Hello, librarians!
There are A LOT of fantastic books on this list so we will keep this brief so you can get reading. New books from library-favorites such as Wiley Cash, Gilly Macmillan, and Joe Hill, as well as hotly-anticipated debuts from Liv Constantine and Gabrielle Union combine to make October a special month for both you and your patrons. We can't wait to hear what you think!
Don't forget: the deadline to vote for the October LibraryReads list is August 20th. Happy reading!
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The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash
For fans of: Ron Rash and Charles Frazier
The author of the celebrated bestseller A Land More Kind Than Home returns with this eagerly awaited new novel, set in the Appalachian foothills of North Carolina in 1929 and inspired by actual events, that chronicles an ordinary woman’s struggle for dignity and her rights in a textile mill.
"Lives are changed forever in this intimate and yet expansive novel about a real-life 1929 North Carolina mill strike. With subtlety and insight, Wiley Cash reveals the dignity and humanity of people asking for a fair shot in an unfair world. Fraught with the turmoil of social change, The Last Ballad moves inexorably toward a devastating moment of reckoning. A timely and topical portrait of a community in crisis."
—Christina Baker Kline, author of A Piece of the World and Orphan Train
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: August 20th
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
For fans of: Karin Slaughter, Mary Kubica, and Kimberly McCreight
A mesmerizing debut psychological thriller full of delicious twists about a coolly manipulative woman who worms her way into the lives of a wealthy “golden couple” from Connecticut to achieve the privileged life she wants.
"With a plot equally as twisty, spellbinding, and addictive as Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl or Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train, this is sure to be a hit with suspense fans."
—Library Journal 
review
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
Public Librarian? Click here to request a physical galley
LibraryReads deadline: August 20th
Odd Child Out by Gilly Macmillan
For fans of: Liane Moriarty and Tana French
From the New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew comes a whip-smart suspense novel about two young friends, the mystery of one's near-fatal accident, and the secrets each of their families hold.
"Subtle, nuanced writing and a compelling, timely story taut with tension—Odd Child Out is a hugely satisfying and thrilling read. Highly recommended!"
—Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
Public Librarian? Click here to request a physical galley
LibraryReads deadline: August 20th
Logical Family by Armistead Maupin
For fans of: Barbarian Days by William Finnegan and Bettyville by George Hodgman
In this long-awaited memoir, the beloved author of the bestselling Tales of the City series chronicles his odyssey from the old South to freewheeling San Francisco, and his evolution from curious youth to ground-breaking writer and gay rights pioneer.
"[Maupin] leavens the varied events of his life with just the right amounts of humor, thoughtfulness, and poignancy."
—Library Journal 
review
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
Public Librarian? Click here to request a physical galley
LibraryReads deadline: August 20th
Strange Weather by Joe Hill
For fans of: Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman
A collection of four chilling novels, ingeniously wrought gems of terror from the brilliantly imaginative, #1 New York Times
bestselling author of The Fireman.
"Fans will be thrilled to take in Hill’s malevolent mind through these masterfully crafted single-sitting reads reminiscent of the very best of the short works by giants of the form like King, Gaiman, and Miéville."
—Booklist 
review
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
Public Librarian? Click here to request a physical galley
LibraryReads deadline: August 20th
It Devours! by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor
Also from the authors: Welcome to Night Vale
From the authors of the New York Times bestselling novel Welcome to Night Vale and the creators of the #1 international podcast of the same name, comes a noir-esque mystery exploring faith and science.
"With a gripping mystery, a very smartly built world (a place similar to our own world but at the same time distinctly other), and a cast of offbeat characters, the novel is a welcome addition to any library’s SF shelf."
—Booklist
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: August 20th
Hiddensee by Gregory Maguire
Also from the author: Wicked and After Alice
In this imaginative novel rooted in the rich soil of early-nineteenth-century German Romanticism, beloved New York Times bestselling author Gregory Maguire twins an origin legend of the famous Nutcracker with the life of Drosselmeier, the toymaker who carves him.
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
Public Librarian? Click here to request a physical galley
LibraryReads deadline: August 20th
We're Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union
For fans of: Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham and Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
In the spirit of Amy Poehler’s Yes Please, a powerful collection of essays about gender, sexuality, race, beauty, Hollywood, and what it means to be a modern woman.
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: August 20th
Click below for more great October LibraryReads suggestions!
Looking Ahead: Must-Read November Titles!
Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich
For fans of: The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Louise Erdrich, the New York Times bestselling, National Book Award-winning author of LaRose and The Round House, paints a startling portrait of a young woman fighting for her life and her unborn child against oppressive forces that manifest in the wake of a cataclysmic event.
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: September 20th
The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty
For fans of: Uprooted by Naomi Novik and The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty—an imaginative alchemy of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings, and One Thousand and One Nights, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts.
"The City of Brass is the best adult fantasy I’ve read since The Name of the Wind. It’s stunning and complex and consuming and fantastic. You must read it."
—Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of An Ember in the Ashes
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
Public Librarian? Click here to request a physical galley
LibraryReads deadline: September 20th
The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy
For fans of: The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
In the bestselling tradition of Fannie Flagg comes Felicity Hayes-McCoy’s U.S. debut about a local librarian who must find a way to rebuild her community and her own life in this touching, enchanting novel set on Ireland’s stunning West Coast.
"The Library at The Edge of the World is a delicious feast of a novel. Sink in and feel enveloped by the beautiful world of Felicity Hayes-McCoy."
—Cathy Kelly, bestselling author of Between Sisters and Secrets of a Happy Marriage
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
Public Librarian? Click here to request a physical galley
LibraryReads deadline: September 20th
Wonder Valley by Ivy Pochoda
For fans of: Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff and The Harder They Come by T. C. Boyle
When a teen runs away from his father’s mysterious commune, he sets in motion a domino effect that will connect six characters desperate for hope and love, set across the sun-bleached canvas of Los Angeles.
"Wonder Valley seethes with the vivid, searching idea of southern California. But as the intersecting journeys of hippie acolytes, restless hoods, lost boys and all manner of runaways converge, Pochoda enacts an aching dream of home that will possess and haunt you."
—Smith Henderson, author of Fourth of July Creek
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
Public Librarian? Click here to request a physical galley
LibraryReads deadline: September 20th
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We hope you enjoy one or two or TWELVE of these titles and cast your votes for LibraryReads! New or unfamiliar with the LibraryReads program? Visit LibraryReads.org for details on this monthly list voted on by librarians for librarians!
-Chris