13 New Book Releases To Add To Your Reading List Immediately

With a fresh list on Tuesdays.

Hello, book lovers! Each week, dozens and dozens of new releases hit the shelves. Below are some of the reads BuzzFeed Books writers and contributors loved the most:

1. Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

Simon & Schuster

Magic Lessons is a prequel to Practical Magic, though it can be read as a standalone. It traces the Owen bloodline to Salem, Massachusetts, during the 1600s. Maria Owens goes from England to Curacao to Salem in search of her love and the father of her child, but instead of finding love, she finds a misogynistic religious fever that has no room for independent women, much less witchcraft. This book is about love, it’s about motherhood, it’s about magic and darkness. It’s truly a spellbinding read and my favorite Alice Hoffman book to date. —Margaret Kingsbury

2. The Mirror: Broken Wish by Julie C. Dao

Disney-Hyperion

The Mirror: Broken Wish follows Elva in 1865 Germany. She’s hidden her visions and strange powers from the rest of her town, as she knows what they do to witches — after all, she’s heard the terrifying stories of the North Woods, and she’s seen the hunts that follow. But when she witnesses a terrifying vision of the future, she decides to tap into her power for the first time to stop it from coming to pass. In doing so, she discovers a magical mirror and learns a little more about that witch of the North Woods. This is the first of a four-book series, all written by different authors and set in different time periods. The following books will be written by Dhonielle Clayton, L.L. McKinney, and J.C. Cervantes. —Rachel Strolle

3. Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz

Page Street Kids

Blazewrath Games follows Lana, whose biggest dream is to represent her native Puerto Rico in its first ever Blazewrath World Cup appearance. This is basically a tournament for dragons and their riders to compete, and she finally gets her chance when the person who is supposed to be the runner for the Puerto Rico team gets kicked off. Quickly, though, she realizes that not everything is as dreamy as it seems, because a Blazewrath superstar has teamed up with a dragon in human form and they are working together to take down the entire world cup. —Rachel Strolle

4. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Tor Books

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is V.E. Schwab’s newest novel. In 18th century France, Addie LaRue makes a deal with the darkness in exchange for getting her out of an arranged marriage, but the darkness is tricky — he causes everyone to forget who she is and, in return, she has to willingly give him her soul when she’s ready. Centuries pass and Addie never has a second conversation with anyone. Everyone immediately forgets who she is the second they see her — until 2014, when she meets a bookseller and he remembers her and they have a second, third, and fourth conversation. This is a beautiful and meditative novel with an ending that hit me right in the heart. —Margaret Kingsbury

5. The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher

Gallery / Saga Press

The Hollow Places is a creepy horror novel based on H.P. Lovecraft’s The Willows. Kara has just had a divorce and she’s decided to move in with her uncle and into his weird antique store that sells all sorts of oddities, taxidermy, and other neat stuff. One day, she discovers a hole in the wall, and when she goes in it, she finds a portal into another world — but this is not a friendly world. There are willows that move from island to island, and a multidimensional creature that is not nice, to say the least. This is a thrilling nail-biter of a novel and I love T. Kingfisher’s characters. —Margaret Kingsbury

6. Mistletoe & Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler

Sourcebooks Casablanca

The second book in the Moose Springs, Alaska series, Mistletoe & Mr. Right follows Lana Turner, a rich socialite who is determined to fit into the little Alaskan town she's moved to. Hoping to get on everyone's good side, she decides to track down the Santa Moose, who seems determined to destroy Christmas. When she accidentally shoots local Rick Harding — who's had a crush on Lana for a while now — with a tranquilizer dart, he forgives her and decides to help with her search. On their quest to find the moose, they also find love. This slow-burn romance is laugh-out-loud hilarious and the perfect dose of (early) holiday cheer. —Shyla Watson

7. Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

Ecco

A sense of foreboding lingers throughout this suspenseful novel, which was announced as a National Book Award finalist and is already set to become a Netflix miniseries starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington. A white middle-class family from Brooklyn set off on an idyllic summer vacation with their two preteens in a house upstate. When an elderly Black couple shows up unannounced at their door one dark night, the white couple is forced to contend with their own buried prejudices, as it becomes increasingly clear that all is not right with the world. While vaguely apocalyptic novels certainly feel very fitting for our current moment, it’s really the strength of Alam’s writing and his observations about parenthood, in particular, that make this novel such an engrossing read. —Tomi Obaro

8. Cuyahoga by Pete Beatty

Scribner

Cuyahoga is a really surreal origin story about Ohio City. It reads as a larger-than-life folktale, starring Big Son, who is the Paul Bunyan–esque folk hero creating Ohio City through superhuman feats. It’s got an amazing vernacular, a really original voice, and it’s a lot of fun to read. —Arianna Rebolini

9. Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker

Tordotcom

Over the Woodward Wall is a dark portal fantasy novel for readers of all ages. A. Deborah Baker is a pseudonym for Seanan McGuire, and this book is sort of a companion novel to McGuire’s 2019 novel Middlegame. In Middlegame, the characters mention a novel as their inspiration; this is that novel, but it can be read as a standalone because none of the characters from Middlegame appear. In this book, two children climb a wall and they discover an entirely new world with dangerous creatures, where the rules are completely different and they have to learn them if they want to survive. It has lots of Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland vibes, and it’s an adventuresome read that’s also deeply unsettling, making it a fantastic book for October. —Margaret Kingsbury

10. Vagina Problems: Endometriosis, Painful Sex, and Other Taboo Topics by Lara Parker

St. Martin's Griffin

In Vagina Problems, Lara Parker pens a conversational, honest, and vulnerable look at women's health issues that aren't often discussed — including endometriosis — from her own experiences throughout her teens and twenties. Lara openly talks about her sex and dating life, her experience with surgery and different doctors, and how she manages her daily pain, all while making you feel like you're talking with a good friend. Though she writes from her own perspective of living with chronic pain, her feelings will resonate with individuals who've also felt let down by the medical industry. It's raw, it's powerful, and it's a must-read. —Farrah Penn [Editor’s note: Lara Parker is a writer at BuzzFeed.]

11. Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade

Avon

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade is about April Whittier, a geologist by day and a fanfic writer for a Game of Thrones–esque show by night. When she tweets a photo of herself in cosplay in an attempt to make her private life more public, she's met with internet trolls instead. The star of the show, Marcus, not only defends her, but asks her out on a date, and what starts as a publicity stunt quickly blooms into a whirlwind romance. Except it turns out that Marcus just also happens to be April's long-term fanfic friend IRL. This book is a love letter to fandoms and is one of my favorite reads of the year. —Shyla Watson

12. In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Gallery

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren follows Maelyn Jones, whose life isn't going according to plan. The only thing she has to look forward to is spending the holiday with her family in the same Utah cabin they go to every year, along with two other families they vacation with. But even that tradition is coming to an end. But at the end of the holiday, she gets into a car crash and wakes up back at Day 1 to start the festivities all over again. This book is funny, full of holiday cheer, and is about second, third, and even fourth chances. —Shyla Watson

13. White Tears, Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color by Ruby Hamad

Catapult

White Tears, Brown Scars is about how white women and white feminism often betray or leave behind Black and brown women; how we can knowingly or unknowingly use assumptions about our innocence or delicate natures, and weaponize them in a way to prioritize our own feelings and interests. It’s eye-opening and necessary reading for anyone, but especially white women who consider themselves feminists. —Arianna Rebolini

For more new release recommendations from this month, click here, or catch up on all of our weekly favorites on Bookshop. What's the best book you read this week? Tell us in the comments!