The New Book Riot Covered This Week

This is a mix of September and October releases, and I’m going to be honest with you, I’m not sure why the Indie Next List is organized this way. Maybe the publication dates shifted since they were nominated, or maybe indie booksellers are just mysterious that way.

More good news! California joins Illinois and Maryland in passing a law that makes it harder to ban books. Assembly Bill 1825 prohibits book bans based on “the race, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, social economic status or political affiliation of a book’s subject, author or intended audience.”

Between our newsletters, podcasts, and the site, Book Riot recommends hundreds of books every month, but which of those recommendations are sticking? We don’t have perfect data on that, but we do have a proxy: the books you all clicked on the most. It’s hard for us to know whether a book gets clicked on because you wanted to buy it right then and there or because you just wanted to learn more about it. Either way, it’s an interesting thing to track, especially because it doesn’t neatly map onto our most popular posts. For example, none of the books on our most popular article of the month — 8 of the Worst Science Fiction Worlds To Live In — appears on this list.

In celebration of true stories, I’ve collected ten of the most exciting nonfiction titles hitting shelves in October. You might be new to nonfiction or a true stories pro, but whatever the case, there’s sure to be something on this list that catches your eye.

October is my favorite month. I already look forward to October all year long, but you know what had me really counting down to October in 2024? Some of these highly anticipated book adaptations that are finally hitting our screens this month. If you’re wanting to cozy up on the couch this month and flip on a Netflix show while you enjoy your second (or third) pumpkin spice latte of the day, you’re going to have plenty to watch this month. If you’re wanting to hit the theater and grab yourself a big popcorn instead, there are some really cool adaptations that are getting theatrical releases this month as well.