September has been a beast of a month. I pretty much don’t know a single person in my real life who isn’t feeling the shit of this month. I am glad we’re now in October, and this is coming from a decidedly NOT spooky season person. So that’s how you know it has been a tough one.
That being said I did have a very big bright spot in September. I got to interview Kamala Harris on the podcast. We talked about her book 107 Days, and if you haven’t listened yet, I hope that you will.
Below you’ll find a quick recap of the podcast episodes for September, the books publishing in October I’m the most excited about, and then a power ranking of the nine books I read in September — both written and as a 15-minute mini-podcast. The last bit, the ranking with full commentary, is behind the paywall, so you might as well subscribe to get my full unadulterated thoughts on that new Elizabeth Gilbert book1.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
The Stacks September Recap
The wonderful
came on the podcast to talk about her life as a full-time literary person, her two books that came out this year, and add some titles to our trans literary canon.If The People’s Project is a community in book form, this episode, with its editors
and , was a welcome invitation to that community.I got to talk with
about her novel The Grand Paloma Resort, a literary thriller that follows workers at a resort in the Dominican Republic. The book is good and Cleyvis is a wonderful conversation partner.Speaking of people I love to talk to, for this month’s official bonus episode, I’m bringing you all to Jackson, MS with me for a recording of my life chat with
and at the Mississippi Book Festival.Unabridged: A Conversation Between Friends with Jason Reynolds and Hanif Abdurraqib
In this bonus episode, we’re heading down south to Jackson, Mississippi to join friends of the pod, Jason Reynolds and Hanif Abdurraqib, at the Mississippi Book Festival! Together, we celebrate each other's work, fight over the greatest band of all time, and then debate the state of music and literary criticism.
I already mentioned this. I may never stop mentioning this. But, I had
on The Stacks for her book 107 Days. I got to ask her about her campaign, her regrets, and how she takes her tea.The Stacks Book Club conversation on The Lilac People is here. I loved talking with
about trans people in history, happy endings, and the necessity of heavy-handedness.October Books On Deck
October books are coming and while I am looking forward to ten books this month, if I’m being honest, none of them are making me totally freak out with excitement. Having tempered expectations might be a good thing, since I am usually underwhelmed these days. Weirdly, the graphic journalism and YA book on this list are the two that are calling to me the loudest. Oh, and of course that new
, because he really is one of my faves.2The books are listed here in publishing order, and anything I’ve already read (or started) appears in bold.
Mothers by Brenda Lozano translated by Heather Cleary (October 7)
A book about a mother whose daughter has just been kidnapped and another woman who has just adopted a little girl, set in 1940s Mexico.Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It by Cory Doctorow (October 7)
I mean things have felt bad for a while, and now they do feel worse, so I’m hoping this book can help me understand whatever the fuck is going on.Gaza: The Story of a Genocide by Fatima Bhutto and Sonia Faleiro (October 7)
Touted as “An urgent and powerful collection of personal testimony, poetry, photography, art, and frontline reportage of the genocide in Gaza, told by Palestinians.” Feels like I need that, especially two years into the atrocities taking place.The Wounded Generation: Coming Home After World War II by David Nasaw (October 14)
A book about the trauma that World War II vets brought home and how it has subsequently shaped the United States.The Once and Future Riot by Joe Sacco (October 14)
A work of graphic nonfiction from the comic behind Footnotes in Gaza and Palestine about the deadly riots in Uttar Pradesh, India.The Unveiling by Quan Barry (October 14)
I gotta be honest, I am mostly interested in this book because of the cover. Though I am also curious about this “genre-bending novel of literary horror” about a disaster in Antarctica and what it exposes about America’s racial legacy.Intemperance by Sonora Jha (October 14)
for putting this one on my radar. It is about a middle-aged woman who “starts a firestorm when she holds a contest, based on an ancient Indian ritual, in which men must compete to win her affections.” This sounds like it has real messy potential, so please count me in.
I gotta give credit toCoach by Jason Reynolds (October 14)
Jason Reynolds needs no introduction, and this book is the fifth and last installment in the Ghost series. I’m pumped.Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice by Virginia Roberts Giuffre (October 21)
A posthumous memoir from one of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s most outspoken victims, who took her own life in early 2025.Expensive Basketball by Shea Serrano (October 28)
writes.3 The truth is I feel so strongly about that, that I never bothered to look up what exactly this book was about. So maybe it’s about the cost of basketballs in this economy? Your guess is as good as mine.
You know I will read anything
What October books are on your radar? What will you be prioritizing?
Let me be honest, September has been a month from hell for me. I have barely read and when I have read it has really felt like work — constantly up against deadlines. This is not because of the books but because of life, the news, the world. Everything. That being said, you should know that the books I liked really hold up under pressure and the ones I didn’t like, might be more of a me thing than the book thing.
