Hello. It’s October! Fall colors are in full swing here and the days have been staying nice. We returned from our enjoyable week away and are now back to reality I guess. Anxiety levels feel high this month with the looming U.S. election and Supreme Court battles and all that living with the pandemic entails … including now that those in the WH have tested positive for Covid. Does anyone else feel an ulcer or coronary coming on? Holy smokes, these are chaotic, uncertain times. This week I’m expediting my absentee ballot to the great state of Virginia, my last U.S. residence. As citizens we must do what we can … and then along side the workweeks … try to manage the stress with exercise and art-inducing escape.
So let’s talk about October’s upcoming new releases. If you like biographies, there’s quite a few this month including big ones about such notable figures as Sylvia Plath, Malcolm X, Eleanor Roosevelt, and John Steinbeck. These all look good and I can see myself jumping into one or two. Do you enjoy biographies, or just memoirs? As for new novels this month, my mind is sort of scattered on what exactly will be good to pick up now during chaotic times and what is just over-hype, so I will mention some below and then we can discuss. I guess my book assistant, pictured above, was not much help with the book selections and she does not enjoy her picture being taken. I had to coax her as usual to look at the camera.
First off, Jess Walter’s historical novel “The Cold Millions” (due out Oct. 27) could be just the ticket — it’s about two orphaned, train-hopping brothers who settle in Spokane, Washington, and get “swept up in the turbulent class warfare of the early twentieth century.”
I hear it’s a lot about labor unions and organizers of the times, and free-speech protests … that could give an interesting perspective on what’s going on today. I have not read Jess Walter before, though I know some liked his novel “The Beautiful Ruins” quite a bit. So I’m keen maybe to try out his fiction and see if it will hold my attention. It’s a historical tale set around 1909-1910.
Then there’s Tana French’s new detective story “The Searcher” (due out Oct. 6), which is a standalone novel separate from her Dublin murder squad books. It’s about Cal Hooper who retires to a small village in the west of Ireland after 25 years on the Chicago police force … and then is lured into taking one last case regarding a local boy who has gone missing. Uh-oh, small towns have their secrets.
It’s sounds like a good premise but is said to be “slow moving” or a slow-burn of a mystery with various layers. I’m still a newbie to French’s books so don’t know if it’ll grip me enough to hang out with Cal till the sun finally sets … so to speak. What say ye?
There’s also Phil Klay’s debut novel “The Missionaries” (due out Oct. 6) which is set in Colombia during its long and bloody civil conflict and follows four protagonists whose lives become fatally entangled.
You probably recall: Klay, a U.S. Marine vet, received a lot of recognition for his award-winning 2014 short story collection “Redeployment” … and now is back to examine more about the globalization of violence and U.S. intervention. “The Missionaries” is getting quite a bit of high praise, though I sort of wonder if an intense war novel right now would just be too much for one’s plate. Would our heads explode with everything else going on?
And I’m a bit curious too about Martin Amis’s book “Inside Story” (due out Oct. 27), which he calls a “novelized autobiography” that runs through his life from the 1970s to 2019 .. about his loves, family, friendships and development as a writer. It focuses quite a bit apparently on the death of his best friend journalist Christopher Hitchens.
Hmm, admittedly I’m a bit drawn toward reading about Amis, who’s known for his talent as well as his “bad boy of British lit” stature. Would it be a good read or just self-indulgent blather? I think he might have some interesting insights despite some of my caution about him … so I might give it a try.
I haven’t even talked about Rumaan Alam’s book “Leave the World Behind” or Bryan Washington’s debut “Memorial” — two novels that are being bantered around quite a bit this month. The premise of Alam’s book (due out Oct. 6) seems interesting about a white family who rent a beach house in the Hamptons and are interrupted on their vacation by an older black couple who come and tell them they’re the owners and a widespread blackout has caused them to return, which with the internet down arises the other family’s suspicions.
Uh-oh it sounds like a weekend-away gone wrong kind of story … but some say it peters out as it goes on and not a lot happens. Does it? Whatever the case, the global rights to Alam’s novel have already been bought by Netflix, which plans to make a movie of it starring Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts … who were last seen together in “The Pelican Brief” in 1993. Sheesh the novel hasn’t even come out yet!
The other, Bryan Washington’s novel “Memorial” (due out Oct. 27) is about a gay mixed-race couple in Houston (Benson and Mike) who search for the truth about themselves, each other, and their families. It sounds like it has a lot of food for thought in this story about family, love, and relationships and is told intermittently from each other’s points of view, which allows the reader to see the gaps or fractures that arise between them.
Hmm Ann Patchett says it a “tour de force … unlike anything I’ve read before.” Though a few others have said it feels like a slow-moving, inevitable car crash for the couple. What do you think — is it worth a go?
Lastly in books, I just want to quickly mention that Joyce Carol Oates (or JCO to those in the know) has a new one (of course) “Cardiff, by the Sea” (due out Oct. 6) that includes four separate spooky novellas … called psychological and suspenseful … which look to be ripe for reading during Halloween month.
Also I forgot to mention: I’ve heard good things (thanks to Carmen) about Zhang Ling’s WWII epic “A Single Swallow” (due out Oct.1), which is set in China and focuses on the Japanese invasion from a Chinese point of view … of a woman’s life story: her suffering, loves and survival during the war, which sounds pretty eye-opening and brutal but also hopefully redeeming. Check it out if you want a bit of a different perspective.
As for what’s coming to screens this month, I’m drawn a bit to a couple humorous looking things. Comedian and Trump impersonator Sarah Cooper has her special “Everything’s Fine” coming to Netflix on Oct. 27, which should have some laughs … as well as the movie “Save Yourselves!” (out Oct. 2), whose trailer cracked me up a bit.
It looks to be a silly movie about a Brooklyn couple who decide to “disconnect” from their phones for a weekend away at a cabin and wind up missing news of an alien attack. Ha, I don’t why, but I sort of had to cackle watching parts of the trailer. Am I just at my breaking point … or will this be good fun?
Back to more serious things, there’s various book adaptations coming to the screen this month … including the movie “Once Upon a River” (out Oct. 2), based on Bonnie Jo Campbell’s 2011 novel that I really liked; and a TV miniseries of “The Good Lord Bird” based on the 2013 novel by James McBride with Ethan Hawke starring as abolitionist John Brown (on Showtime Oct. 4); as well as a TV series called “The Undoing” (on HBO, Oct. 25), starring Hugh Grant and Nicole Kidman, which is based on the 2014 novel “You Should Have Known” by Jean Hanff Korelitz that looks to be unsettling … about a therapist’s life that begins to unravel on the eve of publishing her first book, uh-oh.
But perhaps the biggest adaptation is the remake of Daphne Du Maurier’s 1938 Gothic novel “Rebecca” coming to Netflix on Oct. 21. It’s been made into a movie once before by Hitchcock in 1940, starring Lawrence Olivier and Joan Fontaine as Mr. and Mrs. Winters, and it earned the Academy Award for Best Picture, whoa.
This time around it’ll be Lily James and Armie Hammer starring as the newlyweds who come to the husband’s family estate on the English coast, where the new wife finds herself battling the shadow and legacy of his deceased first wife … the mysterious Rebecca, uh-oh. The remake looks good from the trailer, so I definitely plan to check it out.
A few other things I’m likely to watch are Aaron Sorkin’s movie “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (due out Oct. 16 on Netflix) … about the charges stemming from the violence at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. It has quite a cast with Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden and Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman (ha) among others. By the way, Sacha is really good in the 2019 TV series “The Spy” on Netflix, which I recommend from last year.
Speaking of spies, I also might look for the movie “A Call to Spy” (due out Oct. 2) about the lives of three remarkable women who served as spies for the Allies during WWII. It’s based on the real-life stories of women who Churchill ordered his spy agency to recruit and train in 1941. Hmm, it looks good to me …
as well as the four-part Brith drama TV series “Flesh & Blood” (on PBS Oct. 4) about three grown siblings whose lives are interrupted when their recently widowed mother declares she’s in love with a new man (played by Irish actor Stephen Rea). Apparently their rivalries, secrets and betrayals eventually lead to a murder. Uh-oh, so much for middle age romance … but count me in.
Lastly in music releases this month, there’s new albums due out by Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Dawes, Elvis Costello, Jeff Tweedy, Laura Veirs, and Canadian singer-songwriters Bahamas, and Jennifer Castle among others. Quite a few of these likely will be good. I might have mentioned that over the decades I’ve been a big Bruce fan (seeing my first concert of his when I turned sweet 16) … but his last couple albums haven’t interested me as much. Still among these others, I’ll pick Springsteen’s “Letter to You” as my album choice this month.
That’s all for now. What about you — which new releases are you most looking forward to this month?
It has been a somewhat stressful month. Some days are better than others (when I stay away from the news). I’m very interested in: Leave the World Behind and The Searcher. As for Bios or memoirs, I prefer memoirs but really it depends.
Thanks Diane for your thoughts. I agree … when I’m away from the news I feel calmer. I will check your site to see if you get to these new ones. I haven’t read a bio in a long while but some of these sound good. Enjoy your week.
I don’t really pay attention to what’s coming out soon; it seems I am always trying to catch up with what I’ve missed over the past year! I love seeing your fall colors since, as you know, we don’t really get those in southern California. Glad to hear you’re mailing your ballot soon!
Thanks Helen. Yep I mailed my ballot express yesterday with tracking! I’m in. The fall turning is really underway now. It’s nice. But the epic raking will have to begin later in the month. I try to pay attention (a little) to new releases b/c it’s sort of helps me see what’s on the horizon but often I don’t get to them till quite a bit later. ha. Enjoy your weekend.
I fear that the developments regarding The Supreme Court are going to lead to a lot of bad things for a long time.
This is an interesting group of books, films and albums. I need to read more newer books.
Hi Brian, yeah adding to the Supreme Court now is just crazy. & I still hope it won’t happen. It’s fine you read a lot of classics … have you ever read Rebecca from 1938? I have not but would like to. Cheers.
Stellla! Come on!
The good stuff just keeps coming out. I have heard of some of the ones you mention. I might just keep working on some earlier releases for the year that I have not gotten to yet. But I always appreciate your coverage here.
For sure it is hard to keep on an even keel but perhaps that is not even something to strive for anymore. We may be moving into a long stretch of uncertainty and will need to develop abilities to cope with that. I don’t know. Ask Stella.
Hi Judy: Stella will know what to do …. she’ll keep walking! (though she really likes eating too). Her worries are keeping the pack together. So we’ll keep on.
I don’t know when I’ll get to any of these new ones … but I’ll put them on the horizon … for some distant rainy day, ha. Did you see the new Sylvia Plath bio is 1,152 pages? Perfect for you … the subtitle of the bio is The Short Life & Blazing Art of … S.P. I’m sure the bio is fascinating but might make me sad a bit. Anyways enjoy your reads this month!
Lots of goodies coming out this month! I’d also suggest Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman, a prequel to Practical Magic. I already read it. It didn’t blow me away as The World That We Knew or as Practical Magic, which I’m in the midst of right now, but it’s good enough. I was very impressed with A Single Swallow. Thanks for the shoutout! 🙂 I’m eagerly awaiting Rebecca and The Trial… I was really impressed by Sacha Baron Cohen in The Spy. My father and I binged on the series when it came out and found it gripping TV. BTW, I saw Borgen listed as one of the best political shows ever made. I know you asked about it a few posts ago. It’s been on my orbit for a few years now, though I keep making space for shorter TV series/seasons. Borgen stars Sidsse Knudsen, who also starred in the 1st season of Westworld. She is quite the actress. Also this month, Starz is releasing the sequel of The Spanish Princess–Philippa Gregory’s treatment of the romance of a young Katherine of Aragon with the would-be king Henry VIII. I’m eagerly awaiting this sequel as well. And last but not least, Ethan Hawke is receiving lots of praise for The Good Lord Bird. I’ll have to look for it. He has been giving outstanding performances in the last few years. I think his Oscar is waaayyyy overdue. Did you see him in Tesla? The movie is a little out there but I rated it 4*.
Thanks Carmen. I’m glad you stopped by – so to get all your insights & offerings. I do like Alice Hoffman but I’m not too big into magic … so I haven’t gone to that trilogy – I’ve read a couple of her others which are good. Sacha Cohen was terrific in The Spy — glad you thought so too! We did start Borgen — saw several dubbed episodes when she first becomes PM (probably return to it) … then we moved to Away (the space show, a bit drippy) and onto The Good Fight … but looking forward to a few of these Oct. shows. I did not see Ethan Hawke in Tesla … but hope to catch Good Lord Bird though might have to see if we get Showtime. hmm. Hope Rebecca and Chicago 7 will be good. Enjoy your October!
Cardiff, By the Sea and The Searcher sound like just the sort of things I enjoy reading during the autumnal season. Thank you for including them in your post. Try as a might, I can’t seem to finish a biography at any time of year. I’m currently reading Old Bones by Preston & Child.
Hi Liberty, thanks for stopping by. I think Cardiff, By the Sea might be a good read this month — I’m trying to find something spooky in time for Halloween. And I haven’t picked up a biography in a long time but who knows?! I hope you will enjoy your books this month. Have a good one.
Oh my goodness! Your post is information overload! Yea!! Love it.
I am so going to have a look at all the adaptations. I tend to miss them most of the time.
Cardiff, by the sea and The Cold Millions seems like my type of reads as well.
Thanks for your post, it’s better than a current news update!
Have a wonderful week and here’s my latest update The Sunday Post #13
Hi Mareli, thanks for stopping by and I’ll certainly check out your post. This month does seem loaded with a lot! I’m a bit here, there, and all over the place. Maybe I’ll pick up Cardiff by the Sea first … if I can get a copy. I have stacks from previous months still. Enjoy your October!
Now I feel like I am fully prepared for fall.
I love to read history, but I’m not really interested in biographies, though I must admit that a bio of Sylvia Plath sounds very interesting.
Cold Millions sounds like a book I would enjoy. I chose Leave the World Behind as my October BOTM selection, so I will probably be reading it.
A comedy sounds great right now. I will look for Save Yourselves.
Thank you for this thorough post!
Hey Deb, I tried to cover all the bases this month, ha. First off, we could use something with a few laughs right? Save Yourselves looks ridiculous but it could be in a good way. That Plath bio is 1,152 pages … for when you get done with War & Peace 🙂 ha. It does look good though. I hope you have a great month … and I’ll look to see what you think later of : Leave the World Behind. Cheers!
The Cold Millions and Leave the World Behind – both high on my list and sound so so good! I hope you are able to read either of them – I cannot wait to see how they fare. Looks like in general, there is so much to look forward to this month. I’ve got quite a bit planned for this month already between my (too many) hobbies so we’ll see how much reading I can actually get done.
Hi Athira, all the books are piling up here over the months, ha. But I’m on the wait list for Leave the World Behind at the library. Who knows when I’ll get to it but all these are on my horizon. I’ll stop by your site to see what you are up to. You sound like you have your hands full. Have a good month!
There’s a new remake of Rebecca? Be still, my heart! I have to be on the lookout for that. And I, too, am a Bruce fan. I’ve only been to one concert and that several years ago before death decimated the E-Street Band. Needless to say, it was wonderful. I’ve heard a couple of the new songs and look forward to hearing more. I’ve been looking forward to the new Tana French book for months. A couple of the reviews I’ve read have not been enthusiastic about it but I’ll make up my own mind. It looks like you have an exciting month of reading ahead. Happy October!
Thanks Dorothy, So glad you’re a Bruce fan, wonderful. So many good tunes & times from him over the decades. I think I’ve probably seen him & the band around 10 times since the ’70s. Always exciting. Once you’ve seen him you never forget, ha. Also hope the Rebecca remake will be good … so much to see & read this month, Enjoy your October!
Yes to uncertain and chaotic times. Our numbers are still rising where we are and one of my senators tested positive because he was with T at that superspreading event. Oh man. I like your idea of relaxing on the weekends…hikes with fall colors!
I’m really looking forward to The Zealot and the Emancipator: John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and the Struggle for American Freedom by H.W. Brands.
Stay healthy and sane this week! Enjoy the colors and smells of Fall!
Oh, and I’m looking forward to the new Rebecca adaptation! It is one of my favorite classics and try to reread it every few years or so.
Hey Heather. Good to hear from you. Yeah the fall colors are really awesome right now … we’re walking lots! I did see the HW Brands book … and that appeals to me too. He’s written some good histories over the years … and I have yet to get to one so far. I’ll be interested to hear what you think of his new one. And we’ll have to see about the new Rebecca remake … I think it’s going to be good … I should read it too … Enjoy your October!
So many tempting books! I do love memoirs, but also enjoy some biographies.
I have The Undoing in my queue, waiting for the release on, imagine this!, my birthday on the 25th. I didn’t know that it was based on the book You Should Have Known, though. I started that book, but haven’t finished it. Now I may have to go back and finish.
Enjoy your week, and thanks for sharing.
Hey Laurel, thanks for stopping by. The books keep on coming … and the new TV shows too … thank goodness. The Undoing should be interesting … I’ll look for it coming out on HBO. And I’ll see what you think of it. You might get to it before me … We just finished the space series Away and now are into Tehran on Apple. The biographies do look enticing this month … Enjoy your October!
Hi, I’m definitely a fan of biographies over memoirs & in favor of a more measured, distanced, perspective of a life (although not as juicy, I’m sure). I finally picked up/started listening to Trevor Noah’s Born A Crime (autobio, albeit) because another someone else said how good it was. Also reading one on Frederick Law Olmstead (THE landscape architect & more), Genius of Place, and have purchased American Eden by Victoria Johnson –another garden-inspired bio of David Hosack, who among many, many other things was Hamilton’s attending physician at the duel that killed him. It’s nice to get out of the celebrity-soaked, social media-fixated present day and immerse in other worlds and accomplished people through biography. Beats Bob Woodward by a mile 😉 The Sylvia Plath sounds good — I like the title. I also recently finished The Warmth of Other Suns which is in large part a biography of 3 African Americans caught up in the swell of the social forces stirred up in the Jim Crow era which Isabel Wilkerson chronicles so well. Excellent!
Hi. You make good points about biographies vs. memoirs etc. Memoirs have been really popular the past decade but are not always better than the art of biography and the distance & history analyzing a life often requires. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a biography but I do have some in my piles. The Wilkerson book is a good example of a very notable one & a history and I’m glad you read & thought it was excellent. I still plan to get to it! The Trevor Noah memoir I’ve heard is quite good … but you’ll have to report back on it … to tell me if it’s a must-do. thanks for weighing in here.
Lovely fall colors, Susan. We don’t see much of those on the coast, but when we head over to the valley (Salem & Corvallis), we are treated to some beautiful gold foliage. Our temps are still pretty comfortable and I wind up shedding my sweatshirt halfway through my daily walk.
Yes, the stress levels are climbing the closer we get to election day. I don’t know if you watched the VP debate, but Harris was a rock star! She gives me hope for our democracy! I am so glad you are able to vote as a Virginia resident. Yay!!
I enjoy memoirs over biographies, as I find them more engaging. I’ll bet the Plath book is good, though. I used to love Tana French’s mysteries, but her more recent releases haven’t thrilled me, so I’m not sure if I’ll give this new one a try. I loved The Likeness, In the Woods, and Faithful Place, but was greatly disappointed with The Secret Place and gave up on The Trespasser. You’ll have to let me know about The Searcher. 🙂 I have Leave the World Behind ready to go on audio once I finished Joe Hill’s chunkster, The Fireman. Alam’s book sounds like my sort of book!
As far as the shows you’ve mentioned, The Undoing sounds like it has possibilities, but my husband refuses to watch anything with Hugh Grant and my mom doesn’t like Nicole Kidman, so I may be on my own with that one. 🙂 I do think they’ll both watch the new Rebecca with me, however.
I didn’t know Springsteen was coming out with a new album. I’m a fan, but it’s been years since I’ve bought any of his cds. I saw him in L.A. in 1984 during his Born in the USA tour. It was an amazing show.
Thanks for the great write-up of all these new releases. Take good care!
Hey thanks Lesley for all your thoughts on these. Ha I had to laugh on what you said about Hugh Grant and Kidman and what you cannot watch. We all have these kinds of things … and shows we have to sneak for one reason or another. Hopefully Rebecca will be a winner for all. And so glad you saw Springsteen in ’84, wow! He was big then.
It sounds like you see some beautiful foliage when you head inland there. We still have mild temps here which is a bit unusual, pretty dry too. Hope your fires in Oregon are done! I sort of think I might skip Tana French’s new novel … sounds like a slow burn novel … but I have too much else! Hope you have a great month!
I missed all my blog reading this week as I have not been well. You mentioned an ulcer from all this ridiculousness at the WH. That is what I figured I had but it turned out to be a whopping kidney infection. Plus, while at urgent care I asked for a shingles shot and that was actually quite painful all week long. I don’t usually have any issues with shots. I don’t know why I got one when I wasn’t feeling well already.
I just got Cardiff from the library. It just came out? Odd that it was so readily available from the library but it looks really good. I’ve been so distracted by who is positive and the craziness of 45 attending a rally this Saturday that I’ve not been able to read.
So your trip went well?
Hey Ti, yeah we had a good trip away for a week. Sorry to hear you have not been feeling well. That’s tough — I too have been distracted away from reading. Also I’ve had the shingles shot (includes 2 shots months apart) … the first one is pretty brutal and will make your arm very sore for like 3 days so it’s not fun.
I’m on the wait list for the Cardiff book … so I hope it’s a good one for Halloween month. I haven’t done any spooky reads yet for RIP. Hope you feel better soon. take care.
Ohhh, another Tana French! Love her books – reading one right now. Slow moving is good. Small town is great! Ireland is even better.
Hi Jane: glad to make your day with news of the new Tana French book. It seems she’s putting out novels once a year or every other year lately. I’ll stop by your site to see which one you’re reading. Have a lovely October.
I just placed two holds for books I didn’t know existed until now – Leave the World behind and Cardiff, By the Sea!