Welcome to October!

After a couple of months of not reading much, I was determined to change that in October.

I started off strong by reading Erasure by Percival Everett. This was a pick for Book Notification’s I Care About Books Book Club. I actually read it in one sitting, and absolutely loved it. So many things to enjoy about it – in particular, the humour. That was one funny book, in part due to Everett’s talent in writing scenes.

I think the best compliment I can give a book is “I immediately want to seek out more to read by that author”, and that was the case for Erasure. If you’ve read the book, you can check out our thoughts on the I Care About Books podcast. Warning: it contains both spoilers and curse words.

My wife and I then watched the adaptation, American Fiction. I enjoyed it, and thought the way that they had Monk writing the satire novel was genius. The characters were present in the room with him and would stop to consult him on lines, etc. Very clever. It was a great movie, but I am really glad I read the book first, as it added so much more to it (which is often the case).

I next read The Institute by Stephen King. My wife had been wanting to watch the adaptation and had read it a couple of months earlier. I really enjoyed this one, although it would be great if King could stop shoehorning his political opinions into his work. I see so many authors doing that these days, and it’s usually detrimental to the story.

We haven’t had a chance to watch the adaptation yet, but I’m really looking forward to it. I thought The Institute was terrific and highly recommended. He even delivered a solid ending!

Unfortunately, at this point, my reading came to a crashing halt as work got in the way. More on that in a minute – but thankfully, I was able to get some audiobooks in.

I listened to The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry. It’s a light sci-fi novel about a woman who keeps getting murdered in different universes. A reporter investigating one of the murders becomes entangled in it, and she ends up traveling through different universes in an attempt to stop the crime.

It was a neat concept and I generally enjoyed the book. A few issues with the writing in general, a few thin key characters. Not one I’d really recommend, but not one I’d argue against either. I’d say it falls under the “sure it’s worth a listen” category. But it’s not one that has me rushing out to buy more books from the author.

I next listened to One of Us Is Dead by Jeneva Rose. The story begins with Jenny, the owner of an exclusive beauty salon, speaking with a detective following the death of one of the characters. The story is then told, building up to when we find out which character actually dies.

It was characters out of “Real Housewives”, and I found it a lot of fun. The writing was excellent, and the full-cast audiobook experience added a lot to it, featuring some excellent performances. One of those I’d really recommend listening to over reading.

I’m currently listening to Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper. I read She Rides Shotgun by him and enjoyed it a lot. I’m halfway through and really enjoying it so far.

I saw the adaptation of The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (Stephen King). Thoroughly enjoyable, and unlike American Fiction earlier, I felt the movie was good enough to stand on its own without having read the book. I did read the book a few years ago, but I felt that if I hadn’t, I would have enjoyed it just as much.

We watched the first season of You, the Netflix adaptation of the series by Caroline Kepnes. I listened to that series earlier in the year and loved it – best narration ever – and my wife finally listened to it, so we got the adaptation going.

Unfortunately, that was it for this month. Thankfully, I was able to watch quite a few adaptations and listen to a few books, as my actual reading was limited to just two.

What can I say? Running the book sites keeps me very, very busy. It’s incredible the work that pops up on a day-to-day basis, and so much of it is due to the authors themselves and the way they handle new books.

I’m going to talk about some of the work that goes on behind the scenes right now. Feel free to pass on all that if you’re not interested!

Don’t get me wrong; I love running these websites with books being my passion, but sometimes authors need to pick a lane! Here’s one rather extreme example that a big-name author has recently done:

  • Author uploads a “new book” to retailers such as Amazon, coming out a year in the future. No book cover or blurb, just a picture of themselves(!), and the book title is “Untitled”.
  • Author later on changes the title to “[Series Name] Book 2”
  • Author changes the picture of themselves to a book cover placeholder image.
  • Author adds a blurb saying the date is a placeholder and will be out sooner.
  • Author adds a placeholder title.
  • Author uploads a new book cover placeholder with a title that is different from the listed placeholder title.
  • Author updates placeholder title to book cover title, indicating that it is the real title.
  • Author removes the ISBN/book from Amazon, etc, completely.
  • A few days later, author adds it back as is.
  • Author updates date. Still no blurb.
  • Author changes date.
  • Author changes date again.
  • Author adds an actual book cover.
  • Author updates blurb, changes date.
  • 1 day before release, author removes the ISBN/book from Amazon, etc.
  • 6 hours later, the book reappears under a completely new ISBN.

That’s an extreme example, but happened recently. Many authors these days do at least 5 or 6 of the above. And all the while, we must continually monitor the book, know when to add it to our listings, check for title changes, date changes, and so on.

Just a behind-the-scenes look at some of the “fun” we encounter! Thankfully, we have some great systems in place to help keep track of all this, but I just wanted to share an example of how much work one new book can be. And that we receive, on average, over 500 new books per day.

One thing that’s making our work a lot trickier these days is the impersonation of authors. People are pulling some tricks to make it look like a new horror book is by the Stephen King, even when it isn’t. It’s just someone pretending to be King. This isn’t anything new – but the evolution of AI means people don’t even have to write a book – they just get AI to write it for them.

We have worked with various authors who have experienced this, including individuals masquerading as them, complete with duplicating their picture and website details. It’s quite scary, and what makes it worse is that it is very easy for people to submit these books to Goodreads and have them appear under that author’s profile.

Goodreads is (incorrectly) considered an authoritative source in the book world, so when those books appear on it, other websites trust it, and misinformation spreads. Their “staff” is primarily volunteers who do not do their due diligence when it comes to managing authors’ lists. The example I always love to point out to illustrate the ludicrousness of it is the book The Revenue Stamps of the Channel Islands, which has been attributed to O.J. Simpson.

We have had to work on strengthening our verification process for any new books that enter the system. It’s been a lot of work, but we’re pleased with what we have implemented to hopefully combat this issue.

Speaking of authors – man, Harlan Coben just keeps sucking me back in! I used to be a big fan of his, but I thought his recent books were extremely poor. I Will Find You had some of the most ludicrous writing I’ve ever experienced.

I’ve sworn off him a couple of times now, but he always drags me back. The last time I swore off him, he released his first Myron Bolitar novel in eight years, so I had to read that. I was very disappointed in it, and swore off him “for good” – and now this month he has a new thriller out with Reese Witherspoon.

I’ve been really impressed with the thriller choices Reese has made for her book club. Quite a few of my favourite thrillers have made that list. So here I go again – pre-ordered that one, back to Harlan I go. Don’t let me down, Reese!

Be sure to sign up for my primary site, Book Notification. Order of Books will never close, but Book Notification offers so many more features, such as:

– You get a weekly email notifying you of new books by your favourite authors
– You can import your existing reading list from Goodreads, Libby & More
– We have a top-notch, customizable printing option for all author lists
– Your own personalized book release calendar
– Track your reading, TBR, and see “What’s next” in the series you are reading
– Over 87,000 authors listed and audited by humans. (compared to 5000 at OOB and why many author links lead to BN in the newsletter – because we don’t have them on OOB!)

We recently revamped the book calendar – on mobile devices it was just a basic list but now it’s a fully functioning calendar.

You can see an example of that on our public book release calendar.

Sign up today at BookNotification.com. And of course, it’s free!

Thanks to Penny for sharing this neat website with me – Mystery Lover’s Kitchen. A lot of great recipes there provided by authors – some via their books, others just because! There’s an incredible variety of recipes on there, and I’m looking forward to trying some out.

I learned just yesterday that /r/books/ on Reddit has a tradition. They read the book A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny. The book consists of 31 chapters, so it can be read one per day up to Halloween.

I’ve never read that one, so I’ll give it a try. A heads up that some people recommended reading it normally your first time, then reading a chapter a day in future years. I’m going to attempt the latter, though.

Each month, we give away 5 $25 Amazon gift certificates to random subscribers.

To win, all you have to do is be a subscriber. Nothing more! When we click “Publish,” we take a list of all our subscribers, put them into a random draw, and those are the winners.

Our winners this month are:

– Pamela B. from New York, NY (email ends in perstein)
– Debbie from Boca Rato, FL (email starts with mother)
– Diana S. from Pacific Palisades, CA (email has usik in it)
– John from Ashburn, VA (email has ba1375 in it)
– Carol / David C. from Greenville, KY

All of you have been e-mailed. If you don’t see anything, check your junk folder or contact me.

Graeme
OrderOfBooks.com

Jokes of the Month

I’m a bit disappointed with my new book, Murder on the Golf Course. The plot is full of holes.

What book are you reading now?
Ah well, it’s a bit of a mystery
But doesn’t it say on the cover?

Have you read that new novel about a malevolent tornado?
There’s a real twist at the end.

Did I tell you about my near-death experience?
I looked up ‘dearth’ in the dictionary.

Ben Travers walks into a bar holding a huge script. The barman asks: “Why the long farce?”

Who was JRR Tolkien’s favourite singer?
Elvish Presley.

I couldn’t work out why the members of my book club were chucking copies of Stephen King’s novels all over the place. But then It hit me.

(Jokes from The Book of Book Jokes by Alex Johnson)

Book Recommendations

In this section, I give 3-5 random book recommendations from readers of the newsletter. They can be old books, they can be new. Feel free to e-mail suggestions to me. Just hit reply. If you wish to add a description for the book around the same size as the ones below that’d be great too!

The Oxford Spy Ring Series by Charles Beaumont: The second novel in this series was released in March. Keith wrote in to recommend the first novel, A Spy Alone. Here is what he wrote:

“I really enjoyed “A Spy Alone” by Charles Beaumont, read by David Thorne. I found this author based on a recommendation by Charles Cumming (whose books I love). It’s #1 in the Oxford Spy Ring series. The cover blurb claims that Beaumont is a former MI6 operative, and this is confirmed by the depictions of tradecraft and the techniques used to subvert and run foreign agents. The premise is that there is a spy ring comprised of Oxford alumni, much like the Cambridge (Burgess, Philby, McClean, etc.) spy ring.”

“Former MI6 operative Simon Sharman is hired by a private intelligence contractor to investigate a Russian oligarch’s finances. Simon soon finds suspicious payments filtered through multiple layers of offshore shell companies. Then, Simon’s digging uncovers tenuous links to his former Oxford classmates and professors, who are now deeply embedded in the upper reaches of Government and private industry. These former associates resent the attention, and Simon is ordered to drop the investigation. When he refuses, Russian assassination teams attempt to kill him. Simon is forced to go on the run – unable to trust anyone since the extent of the conspiracy is unknown. 8.5/10”

Avery Keene Series by Stacey Abrams: Sue wrote in to recommend this series, which she had just finished reading. Here is what she wrote – covering the series and the first book in the current three-book series:

I just finished the 3rd of Stacey Abrams’ fiction books, the Avery Keene series. I think this is a great series; it got better with each book. I would recommend reading them in order; Each is its own mystery, but good to read about the development of Avery, who went to law school, and her 3 cohorts. One, an attorney, one a doctor and one a tech genius. I hope there are more.

While Justice Sleeps: Avery is a clerk in the office of one of the Supreme Court justices. He falls into a coma and has appointed her his guardian. She has no idea why as he was a curmudgeon and never treated her as anything special. She has no desire for this weight on her shoulders and there is an ex-wife who wants to pull the plug and an estranged son. There are many twists and turns that build up the mystery and how she navigates this ever-growing problem.

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis: Virginia wrote in to recommend this standalone novel by Fiona Davis, the NYT Bestselling author of The Magnolia Place. It’s a historical fiction thriller. Here is what she wrote:

“Back in this past December, I was drawn to read The Spectacular by Fiona Davis. I absolutely loved it and her writing style. I gave it a rare, for me, 5 stars out of 5 on Goodreads.”

“It’s about a 19 year old girl who was chosen to be a Rockette, all she experienced of the ups and downs. Then one night during the Christmas Spectacular a bomb explodes in the theater by the “Big Apple Bomber” – one of many happening throughout NYC. There actually was a man who did this under the name “The Mad Bomber.” The Rockette girl was pulled into the investigation. It’s a page-turner and the author clearly did much research. So much information about Radio City Music Hall’s history and that of the Rockettes.”

The Peter Ash Series by Nick Petrie: This is one series I recommend at least once per year and one sentence is all I need:

If you are a Jack Reacher fan, read this series.

I’ve read so many Reacher “clones” over the years, and none come close to this great series by Nick. I’ve recommended it to so many Reacher fans over the years and almost always receive positive responses.

Great news as Nick just recently announced the 9th book in the series, after taking this year off.

The Color of Death by Christopher Greyson: A hard-boiled mystery and an Amazon bestseller, Maxine wrote in to recommend this one, as Christopher Greyson teams up with Fox TV host Trey Gowdy to write a rare standalone.

Haunted by the loss of his wife and daughter, Assistant DA Colm Truesdale is pulled back into work when a young woman is murdered in his small town. As he follows the trail of missing evidence and burned crime scenes, he uncovers secrets that could take down a powerful judge and his family.

October Book Of The Month

The Widow by John Grisham: It was an incredibly hard decision to pick just one book this month. So many great books are coming out by authors you know and love, such as Louise Penny, Harlan Coben, and Michael Connelly.

I’m going with this new standalone by John Grisham, because the master of the legal thrillers is trying something new!

John is writing his first whodunit. A lawyer based in rural Virginia is struggling financially until a rich new client enters his world.

He attempts to keep her wealth secret, but word gets out, she’s injured in a car “accident”, and next thing you know, the protagonist is on trial for murder.

Looking forward to seeing what Grisham can bring to the table.

10 More Notable Books Releasing in October

Brought to you by BookNotification.com where you can get updated on all the upcoming books by your favourite authors with your own personalized calendar!

Check Out October’s Most Popular Book Releases

Pictures of the Month

Thanks to Carla for the first three, and Mark for sharing a super cool bookmark which his daughter made for him. Such a great idea.

Send in your own to site@orderofbooks.com or by replying!

Images, jokes, etc. We’ll take it all!

Your Thoughts!

Last month, I asked you about the last book you didn’t finish, and why. The answers are later in the newsletter.

I was worried about the negativity surrounding books, but there was absolutely nothing of the sort. Well done, everyone – that was nice to see.

This month’s question was suggested by Carol.

What is the best book from your favourite book series? And why?

I’ve DNF’d a few books recently. Whatever your reasoning, let’s try to stick to fact-based answers and avoid any toxicity.

For example, the Jack Reacher series is one of my favourite book series. Persuader is my all-time favourite book from that series. It’s just everything about the book, but also that he created a formidable foe in Paulie, and the descriptions of him and his interactions with Reacher were phenomenal. I’m glad that Season 3 of Reacher met my expectations.

American Assassin, the 11th book released but the first chronologically in the Mitch Rapp series, stands out as well. It’s basically Mitch’s origin story, and I still remember Vince writing that it was the book he had “been waiting 10 years to write”.

Then there was the Alex Berenson novel, Twelve Days. It’s part of the John Wells spy thriller series. I read all those books back to back, but that book and one particular scene had something incredibly memorable. When I finished the book, I rushed to my computer just to write an email to the author praising him.

So that’s the question this month – think of some of your favourite book series, then tell us your favourite book from it, and why.

Thanks to Carol for such a great question.

E-mail us your feedback to site@OrderOfBooks.com or just reply to this e-mail, and we’ll pick the best comments and feature it in next month’s newsletter. Five people will also randomly win a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.

Reader Mailbag!

Click here to read.

Book Notification
Order of Books » Newsletter » OrderOfBooks October 2025 Newsletter

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