10 noteworthy books for October
By Becky Meloan / The Washington Post
As the weather cools and the days get darker, new fall books arrive in libraries and bookstores. Look out for fiction both historical and magical, new adventures from best-selling thriller writers, modern mysteries, memoir, and science.
1. ‘Wild Chocolate: Across the Americas in Search of Cacao’s Soul’ by Rowan Jacobsen
One taste of an artisanal chocolate bar launched Jacobsen’s journey through Central and South America in pursuit of wild and heirloom cacao beans whose flavors are influenced by the earth in which they grow. The James Beard Award-winning food writer’s engaging narrative history doubles as an adventure tale, taking readers from Montezuma’s treasure vaults to shrewd profiteers’ warehouses. Recent years have seen a reclamation of cacao farming by small, sustainable, organic farmers using traditional methods but also modern brokers to bring their products to a worldwide audience, fueling a cacao renaissance. (Bloomsbury, out)
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2. ‘The Witches of El Paso’ by Luis Jaramillo
Jaramillo’s atmospheric first novel blends historical fiction and magical realism as it follows Nena Montoya over three alternating timelines: In 1943, Nena is a young woman yearning to understand visions that have plagued her since childhood; in 1793, after Nena has traveled through time to a convent-slash-coven, nuns help her grow into her power; and in the present day, 92-year-old Nena and her grandniece, Marta, connect with their family’s supernatural legacy and search for Nena’s long-lost daughter. (Atria/Primero Sueno Press, out)
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3. ‘The Last One at the Wedding’ by Jason Rekulak
After a three-year estrangement, working-class father Frank Szatowski is invited to attend the wedding of his daughter, Maggie, to the son of a tech billionaire. Frank arrives at the opulent estate eager to reconnect, but something feels off: The groom is distracted; his mother is nowhere to be seen; and Frank has to sign a nondisclosure agreement just to be allowed on the property. Frank tries to focus on rebuilding his relationship with Maggie, but with rumors swirling that her fiancé was involved in the disappearance of a local woman, he worries that his suspicions may push her away again. (Flatiron, out)
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4. ‘The Stone Witch of Florence’ by Anna Rasche
Alchemist Ginevra di Gasparo, exiled from medieval Florence for healing the sick with gemstones, is summoned by powerful men desperate to combat the encroaching black plague. But they don’t want her healing skills; they want her to track down missing relics that the church believes will ward off sickness. If she can return the stolen items, she will clear her name and be recognized as a doctor, but danger and betrayal are constant threats. Rasche, a gemologist and historian, offers an interesting look at the intersection of folk magic, medicine and religion in the 14th century. (Park Row, out)
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5. ‘Women’s Hotel’ by Daniel M. Lavery
A former “Dear Prudence” advice columnist turns his pen to fiction with a novel about a mid-century Manhattan hotel where young women are free to live outside their parents’ homes until they find a husband or give up hope of ever doing so. A newly sober floor manager with a millinery conundrum, a lesbian bartender and an elevator operator whose palms must be greased on moving days are among the cast of unique characters whose entertaining dramas over minor rules of social interactions read like Emily Post on her second martini. (HarperVia, Oct. 15)
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6. ‘The Waiting’ by Michael Connelly
Renée Ballard, leader of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Open-Unsolved Unit, is worried that progress on a decades-old rape case might be derailed after her badge and gun go missing on personal time. But when she turns to retired detective Harry Bosch to help track her missing gear, his investigation takes a dangerous turn. Meanwhile, Bosch’s daughter, Maddie, a Hollywood patrol cop, is hoping to track a lead of her own on the famously unsolved Black Dahlia murder case, in the hopes of jump-starting a detective career like her father’s. Connelly’s sixth book featuring Ballard provides a welcome look at her backstory that allows for a more nuanced portrayal of the gritty detective. (Little, Brown, Oct. 15)
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7. ‘The Treasure Hunters Club’ by Tom Ryan
Three strangers descend on the Nova Scotia coastal town of Maple Bay to search for a lost pirate’s treasure. Peter is invited by his estranged grandmother, who is hoping to share the burden of a family secret. Teenage wannabe sleuth Dandy is a local whose late grandfather left her an enticing clue. Cass, an author with writer’s block, seizes a housesitting opportunity to kick-start her next novel. When a shocking murder occurs, they must race to piece together notes, maps and decades-old stories resulting in unexpected connections. (Atlantic Monthly, Oct. 15)
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8. ‘In Too Deep’ by Lee Child and Andrew Child
Waking up shackled to a hospital bed with a broken arm, a concussion and no short-term memory, ex-military policeman Jack Reacher knows only one thing - that whoever did this to him is going to regret it. Learning how and why he got there leads Reacher to a web of criminals under investigation by the FBI, and he teams up with a suspended Arizona police detective who is seeking revenge on one of the suspects in her father’s murder. The 29th installment of the Reacher series feels fresh, with a mid-book twist that keeps the pages turning. (Delacorte, Oct. 22)
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9. ‘Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me’ by Glory Edim
Reading was a passion and a place of refuge for Edim during a chaotic upbringing. With upheaval at home - divorced parents, an abusive stepfather, a mother suffering from depression - the words of writers like Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni and Audre Lorde showed Edim how to value herself and gave her a visceral understanding of the importance of representation in literature. Her memoir revisits how her desire to connect with others led her to start a book club in her Brooklyn neighborhood called “Well-Read Black Girl,” which has since expanded into an online platform and nonprofit organization celebrating the works of Black authors. (Ballantine, Oct. 29)
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10. ‘Blood Over Bright Haven’ by M.L. Wang
Sciona earned her place as the first female Highmage at Bright Haven Academy through her brilliance and hard work, but the grueling process of gaining admission was only the first hurdle. Her male colleagues ensure that her research assistant is an untrained janitor, Thomil, a member of an Indigenous minority whose people were decimated by those currently in charge. Already aware of the sexism that holds her dreams just out of reach, she is soon awakened to the structural racism that keeps powerful people in control. When a threat emerges, she must pair her magic withThomil’s unexplored talents to keep the city safe. Wang deftly incorporates elements of science and philosophy into dark academia in this provocative stand-alone novel. (Del Rey, Oct. 29)