The Best New Books Coming in October

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.

Fare Thee Well, Dame Maggie Smith

Beloved actress Maggie Smith has died at the age of 89. Her iconic career included roles in many literary adaptations, among them The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, A Room with a View, Othello, Harry Potter, Death on the Nile, The Secret Garden, Travels With My Aunt, and more. I’ve always been especially fond of her turn as Mother Superior in the Sister Act movies

Avengers Assemble

Stacey Abrams is a lawyer, a politician, a voting rights activist, an author, and now, she’s also a podcast host. Her new show Assembly Required is all about “connecting the people and pieces in order to make our union a little more perfect.” On the latest episode, Abrams speaks with her mom (a former librarian!) and national treasure LeVar Burton about fighting book bans and defending the freedom to read. If you need a shot in the arm from some legit American heroes, this’ll do the trick.

All Boo-ed Up

It never occurred to me that haunted house romance books would be a thing, but lo, they are! Multiple ways to get your heart rate up IYKWIM.