Top new literary-fiction books out this week: 12 Oct - 18 Oct 2025
Last updated:
October 18, 2025
This week featuring new releases by Anna North, Quan Barry, Megha Majumdar, Alyson Richman, Philippa Gregory, Amber Sparks, Sonora Jha, Nuzo Onoh and many more.
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Bog Queen by Anna North
The story of an anthropologist's monumental discovery and the clash of civilizations it sets off over the fate of the land that holds usWhen a body is found in a bog in northwest England, Agnes, an American forensic anthropologist, is called to investigate...historical-fiction · fiction · mystery · horror · historical · audiobook · literary-fiction · outdoors · fantasy · realistic -
![The Unveiling by Quan Barry]()
The Unveiling by Quan Barry
From the award-winning author of We Ride Upon Sticks and When I’m Gone, Look for Me in the East, a genre-bending novel of literary horror set in Antarctica that explores abandonment, guilt, and survival in the shadow of America’s racial legacyStriker isn’t entirely sure she should be on this luxury Antarctic cruise...horror · fiction · mystery · audiobook · literary-fiction · contemporary · fantasy · supernatural · poc-author · season-winter -
![A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar]()
A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar
OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK • FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD“Wondering if there’s a novel out there that gives Cormac McCarthy’s The Road a run for its money? Here you go. [A Guardian and a Thief is] an indelible piece of writing, in equal parts dazzling and devastating...fiction · literary-fiction · sci-fi · dystopia · contemporary · historical-fiction · mystery · book · adult -
![The Missing Pages by Alyson Richman]()
The Missing Pages by Alyson Richman
From international bestselling author Alyson Richman comes a love story, a ghost story, and an elegy to the healing power of books. Harry Widener boards the Titanic holding tight to a priceless book he just purchased in London. After mayhem strikes the ship, Harry’s last known words are that he must return to his cabin for his treasure. Neither the young man nor the book are seen again...historical-fiction · historical · paranormal · fiction · mystery · ghosts · romantic-love · cozy · season-autumn · female-mc -
![Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory]()
Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory
#1 New York Times bestselling author and “queen of royal fiction” (USA Today) Philippa Gregory returns with a dazzling historical novel of ambition, betrayal, and survival in the court of Henry VIII.Jane Boleyn watches from the shadows of the Tudor court, where secrets are currency, every choice is dangerous, and even the faintest whisper can seal the fate of queens...historical-fiction · fiction · historical · death · female-mc · literary-fiction · breakup · domestic-drama · family · early-modern -
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![Happy People Don't Live Here by Amber Sparks]()
Happy People Don't Live Here by Amber Sparks
In Amber Sparks’ highly anticipated debut novel, a reclusive mother and her saturnine daughter move into a haunted building brimming with eccentrics—and secrets.Just past the edge of summer, Alice and Fern arrive at the Pine Lake Apartments—a former sanitorium occupied by an ensemble of peculiar neighbors and a smattering of ghosts...horror · mystery · fantasy · fiction · audiobook · magical-realism · supernatural · hauntings · literary-fiction · ghosts -
![Intemperance by Sonora Jha]()
Intemperance by Sonora Jha
In this follow-up to the critically-acclaimed The Laughter—winner of the Washington State Book Award—a middle-aged woman starts a firestorm when she holds a contest, based on an ancient Indian ritual, in which men must compete to win her affections.A woman who has left two husbands announces she will celebrate her 55th birthday by holding a swayamvar...fiction · feminism · contemporary · poc-mc · literary-fiction · fantasy · romance · paranormal · magical-realism · female-mc -
![Futility by Nuzo Onoh]()
Futility by Nuzo Onoh
For readers of Oyinkan Braithwaite's My Sister the Serial Killer and Bella Mackie's How to Kill Your Family, this is a monstrous, gleeful, bitingly funny tale of murder, body-swapping and bloody vengeance from the recipient of the Bram Stoker Award® for Lifetime Achievement and 'Queen of African Horror'...horror · fiction · mystery · literary-fiction · culinary · fantasy · female-author · humor · dark-humor · book
