Zibby’s Top Book Picks for October
By Zibby Owens
Every month, I have the privilege of writing the books column for Good Morning America. I started writing it in March 2020, one of the many ways I tried to help authors get the word out about their books when the pandemic hit. (I also launched an Instagram Live show called Z-IGTV daily with 4-5 authors, started a virtual book club, and upped my podcast to daily.)
I absolutely adore writing the column. The best part, for me, is when authors absolutely freak out when they find out they’ve been selected for the list and call, email or text me, screaming in excitement. Another great part is when I hear from readers who tag me, telling me I helped them discover a book they absolutely loved. Connecting readers to books is a huge life mission of mine. I don’t know why. It just is. So I’m going with it.
But GMA does have a limit of 15 books, and I always have more I’d like to include. So here’s the unedited list of what I personally would most like to read among the 1,000+ books coming out in October. And I still probably missed a TON.
My taste is eclectic. But that’s what makes reading fun. Jumping from one genre to another. Books that make me think and books that make me feel. Dive in.
I’m Wearing Tunics Now: On Growing Older, Better, and a Hell of a Lot Louder by Wendi Aarons
Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese
Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict
The Last Chairlift by John Irving
Never Meant to Meet You by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans
The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham
Endless Summer: Stories by Elin Hilderbrand
It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover
If I Were the Ocean I’d Carry You Home by Peter Hsu
Dying of Politeness by Geena Davis
Billie Starr’s Book of Sorries by Deborah E. Kennedy
Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me by Ralph Macchio
The Night Ship by Jess Kidd
The Bequest by Joanna Margaret
The Hero of This Book by Elizabeth McCracken
Bad Vibes Only: And Other Things I Bring to the Table by Nora McInerny
You Should Sit Down for This: A Memoir About Life, Wine, and Cookies by Tamera Mowry-Housley
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
When They Tell You To Be Good by Prince Shakur
Lighter by Yung Pueblo
Token Black Girl by Danielle Prescod
Listening in the Dark by Amber Tamblyn
Daughters of the New Year by E.M. Tran
The Book of Boundaries by Melissa Urban
Tranquility by Tuesday by Laura Vanderkam
Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro
You Don’t Know What War Is: The Diary of a Young Girl from Ukraine by Yeva Skalietska
The High Notes by Danielle Steel
Starry Messenger by Neil deGrasse Tyson
Still No Word From You: Notes in the Margin by Peter Orner
Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner
Dinosaurs by Laura Millet
I Wouldn’t Do That If I Were Me by Jason Gay