7 of the Best New Book Releases Out October 13, 2026

Us being mere weeks away from the holiday shopping season means we are in prime cookbook release time, and there are a few out this week that are rather eye-catching. There’s East to East by Rachel Gurjar, Effortless Japanese Cooking by Akino Ogata, and Moribyan’s Kitchen by Hajar Larbah, to name a few. There’s also a controversial one. I must admit my fascination with the public’s perception of TikTok sensation Nara Smith, so I am very intrigued by what’s in her cookbook, Homemade (where she’s made herself into a literal table? Her PR is so, so fascinating…) Speaking of holiday tings, The Spirits by Bonnie Jo Campbell will no doubt make the rounds this month and a half before Christmas, while Romance Entities to Lovers by Mallory Marlowe is right on time for seasonal reading. Then there are the books below, which have new Becky Chambers, Bonnie Garmus, and Stephen Graham Jones. A man finds a medieval book with connections to Dracula, there’s Indigenous horror, a sapphic Hamlet retelling, and more. Get 15% off annual All Access memberships for a limited time in celebration of Book Riot’s 15th anniversary! Savings amount to more than 3 months of free unlimited access to our entire c...