{"id":58465,"date":"2025-10-15T06:00:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T11:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/?p=58465"},"modified":"2025-09-16T10:34:04","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T15:34:04","slug":"octobers-bestsellers-club-fiction-and-nonfiction-picks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/octobers-bestsellers-club-fiction-and-nonfiction-picks\/","title":{"rendered":"October’s Bestsellers Club Fiction and Nonfiction Picks"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a new quarter and that means new fiction and nonfiction picks have been selected for you courtesy of Bestsellers Club! Four fiction picks are available for you to choose from: diverse debuts, graphic novel, historical fiction, and international fiction. Four nonfiction picks are available for you to choose from: biographies, cookbooks, social justice, and true crime. Our fiction and nonfiction picks are chosen quarterly and are available in regular print only. If you would like to update your selections or are a new patron who wants to receive picks from any of those four categories, sign up for\u00a0Bestsellers Club<\/a>\u00a0through our website!<\/p>\n

Bestsellers Club<\/a>\u00a0is a service that automatically places you on hold for authors, celebrity picks, nonfiction picks, and fiction picks. Choose any author, celebrity pick, fiction pick, and\/or nonfiction pick and The Library will put the latest title on hold for you automatically. Select as many as you want! Still have questions? Click\u00a0here\u00a0<\/a>for a list of FAQs.<\/p>\n

Below you will find information provided by the publishers and authors on the titles we have selected from the following categories in fiction: diverse debuts, graphic novel, historical fiction, and international fiction and the following categories in nonfiction: biographies, cookbooks, social justice, and true crime.<\/p>\n

Acronym definitions
\nBIPOC: Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
\nLGBTQ+: Lesbian, gay, transgender, queer, and more.<\/p>\n

FICTION PICKS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Diverse Debuts:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Diverse Debuts: Debut fiction novel by a BIPOC author, LGBTQ+ author or an author from another marginalized community.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>This Here is Love<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Princess Joy L. Perry<\/p>\n

Three people\u2014two enslaved, one indentured\u2014living beside each other, struggling against their circumstances, trying to bend destiny.<\/em><\/p>\n

As the seventeenth century burns to a close in Tidewater, Virginia, America\u2019s character is wrought in the fires of wealth, race, and freedom.<\/em><\/p>\n

Young Bless, the only child left to her enslaved mother, stubbornly crafts the terms of her vital existence. She stands as the lone bulwark between her mother and irreparable despair, her mother\u2019s only possibility of hope, as Bless reshapes the boundaries of love.<\/em><\/p>\n

David is a helping child and a solace to his parents, and he gave a purpose to their trials. His survival hinges on his mother\u2019s shrewd intellect and ferocious fight, but his sustenance is his freed Black father\u2019s dream of emancipation for the entire family.<\/em><\/p>\n

Jack Dane, a Scots-Irish boy, sails to Britain\u2019s colonies when his father sells him into indentured servitude as an escape from poverty. There Jack learns from the rich the value of each person\u2019s life.<\/em><\/p>\n

A breathtaking, haunting, and epic saga, This Here Is Love intimately intertwines us with these beautifully drawn, unforgettable American characters. Bless, taken to serve the slaveowner\u2019s daughter, must decide where she belongs: with the enslaved or above them. David, sold away from his people, retreats into himself even as he yearns to unite with others. Jack, acting impetuously, changes his fortune, but will doing so sacrifice his humanity?<\/em><\/p>\n

All three come together on Jack\u2019s land. As they face and challenge each other, they will relinquish and remake beliefs about family and freedom, even as they confront the limits of love.<\/em> – W.W. Norton & Company<\/p>\n

\n

Graphic Novel:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Graphic Novel: Fiction novel for adults of any subgenre with diverse characters depicted by color illustrations, sketches, and photographs.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>A Guest in the House<\/a><\/em><\/strong> by Emily Carroll<\/p>\n

In E.M. Carroll’s haunting adult graphic novel horror story A Guest in the House, a young woman marries a kind dentist only to realize that there\u2019s a dark mystery surrounding his former wife\u2019s death.<\/em><\/p>\n

After many lonely years, Abby\u2019s just gotten married. She met her new husband\u2014a recently widowed dentist\u2014when he arrived in town with his young daughter, seeking a new start. Although it\u2019s strange living in the shadow of her predecessor, Abby does her best to be a good wife and mother. But the more she learns about her new husband\u2019s first wife, the more things don\u2019t add up. And Abby starts to wonder . . . was Sheila\u2019s death really by natural causes? As Abby sinks deeper into confusion, Sheila\u2019s memory seems to become a force all its own, ensnaring Abby in a mystery that leaves her obsessed, fascinated, and desperately in love for the first time in her life.<\/em><\/p>\n

E.M. Carroll’s masterful balance of black and white, surreal colors, rich textures, and dramatic lettering is assured to bring this story to life and give readers a chill up their spine as they read.<\/em> – 23rd St.<\/p>\n

\n

Historical Fiction:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Historical Fiction: Historical fiction novel written by a BIPOC author, LGBTQ+ author or an author from another marginalized community, with main character(s) from a marginalized community.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Great Mann<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Kyra Davis Lurie<\/p>\n

In 1945, Charlie Trammell steps off a cross-country train into the vibrant tapestry of Los Angeles. Lured by his cousin Marguerite\u2019s invitation to the esteemed West Adams Heights, Charlie is immediately captivated by the Black opulence of L.A.\u2019s newly rechristened \u201cSugar Hill.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Settling in at a local actress\u2019s energetic boarding house, Charlie discovers a different way of life\u2014one brimming with opportunity\u2014from a promising career at a Black-owned insurance firm, the absence of Jim Crow, to the potential of an unforgettable romance. But nothing dazzles quite like James \u201cReaper\u201d Mann.<\/em><\/p>\n

Reaper\u2019s extravagant parties, attended by luminaries like Lena Horne and Hattie McDaniel, draw Charlie in, bringing the milieu of wealth and excess within his reach. But as Charlie\u2019s unusual bond with Reaper deepens, so does the tension in the neighborhood as white neighbors, frustrated by their own dwindling fortunes, ignite a landmark court case that threatens the community\u2019s well-being with promises of retribution.<\/em><\/p>\n

Told from the unique perspective of a young man who has just returned from a grueling, segregated war, The Great Mann weaves a compelling narrative of wealth and class, illuminating the complexities of Black identity and education in post-war America.<\/em> – Crown<\/p>\n

\n

International Fiction:<\/strong><\/p>\n

International Fiction: Fiction novel originally written in another language with main character(s) from marginalized communities.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Summerhouse <\/a><\/em><\/strong>by Yig\u0306it Karaahmet ; translated by Nicholas Glastonbury<\/p>\n

A gay couple\u2019s 40-year relationship is imperiled by a new arrival to their sleepy island paradise: The Birdcage as done by Highsmith.<\/em><\/p>\n

Fehmi and \u015eener have been together forty years\u2014no small feat for any pair, but especially admirable for a gay couple in Turkey. Behind closed doors, their life on B\u00fcy\u00fckada, an idyllic island near Istanbul, is like a powder keg that needs only one spark to blow. That spark soon comes in the form of Deniz, the wildly handsome and troubled teenager next door, who immediately catches Fehmi\u2019s eye.<\/em><\/p>\n

This \u201charmless\u201d crush immediately raises \u015eener\u2019s hackles; although he doesn\u2019t think Deniz would ever reciprocate Fehmi\u2019s feelings, it\u2019s not a risk he\u2019s willing to take. But when one betrayal leads to another, Deniz hatches a plan, and the sultry summer takes a dark turn as the couple\u2019s relationship is put to the test like never before. Will lust or love win the day? One thing\u2019s for sure: not everyone will be getting out of this love triangle alive.<\/em><\/p>\n

Dishy, suspenseful, and boiling over with black humor, Yi\u011fit Karaahmet\u2019s debut makes a fierce political statement about supporting \u201cgay wrongs\u201d while also introducing a shockingly lovable pair of antiheroes who could be Tom Ripley\u2019s grandfathers.<\/em> – Soho Crime<\/p>\n

\n

NONFICTION PICKS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Biography pick<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Angelica: For Love and Country in a Time of Revolution<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Molly Beer<\/p>\n

A women-centric view of revolution through the life of Angelica Schuyler Church, Alexander Hamilton\u2019s influential sister-in-law.<\/em><\/p>\n

Few women of the American Revolution have come through 250 years of US history with such clarity and color as Angelica Schuyler Church. She was Alexander Hamilton\u2019s \u201csaucy\u201d sister-in-law, and the heart of Thomas Jefferson\u2019s \u201ccharming coterie\u201d of artists and salonni\u00e8res in Paris. Her transatlantic network of important friends spanned the political spectrum of her time and place, and her astute eye and brilliant letters kept them well informed.<\/em><\/p>\n

A woman of great influence in a time of influential women (Catherine the Great and Marie-Antoinette were contemporaries), Angelica was at the red-hot center of American history at its birth: in Boston, when General Burgoyne surrendered to the revolutionaries; in Newport, receiving French troops under the command of her soon-to-be dear friend Marquis de Lafayette; in Yorktown, just after the decisive battle; in Paris and London, helping to determine the standing of the new nation on the world stage.<\/em><\/p>\n

She was born as Engeltje, a Dutch-speaking, slave-owning colonial girl who witnessed the Stamp Act riots in the Royal British Province of New York. She came of age under English rule as Angelica, the eldest daughter of the most important family on the northern part of Hudson\u2019s River, raised to be a domestic diplomat responsible for hosting indigenous chiefs and enemy British generals at dinner. She was Madame Church, wife of a privateer turned merchant banker, whose London house was a refuge for veterans of the American war fleeing the guillotine in France. Across nationalities, languages, and cultures, across the divides of war, grievance, and geography, Angelica wove a web of soft-power connections that spanned the War for Independence, the post-war years of tenuous peace, and the turbulent politics and rival ideologies that threatened to tear apart the nascent United States<\/em><\/p>\n

In this enthralling and revealing woman\u2019s-eye view of a revolutionary era, Molly Beer breathes vibrant new life into a period usually dominated by masculine themes and often dulled by familiarity. In telling Angelica\u2019s story, she illuminates how American women have always plied influence and networks for political ends, including the making of a new nation.<\/em> – W.W. Norton & Company<\/p>\n

\n

Cookbook pick<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Simple Pleasures: Incredibly Craveable Recipes for Everyday Cooking<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Jodi Moreno<\/p>\n

Jodi Moreno captures life\u2019s simple pleasures in her collection of super-easy-to-make, highly craveable comfort recipes. In addition to the standard chapters on breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, this playful book has sections devoted to pasta parties and long leisurely gatherings with friends\u2014all with super adaptable recipes that feel both unexpected and approachable.<\/em><\/p>\n

James Beard\u2013nominated chef Jodi Moreno captures life\u2019s simple pleasures in her collection of super-easy-to-make, highly craveable comfort recipes.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sizzling bacon in the morning<\/em>
\nA perfectly ripe avocado<\/em>
\nFreshly baked bread out of the oven<\/em>
\nPomodoro simmering on the stove<\/em>
\n\u2026these are just a few of life\u2019s simple pleasures.<\/em><\/p>\n

A few things you will be sure to find: lots of butter, cr\u00e8me fra\u00eeche in desserts, juicy ripe tomatoes everywhere, mounds of parmesan cheese, blankets of sauces, layers of texture and flavor, and the perfect mix of indulgence + feel-good foods to nourish you inside and out.<\/em><\/p>\n

In addition to the standard chapters on breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, this playful book has sections devoted to pasta parties and long leisurely gatherings with friends\u2014all with super adaptable recipes that feel both unexpected and approachable.<\/em> – Gibbs Smith<\/p>\n

\n

Social Justice pick<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Body Problems: What Intersex Priest Sally Gross Teaches Us About Embodiment, Justice, and Belonging<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by M. Wolff<\/p>\n

In Body Problems, M. Wolff offers groundbreaking insight into Sally Gross, a South African intersex priest and activist whose body was continuously policed and politicized. Gross\u2019s role in founding Intersex South Africa and her involvement with the African National Congress are celebrated in the Apartheid Museum, but the complex dimensions of her life\u2014from her Jewish heritage to her Christian priesthood and Buddhist practices\u2014remain largely unexplored. Wolff illuminates these lesser-known aspects of Gross\u2019s spirituality and theorizes her resistance to the regulation of intersexuality. The book urges readers to rethink bodies and belonging, particularly as they relate to formations of gender and religion. Wolff presents Gross\u2019s life as a guide for discerning our commitments to social justice and responsible relations. Body Problems is a timely and expansive contribution to ongoing discourses on the medical, religious, and political construction of bodies.<\/em> – Duke University Press<\/p>\n

\n

True Crime pick<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Sleep Room: A Sadistic Psychiatrist and the Women Who Survived Him<\/a><\/strong><\/em> by Jon Stock<\/p>\n

A chilling true story of medical abuse, psychological manipulation, and the women who refused to be silenced.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the heart of postwar London, Dr. William Sargant was a revered psychiatrist with a glittering r\u00e9sum\u00e9. He was also a regular lecturer in the United States, where he was a visiting professor at Duke University and had close connections with the CIA.<\/em><\/p>\n

But behind the doors of Ward Five at the Royal Waterloo Hospital, he orchestrated one of the most disturbing chapters in modern psychiatric history.<\/em><\/p>\n

Known as the Sleep Room, this ward became the site of relentless experimentation. Women\u2014many young, vulnerable, and without consent\u2014were subjected to months of chemically induced sleep, interrupted only for electroconvulsive therapy and forced feedings. Their identities blurred, their memories fractured, and their lives forever altered.<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, decades later, the survivors are speaking out. In this gripping investigation, journalist and novelist Jon Stock uncovers the dark legacy of Sargant\u2019s methods, the institutional complicity that enabled them, and the haunting question: Were these women victims of rogue science\u2014or pawns in a broader, state-sanctioned agenda?<\/em><\/p>\n

The Sleep Room is a powerful blend of investigative journalism and survivor testimony, exposing the twisted intersection of medicine, power, and secrecy.<\/em> – Abrams Press<\/p>\n

\n

Join\u00a0Bestsellers Club<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to have the newest fiction and nonfiction picks automatically put on hold for you every quarter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a new quarter and that means new fiction and nonfiction picks have been selected for you courtesy of Bestsellers Club! Four fiction picks are available for you to choose from: diverse debuts, graphic novel, historical fiction, and international fiction. Four nonfiction picks are available for you to choose from:[Read more]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9934,10,14,5,1,8],"tags":[10835,10749,9989,442,10844,94,6553,10836,402,787,616,6408,10843,10847,10838,10845,10750,10841,676,10834,10842,3651,10839,10837,10846,10833,3482,10840],"class_list":["post-58465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bestsellers-club","category-books","category-library-news","category-read-a-likes","category-reference","category-staff-picks","tag-a-guest-in-the-house","tag-angelica","tag-bestsellers-club","tag-biography","tag-body-problems","tag-cookbook","tag-diverse-debuts","tag-emily-carroll","tag-fiction","tag-graphic-novel","tag-historical-fiction","tag-international-fiction","tag-jodi-moreno","tag-jon-stock","tag-kyra-davis-lurie","tag-m-wolff","tag-molly-beer","tag-nicholas-glastonbury","tag-nonfiction","tag-princess-joy-l-perry","tag-simple-pleasures","tag-social-justice","tag-summerhouse","tag-the-great-mann","tag-the-sleep-room","tag-this-here-is-love","tag-true-crime","tag-yigit-karaahmet"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pd0CXx-fcZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58465"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58814,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58465\/revisions\/58814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}