Hi all. We’ve made it to October, wow. It’s really fall now. The plants and trees are changing color. The Virginia creeper across the trellis out front has already turned red, and we’ve had a few overnights of frost. It’s almost time to put the vegetable garden to bed here, but still we might have a few 70-degree golden afternoons left, which will feel like bliss. Meanwhile my thoughts go out to all the people struggling after the devastation of Hurricane Helene. It looks terrible in parts of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida, and I hope they find some relief soon. The loss of life is stunning and awful to hear. Charity Navigator is a good place to look where to send support.
On a happier note, there’s plenty of reading challenges going on over the next two months. This month I signed up for a read-along of Somerset Maugham’s novel Of Human Bondage over at Ti’s blog Book Chatter. Since it’s a long classic, we have the entire month to read and chat about it and dip into all things Maugham. Perhaps I’ll also read one scary novel for the Readers Imbibing Peril (R.I.P.) challenge, or continue on with reading Booker Prize nominees. There’s also various other bookish challenges for next month including: nonfiction November, Norway in November, German reads, and my read-along of Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend with Tina over at the blog Turn the Page. So I guess it’s time to gear up and get ready.
But first let’s see what’s releasing this month. There’s new notable books coming out by Jean Hanff Korelitz (The Sequel), Ta-Nehisi Coates (The Message), and Michael Connelly (The Waiting) among others. Are you seeing a pattern with these titles? Also Al Pacino has a memoir (Sonny Boy) coming out as well as the late Russian activist Alexei Navalny’s posthumous memoir Patriot. I’m looking at these and a couple others, including Louise Erdrich’s novel The Mighty Red (due out Oct. 1), which according to Publishers Weekly follows the indigenous folks of the Red River Valley of North Dakota … “in a captivating tale of love and everyday life amid environmental upheaval and the 2008 financial crisis.” Erdrich is a gem of storyteller, but I have only read one of her novels so far — The Night Watchman from 2020, which I liked. So I might give this one a try too.
I’m also looking at Canadian author Tammy Armstrong’s book Pearly Everlasting (due out Oct. 1), which Publishers Weekly says is an enchanting novel about a “spirited teenage girl who sets off through the woods of 1934 New Brunswick, Canada, to rescue the bear she considers her brother …. in an adventure that brims with folklore and superstition, as Pearly musters the courage to overcome her fears.”
This novel received a starred review from Kirkus and takes place during the Great Depression from a remote logging camp. The author is a poet who lives in a fishing village in Nova Scotia. Since I need to read more Canadian authors and Pearly Everlasting includes a bear, I’m game for it, lol.
In what to watch this month, it seems there’s not too many TV series to check out perhaps other than Season 2 of The Diplomat (starting Oct. 31 on Netflix) starring Keri Russell. We didn’t make it through Season 1 as Russell was great as always, but the storyline seemed to get a bit crazy.
But there are several movies that look good (it’s not all about the new Joker film with Joaquin Phoenix), including the family-friendly film My Penguin Friend (available to stream Oct. 1), which appears to be endearing and is based on a true story about a lost penguin and a heartbroken Brazilian fisherman. Though if it’s creepy you’re looking for this Halloween season, try the new Salem’s Lot movie on HBO Max starting Oct. 3. It hasn’t received great reviews, but Stephen King is tweeting about it and it’ll likely get you into an October mode.
There’s also the movie A Different Man (due out Oct. 4) about a guy who undergoes facial surgery for a disfiguring condition but then becomes fixated on an actor in a stage production based on his former life. It’s won awards at various film festivals and the trailer reminded me a bit of the 1980 film The Elephant Man loosely based on the real life of a deformed man named Joseph Merrick.
Am I dating myself? That one was very good and looks similar to the condition the man has in the new film, which stars Sebastian Stan as the afflicted guy. Yet A Different Man is listed as a black comedy psychological thriller film, so we’ll have to see how it plays out.
Next up is the latest movie starring Saoirse Ronan titled The Outrun (due out Oct. 4) about a young woman recently out of rehab for alcoholism, who returns to the beauty of the Orkney Islands off Scotland, where she grew up, to try to come to terms with her past.
It looks like a winner especially if you like Ronan’s films, and of course she’s had many great ones over the years including: Lady Bird, Little Women, Brooklyn, On Chesil Beach, and Atonement among others. She’s a star and has just got married this summer to actor Jack Lowden who plays River Cartwright in the TV series Slow Horses, so that’s pretty exciting, right?
But perhaps the biggest movie this month is Conclave (due out Oct. 25), based on the novel by Robert Harris, about a Cardinal who when tasked with leading the way to selecting a new pope later finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the foundation of the Church.
Ralph Fiennes stars as the Cardinal, and actors Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini also make appearances. It could be a whopper of a psychological thriller if it lives up to the book, so we will see … and the cinematography in Rome should be great too. Could it be Oscar material?
And lastly in music this month, there’s new albums by Coldplay, Finneas, Bon Iver, Tears for Fears, and Leon Bridges among others. I’ll pick Coldplay’s new one called Moon Music due out Oct. 4. It’s the group’s tenth studio album and will be followed by a world tour. It’s also going to be aired in theaters around the globe for a listening event on Oct. 2 & 3. Now here’s the band’s single Feels Like I’m Falling in Love from Glastonbury.
That’s all for now. What about you — which new releases are you looking forward to this month?
These photos are lovely. I saw King himself post about Salem’s Lot on X so I made a mental note to check it out. It will be hard to top the original, I think.
Yay!! Today’s the day!! Of Human Bondage, let’s go!!
Sounds good Ti. Yay. I have an ebook copy of OHB I bought years ago at $1.99 so it’s about time I started the novel. I’m looking forward to it — though I have much going on – but I will try to keep up with the schedule. We’ll see.
See what you think of Salem’s Lot, the movie … I’m sure the book will be better.
Cheers. Have a great week.
Your photos are beautiful. I love Saoirse Ronan and Jack Lowden (at least in Slow Horses) so this bit of Hollywood news makes me happy, haha! At your prompting elsewhere, I just finished Prophet Song. I was wary of the no-paragraph thing and started it a bit slowly, then was swept along in a late-night rush of reading and finished it quickly. I thought it really well done and incredibly depressing. Thank you for encouraging me to read it. Though I had to pick up the newest Richard Osman as a palate cleanser!
Hi Molly, ha, Lol. Indeed I sent you down a dark path but man it could happen but it better not! It really spirals out of control … and the poor mother — from the start it gripped me. You definitely deserve something lighter & happier after that. It’s funny that Ronan is still only 30 years old … and has been around for years. She & Jack met on the movie Mary Queen of Scots …. according to Wiki. Figures! Enjoy your fall & keep reading.
Big Louise Erdrich fan here and I’ll be reading her new book as soon as I can get my hands on it. I miss brilliant autumn colors. We don’t really get much of that here on the Gulf Coast of Texas. I love your red Virginia creeper.
Thanks Dorothy, that creeper is something. Fall colors are one thing …. but it’s also getting nippy which you probably don’t miss. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the new Erdrich. I’m #55 on the wait list for it at the library …. it’s still on order there. Have a great week. And happy reading.
I have my eye on the new Erdrich but still have to read Kushner’s latest for the Booker; I just have two to go from the shortlist including Stone Yard Devotional which is not available on Kindle yet. I’ll be finishing Held tonight. I’m not sure how I feel about it 84% in, probably a 3*, but it makes me want to reevaluate all the ratings I have assigned this year since I have liked other books with the same rating much more than I have this one. Fiennes and Ronan are getting Oscar buzz for those movies, as are Nicole Kidman and Angelina for their turns as well, though it seems their movies will be coming out later in the season.
Hi Carmen, thanks, good info. I wish Stone Yard Devotional was more available. It’s hard to get. I’m on a wait list for Held though it doesn’t seem from your take on it that I’ll like it much. I’ll be interested to know what you think of the Kushner novel. I finished the Leif Enger novel and liked it well enough. It left me with some images of the boat & characters on Lake Superior. I agree with your review that it bogs down in a some places though overall still good.
The movies look pretty good this month … and I hope to see the Oscar ones. We’re watching Slow Horses Season 4 currently. Hope you have a great week.
I liked the first episode of Murder in a Small Town last week, which is based on L.R. Wright’s Canadian mystery series. I think the second episode is recording as I watch the Vice Presidential debate so will probably watch it tomorrow.
I bet The Outrun has some great scenery!
I’m intrigued by Pearly Everlasting – will have to look for that.
Hi Constance, I’ll have to look for Murder in a Small Town … thx for the mention of it. I don’t know of it — but now I’m curious and will check if we get it.
And I’m glad you’re interested in Pearly Everlasting … I put it on hold at the library and I hope it’s good — the bear seems an interesting part of it.
I look forward to the movie The Outrun and its scenery … and I would like to visit Scotland sometime. Seems beautiful. Hope you have a great week.
ps. I sent in my absentee ballot for the election last Friday … and I remain nervous what will happen.
Great post and it is terrible about Hurricane Helene. North Carolina in particular got hit very badly and its so sad about the loss of life.
I plan to read at least one Victorian novel for Victober but the RIP Challenge sounds interesting too. And then there are the two Bookers I plan to read.
Saoirse Ronan such a fine actress and Outrun sounds like it will really be good.
Have a great autumn!
Thanks Kathy, fall is busy eh? I forgot all about Victober which would’ve been good but now I’m taking on the Maugham book. We’ll see what I get to. You’ve been on a roll lately with many various reads. I look forward to your reviews.
Helene is a terrible disaster in NC. And I’ve been to Boone before. I worry about the wreckage in the mountain towns.
Enjoy your autumn there … & let’s hope for no more big hurricanes.
I hope these movies will be good. Cheers.
The only book on your list that I am interested in right now is Pearly Everlasting, and mostly because of the Canadian setting. I am not so sure about the folklore and superstition part but I will be trying it.
I am hoping to find a book to read for Norway in November. I have one favorite Norwegian mystery author (Anne Holt) and another one I want to try, but I need to see what I have available.
I read Orbital and I loved it. I did have some nitpicks and critiques but I still loved it. I wish it had been twice as long.
And I will be interested to hear about your thoughts on Of Human Bondage.
Hi Tracy, good to know you liked Orbital. I’ve heard others who didn’t care for it but it’s nice to hear a positive review of it. That’s great. I haven’t gotten a library copy of it yet – but I think it’ll be soon.
I’m glad to know too — that you’re interested in Pearly Everlasting and Norway in November. I’m a bit all over about which Norwegian book I’ll read but it’s likely what I can get from the library. I look forward to hearing about yours.
Much to do & read this month. I hope you have a pleasant October.
We had two weeks of lovely cooler fall weather in September, but then things heated back up and we’ve been in the 80s and 90s all week. Sigh. I’m tired of being hot. But hopefully cooler weather is coming our way. And Salem’s Lot was the first book by Stephen King that I ever read, so it’s a favorite. Though I don’t have HBO so won’t be watching the new series/movie of it. Good luck with all your reading challenges! And I hope you have a wonderful month. 😀
Hi Lark, thanks. I hope cool temps are on the way there in SLC – you’re likely getting all that Calif heat – it’s still baking in the desert. But it sure has cooled off here, 50s. But we might get 70s later in the week.
I think Salem’s Lot would be fun to read around Halloween, so I’ll add it to the list. I have not read it. And I’ll hold off on the movie. I’m sure you have plenty of scary books to read this month. Enjoy.
Now *that* is fall! Wow. Look at that beautiful color.
I’ve already heard a lot about the new Louise Erdrich book. I keep meaning to read Erdrich. I do not know why I haven’t!
It always feels to me like fall is one of the big publishing months. I think that’s because of the Texas Book Festival, which is held in October or November.
Hi Deb, ha the red of the Va. creeper bush is really beyond anything else here. The trees here are starting to lose their leaves especially with the wind.
It seems Erdrich’s new novel will be good … I’ve only read one of hers and she has a long list, so I need to go back to some of her backlist. She seems to breathe life into her characters. I’m curious about her book The Sentence since Erdrich owns a bookstore called Birchbark Books, which I think she took from.
That’s great you’ll be attending the Texas Book Festival once again. It always sounds fantastic! I will be going to a few events at the Calgary Book Festival in mid-October … and seeing Rachel Kushner, Roddy Doyle, and Anne Enright. We just saw nonfiction British author Ben Macintyre and he was great! Enjoy your weekend.
I’m going to participate in the Of Human Bondage readalong, too. I’ve just started, but the story is compelling, I think, from the very beginning.
That’s great to hear! I’m already behind on OHB b/c I need to finish another book for PW … but I’m looking forward to it. So glad you’re in on it.
We’re still getting highs in the 80s and just the barest hint of fall color. But the nights are cool and that makes it feel like fall! I’m looking forward to The Message and The Outrun.
Hi Joy, good to hear. Sounds still hot there but not long … the fall colors will show. The Message and The Outrun look interesting. Enjoy and Happy October!
I haven’ t heard of the book or the movie Conclave, but sign me up! This one sounds like my kind of movie so thank you for the recommendation.
Hi Helen, I hope Conclave is going to be good. It seems a bit intriguing. Apparently the book came out in 2016 by British novelist Robert Harris. My husband & I started the audio of it once on a road trip … I don’t think we had a chance to finish it but it seemed quite intricate. See what you think. Cheers and Happy October!
I am looking forward to our book together and have it downloaded already. I will add Of Human Bondage to my growing list for the Classics Club which I hope to join in January. Currently still making a list.
Lots of good books you have posted about here. I will add a few to Goodreads. Definitely will check out The Outrun as I am a fan of Ronan’s.
One of my fall books came in and so I have Roddy Doyle’s book The Woman Behind the Door ready after I finish Ann Napolitano’s Within Arm’s Reach.
Hi Tina, good to hear. I hope the Roddy Doyle book is good as I will be hearing the author talk about it at our book festival on Oct. 20. I have not read his books before. Maybe I will get a signed copy.
I’m already getting behind on Of Human Bondage … as I’m trying to finish a book for PW now — but I think OHB will be good.
I have a print paperback copy of My Brilliant Friend so we will check in on that in Nov. Interesting that you’re joining the Classics Club in Jan. Seems a good idea. So many I still haven’t read yet. Enjoy your week.
Your Virginia Creeper is gorgeous! I get volunteer Virginia Creeper here in NC (we were lucky in regard to Hurricane Helene compared to many), but it wants to grow in the wrong place. I may need to find an appropriate place. It’s so pretty!
Thanks Olivia. This Va. creeper bush was there when we moved in a year or so ago, so I don’t know much about it. But my plant app identified it. It sure turned a pretty red quickly. I’m glad you weren’t hit too badly by Helene where you are in NC. Gosh what a scary storm! I hope you find places for your creeper.
nice autumn photos!
best…mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thanks Mae. I’m going to add some more autumn photos with my next post but the leaves are going quickly here, so I better hop to it. I hope your fall days are wonderful there in Mich. Happy October.
Beautiful fall photos! It seems like there are so many new books I’m interested in this month… besides the ones you mention, I just downloaded the audio version of Ina Garten’s memoir and plan to do the same for Stanley Tucci’s.
Hi JoAnn, thanks. It’s a pretty time of year here now. A mixture of colors and clear days. Chilly mornings and warm late afternoons.
Those seem like good memoirs and audios you mention. So much to read right now. I’m a bit all over the place. I think my nonfiction is quite low this year … so I best get on it. I hope you have a nice October!
Ah, that’s a Virginia Creeper and not a maple tree! Gorgeous, nonetheless.
I’m looking forward to reading Korelitz’s The Sequel and hope it’s as engrossing at The Plot, which I loved. The description of Pearly Everlasting does not, however, appeal to me. A bear a young girl considers her brother? I recently read Bear by Julia Phillips and found the “fairy tale” aspect of the story off-putting, so I doubt I’ll give Armstrong’s novel a read.
The Outrun sounds like a film that I’d enjoy. We just started watching S4 of Slow Horses, but can only watch when there isn’t a baseball game! Go Dodgers! 🙂 Oooh, Conclave has a good cast, doesn’t it?! Should be good, I would think. Have you heard about Tom Hanks’ new movie with Robin Wright? It’s called Here and the trailer has me very interested!
Hi again. Yes at our front gate we have a Virginia Creeper but that’s different than the tree in the photo of my recent post. So red has spread, ha.
I will see what you think of The Sequel. I did read The Plot but I was in the minority who didn’t love it but I did appreciate the diabolical ending.
I don’t know what to expect with Pearly Everlasting … but I hope it has good wilderness in it. Unfort the whole library system is closed now due to a security breach so I can’t even pick it up. Oh well.
We finished Slow Horses S4 and it was pretty good, better than S3. I’m looking forward to The Outrun. Big scenery! Yay. I haven’t heard about the new Tom Hanks movie but you have me very interested. I will check out the trailer. Thx for mentioning it! We are having Thanksgiving in Canada, ha. And I’ll never get used to it before Halloween. I’m too American, bahh. Enjoy your books!