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The weather is changing, slowly and gradually as October starts. It’s time for Navratra, Durga Puja and Dussehra and  of course, the wedding season to start.  And it’s also time for the monthly post informing you about books releasing this month! October seems to be an exciting month for Literature as we have releases from best selling authors like Elizabeth Gilbert, John Grisham, Stephen King, Helen Fielding and some interesting debuts from new comers too.

1. THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS by Elizabeth Gilbert, Bloomsbury Publishing

The Signature of all Things is the story of inquisitive, independent and intelligent Alma Whittaker. The book is fantastic. Fiction and philosophy and science- all rolled into one. Quite different from Eat, Love, Pray and this is a very promising work. You can also check out my review of the book here.

More about the book: Excerpt | Book Trailer | Reviews on Goodreads

Buy the book from: Flipkart | Amazon

2. DOCTOR SLEEP by Stephen King, Hodder & Stoughton

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Doctor Sleep is the sequel to Stephen King’s 1977 novel, The Shining. The Shining is the same horror story that inspired the movie starring Jack Nicholson. Doctor Sleep follows the story of Dan Terrance (boy protagonist of The Shining) who is now middle aged and works in a nursing home, providing comfort to the dying with the help of his mental abilities. There’s also a cat who can foresee the future and Abra Stone, a twelve year old girl, who shows remarkable psychic ability.

A short 11 minute mp3 excerpt from the first chapter is available here and which can be downloaded (Source: Official Stephen King Website). You can also watch Stephen King read out from the book in this youtube video.

Also, do not forget to check out this scary book trailer below:

Pre order the book from Flipkart | Amazon

3. MAD ABOUT THE BOY by Helen Fielding, Random House

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Among all October releases, I’d been quite excited about this book since some time. Until of course I learnt that Mark Darcy is dead in the book (*sniff*) and Bridget Jones is a widow. However I do want to read about Bridget Jones again whose bumbling manners made a fan out of every person who read Bridget Jone’s Diary.

It seems the release may be slightly delayed as early issues of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy were mistakenly printed with a 40-page extract from actor Sir David Jason’s memoirs, which hit bookstores on the same day.

Now, here’s a video of Helen Fielding reading out from the book!

Pre order the book from Flipkart | Amazon

4. SYCAMORE ROW by John Grisham, Hachette India

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Sycamore Row is the sequel to Grisham’s A Time to Kill, which was a hugely popular novel, made into a film later on, starring Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock and Samuel Jackson. Sycamore Row sees Jack Brigance coming back into action, making the book a power packed legal thriller.

More about the book: Excerpt | Interview with John Grisham

Pre order the book from Flipkart | Amazon

5. BLEEDING EDGE by Thomas Pynchon, Random House

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Pynchon’s latest book is a detective story, with the September 11 attacks and transformation due to the internet being the two major themes. Noted for his dense and complex novels, as per reviews, Pynchon has let the paranoia flow in this book too. The book is loaded with cultural references and verbal sass.

More about the book: Excerpt | GoodReads

Order the book from Flipkart | Amazon

6. VICIOUS CIRCLES by Wilbur Smith, Pan Macmillan

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October seems to be the month for sequels. Wilbur Smith is back with Vicious Circle, the sequel to his novel Those in Peril. 

You can also listen to an excerpt from the book, narrated by John Lee here.

Order the book from Flipkart | Amazon

7. THE SHADOW OF THE CRESCENT MOON by Fatima Bhutto, Penguin India

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Fatima Bhutto is the granddaughter of former Pak PM Zufikar Ali Bhutto, niece of Benazir Bhutto and daughter of Murtaza Bhutto. She is a writer and journalist, being very active in Pakistan’s socio-political arena although not associated with any political party. Her most famous work is a memoir, called Songs of Blood and Sword and The Shadow of the Crescent Moon is her first foray into Literary Fiction. It’s a story about love and life and how war makes a person forget the present and choose hope over love.

Pre order the book from Flipkart | Amazon

8. SITA: AN ILLUSTRATED RETELLING OF THE RAMAYANA by Devdutt Pattanaik, Penguin India

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Mythology seems to be trending among Indian authors, especially after books by Anand Neelakantan, Ashok Banker and Amish Tripathi becamebest sellers. However, Devdutt Pattnaik has probably been one of the first successful authors in the mythology genre. Not having read any of his other books and tired of the same brahminical renderings of the Ramayana, I hope this one shall be different, especially because it seems to be from the view point of Sita.

Do check out the book trailer below!

Pre order the book from Flipkart | Amazon

9. THE GIRL FROM NONGRIM HILLS by Ankush Saikia, Penguin India

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The Girl from Nongrim Hills is a thriller set in the city of Shillong. Ankush Saikia is the author of two other books, Jet City Woman and Spotting Veron and Other Stories. 

Order the book from Flipkart | Amazon

10. HOW NOT TO MAKE MONEY by Raj Kundra, Random House India

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Fiction by celebrities often tends to be disappointing. However I hope this will not turn out to be one too. As you probably know, Raj Kundra is the same one who’s Shilpa Shetty’s husband, owns Rajasthan Royal along with other businesses and has been in the news some time back in the betting scandal. The story is a thriller, involving three friends in London, two of whom are smugglers while the third is a lawyer. The story is based on the Missing Trader Fraud that led to big losses for the governments of UK and Europe in the 2000s.

Order the book from Flipkart | Amazon