What’s On My Plate – October 2023

October might be my most out of control month yet. Yes, there are way too many books to read than I have time for, but I’m going to list them all anyway, and this will serve as a menu of sorts. November should be a lot quieter with new releases, so I’m sure there will be some carry over.

Also, has anyone else noticed that publishers are changing release dates, a lot? There are a few books on this list that were moved up to September, and I didn’t know about it. I always say “release dates subject to change,” but seriously, it’s out of control right now.

Finally, what’s up with October 3rd? HALF of these books release on October 3rd, that’s crazy.

In any case, take a look at the books I’d love to read this month, and you can click on the titles to read the full description on Goodreads:

I’m currently reading Starling House by Alix E. Harrow, and I’m so glad to be reading another novel by this author, after her recent novella releases. “A grim and gothic new tale from author Alix E. Harrow about a small town haunted by secrets that can’t stay buried and the sinister house that sits at the crossroads of it all.”

I don’t have my review copy of Earth Retrograde by R.W.W. Greene yet (hopefully it’s on the way), but it’s still one of my top two most anticipated books of the month. “Becoming the planet’s most (in)famous human has not changed Brooklyn Lamontagne one bit, but the time has come for him to choose where his allegiances really lie.”

I’m hearing good things about Edenville by Sam Rebelein! “An unsettling, immersive, and wildly entertaining debut novel from an exciting new voice in horror for fans of Paul Tremblay and Stephen Graham Jones.”

Also Nestlings by Nat Cassidy is getting awesome reviews. Plus Nat has a great Instagram account, you should check it out! “Nat Cassidy is at his razor-sharp best again with his horror novel Nestlings , which harnesses the creeping paranoia of Rosemary’s Baby and the urban horror of Salem’s Lot , set in an exclusive New York City residential building.”

I’m very excited to read The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey, especially since I just read a book by Kadrey and really enjoyed it. “Bestselling authors Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey have teamed up to deliver a dark new story with magic, monsters, and mayhem, perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Joe Hill.”

I had such a great experience with Delilah S. Dawson’s The Violence, so I’m very curious about Bloom. “A sweet sapphic romance takes a deadly dark turn in this sharp-as-a-knife novella from the New York Times bestselling author.”

The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas was moved from a December to an October release (which I just happened to see on Goodreads), so I scrambled to add it to my October pile. Looking forward to finally checking out this author! “A haunted paleontologist returns to the museum where his sister was abducted years earlier and is faced with a terrifying and murderous spirit in this chilling novel from the author of A History of Fear—perfect for fans of Simone St. James and Katy Hays.”

I was gifted a copy of The Daughters of Block Island by the author, Christa Carmen, and it sounds fantastic. “In this ingenious and subversive twist on the classic gothic novel, the mysterious past of an island mansion lures two sisters into a spiderweb of scandal, secrets, and murder.”

I need at least one YA to read this month, and my choice is Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle, which sounds really good. “Ninth House meets A Deadly Education in this gorgeous dark academia fantasy following a teen mage who must unravel the truth behind the secret society that may have been involved in her classmates’ deaths.”

I’m looking forward to starting a new SF series, and These Burning Stars by Bethany Jacobs sounds like a good one. “A dangerous cat-and-mouse quest for revenge. An empire that spans star systems, built on the bones of a genocide. A carefully hidden secret that could collapse worlds, hunted by three women with secrets of their own. All collide in this twisty, explosive space opera debut, perfect for readers of Arkady Martine and Kameron Hurley.”

I’ve had a copy of The Horror at Pleasant Brook by Kevin Lucia for months, and I’ll finally be reading it soon. “This Halloween, a malevolent, creeping horror invades a small, isolated town nestled deep in the Adirondacks. It cares nothing for this town’s secrets, prejudices, or flaws. Its only desires are to consume everything in its path and spread, until nothing else remains.”

The Court of Shadows by Victor Dixen is the start of a new vampire series, I can’t wait to start it! “A fiery heroine seeks vengeance against a royal court of deadly vampires in this epic alternate history set in lavish Versailles.”

A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand is an authorized return to the classic The Haunting of Hill House. “From three-time Shirley Jackson, World Fantasy, and Nebula Award-winning author Elizabeth Hand comes the first-ever authorized novel to return to the world of Shirley Jackson’s  The Haunting of Hill House:  a suspenseful, contemporary, and terrifying story of longing and isolation all its own.”

I thought My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon was a mystery/thriller, but I believe it has some supernatural elements to it. “A spine-tingling psychological thriller about a woman who, after taking in her dying, alcoholic mother, begins to suspect demonic possession is haunting her family.”

Frost Bite by Angela Sylvaine sounds fun and a bit crazy! “Remember the ’90s? Well…the town of Demise, North Dakota doesn’t, and they’re living in the year 1997. That’s because an alien worm hitched a ride on a comet, crash landed in the town’s trailer park, and is now infecting animals with a memory-loss-inducing bite–and right before Christmas!”

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead by Kristen Simmons is another YA, horror this time. “Kristen Simmons’s masterful breakout horror novel that’s ” Jumanji but Japanese-inspired” (Kendare Blake) about estranged friends playing a deadly game in a nightmarish folkloric underworld.”

I’ve already read The Pale House Devil by Richard Kadrey, and really enjoyed it! Look for my review tomorrow. “A gripping, snappy creature feature from the master of horror noir about two detectives—one dead, one living—hired by an embittered old landowner to banish a bloody cosmic monster from his ancestral home, perfect for fans of Cassandra Khaw, Charles Stross and Lucy A. Snyder.” 

For something a little more lighthearted, I’m hoping to read The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport by Samit Basu. “Shantiport was supposed to be a gateway to the stars. But the city is sinking, and its colonist rulers aren’t helping anyone but themselves.”

I love Lina Rather’s books, so I’m very excited to read A Season of Monstrous Conceptions, her new novella. “In 17th-century London, unnatural babies are being born: some with eyes made for the dark, others with webbed fingers and toes better suited to the sea.”

After the Forest by Kell Woods also released in September—surprise! But I’m including it here since I haven’t read it yet. “After the Forest is a dark and enchanting fantasy debut from Kell Woods that explores the repercussions of a childhood filled with magic and a young woman contending with the truth of “happily ever after.”

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