{"id":269116,"date":"2025-10-01T12:09:29","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T12:09:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/269116\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T12:09:29","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T12:09:29","slug":"25-best-new-books-to-read-october-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/269116\/","title":{"rendered":"25 Best New Books to Read October 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shadow Ticket<\/p>\n

\"Shadow<\/a><\/p>\n

Any new novel from Thomas Pynchon is decidedly an event, and this one\u2014about a Depression-era private eye who finds himself on a global goose chase alongside spies, Nazis, bikers, dark-arts enthusiasts, and more in pursuit of a missing cheese heiress\u2014is no exception. Maybe take in the new Paul Thomas Anderson movie, One Battle After Another, which was inspired by Pynchon\u2019s novel Vineland, and then treat yourself to a few hours in an armchair with this one.<\/p>\n

The Missing Pages<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

In 1912, Harry Elkins Widener died on the Titanic, but that wasn\u2019t the end of him. In this page turner, real elements of Widener\u2019s life are blended with pin-sharp fiction to tell the story of a Harvard student, studying decades after Widener\u2019s death in the library named for him, is haunted quite literally by what he took to his grave. Expect historical glamour, dark academic mystery, and what a blurb from Alison Pataki calls, \u201ca master storyteller at the top of her craft.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll Follow You<\/p>\n

\"I\u2019ll<\/a><\/p>\n

How much are any of us really like the persona we present online? In this debut novel by Charlene Wang, two best friends, Faith and Kayla, escape a difficult childhood by creating a social-media avatar\u2014and soon enough she becomes a sensation. And while the two girls drift apart when Faith goes to college, soon enough they\u2019re reunited under circumstances that aren\u2019t quite what they seem, and their online creation comes roaring back to life. This time, however, the stakes for the girls are higher than ever, and nobody can be prepared for what their creation will encounter.<\/p>\n

Culpability<\/p>\n

\"Culpability\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The car crash might not be the worst thing to happen to the Cassidy-Shaw family. But when their self-driving car does get into a wreck, the family is thrown into disarray, and the cracks in their foundation threaten to grow. Bruce Holsinger can always be counted on to deliver smart, timely, and often winking looks at the world in which we live and the innumerable ways in which we complicate our own lives. This latest is no exception.<\/p>\n

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Sisters Loved and Treasured<\/p>\n

\"Sisters<\/a><\/p>\n

Contributors including Shonda Rhimes, Connie Chung, Jenna Bush Hager, Viola Davis, and more lend stories to this collection from Deborah Roberts that examines the bond between sisters and the ways\u2014big and small, exciting and irritating, but always important\u2014that unique relationship can impact an entire life. Have you told your sister lately what she means to you? Perhaps sending her a copy is a good start.<\/p>\n

The Greyhound Diary<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

We\u2019re not just recommending books out here, we\u2019re also sharing the recommendations we get. No less than two friends have told T&C that we simply must dive into this new release, a diary from a British aristocrat who took a 1949 bus trip across the United States. The release, edited by Montagu\u2019s daughter, paints not only a picture of a long-gone America but also one of an adventurous young cousin of Clementine Churchill whose travels brought her into the circles of political titans, movie stars, and gossip columnists. We\u2019re not clamoring to take a cross-country bus trip, but we certainly will be rushing to dive into this account of one.<\/p>\n

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Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife<\/p>\n

\"Gertrude<\/a><\/p>\n

Nearly eight decades after her death, the writer Gertrude Stein\u2019s reputation is still larger than life thanks to her glittering Paris social circle and the entertaining she did\u2014but how did it end up that way? Here Francesca Wade looks at Stein\u2019s work on and off the page but also examines the posthumous care her partner, Alice B. Toklas, put into building Stein\u2019s legend. This biography is not only a fresh look at the quintessential American in Paris but also an investigation into what it takes to build a literary legacy.<\/p>\n

The Four Spent the Day Together<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

This new novel from the celebrated author of I Love Dick and After Kathy Acker follows over three parts a couple, Paul and Catt, who\u2019ve come from Los Angeles to their Minnesota summer home, where the details of a recent murder captivate Catt and sends her back into her own past to consider big ideas of place, privilege, and the things that could have been.<\/p>\n

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Schott’s Significa: A Miscellany of Secret Languages<\/p>\n

\"Schott's<\/a><\/p>\n

Opening a new book by Ben Schott, whose Miscellany and Almanac volumes<\/a> are critics\u2019 favorites as well as international bestsellers, feels like finding a key to a secret world. In the case of his new book, Schott\u2019s Significa, it unlocks no fewer than 53 worlds (medicine, horse racing, and espionage, to name three) all of which he renders in fascinating and hilarious detail.<\/p>\n

It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin<\/p>\n

\"It<\/a><\/p>\n

There was a Birkin before the bag. In this compelling and charming new biography, T&C contributor Marisa Meltzer<\/a> delves into the life of the British-born Birkin\u2014an actress and musician born into English aristocracy who found her true calling among Paris\u2019s louche 1970s scene. Here, we learn about the personal demons Birkin battled as her star rose, the triumphs and tragedies behind her very public romances with the likes of Serge Gainsbourg and Jacques Doillon, and how the doe-eyed ingenue grew up to become a true cultural force as well as the namesake of the world\u2019s most famous purse.<\/p>\n

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The Last Supper: How to Overcome the Coming Food Crisis<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

Sam Kass knows how to make us eat our vegetables\u2014literally and figuratively. In this captivating, important new book, the former White House chef and senior food policy advisor to President Obama shares what he\u2019s learned about eating in a way that benefits not only us but also the planet, and shares thoughtful, actionable advice on how to not only identify the ways in which our diets contribute to the climate crisis but to enact methods to fix them. Thanks to Kass\u2019s vast knowledge and smooth delivery, however, even the biggest ideas are\u2014sorry!\u2014easy to digest.<\/p>\n

The Gallery Assistant<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

When an up-and-coming artist dies, Chloe Harlow\u2014a lowly assistant at the gallery showing the artist\u2019s work\u2014finds herself tangled up in a mystery that reaches beyond the white walls of the Upper East Side institution where she works. In this novel, set in 2001 New York City, nothing is quite as it seems, and even the most beautiful pictures can be hiding sinister secrets. Read this book, but be prepared to never look at those Gagosian gallerinas the same way again.<\/p>\n

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below<\/p>\n

Minor Black Figures<\/p>\n

\"Minor<\/a><\/p>\n

Brandon Taylor is always a must-read, and his newest, Minor Black Figures, is another masterpiece. The story follows Black painter Wyeth, who grew up in the South but is trying to find his way in New York City when he meets Keating, a young white guy who has dropped out of seminary school and left the priesthood. It\u2019s a moving, thoughtful take on friendship, love, and art.<\/p>\n

Future Boy<\/p>\n

\"Future<\/a><\/p>\n

Michael J. Fox<\/a> has lived a fascinating life as an actor and activist. The story he tells in this new memoir focuses on the former\u2014sharing the story of how in 1985 he simultaneously played two of his most iconic roles (Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties and Marty McFly in Back to the Future), an act of Hollywood moonlighting that made history but nearly broke the young star. A must-read for pop culture aficionados and efficiency enthusiasts alike.<\/p>\n

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below<\/p>\n

Next of Kin<\/p>\n

\"Next<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s often said\u2014and almost never true\u2014that groups of people who work together become like family. So, one could be forgiven for thinking this new memoir from chef and author (Blood, Bones & Butter) Gabrielle Hamilton is again about her life in restaurants. Instead, the James Beard Award winner focuses on her own incredible, complicated clan, examining what made her so thrilled as a child to be part of this singular clan and what, later in life, wrenched them all apart.<\/p>\n

Workhorse<\/p>\n

\"Workhorse\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Clo Harmon wants to rise through the ranks at the fashion magazine where she\u2019s an assistant thanks to her talent and hard work. Good luck, kid. Instead what she gets in this sharp, insightful, and funny novel from a former Vogue editor is a crash course in how to navigate office politics and New York\u2019s cutthroat social scene from a group of rich kids, arrivistes, fashionistas, and frauds. Palmer\u2019s expertly observed tale dissects the haves and have nots who populate a brutal world, and leaves readers wondering just what they\u2019d do if they had Clo\u2019s ability\u2014and her opportunity to get ahead.<\/p>\n

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below<\/p>\n

A Guardian and a Thief<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Two families in Kolkata\u2014in a troubled future not far from now\u2014go to war as the city threatens to collapse around them and plans to escape become more and more pressing in this new novel from the award-winning author of the 2020 bestseller A Burning.<\/p>\n

1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History\u2014and How It Shattered a Nation<\/p>\n

\"1929:<\/a><\/p>\n

Andrew Ross Sorkin chronicled the 2008 financial crisis in his bestselling Too Big to Fail. In this latest book, he lends the same gimlet eye to another fiasco\u2014the greatest stock market crash in history. Making use of newly uncovered documents and historical records, Sorkin examines not only how and why the crash happened (the financial bits, yes, but also the unforgettable characters involved) but looks at the lessons from the catastrophe we\u2019d be wise to remember today.<\/p>\n

Advertisement – Continue Reading Below<\/p>\n

The Land of Sweet Forever<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

There was more to Harper Lee than just To Kill a Mockingbird. This new collection brings together previously unpublished short stories by the late writer with non-fiction works to share with readers facets of her work which haven\u2019t always received the attention they deserve.<\/p>\n

The Uncool<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

Anyone who\u2019s seen Almost Famous is familiar with the trajectory of writer-director Cameron Crowe, who was a teenage phenom\u2014writing for Rolling Stone, touring with the biggest bands of the 1970s, and getting a front-row seat to one of rock music\u2019s greatest eras. Here, Crowe drops the fictionalized facade and tells his own incredible story outright. As Stevie Nicks says, \u201cCameron has written a book that feels like music, an intimate souvenir, like a song you can\u2019t stop listening to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Norman Vanamee is the articles director of Town & Country.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Emily Burack (she\/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Adam Rathe is Town & Country’s Deputy Features Director, covering film, theater, books, travel, art, philanthropy, and a range of other subjects.<\/p>\n

Watch Next\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Play\"Best<\/p>\n

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Advertisement – Continue Reading Below<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Shadow Ticket Any new novel from Thomas Pynchon is decidedly an event, and this one\u2014about a Depression-era private…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":269117,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[1022,89142,140094,1201,171,3181,2875,140093,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-269116","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-books","9":"tag-content-type-round-up-products","10":"tag-contentid-2db1eac9-8b2c-4c22-8863-afa1e5053b23","11":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-hasproduct-true","14":"tag-locale-us","15":"tag-shorttitle-the-best-books-to-read-this-october","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115298840157966922","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=269116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269116\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}