6 Must-Read Books New in Paperback This October

October is National Reading Group Month and National Book Month, so naturally we’re putting this month’s Book Club Favorite’s pick at the top of our reading list. On the morning of April 29, 1986, the stacks at the Los Angeles Public Library were consumed by flames. The fire was disastrous: it reached 2,000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.

This month, MRS. FLETCHER is getting the small-screen treatment thanks to HBO. This adaptation stars Kathryn Hahn as Eve Fletcher, a single mom who’s experiencing empty-nest syndrome for the first time now that her son has moved out for college. With the novel covering topics such as sexuality, parenthood, and self-discovery, we’re excited to reread this book in between episodes. You might recall Tom Perrotta’s THE LEFTOVERS had a three-season run on HBO, and it’s also home to adaptations of BIG LITTLE LIES and (upcoming) THE OUTSIDER—so this adaptation will surely not disappoint.

This long, long Haruki Murakami novel just might come in handy on extra chilly fall Saturdays when you’re better off enjoying the warmth inside with a spellbinding novel to keep you company. Murakami’s latest novel starts off with a lonely painter who has isolated himself in the mountain home of a famous artist. But once our protagonist discovers an unseen work of the famed artist in the attic, a new world—filled with strange happenings, a ringing bell, interesting new characters, and more—arrives at his doorstep.

At long last, this favorite debut from Anstey Harris is available in paperback (and sporting a perfectly romantic Parisian new cover)! Filled with lovable, quirky characters, this charming debut novel is the story of a woman’s journey to win the world’s most important violin-making competition, repair her broken heart, and face her traumatic past. If your book club adores eccentric characters like Eleanor Oliphant and Louisa Clark, and the romance of a Parisian setting, GOODBYE, PARIS is the dream book club pick.

We know Sally Field for her roles in Sybil, Mrs. Doubtfire, and even as the sweet and lovable Aunt May in the Spider-Man movies. But what do we really know about the multifaceted actress when the cameras are off? Field’s IN PIECES explores her life in heartrending and gorgeous detail—from the start of her career to her complex relationship with her mother. For fans of Sally Field—and we’re all fans—this is an intimate story you cannot miss.

Since it’s spooky season, this bloody and enthralling historical crime novel deserves a spot on your fall TBR. In eighteenth-century Stockholm, Mikel Cardell is enlisted to help solve a brutal murder. But this is just the start of a downward spiral into the dark corners of this town, the underground world of thieves and mercenaries, and the horrid crimes some will commit for justice and survival.