Yahoo Lifestyle PEOPLE’s Best Books of October 2024: André Aciman’s Rome Memoir, New Fiction from Jeff Vandermeer and More
Welcome in fall with our picks for the best fiction, nonfiction and celebrity memoirs
A stunning Italian memoir, one last revelatory road trip, and a supernatural coming-of-age — plus new celebrity memoirs — here are PEOPLE's picks for the best books of October 2024, so far.
'We All Shine On: John, Yoko, and Me' by Elliot Mintz
Dutton
'We All Shine On' by Elliot MintzElliot Mintz was one of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's most trusted friends. In this heartfelt memoir, the former radio and TV host looks back on his relationship with the famed couple, as well as the inner workings, and drama, of Lennon and Ono's artistry and marriage.
Related: John Lennon Told His Close Friend 'I've Never Been Afraid of Death' (Exclusive)
'Roman Year' by André Aciman
In his intensely moving memoir, Aciman (Call Me by Your Name) lovingly recalls one incredible time when as an adolescent, he and his privileged family were forced to flee Egypt and live as refugees in a gritty part of Rome. At first despairing of the poverty and yearning for a move to America, he gradually begins to give up his heart to the sights, sounds and the people. A rapturous read about a year and a city that would deeply impact his lifetime. — Caroline Leavitt
'How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund?' by Anna Montague
This sparkling, emotive debut sends a 70-year-old therapist on a cross-country road trip with the ashes of her best friend. As she revisits the choices she’s made and the people she’s cared for, Magda’s path through grief leads to wonder. — Marion Winik
'Masquerade' by Mike Fu
This beautiful, captivating novel follows Meadow, a New York bartender who finds a book in his friend’s apartment while she’s away in Shanghai. Soon, truth is stranger than fiction as Meadow juggles relationships, his parents’ expectations and the mystery of his friend’s disappearance in this LGBTQ+ coming-of-age story. — Wadzanai Mhute
'Absolution' by Jeff VanderMeer
In this surprise conclusion to the Southern Reach series, we get some answers, some new questions and three freshly terrifying expeditions back to the haunting Area X. VanderMeer fans, don't miss this one.
'Canoes' by Maylis De Kerangal
This gorgeously vivid collection of braided stories follows women disoriented by sprawling suburbs and a new language, UFOs, sonic waves, grief and alienation.
'Orbital' by Samantha Harvey
As six astronauts take a trip into the great beyond before the space program gets dismantled for good, we get to peek inside their lives both in space and on Earth in this quietly profound novel.
'Dinner for Vampires' by Bethany Joy Lenz
courtesy amazon
'Dinner for Vampires' by Bethany Joy LenzWhile Bethany Joy Lenz rose to fame playing Haley James Scott on the early 2000's drama One Tree Hill, the actress was also involved with a Christian cult, which would soon take both Lenz's earnings and autonomy. In this riveting, revealing new memoir, the star opens up about how she escaped and began a journey toward a new beginning.
Related: Actress Bethany Joy Lenz Explains How It's Easy to Fall for a Cult: 'It Felt Like Love' (Exclusive)
'The Time Keepers' by Alyson Richman
Set on Long Island in 1979, this moving, finely wrought novel braids the stories of Báo, a Vietnamese boy who lost his parents during their escape from postwar repression; Anh, his only surviving relative; Grace, a deeply compassionate housewife and an immigrant herself; her teenage daughter Katie, embarrassed by her do-gooder mom; and Jack, a severely scarred vet who works in Grace’s husband’s clock shop. Fans of Kristin Hannah: This one’s for you. — Marion Winik
'Dogs and Monsters' by Mark Haddon
This brilliant short story collection interweaves modern retellings of Greek myths with contemporary concerns for a chilling dystopian journey that reveals how humankind hasn’t changed much through the centuries after all. Thought-provoking, dark and wonderful. — Lisa Greissinger
'Into the Ether' by Kate Banks
Renowned children’s author Banks, who died earlier this year, reflects on her life and impending death in this posthumous poetic memoir. Banks’s breathtaking, accessible poems are stunning in their simplicity while inviting the reader to savor. A perfect antidote to the relentless tension of our world. — Rennie Dyball
'The Ancients' by John Larison
Abandoned children fighting for survival, captive citizens staging a revolt and a struggle between new and old ways— this is a stunning, sweeping novel of humanity and hope.
'Clean' by Alia Trabucco Zerán, translated by Sophie Hughes
Maid Estela has kept her employers’ secrets for years, but now their daughter is dead, and the truth must come out. Tense, taut and tantalizing.
Related: In Clean, a Girl Is Dead and Secrets Will Come Out: Read an Excerpt Here (Exclusive)
'The Witches of El Paso' by Luis Jaramillo
It’s 1943, and a young Nena fears her emerging powers and what they’ll cost her. Decades later, history threatens to repeat itself in this magical family story.
'From Here to the Great Unknown' by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough
Random House
Before Lisa Marie Presley died at age 54 in 2023, she asked her daughter, actress Riley Keough, to help her finish her memoir. Based on recordings that her mother left behind, Keough completed this poignant, moving memoir about Presley's life, which recounts Presley's childhood in Graceland with parents Elvis and Priscilla, the crushing grief that followed after the death of her son Ben and more.
'Sonny Boy' by Al Pacino
Penguin Press
'Sonny Boy' by Al PacinoBefore he was the Oscar-winning actor known for movies like Scent of a Woman, Scarface and The Godfather, Al Pacino was a boy growing up in the South Bronx, in a tenement apartment with his mother and grandparents. In his long-awaited memoir, the star looks back on it all, from his rise in Hollywood to his dedication to his craft.
'The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern' by Lynda Cohen Loigman
Augusta’s first love is the delivery boy in her father’s pharmacy, Irving Rivkin, but the magic misfires for reasons involving Jewish gangsters and a love potion. Heartbroken, she devotes herself to her career for 60 years, until her employer demands she retire. Off she goes to a senior community in Boca Raton, Fla. — where she finds none other than that heartbreaker Rivkin. Full of sweetness and charm. — Marion Winik
'The Puzzle Box' by Danielle Trussoni
Super-savant Mike Brink and his dachshund Connie are here to save the day by opening a Japanese puzzle box that’s killed everyone who’s ever touched it since 1868. A fun, Da Vinci Code-style blend of puzzles, mysticism and high-octane action. — Marion Winik
'The President's Lawyer' by Lawrence Robbins
When a former U.S. President is accused of murdering his mistress, he asks his best friend, attorney Rob Jacobson, to defend him. Jacobson takes the case — even though the victim was once his own lover. Clever and thrilling with a shocking twist. — Robin Micheli
'Be Ready When the Luck Happens' by Ina Garten
The celebrity cook's long-anticipated memoir reveals a new side to the Food Network star. Writing of her difficult and "very lonely childhood," meeting her husband Jeffrey and the journey that led her to becoming the beloved TV personality and cookbook author she is today, Garten presents her story with warmth, honesty and heart.
Related: Ina Garten ‘Couldn’t Understand Why People Had Kids' After Her Own ‘Horrible Childhood’ (Exclusive)
'Love Can't Feed You' by Cherry Lou Sy
In this gorgeously written, shattering debut, teenager Queenie arrives in New York City with her brother and her elderly Chinese dad to join her Filipina mom and be a family. But intergenerational trauma, her parents’ rigid expectations and insurmountable odds tear apart the household and bankrupt their American dream. As her brother acts out, Queenie finds herself struggling to eke out a living all her own. Deeply compassionate and devastating. — Caroline Leavitt
'Shred Sisters' by Betsy Lerner
Beautiful daredevil Olivia is the star of the Shred family, but as she goes off the rails, her parents and younger sister Amy struggle for balance. As told by Amy — the smart, quiet one — over two decades, this heartfelt novel reveals the power of the sibling bond to shape our lives. — Marion Winik
'The Sequel' by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Anna got away with killing her author husband in 2021’s The Plot, and now she’s relishing his royalties and writing bestsellers of her own. But the past, as they say, is never really dead. When Anna’s history resurfaces, there’s hell to pay. Korelitz fans will eat up this satirical, bookish suspense. — Kim Hubbard
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