Whether you're looking for witchcraft, chills, thrills or romance to curl up with this reading season, LoveReading's October highlights have books to suit every reading mood.

See what we're loving and shop knowing you're automatically supporting schools and raising a new generation of readers.

LoveReading's October Genre Picks of the Month

Our genre picks this month encompass epic stories of revolution, dazzling stories, a return of a much loved detective and an unprecedented collaboration between a globally bestselling author of love stories like The Notebook and the renowned writer and director of blockbuster thrillers.

Our Sci-Fi / Fantasy Pick of the Month

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu - Merging scientific discovery with the threat of war, this is an outstanding and hugely epic story of revolution, conspiracy, and betrayal.

Our Literary Pick of the Month

Heart the Lover by Lily King - A dazzling, aching, unforgettable beauty of a book.

Our Crime / Thriller Pick of the Month

The Killing Stones by Ann Cleeves - For the first time since the beloved Shetland series, Detective Jimmy Perez is back. He's traded the stark beauty of Shetland for the wild isolation of Orkney, but the darkness of human nature follows him everywhere.

Our Romance Pick of the Month

Remain by Nicholas Sparks, M. Night Shyamalan - A story about the power of transcendent emotion, Remain asks us all: Can love set us free not only from our greatest sorrows, but even from the boundaries of life and death?

LoveReading's October 2025 Fiction Books of the Month

Our harvest of October Fiction book recommendations is bountiful. Featuring the sinister reads that make for the perfect Halloween reading to keep you up well past the witching hour to enticing fantasy and fabulous relationship stories. Whatever you're looking for, our Fiction Books of the Month has a varied selection of new books to dive into. 

Witsh by Mari Ellis Dunning - "Sinister misogynist forces are at work in this wondrously-woven story of Welsh wise-women accused of witchcraft in the 16th century."

Lives of Bitter Rain by Adrian Tchaikovsky - "An outstanding companion novella to the Tyrants Philosophers series third novel, it bites, it proclaims, it satisfies and rewards in equal measure."

The Covert Buccaneer by S Lucia Kanter St Amour - "The interlinked tales of two women who walk their own paths across two timeframes amounts to an epic intergenerational novel."

Dominion of Dust by Matthew Harffy - "Action, adventure, betrayal, and comradeship all join the search for treasure at the end the eighth century in the eastern Mediterranean."

All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu - "Both stimulating and fascinating, this fabulous speculative thriller reaches into the near future with a race to locate a missing woman."

Owl King by Bex Hogan - "This entrancing treasure flutters with fairy tale magic, sisterly devotion, and the power of stories."

House of Flies by Graham Masterton - "Detectives Patel and Pardoe investigate a supernatural killing spree in this gloriously chilling and sinister horror novel."

Roar by Manjeet Mann - "Driven by tragedy one girl fights for justice and change."

The Battle of the Bookshops by Poppy Alexander - "A fabulous relationship tale which includes bookshops, feuding families, and a particularly enticing enemies to lovers romance."

LoveReading's October 2025 Non-Fiction Books of the Month

From medieval kings, to legends of the high street and powerful, resonant guides to leadership and life, this non-fiction triad has history, fashion and humanity just waiting for you to explore. 

Henry V by Dan Jones - "Shining fresh light on England’s transformational warrior king, this thrilling new biography of Henry V reads like an absolute blockbuster."

I Shop, Therefore I Am by Mary Portas - "From legend of the high street Mary Portas comes a no-holds-barred account about her time as the window dresser and creative director for Harvey Nichols that is full of juicy anecdotes from the fashion world and '90s nostalgia."

Strong Ground by Brené Brown - "The bloody brilliant Brené Brown returns with Strong Ground, a powerful and deeply resonant guide to leading - and living - with courage, steadiness, and humanity."

LoveReading's October 2025 Debuts of the Month

This October our duo of debut highlights offer a magnificent thriller and a heart-rending YA. Shop these titles and discover a new favourite author at the start of their career. 

Truth Like Water by Carys Shannon - "This magnificent thriller sees the mystery around a mother’s drowning in a Gower estuary resurface in the wake of a new vanishing."

A Beautiful, Terrible Thing by Miranda Moore - "This YA debut explores guilt, grief, love, loss and long roads to recovery with heart-rending authenticity."

LoveReading's October 2025 Liz Robinson's Picks of the Month

Liz Robinson's October picks have gorgeous nature reads, mesmerising speculative fiction and beguiling historical reads. Keep scrolling to read Liz's thoughts and add them to your basket at the bottom of the page. 

Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan - "Gloriously and fiendishly entertaining, Q of James Bond fame stars in his own novel as he investigates the death of an old friend."

The Company of Owls by Polly Atkin - "Just gorgeous! Join busy parents and owlets in this warm and fascinating introduction to a set of tawny owls living in the place they call home in Cumbria."

Lives of Bitter Rain by Adrian Tchaikovsky - "An outstanding companion novella to the Tyrants Philosophers series third novel, it bites, it proclaims, it satisfies and rewards in equal measure."

When There Are Wolves Again by E. J. Swift - "An immersive and mesmerising speculative novel that reaches into the future of the UK to create an intensely provocative and powerful read."

Once Was Willem by M. R. Carey - "This wonderfully compelling and uniquely satisfying medieval tale battles superstition and dark folklore as it spirals through power, corruption, determination, and hope."

No Women Were Harmed by Heather Mottershead - "An utterly compelling and beguiling historical novel where a woman agrees to rehabilitation within a Victorian asylum."

LoveReading's October 2025 Star Books

It seems like two seconds ago we were adding the first of our 2025 Star Books into our collection and here we are approaching the end of our list. Very soon these books will be celebrated as our Books of the Year, so get ahead of the crowds, see what we've been reading and pick yourself a star.