Hello, fellow book lovers!

October TBR is here! I’m bringing 9 books to read. These 9 books will finish my reading goal of 80 books. I’ve broken 100 books before, but that was during COVID, so I have a chance to do it again. If I do break 80 books this month, I’m starting a TBR jar to help bring down my massive collection of over 1,000 books.

October’s books will complete two trilogies, introduce me to another self-published author, start a new trilogy that just released its final book after 30 years, and bring me some horror and horror-themed books.

I’m going to one of my favorite book signing events, the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. I went there last year and had such a great time. This year, I’m looking forward to seeing Kylie Lee Baker, Olivie Blake, Daniel G. Miller, Chris Pavone, Amanda Foody, Elizabeth Kostova, J.T. Ellison, Gin Phillips, Ben Fountain, Soman Chainani, Ruta Sepetys, Kathryn Stockett, Sara Beth Durst, and Ann Patchett. It is very well organized and a lot of fun. It also lets me stretch my literary taste.

This will be my last big book signing until AuthorCon in March.

Hello, fellow book lovers!

October TBR is here! I’m bringing 9 books to read. These 9 books will finish my reading goal of 80 books. I’ve broken 100 books before, but that was during COVID, so I have a chance to do it again. If I do break 80 books this month, I’m starting a TBR jar to help bring down my massive collection of over 1,000 books.

October’s books will complete two trilogies, introduce me to another self-published author, start a new trilogy that just released its final book after 30 years, and bring me some horror and horror-themed books.

I’m going to one of my favorite book signing events, the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. I went there last year and had such a great time. This year, I’m looking forward to seeing Kylie Lee Baker, Olivie Blake, Daniel G. Miller, Chris Pavone, Amanda Foody, Elizabeth Kostova, J.T. Ellison, Gin Phillips, Ben Fountain, Soman Chainani, Ruta Sepetys, Kathryn Stockett, Sara Beth Durst, and Ann Patchett. It is very well organized and a lot of fun. It also lets me stretch my literary taste.

This will be my last big book signing until AuthorCon in March.

Hello, fellow book lovers!

October TBR is here! I’m bringing 9 books to read. These 9 books will finish my reading goal of 80 books. I’ve broken 100 books before, but that was during COVID, so I have a chance to do it again. If I do break 80 books this month, I’m starting a TBR jar to help bring down my massive collection of over 1,000 books.

October’s books will complete two trilogies, introduce me to another self-published author, start a new trilogy that just released its final book after 30 years, and bring me some horror and horror-themed books.

I’m going to one of my favorite book signing events, the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. I went there last year and had such a great time. This year, I’m looking forward to seeing Kylie Lee Baker, Olivie Blake, Daniel G. Miller, Chris Pavone, Amanda Foody, Elizabeth Kostova, J.T. Ellison, Gin Phillips, Ben Fountain, Soman Chainani, Ruta Sepetys, Kathryn Stockett, Sara Beth Durst, and Ann Patchett. It is very well organized and a lot of fun. It also lets me stretch my literary taste.

This will be my last big book signing until AuthorCon in March.

Books in Order of Anticipation:

1. Victorious by V.E. Schwab

Victorious is the third book in the Villains trilogy. Vicious, the first book in the series, made me a lifelong fan of her work. She is an autobuy author for me. I have a signed edition being delivered any day now.

This is one of those rare books where I will not give a synopsis because I want to go in blind. The world of Villains deals with heroes who have shades of gray. The heroes in this book would be villains in another book. People gain superpowers by surviving a near-death experience, where the last thing they were thinking about at the time of the incident becomes their power.

The writing is so good. I have only heard from one reviewer, and she says Victorious is the best one!

2. The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub

The Talisman is a book I read 20 years ago and loved. It has ties to the Dark Tower universe. I’m reading this book in anticipation of the third book in the trilogy, Other Worlds Than These.

The Talisman is about Jake, whose mother is dying of cancer. He discovers another world that mirrors ours. In that world, a princess is being poisoned by a bad man. The princess is the double of Jake’s mother.

This is going to serve as my Monster of the Month because there are some werewolves in this book.

3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay is my Wifely Pick. I have read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire in the last two months, and I’m excited to finish the trilogy.

I have only watched Part 1 of the film, and I did not enjoy it. I’m hoping the book will be a lot better. I have enjoyed seeing the revolution grow and want to see how it ends.

4. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel to The Hunger Games, set in the past. It tells the story of a young President Snow and how he became broken and power-hungry.

I have seen the movie for this one, but I’m still excited to read it. I’m squeezing this one in so I can read all the novels before the next movie comes out.

5. Nightjars by Michael Wehunt

Nightjars is being described as Memento meets Dracula, so this book already has me hooked.

A man starts getting pictures of himself sleeping next to murdered bodies, with a person wearing a mask in the background. The pictures span his entire childhood, and he has no recollection of any of it.

Nightjars was published on September 29 by St. Martin’s Press.

6. Trad Wife by Sarah Langan

Trad Wife is a horror novel about a journalist doing an exposé on a famous tradwife influencer. The journalist stays on Black Swan Farm with the influencer and finds herself losing time and hair, while something more sinister is at play.

I did read Yesteryear this year, and I’m down for another book about a tradwife influencer.

7. Traps and Specters by Philip Fracassi

Traps and Specters is a new short story collection from Shortwave Publishing. I already have this book preordered.

Fracassi wrote my favorite horror book published this year with Sarafina. He is now an autobuy author for me.

The blurb reads: “In these pages you’ll find talking corpses and deadly tombs, misguided exorcists, technology gone wrong, blood-soaked prison riots, and enough vengeful spirits and haunted objects to fill a grave.”

Fourteen short stories are included in the collection.

Traps and Specters was published on September 22 by Shortwave Publishing.

8. Serling by Alan Sepinwall

Serling is a biography of Rod Serling, the man who created The Twilight Zone.

As a fan of science fiction and horror, The Twilight Zone was one of those gateways into the genres for me. When you’re young, you just see it at face value. Now that I’m older, I see all the social commentary that is still relevant today.

I’m excited to learn more about the man who had the vision for the show and who wrote the original Planet of the Apes.

This is an Advanced Reader Copy that comes out on October 13, 2026, from Grand Central Publishing.

9. Savage Lake by Nick Medina

Savage Lake is a horror novel about a cursed lake next to a cabin. A daughter has to return to a cabin she never wanted to see again after the death of her father.

A simple trip turns into a longer one as roads on Native land are barricaded. Strange things start happening on the lake.

I met Nick Medina this summer, and he pitched the book to me at a signing. I had to read it.