October 2019 Book List

Here’s my October 2019 Book List compiled from the Amazon front page for books, NYT Books, and Publisher’s Weekly Tip Sheet. Fiction and political nonfiction are probably the winning categories on this list with the most contenders for our attention. If you like crime books NYT always gives good crime. And there are plenty of thrillers. I imagine myself sitting in a chair surrounded by stacks of books. As soon as I am done with one the next one is close at hand. Of course the needs of the human body must still be met but I do so reluctantly and wish for a robot to at least bring me foodstuffs to graze on. Hint: Don’t give in to a fantasy like this. Our bodies deteriorate if we sit all the time. You still need fresh air and walks in the park. This is what books read aloud for our listening pleasure are for. 

Amazon

Literature and Fiction

All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg *

The Man Who Saw Everything by Deborah Levy *

Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson *

The Topeka School: A Novel by Ben Lerner *

Cilka’s Journey: A Novel by Heather Moss *

Sarah Jane by James Sallis *

Olive Again: A Novel by Elizabeth Strout

Metropolitan Stories by Christine Coulson *

Divide Me By Zero by Lara Vapnyer *

Mysteries and Thrillers

The Guardians: A Novel by John Grisham

Empire of Lies by Raymond Khoury

The Deserter: A Novel by Nelson DeMille

The Night Fire by Michael Connelly

The Butterfly Girl: A Novel by Rene Denfeld

Agent Running in the Field: A Novel by John le Carré

Ninth  House by Leigh Burdugo

Blue Moon: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child

Sarah Jane by James Sallis

Nonfiction

The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson

Dreams of El Dorado: A History of the American West by H. W. Brands

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow

The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek

The End is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses by Dan Carlin

Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress by Christopher Ryan *

On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey by Paul Theroux

Movies and Other Things by Shea Serrano, Arturo Torres

Letters from an Astrophysicist by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Running with Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero by Christopher McDougall

Biographies and Memoirs

How We Fight for Our Lives: A Memoir by Saeed Jones

Face It by Debbie Harry

Horror Stories: A Memoir by Liz Mair

Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover and Me by Adrienne Brodeur *

Homework: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton

Me: Elton John: Official Autobiography by Elton John

Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA by Amaryllis Fox

I Will Never See the World Again: The Memoir of an Imprisoned Writer by Ahmet Altan

Edison by Edmund Morris

Beautiful on the Outside: A Memoir by Adam Rippon

Things We Didn’t Talk About When I was a Girl by Jeannie Vanasco

Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church by Megan Phelps-Roper *

Science Fiction and Fantasy

Supernova Era by Cixin Liu, Joel Martinsen

The Girl With No Face: The Daoshi Chronicles by M. H. Boroson

Ormeshadow by Priya Sharma

The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

Salvaged by Madeline Roux

The Library of the Unwritten by A. J. Hackwith

Steel Craw Saga by Paul Keueger

The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse – Book One of the Thorne Chronicles by K. Eason

New York Times Book

Sept. 6

Quichotte by Salman Rushdie F – see my review on goodreads.com

Overthrow by Caleb Crain F

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa F

If You Want to Make God Laugh by Bianca Marais F

The Warlow Experiment by Alix Nathan F

Travel Light, Move Fast by Alexandra Fuller Memoir

The Optimist’s Telescope by Bina Venkataraman NF

Audience of One by Gene Shteyngart NF

Learning from the Germans by Susan Neiman NF

Floating Coast by Bathsheba Demuth NF

Silver, Sword, and Stone by Marie Arana NF

First You Write a Sentence by Joe Moran NF

Karl Marx: Prophet of the Present by Shlomo Avineri Biography

Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith Memoir

4 Books about CIA

Black Site: The CIA in Post-9/ll World by Philip Mudd NF

The Targeter: My Life in the CIA, Hunting Terrorists and Challenging the White House by Nada Bakos with David Coburn NF

The Moscow Rules: The Secret CIA Tactics that Helped America Win the Cold War by Antonio J. Mendez and Jonna Mendez with Matt Baglio NF

Surprise, Kill, Vanish: The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary, Armies, Operators, and Assassins by Annie Jacobsen NF

All the Powers of Earth: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln, Vol. 3 by Sidney Blumenthal NF

The Nature of Life and Death: Every Body Leaves a Trace by Patricia Wiltshire Autobiography

Our Dog: Ourselves: The Story of a Singular Bond by Alexandra Horowitz NF

Defending Israel: The Story of My Relationship with My Most Challenging Client by Alan M Dershowitz NF

Editor’s Choice

Human Relationships and Other Difficulties: Essays by Mary-Kay Wilmers Essays

Faber and Faber: The Untold Story by Tony Faber NF

The Grammarians by Cathleen Schine F

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk F

Reasons to be Cheerful by Nina Stibbe F

The Lie: A Memoir of Two Marriages, Catfishing and Coming Out by William Dameron NF

And How Are You. Dr. Sacks? A Biographical Memoir of Oliver Sacks by Lawrence Weschler Biographical Memoir

Buzz, Sting, Bite: Why We Need Insects by Ann Sverchup-Thygerson, trans. by Lucy Moffatt NF

Sept. 13

The Institute by Stephen King

Crime (4)

Heaven My Home by Attica Locke F

What Rose Forgot by Nevada Barr F

Missing Person by Sarah Lotz F

Three Hours by Anders Roslund and Gorge Hellstrom, trans. by Elizabeth Clark Wessel F

We the Survivors by Tash Aw F

Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman F

The Outlaw Ocean by Ian Urbina NF

Inconspicuous Consumption by Tatiana Schlossberg NF

The Many Lives of Michael Bloomberg by Eleanor Randolph NF

Savage Appetites by Rachel Monroe NF

Love Falls on Us by Robbie Cory-Boulet NF

A Good Provider is One Who Leaves by Jason De Parle NF

Maoism: A Global History by Julia Lovell NF *

New Dystopian Novels

The Diver’s Game by Jesse Ball F *

The Warehouse by Rob Hart F *

The Nobody People by Bob Proehl *

Sept. 20

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood F *

Dominicana by Angie Cruz F *

A Door in the Earth by Alice Waldman F

Hard Mouth by Amanda Goldblatt F

Coventry by Rachel Cusk Essays

She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey NF

The Education of Brett Kavanaugh by Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly NF

Gender and Our Brains by Gina Rippon NF

See Jane Win by Caitlin Moscatello NF

Nobody’s Victim by Carrie Goldberg NF

Consent by Donna Freitas NF

YA Crossover

Who Put This Song On? By Morgan Parker

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

American Royals by Katharine McGee

The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh

Sept. 27

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett F

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson F

Now We Shall Be Entirely Free by Andrew Miller F

Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry F

Cold Storage by David Koepp F

Bottle Grove by Daniel Handler F

How to Be An Antiracist by Ibhram X Kendi NF

The Education of an Idealist by Samantha Power NF

How the Other Half Learns by Robert Rondiscio NF

The Years that Matter Most by Paul Tough NF

The Geography of Risk by Gilbert Gaul NF

How to Fight Anti-Semitism by Bari Weiss NF

On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal by Naomi Klein NF

The Green New Deal: Why Fossil Fuel Civilization Will Collapse by 2028, and the Bold Economic Plan to Save Life On Earth by Jeremy Rifkin NF *

Oct. 4

The Topeka School by Ben Lerner F

How to Fight Anti-Semitism by Bari Weiss NF

Crime (4)

Sarah Jane by James Sallis

Bloody Genius by John Sanford

Gallows Court by Martin Edwards

The Bird Boys by Lisa Sandlin 

Cantoras by Carolina DeRobertis F

Akin by Emma Donoghue F *

Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell NF

A State at Any Cost: The Life David Ben-Gurion by Tom Seger NF

What was Liberalism? The Past, Present and Promise of a Noble Idea by James Traub NF *

The Stakes: 2020 and the Survival of American Democracy by Robert Kuttner NF *

The Accusation by Edward Berenson NF

Scarred by Sarah Edmondson NF

Super Pumped by Mike Isaac NF

The Anarchy by William Dalrymple NF

Publisher’s Weekly

Sept. 6

Clear My Name by Paula Daly – Thriller

Animalia by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, trans. from French by Frank Wynne – F

Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman “challenging but undoubtably brilliant”, 750 Pages, Short-listed for Man Booker Prize F *

The Institute by Stephen King F *

Transaction Man: The Rise of the Deal and the Decline of the American Dream by Nicholas Lemann NF *

Don’t Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane – rom com

Guest House for Young Widows: The Women of ISIS by Asadeh Moaveni NF *

Tinfoil Butterfly by Rachel Eve Moulton (horror) F *

A Season on Earth by Gerald Mumane F *

A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker F *

The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir by Samantha Power NF

Ruby and Roland by Faith Sullivan F *

Sept. 13

A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie – Thriller

Gamechanger by C. X. Beckett – Science Fiction

The Undying: A Meditation on Modern Illness by Anne Boyer – Memoir

Opioid Indiana by Brian Allen Carr F

Gallows Court by Martin Edwards – Mystery 

Think Black: A Memoir by Clyde W. Ford – NF *

The Paris Orphan by Natasha Lester (based on a real story) F *

Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke (Aryan Brotherhood storyline) – Mystery 

Wildhood: The Epic Journey from Adolescence to Adulthood in Humans and Other Animals by Barbara Natterson Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers

The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prscott (Women in the CIA) – F *

Pittsburgh by Frank Santoro – Memoir

Snowflake, AZ by Marcus Sedgwick – YA 14+

Imagined Life: A Speculative Journey Among the Exoplanets in Search of Intelligent Aliens, Ice Creatures, and Super Gravity Animals by James Trefil and Michael Summers NF

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson “this is a wise, powerful, and compassionate novel” F *

Sept. 20

Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse F

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates (currently reading) F *

Baron Wenckheim’s Homecoming by Lászió Krasznahorkai, trans. from Hungarian by Ottilie Mulzet F *

The Shadow King by Manza Mengiste (“a slice of Ethiopian history”) F

The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz Science Fiction

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett F

The Fool and Other Moral Tales by Ann Serre, trans. from French by Mark Hutchinson – Short stories

Exile from Eden by Andrew Smith – Dystopian F – YA

Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith – Memoir

Rusty Brown, Part 1 by Chris Ware – Graphic Novel

Sept. 30

I Will Never See the World Again: The Memoir of an Imprisoned Writer by Ahamet Altan, trans. from Turkish by Yasemin Congar NF

A Tall History of Sugar by Curdella Forbes (Jamaica) F

The Shape of Night by Tees Gerritsen – Thriller

The Library of the Unwritten by A. J. Hackwith – Fantasy

Qualifications: A Graphic Memoir in Twelve Steps by David Heatley (addicted to rehab) Memoir

Dry Country by Jake Hinkson F

Whisper of Shadow and Flame by L. Penelope – Fantasy

Sarah Jane by James Sallis F

Frankissstein by Jeanetter Winterson F *

Oct. 6

Salt Slow by Julia Armfield – Short stories

Ninth House by Leigh Burdugo – Fantasy

Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir by Nikki Grimes – Memoir in verse

Older Brother by Mahir Guven, trans. from French by Tina Kover F

American Radicals: How Nineteenth Century Protest Shaped the Nation by Holly Jackson NF *

Fake Bingo by Jac Jemc – Short Stories

How We Fight For Our Lives: A Memoir by Saeed Jones – Memoir

Passing: A Memoir of Love and Death by Michael Korda (wife with brain cancer) NF *

Anti-Social: Online Extremists, Techno Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation by Andrew Marantz NF *

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia F *

Grand Union by Zadie Smith – Short stories

Commute: An Illustrated Memoir of Female Shame by Erin Williams – Memoir