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8 New Books You Must Read in October

From a breathtaking memoir to a heady thriller, these reads mark the best of their respective genres.

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It's a good month for books, with eight new releases marking the best of their respective genres. From a breathtaking memoir to a heady thriller, a dysfunctional family drama to two can't-miss short story collections, these eight books deserve prime placement on your bookshelf.

'All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir' by Nicole Chung
amazon.com
$26.00
$21.22 (18% off)

Culture and the search for family roots sit at the heart of this debut memoir. Born significantly premature to Korean parents and ultimately adopted by a white couple, Chung grew up an outsider, facing racism and questioning her own identity, until the impending birth of her own child pushed her to learn more about the people who gave her up.

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'Bitter Orange' by Claire Fuller
amazon.com
$25.95
$15.47 (40% off)

When quiet Frances settles into the attic of an English country house for the summer, she stumbles into an unwitting friendship with the unconventional, hedonistic couple staying in the room below. But as the summer and their relationship unfolds, she begins to discover inconsistencies in the stories her new comrades have spun, just as strange happenings in the house force her to question everything she believes about the couple she welcomed into her life.

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'White Dancing Elephants' by Chaya Bhuvaneswar
amazon.com
$16.95
$11.52 (32% off)

This short story collection "provocatively probes the aftermath," Kirkus gushes. Among the 17 stories, a woman reflects on her loss following a miscarriage, an academic examines her pregnancy by her terminally-ill best friend's husband, and a therapist reveals her uncomfortable obsession with a new patient.   

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'A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts' by Therese Anne Fowler
amazon.com
$27.99
$12.25 (56% off)

For those who can't resist a peek behind the historical curtain, this novel inspired by the life of Alva Vanderbilt is sure to enthrall. Married into the nouveau riche Vanderbilt family—wealthy but ignored by New York's social elite—Alva defied the expectations of her time to gain prominence, garner favor, and raise her family to royal status during New York's golden age.

Available October 16.

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'Melmoth' by Sarah Perry
amazon.com
$27.99
$11.98 (57% off)

The author of the 2017 standout The Essex Serpent returns with another gothic tale, this time about a young woman who becomes ensnared in the web of a legendary demon. 

Available October 16.

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'Friday Black' by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
amazon.com
$14.99
$10.19 (32% off)

Colson Whitehead-endorsed debut author Adjei-Brenyah arrives on the scene with this "stingingly satirical" collection of short stories skewering the darkest of American impulses, from Black Friday shopping to school shootings.

Available October 23.

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'Family Trust' by Kathy Wang
amazon.com
$26.99
$9.28 (66% off)

When Huang family patriarch Stanley is diagnosed with cancer, his family—unfulfilled son Fred, overwhelmed daughter Kate, ex-wife Linda, and current wife Mary—must face their impending loss, as well as the discovery that the family fortune may not be exactly what Stanley claimed. 

Available October 30.

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Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves edited by Glory Edim
amazon.com

This essential collection from the popular book club gathers work from and conversations with luminary black female creators including National Book Award-winning novelist Jesmyn Ward, feminist theorist Barbara Smith, and actress Gabourey Sidibe.

Available October 30.

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