October favorites

The LIttle Shop of Merry and Bright  by Jenny Bayliss (Putnam, 22 September 2026).

This is Jenny Bayliss' seventh Christmas title, and it may be her best yet.  

When Casey declined her ex-boyfriend's marriage proposal, she didn't expect to turn into an internet meme.

She moved to a different town, changed her appearance, and took a job working nights replenishing stock at a local department store, and determines to avoid relationships at all costs.

Her resolution maybe thwarted, though, when she comes across the Spirit of Christmas Present, who has decided to take a vacation in the very store where Casey works.  

If you need a feel-good book that just might make you giggle out loud, you've found it!

***

The Curious Case of the Poisoned Professor (Welsh Village Mystery #1)   by Lucy Connelly (Crooked Lane Books, 24 February 2026).

Lucy Connelly writes three different mystery series set in the UK, and I enjoy them all.  

Here, former journalist Dr. Gwen Griffiths takes a job at her alma mater in Dillynaidd, Wales.  

When she's introduced to her co-workers at a faculty party, only one of them is hostile and unpleasant.  Professor Alice Rice, who had hoped to be promoted to the position that Gwen was appointed to, is rude and unfriendly to everyone, but no one expects her to be killed.

Because she dies on Gwen's doorstep, Gwen is a suspect.  Luckily, she can use her experience as an investigative journalist to clear her name. 

***

Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus (Scribner, 13 October 2026).

Batter Gray has always loved poetry.  He has an "ear" for it.  But an ear for poetry doesn't put food on the table. 

So he waits tables, and folds t-shirts at The Gap.  

One day he overhears two people talking about an opening at a legendary poetry magazine.  

He talks his way into an interview, and soon, he's working at Peck & Peck. Though the job -- and the people -- are not what expected, he resolves to make the best of it.

I've deleted several different concluding statements to this review, all of which seemed to give away too much of the incredibly riveting story.  

I'll just recommend that  you read this book.  I'm pretty sure you'll love it.

***

The Mother-in-Law Book Club by Kate Hash (Dutton, 13 October 2026).  

Andi Walker's consulting job has her spending months at a time in locations around the globe.

Still coming to terms with her impending divorce, she overhears two women sitting near her on an airplane (loudly) talking about their awful daughters-in-law.  Because  of her own MIL experiences, she argues that they are being unfair.  

When she's waiting for her bags afterward, one of the women invites Andi to join the book club that meets at her house weekly. Surprisingly, Andi finds herself agreeing.  Even more surprisingly, she discovers that she enjoys the company of these women, most of whom are a generation older than she is, over the course of her extended stay, finds real friendships developing.

***

You'll Love it Here by Natalie Sue (HarperCollins, 11 August 2026).  

I love it when I serendipitously discover Canadian authors, especially when they are from Alberta!  Natalie Sue is from Calgary, and this charming novel is set there.

When Mona loses her job, her elderly landlady takes a fall, and asks Mona to step in building care.  She's never felt like she belonged in the building, and has made a point of avoiding her neighbors, but obviously she can't do that anymore, and becomes enmeshed in their chaotic lives.  

All of these books were borrowed from local libraries.  I've included links to the authors' websites where I could find them.