With a new month comes new releases — say hello to October 2019 book releases! Fall has been great for publishing so far and the goodness is continuing through October. I almost skipped out on writing this month’s lineup because I’m currently traveling, but I’m way too excited about these books not to share.
I’m always on the lookout for new books every month. These are either books I’ve already read advance copies of or those I’m dying to read ASAP. My thoughts are in italics and all Amazon book links are affiliate links. This means I may earn a cent or two when you buy books through those links.
October 2019 Book Releases
Out October 1
10 Blind Dates
Sophie wants one thing for Christmas—a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (read: make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin. Except it turns out that Griffin wants a little freedom from their relationship. Cue devastation.
Heartbroken, Sophie flees to her grandparents’ house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That’s when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. Like her sweet cousin Sara, who sets her up with a hot guy at an exclusive underground party. Or her crazy aunt Patrice, who signs Sophie up for a lead role in a living nativity. With a boy who barely reaches her shoulder. And a screaming baby.
When Griffin turns up unexpectedly and begs for a second chance, Sophie feels more confused than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, she’s started to have feelings for someone else . . . Someone who is definitely not available. This is going to be the worst Christmas break ever . . . or is it?
Out October 1
Roll with It
Ellie’s a girl who tells it like it is. That surprises some people, who see a kid in a wheelchair and think she’s going to be all sunshine and cuddles. The thing is, Ellie has big dreams: She might be eating Stouffer’s for dinner, but one day she’s going to be a professional baker. If she’s not writing fan letters to her favorite celebrity chefs, she’s practicing recipes on her well-meaning, if overworked, mother.
But when Ellie and her mom move so they can help take care of her ailing grandpa, Ellie has to start all over again in a new town at a new school. Except she’s not just the new kid—she’s the new kid in the wheelchair who lives in the trailer park on the wrong side of town. It all feels like one challenge too many, until Ellie starts to make her first-ever friends. Now she just has to convince her mom that this town might just be the best thing that ever happened to them!
Related: You can also read my interview with Jamie here.
Out October 1
Nina Soni, Former Best Friend
The first title in a new series featuring a lovable, distractible Indian-American girl and her family and friends. Nina tried as hard as she could, but still somehow she forgot about her school project. Fortunately, a class lesson about Alexander Fleming suggests how she might make a great discovery―and thus a great project!
But with little sister Kavita’s birthday party right around the corner, and her longtime friendship with Jay on the rocks, Nina has a lot to keep track of. Readers are sure to relate to author Kashmira Sheth’s endearing Nina Soni and her slightly scatter-brained efforts to manage her life with lists, definitions, and real-life math problems.
I’m in the middle of this one, and it’s such a cute chapter book! If you enjoy chapter books (basically super short novels with simpler wording) for new readers, check out my list of 20 favorites here. I’ll be sure to write a review of this one soon.
Out October 1
Patience, Miyuki
Anyone with a small child knows that patience is not a virtue easily won. In this magically illustrated story the young girl Miyuki, who we first met in the critically acclaimed Time for Bed, Miyuki, anxiously awaits the opening of one sleepy flower. When, on the first day of spring, the flower still hasn’t bloomed, Miyuki begins a frantic search for water to wake it up. Her grandfather gently encourages her to sit and watch with him, as she learns the important lesson that good things come to those who wait.
I’m reviewing this whimsical picture book on Friday! I enjoyed the prequel, Time for Bed, Miyuki — it was one of my favorite reads in 2018.
Out October 1
The Other, Better Me
Lola and Momma have always been a team of two. It hasn’t always been easy for Lola, being one of the only kids she knows with just one parent around. And lately she’s been feeling incomplete, like there’s a part of herself that she can’t know until she knows her dad.
But what will happen—to Lola, to Momma, to their team of two—if she finds him?
I just started reading this book and so far, the voice is well developed and engaging. I’m excited to see where it goes — and hopefully review it soon.
Out October 1
Boy Trouble: Ask Emma 2
Back from a remarkable trip to Washington DC, 13-year-old Emma Woods thinks Jackson Knight is about to become her first boyfriend. But when Jax seems to suddenly turn icy, Emma is left in the cold. As if Emma’s life couldn’t get more complicated, Austen Middle School is hosting its first-ever Sadie Hawkins dance, where girls invite a partner.
While Emma gives advice to her friends and classmates, she also has to figure out what to do about her own situation. Should she forget about Jackson? Or is this the perfect opportunity to make her move? Filled with humor, drama, and heart, book three in the Ask Emma series will have readers begging for more.
I’ve always been interested in this series, even though I’m not generally a huge fan of middle-grade series (or book series in general). But the main character is a blogger(!!), so I’m willing to give this a shot. Thankfully, I have an ARC to dig into once I get a spare moment — just not crazy about the cover!
October 15
The Memory Keeper
All Lulu Carter wants is to be seen. But her parents are lost in their own worlds, and Lulu has learned the hard way that having something as rare as HSAM—the ability to remember almost every single moment in her life—won’t make you popular in school.
At least Lulu has Gram, who knows the truth about Lulu’s memory and loves her all the more for it. But Gram has started becoming absentminded, and the more lost she gets, the more she depends on Lulu…until Lulu realizes her memory holds the very key to fixing Gram’s forgetfulness. Once Lulu learns that trauma can cause amnesia, all she needs to do to cure Gram is hunt down that one painful moment in Gram’s life.
With her friends Olivia and Max, Lulu digs into Gram’s mysterious past. But they soon realize some secrets should stay buried, and Lulu wonders if she ever knew Gram at all. It’s up to Lulu to uncover the truth before the only person who truly sees her slips away.
I enjoyed this debut middle-grade novel tremendously. It has great emotional and STEM connections that thrilled me as someone with a science-based academic background. Can’t wait to share my review and interview with author Jennifer Camiccia.
October 15
Give and Take
Family has always been important to twelve-year-old Maggie: a trapshooter, she is coached by her dad and cheered on by her mom. But her grandmother’s recent death leaves a giant hole in Maggie’s life, one which she begins to fill with an assortment of things: candy wrappers, pieces of tassel from Nana’s favorite scarf, milk cartons, sticks . . . all stuffed in cardboard boxes under her bed.
Then her parents decide to take in a foster infant. But anxiety over the new baby’s departure only worsens Maggie’s hoarding, and soon she finds herself taking and taking until she spirals out of control. Ultimately, with some help from family, friends, and experts, Maggie learns that sometimes love means letting go.
I just loved Swartz’s Finding Perfect and am so bummed I’ve been unable to read this ARC yet (thanks to traveling!), but I’m hoping to read and review it before pub date.
October 29
Eat Joy
This collection of intimate, illustrated essays by some of America’s most well-regarded literary writers explores how comfort food can help us cope with dark times―be it the loss of a parent, the loneliness of a move, or the pain of heartache.
Lev Grossman explains how he survived on “sweet, sour, spicy, salty, unabashedly gluey” General Tso’s tofu after his divorce. Carmen Maria Machado describes her growing pains as she learned to feed and care for herself during her twenties. Claire Messud tries to understand how her mother gave up dreams of being a lawyer to make “a dressed salad of tiny shrimp and avocado, followed by prune-stuffed pork tenderloin.” What makes each tale so moving is not only the deeply personal revelations from celebrated writers, but also the compassion and healing behind the story: the taste of hope.
As a massive foodie, I cannot wait to read these essays. I’ve read the first one and this collection promises to be mouth-wateringly good.
If you missed September’s new releases, you can catch up here.
💬 There they are: the 9 books I’ve especially got my eyes on this month! Which of these October 2019 book releases are on your watch list?
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Some really good books this month. I have added some to my TBR list. Thanks for the post.
Yayayay! I hope you enjoy!
Oh this is a lovely list! I’m really curious about 10 Blind Dates, it sounds like a fun read and I LOVE that cover of The Memory Keeper. Sounds like such a lovely read, too! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Oh, I hope you read 10 Blind Dates! It’s so fun! The Memory Keeper is also really good. Thanks for reading, Marie! 🙂