Books of the Month October 2022

October is a month of tricks and treats, along with some reading, of course. The fall weather offers the perfect opportunity to sit back and relax with a good book. With the end of the year looming large on the horizon, these are the books that kept our readers captivated during the month of October.

Best Romance

Wyoming Wildflowers: The Beginning

by Patricia McLinn

The Wyoming Wildflowers series by Patricia McLinn is an award-winning romance saga, and Wyoming Wildflowers: The Beginning is the book that started it all. It follows the love story of two people who couldn’t be any more different. Ed Currick is a rancher from Wyoming, while Donna Roberts is an up-and-coming Broadway musical actress on a national tour. Their paths cross in the lobby of a Denver hotel, and there’s an immediate spark between them, but what hope is there for a cowboy tied to his ranch and an actress whose heart lies in broadway?

Best Action & Adventure

Choices

by Scott Cook

Choices is the first novel in the Scott Jarvis Private Investigator series by Scott Cook. Jarvis is an idealist at heart, so when he is pulled off an investigation just as he’s making real progress, he becomes disillusioned with police work. This leads him to the choice of either staying on the job or turning in his badge to become a hard-boiled private investigator instead. The former would mean continuing to play by somebody else’s rules, while the latter means doing things his way and being able to go in with fists flying and guns blazing. 

Best Mystery & Thriller

Fatalities and Folios

by ACF Bookens

Fatalities and Folios is the first book in the Poe Baxter series by ACF Bookens. This cozy mystery sees Poe Baxter launching her career as an antiquarian book dealer after fleeing her job as an English professor. Her first assignment is a trip to Edinburgh, which she undertakes along with her best friend Beattie, who also has an acquisition to make in the city. Unfortunately, upon arrival, they find the seller dead and become drawn into solving the murder mystery.

Best Children’s Book

Dinosaurs Don’t Play Soccer

by Melissa Cenatiempo

Dinosaurs Don’t Play Soccer by Melissa Cenatiempo follows the story of Dan, a young dinosaur who has excelled at all dinosaur activities. However, despite all of his achievements, Dan dreams of playing soccer, one of the activities reserved for squirrels. This makes Dan unique as all the other animals are happy with their place, and none of them have ever thought to question the status quo. Fortunately for Dan, Coach Carl Chameleon sees the great potential in Dinosaur Dan and helps him to follow his heart while inspiring others. 

Best Young Adult

Augie Doyle and the Dead Boy

by Joe Bright

Augie Doyle and the Dead Boy is a young adult horror novel by Joe Bright and the first in the Augie Doyle Saga. Everyone in town thinks they’ve seen the last of Oliver when he falls off the Old Mill Bridge and dies, yet, five days later, he shows up at school. Augie’s theory is that it is the dawn of the zombie apocalypse seeing as Oliver is barely alive, but things become even stranger. Oliver’s health appears to be improving as each of his friend’s health worsens. This prompts Augie to take action as two of his friends are also Oliver’s friends, and the plague is closing in on them.

Best Fantasy

Russian Roulette

by May Freighter 

Russian Roulette is the first novel in the Helena Hawthorn series of urban fantasy novels by May Freighter. Helena is a nineteen-year-old whose life changes when her spirit enters the Angel Realm in search of her father, and she binds her soul to a vampire named Lucious. Lucious has spent his immortality on the hunt for the monsters who killed his sire and believes he can use Helena to his advantage. He plans on using Helena as a bargaining chip against the Council, and she finds herself thrust into a world she didn’t know existed. However, despite fighting against Lucious’s manipulative ways, Helena can’t deny the growing attraction between her and the vampire.

Best Historical Fiction

The King’s Anatomist

by Ron Blumenfeld

The King’s Anatomist by Ron Blumenfeld is set in 1565 and chronicles the journey of the reclusive mathematician Jan van den Bossche as he travels from Brussels to the Greek island of Zante. Jan undertakes the trip, along with his assistant Marcus, to visit the grave of his lifelong friend, the renowned and controversial anatomist Andreas Vesalius. Andreas died on Zante while returning home from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but when Jan and Marcus arrive on the island, they uncover some shocking truths about his life. 

Best Horror

Ghosted

by Marie-Hélène Lebeault

Ghosted is a young adult ghost story by Marie-Hélène Lebeault starring a young boy named Silas. The fourteen-year-old has no choice leaving the friends he has grown up with behind when his family moves to a remote village out in the boonies over summer break. Silas finds himself miles away from town and with only a rusted bike for transportation, so naturally, he prefers to spend his time staring at his phone instead of socializing. However, when his parents confiscate his phone and instruct him to go out and explore, Silas is unprepared for what he finds. 

Best Literary Fiction

Chasing Rabbits

by Rodolfo Del Toro

Rudy Dell, the star of Chasing Rabbits by Rodolfo Del Toro, is a driven fourth-year medical student who is all about numbers and school standing. However, through an unexpected turn of events, Rudy finds himself assigned to the Oncology unit of the University Pediatric Hospital instead of the non-demanding clerkship he had scheduled. This leaves Rudy desperately struggling to find the time to study while surrounded by patients and situations that are outside his comfort zone. However, Rudy is determined to tackle this new challenge head-on but has no idea what the children of the oncology unit have in store for him.

Best Science Fiction

What Is Happening in Egypt, Texas?

by Brian Yansky

What Is Happening in Egypt, Texas? is the first book in the They’re Here series by Brian Yanksy. The title refers to just one of the questions that July Jackson, the sheriff of Egypt, Texas, has. However, it is not the only question, as Jackson also doesn’t know why the cars, electronics, or phones won’t work or why he can’t remember what happened the previous night. 

Best Paranormal

Sins of the Heart

by Eve Silver

Sins of the Heart by Eve Silver is the first book in The Sin Series starring Dagan Krayl and Roxy Tam. Dagan is the demigod son of the evil god Sutekh and the Underworld’s most powerful soul reaper. His mission is to find and resurrect his murdered brother’s remains. Roxy is also searching for the remains, but with the intention of ensuring that it never falls into Sutekh’s hands. Their missions put them at odds with each other, but when Roxy and Dagan meet face to face, they end up having to join forces for the sake of humanity. 

Best Non-Fiction

Lose the Diet, Lose the Weight

by Liat Scheffer

Lose the Diet, Lose the Weight by Liat Scheffer offers readers advice on losing weight from the inside out. Instead of fixating on external treatments, it shifts the focus to the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of weight loss. It covers everything from the secrets behind transformative therapy to practical tips for effective change in your eating habits and even how to love yourself at any weight.