on October 29th at 8 PM EST on zoom!
Here’s a brief synopsis of the book: Night Owls is a YA paranormal romance that brings all the ~spooky season vibes~ 🖤 with Jewish vampires! This story follows Clara, Molly, and Boaz as they work together to find Anat, a girl who’s gone missing.
This is an unputdownable read that is sure to keep you flipping the pages!”
Follow Matzah Book Soup on social media: Instagram, Facebook
If you want to know about past monthly book club picks, prepare your TBR shelf and take a look.
English (US) · 