October is upon us, and whether you are celebrating Autumn or Spring, we can all agree that October is the best month of the year. And this month is shaping up to be a strong one for new releases, from a venerated series releasing a new instalment, to sapphic gothic horror, October is set to add a plethora of new additions to our ever growing TBR’s.
Enjoy our October selects from the hosts of Booksmart, and please remember to use the code BOOKSMART for 5% off your order when shopping at QBD Books.
Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson
If Emily Henry is endorsing this book, it is undoubtedly a BANGER!
Releasing on the 8th of October 2026
Public Access Afterworld by Jane Schoenbrun
Filmmaker extraordinaire Jane Schoenbrun, of I Saw the TV Glow (2024), and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma (2026) fame has written a triology of novels that combine fantasy, sci-fi, and coming-of-age elements.
Speaking of the book, they said to The Verge “I’ve created this huge mythology about a giant cast of characters with a story that spans centuries and sprawls across alternate universes. It’s got a scope that a 90-minute film couldn’t hold, and it’s about transition, becoming, and truly closing that gap between self and screen until you feel like you’re approximating some form of real life.”
Releasing on the 27th of October 2026
An American Girl by Amanda FitzSimons
If you are anything like Allie, you have spent an ungodly high number of hours consuming content about American Girl Dolls, and this book is right up your alley!
Releasing on the 13th of October 2026
I Never Knew You at All by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza
Co-written by dynamic duo Christine Pride and Jo Piazza, this gripping new release is set to be unputdownable. The novel follows a Black woman whose interracial marriage is put to the test when a journalist investigates a murder from a few decades ago that is tied to her husband’s family.
Releasing on the 13th of October 2026
Simple Pleasures by Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Fun fact! Allie assisted on the shoot for Julia Ostro’s second cookbook, citing this as one of her favourite odd jobs she has ever had.
Julia’s cooking is as heartwarming as it is innovative, and she is remarkably good at transmitting her personal warmth through her recipes.
Releasing on the 29th of September 2026
My Violent Muse by Rosie Sycamore
Firstly, this cover is a work of art (literally). Secondly, this book is being described as a feminist revenge novel about power, survival and love.
The book poses the question, “Would you still love me if I were a murderer…?” and we are very keen to answer that ourselves!
Releasing on the 6th of October 2026
Every Story Is a Love Story by Imbolo Mbue
An AIDA reference in a title? SAT!
Releasing on the 6th of October 2026
A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas
The 6th release in Sarah J. Maas’ beloved A Court of Thorns and Roses series is one of the most hotly anticipated books of the year.
Catch us at QBD Books midnight release party to celebrate this juggernaut.
Releasing on the 27th of October 2026
Rottenheart By Kat Dunn
Sapphic? Gothic? Horror?
I am like a dog wagging its tail when it hears its favourite words.
Releasing on the 13th of October 2026
The Witch by Freida McFadden
This new release sounds awfully gripping and has so much buzz around it!
Penned by Freida McFadden, bestselling author of The Housemaid, comes a tale of her family’s sprawling seventeenth-century estate being connected to women being executed for witchcraft in 1692.
Releasing on the 6th of October 2026
Peck & Peck By Bonnie Garmus
The number one bestselling author of global sensation, Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus returns with a tale of a man who is hired by “the most prestigious, secretive and dysfunctional poetry journal in the world: the renowned Peck & Peck.”
Releasing on the 27th of October 2026