October is here and that means new books from big name authors like Michael Connelly and John Grisham. Teens also have a lot to look forward to as many of the upcoming book releases this month are highly anticipated YA books. So check out the October books I think you’ll be interested in.

Crave: A Novel of the Fallen Angels by J.R. Ward
Available October 5, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
Seven deadly sins. Seven souls that must be saved. One more no-holds- barred battle between a fallen angel with a hardened heart and a demon with everything to lose.

Isaac Rothe is a black ops soldier with a dark past and a grim future. The target of an assassin, he finds himself behind bars, his fate in the hands of his gorgeous public defender Grier Childe. His hot attraction to her can only lead to trouble-and that’s before Jim Heron tells him his soul is in danger. Caught up in a wicked game with the demon who shadows Jim, Isaac must decide whether the soldier in him can believe that true love is the ultimate weapon against evil.

The Reversal by Michael Connelly
Available October 5, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
Longtime defense attorney Mickey Haller is recruited to change stripes and prosecute the high-profile retrial of a brutal child murder. After 24 years in prison, convicted killer Jason Jessup has been exonerated by new DNA evidence. Haller is convinced Jessup is guilty, and he takes the case on the condition that he gets to choose his investigator, LAPD Detective Harry Bosch.

Together, Bosch and Haller set off on a case fraught with political and personal danger. Opposing them is Jessup, now out on bail, a defense attorney who excels at manipulating the media, and a runaway eyewitness reluctant to testify after so many years.

With the odds and the evidence against them, Bosch and Haller must nail a sadistic killer once and for all. If Bosch is sure of anything, it is that Jason Jessup plans to kill again.

American Vampire Vol. 1 by Scott Snyder, Stephen King, and Rafael Albuquereque (Illustrator)
Available October 5, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
This volume follows two stories: one written by Snyder and one written by King. Snyder’s story is set in 1920′s LA, we follow Pearl, a young woman who is turned into a vampire and sets out on a path of righteous revenge against the European Vampires who tortured and abused her. This story is paired with King’s story, a western about Skinner Sweet, the original American Vampire– a stronger, faster creature than any vampire ever seen before with rattlesnake fangs and powered by the sun.

Great House by Nicole Krauss
Available October 5, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
A powerful, soaring novel about a stolen desk that contains the secrets, and becomes the obsession, of the lives it passes through. For twenty-five years, a reclusive American novelist has been writing at the desk she inherited from a young Chilean poet who disappeared at the hands of Pinochet’s secret police; one day a girl claiming to be the poet’s daughter arrives to take it away, sending the writer’s life reeling. Across the ocean, in the leafy suburbs of London, a man caring for his dying wife discovers, among her papers, a lock of hair that unravels a terrible secret. In Jerusalem, an antiques dealer slowly reassembles his father’s study, plundered by the Nazis in Budapest in 1944.

Connecting these stories is a desk of many drawers that exerts a power over those who possess it or have given it away. As the narrators of Great House make their confessions, the desk takes on more and more meaning, and comes finally to stand for all that has been taken from them, and all that binds them to what has disappeared.

Great House is a story haunted by questions: What do we pass on to our children and how do they absorb our dreams and losses? How do we respond to disappearance, destruction, and change?

Nicole Krauss has written a soaring, powerful novel about memory struggling to create a meaningful permanence in the face of inevitable loss.

The Unidentified by Rae Mariz
Available October 5, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
Fifteen-year-old Katey (aka Kid) goes to school in the Game—a mall converted into a “school” run by corporate sponsors. As the students play their way through the levels, they are also creating products and being used for market research by the sponsors, who are watching them 24/7 on video cameras.

Kid has a vague sense of unease but doesn’t question this existence until one day she witnesses a shocking anticorporate prank. She follows the clues to uncover the identities of the people behind it and discovers an anonymous group that calls itself the Unidentified. Intrigued by their counterculture ideas and enigmatic leader, Kid is drawn into the group. But when the Unidentified’s pranks and even Kid’s own identity are co-opted by the sponsors, Kid decides to do something bigger—something that could change the Game forever.

This funny, sharp, and thought-provoking novel heralds the arrival of a stunning new voice in teen fiction.

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Available October 12, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena’s family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan’s eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there’s no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town’s tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Available October 12, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
After saving Olympus from the evil Titan lord, Kronos, Percy and friends have rebuilt their beloved Camp Half-Blood, where the next generation of demigods must now prepare for a chilling prophecy of their own:

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

Now, in a brand-new series from blockbuster best-selling author Rick Riordan, fans return to the world of Camp Half-Blood. Here, a new group of heroes will inherit a quest. But to survive the journey, they’ll need the help of some familiar demigods.

The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner Trilogy) by James Dashner
Available October 12, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
Solving the Maze was supposed to be the end. No more puzzles. No more variables. And no more running. Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.
In the Maze, life was easy. They had food, and shelter, and safety . . . until Teresa triggered the end. In the world outside the Maze, however, the end was triggered long ago.
Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is a wasteland. Government has disintegrated—and with it, order—and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim . . . and meal.
The Gladers are far from finished with running. Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with another trial. They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks. And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.
Thomas can only wonder—does he hold the secret of freedom somewhere in his mind? Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

The Templar Salvation by Raymond Khoury
Available October 19, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
At last, the book more than a million fans are waiting for: the sequel to The Last Templar.

With its iconic title and unmistakable cover, Raymond Khoury’s million-copy- selling The Last Templar remains one of the most memorable thriller publications of the last decade. Finally, after four long years, Khoury returns to the world of the Templars with The Templar Salvation, a sequel that’s every bit as eye-popping and as gripping as its predecessor.

Constantinople, 1203: As the rapacious armies of the Fourth Crusade lay siege to the city, a secretive band of Templars infiltrate the imperial library. Their target: a cache of documents that must not be allowed to fall into the hands of the Doge of Venice. They escape with three heavy chests, filled with explosive secrets that these men will not live long enough to learn. Vatican City, present day: FBI agent Sean Reilly infiltrates the Pope’s massive Vatican Secret Archives of the Inquisition. No one but the Pope’s trusted secondi get in-but Reilly has earned the Vatican’s trust, a trust he has no choice but to violate. His love, Tess Chaykin, has been kidnapped; the key to her freedom lays in this underground tomb, in the form of a document known as the Fondo Templari, a secret history of the infamous Templars… With his trademark blend of incendiary history and edge-of-your-seat suspense, Raymond Khoury’s The Templar Salvation marks a triumphant return to the rich territory that launched his bestselling career.

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
Available October 19, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
The sequel to the New York Times Best selling phenomenon, Hush, Hush!
Nora should have know her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can’t figure out if it’s for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The farther Nora delves into the mystery of her father’s death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn’t answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?

The Confession by John Grisham
Available October 26, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
An innocent man is about to be executed.

Only a guilty man can save him.

For every innocent man sent to prison, there is a guilty one left on the outside. He doesn’t understand how the police and prosecutors got the wrong man, and he certainly doesn’t care. He just can’t believe his good luck. Time passes and he realizes that the mistake will not be corrected: the authorities believe in their case and are determined to get a conviction. He may even watch the trial of the person wrongly accused of his crime. He is relieved when the verdict is guilty. He laughs when the police and prosecutors congratulate themselves. He is content to allow an innocent person to go to prison, to serve hard time, even to be executed.

Travis Boyette is such a man. In 1998, in the small East Texas city of Sloan, he abducted, raped, and strangled a popular high school cheerleader. He buried her body so that it would never be found, then watched in amazement as police and prosecutors arrested and convicted Donté Drumm, a local football star, and marched him off to death row.

Now nine years have passed. Travis has just been paroled in Kansas for a different crime; Donté is four days away from his execution. Travis suffers from an inoperable brain tumor. For the first time in his miserable life, he decides to do what’s right and confess.

But how can a guilty man convince lawyers, judges, and politicians that they’re about to execute an innocent man?

Life by Keith Richards and James Fox
Available October 26, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
The long-awaited autobiography of the guitarist, songwriter, singer, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Ladies and gentleman: Keith Richards.

With The Rolling Stones, Keith Richards created the songs that roused the world, and he lived the original rock and roll life.

Now, at last, the man himself tells his story of life in the crossfire hurricane. Listening obsessively to Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters records, learning guitar and forming a band with Mick Jagger and Brian Jones. The Rolling Stones’s first fame and the notorious drug busts that led to his enduring image as an outlaw folk hero. Creating immortal riffs like the ones in “Jumping Jack Flash” and “Honky Tonk Women.” His relationship with Anita Pallenberg and the death of Brian Jones. Tax exile in France, wildfire tours of the U.S., isolation and addiction. Falling in love with Patti Hansen. Estrangement from Jagger and subsequent reconciliation. Marriage, family, solo albums and Xpensive Winos, and the road that goes on forever.

With his trademark disarming honesty, Keith Richard brings us the story of a life we have all longed to know more of, unfettered, fearless, and true.

Follow me on Twitter @kristendaemons

The Scarecrow is Michael Connelly’s follow-up to his 1996 novel, The Poet. Newspaper reporter Jack McEvoy and FBI agent Rachel Walling return and once again partner to catch a killer. As a reporter in Denver, McEvoy helped snag a serial killer in The Poet and also wrote a successful book about the case. Twelve years later, he’s now a reporter in Los Angeles and is about to be laid off due to the decline of the newspaper industry. He’s been given two weeks to train his young replacement and he decides to write a story so good that they’ll regret letting him go. He ends up stumbling upon another serial killer, The Scarecrow, and, with dreams of a Pulitzer dancing in his head, he begins chasing the story.

What I like about The Scarecrow is that Connelly takes you inside McEvoy’s head as he tries to piece together the mystery. The reader already knows who the serial killer is because part of the book is told from his point of view. Knowing who the killer is from the beginning eliminated some of the suspense, but it’s still a gripping story. McEvoy is likeable as an old-school reporter with a bit of disdain for his younger coworkers and their Blackberries. There’s plenty of action, but no ridiculously over-the-top stunts that make you roll your eyes. As far as crime fiction goes, Michael Connelly is a step above the rest.

It’s not really necessary to have read Connelly’s previous books to enjoy The Scarecrow but if you would like to read them in order start with The Poet and then The Narrows. Both are fantastic books and are a great introduction to Michael Connelly.

Quotes from The Scarecrow:

Like the paper and ink newspaper itself, my time was over. It was about the Internet now. It was about hourly uploads to online editions and blogs. It was about television tie-ins and Twitter updates. It was about filing stories on your phone instead of using it to call rewrite. The morning paper might as well be called the Daily Afterthought. Everything in it was posted on the web the night before.

Goodwin took his payout and set up shop with a website and a blog that covered everything that moved inside the Times. He called it thevelvetcoffin.com as a grim reminder of what the paper used to be: a place to work so pleasurable that you would easily slip in and stay till you died.

“Death is my beat,” I whispered to myself… Words spoken before but not as my own eulogy. I nodded to myself and knew just how I was going to go out. I had written at least a thousand murder stories in my time. I was going to write one more. A story that would stand as the tombstone on my career. A story that would make them remember me after I was gone.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Little, Brown and Company | Pages: 448 | Source: Library | Buy on Amazon

It’s hard to believe that 2009 is coming to a close and we’re about to enter a new decade. As the end of the year approaches, I’ve been looking back at all the books I’ve read in 2009 and I made a list of a few that stood out from the rest. These might not be the best books of the year, but they are books that I had fun reading.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help is easily the best book I read all year (maybe even the past few years) and you can read my full review here. I rated it 5 out of 5 stars because it has a page turning plot and characters that are so real that they feel like old friends by the end of the novel. The Help became a sleeper hit over the summer thanks to word-of-mouth recommendations (I know I’ve told anyone who will listen that they MUST read this book) and it’s still holding steady on the NYT bestseller list. It’s set in the 1960′s but the story is timeless and I think it has a universal appeal that makes it an excellent choice for gift giving.

The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly

Newspaper crime reporter Jack McEvoy, last seen in The Poet, returns in The Scarecrow and gets tangled up with another serial killer. Through the old-school journalist, Connelly gives the reader a glimpse into the world of newspaper reporting and it’s state of decline. It’s a gripping and suspenseful novel that’s a step above most crime thrillers.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Dan Brown’s books get a lot of criticism and certain people like to claim that his blockbusters are killing the publishing industry. I say whatever gets people reading is a good thing and I thought The Lost Symbol was a highly entertaining read (full review). It presented interesting information about the founding fathers and the Freemasons in an accessible way. It also inspired me to read more about noetic science, a topic I had never heard of until this book. Any book that compels me to read more is definitely a success.

This Charming Man by Marian Keyes

This Charming Man is my favorite chick-lit book of 2009 (read full review here). Marian Keyes is one of my favorite authors because she writes about emotional issues, like depression, in such a real way since it’s something she’s dealt with in her own life. In This Charming Man, her characters face domestic abuse and alcoholism, and she explores the emotions that accompany these problems. It’s darker than her previous novels, but there are still plenty of funny moments where Keyes displays her great sense of humor.

The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner

The Neighbor is one of the best audiobooks I listened to this year (read full review here). It stands out because it’s spine-tingling suspense kept me up late for several nights listening to the book on my iPod. The story is read by three very talented narrators who delivered great performances. The Neighbor was the perfect thriller for me because it created a lot of tension but wasn’t so scary that it gave me nightmares.

Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin

Kathy Griffin’s memoir is my favorite non-fiction book of the year (read full review here). I love how Kathy isn’t afraid to tell it like it is or call out hypocrisy when she sees it, no matter how many people she pisses off. Despite its hilarious title, Official Book Club Selection didn’t make in into Oprah’s book club, but who cares? Kathy’s the queen of the D-list and her devoted fans wouldn’t have it any other way.