Witches and Christmas books are the popular topics for October book releases. It’s quite a list this time. But, as my sister Christie suggested, you might also want to go back and read the September Treasures post to place holds at your library. https://tinyurl.com/4dbxf6v5

The first book in B.K. Borison’s Ghosted series is Good Spirits. It’s called “A Magical Paranormal Holiday Romance with an Irish Ghost, Unexpected Connections, and a Christmas Carol Twist.” He’s the Ghost of Christmas Past. She’s not exactly Scrooge. Ghost of Christmas Past Nolan Callahan intends to spend this holiday haunting like every other—get in, get out, return to his otherwise aimless existence as a ghost awaiting the afterlife. But when he’s faced with Harriet York, the sweetest assignment he’s ever had, he suddenly finds himself wishing for a future. Harriet York has no idea why she’s being haunted. She’s a good person—or, at least, she tries to be. A people pleaser to her core, she always does what’s expected of her. But as she and Nolan begin to examine her past, they discover there are threads that bind them together— and realize there might be more to moving on than expected. (Release date is Oct. 21.)

I promised Christmas books and witches. Kiri Callaghan offers a witch in The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Magic and Murder, the first book in her Hemlock Saga. When a rise in London’s supernatural crime puts Fey society at risk of discovery, the Winter Council turns to an unlikely solution: Avery Hemlock, the changeling they sentenced to 500 Years of Nightmares. Inherently lacking social grace and missing approximately two centuries of world knowledge, Avery must find a way to acclimate and solve the case or lose her probationary freedom. After being left at the altar and dropping out of medical school, Saga Trygg attempts to rekindle her faith in life, humanity, and witchcraft. But when her new neighbor, Avery, accidentally reveals the Fey that have been living among humanity all along, Saga realizes magic is far more than prayers, intention, and candles. Each faced with navigating an unfamiliar world, the two form an unexpected partnership—but shortly into Avery’s investigation, they discover the threat might be closer to Saga than either of them imagined, and Avery will do anything to protect the first friend she’s had in more than two hundred years. (Release date is Oct. 7.)

The subtitles that have become popular lately are designed to capture readers’ attention. The one for Jenny Colgan’s The Secret Christmas Library says A Heartwarming Christmas Romance Tale Set in a Scottish Castle, Featuring Unlikely Alliances in a Mysterious Hunt for Hidden Treasures. Mirren Sutherland stumbled into a career as an antiquarian book hunter after finding a priceless antique book in her great aunt’s attic. Now, as Christmas approaches, she’s been hired by Jamie McKinnon, the surprisingly young and handsome laird of a Highland clan whose ancestral holdings include a vast crumbling castle. Family lore suggests that the McKinnon family’s collection includes a rare book so valuable that it could save the entire estate—if they only knew where it was. Jamie needs Mirren to help him track down this treasure, which he believes is hidden in his own home.But on the train to the Highlands, Mirren runs into rival book hunter Theo Palliser, and instantly knows that it’s not a chance meeting. She’s all too familiar with Theo’s good looks and smooth talk, and his uncanny ability to appear whenever there’s a treasure that needs locating. (Release date is Oct. 14.)

I love the title of Martin Edwards’ forthcoming book, Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife. Six down-on-their-luck people with links to the world of crime writing have been invited to play a game this Christmas by the mysterious Midwinter Trust. The challenge seems simple but exciting: Solve the murder of a fictional crime writer in a remote but wonderfully atmospheric village in north Yorkshire to win a prize that will change your fortunes for good.Six members of staff from the shadowy Trust are there to make sure everyone plays fair. The contestants have been meticulously vetted but you can never be too careful. And with the village about to be cut off by a snow storm, everyone needs to be extra vigilant. Midwinter can play tricks on people’s minds. The game is set – but playing fair isn’t on everyone’s Christmas list. (Release date is Oct. 7.)

Lee Goldberg’s Fallen Star marks the return of Eve Ronin. Let’s face it. Many of us love Ronin’s police partner, Duncan Pavone. A spiraling case of betrayal, corruption, and murder could destroy Eve Ronin if she exposes it. A fifty-five-gallon drum washes up in the Malibu Lagoon stuffed with the corpse of Gene Dent, the key player in a bribery scandal that ensnared several local politicians. LASD detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone know the case―and all the likely suspects―well. Just as they begin their investigation, the sheriff publicly reveals evidence linking the crime to LA’s mayor. But Eve and Duncan realize the bombshell allegation, true or not, arises from corruption within the sheriff’s own office…because they helped cover it up years ago. If the sheriff goes down, so will they. (Release date is Oct. 14.)

Kaye Wilkinson Barley already read and raved about Jan Karon’s My Beloved. It’s the fifteenth book in her Mitford series. When Father Tim’s wife, Cynthia, asks what he wants for Christmas, he pens the answer in a love letter that bares his most private feelings. Then the letter goes missing and circulates among his astonished neighbors. So much for private. Can a letter change a life? Ask Helene, the piano teacher who has avoided her feelings for a lifetime. Ask Hope, the village bookseller who desperately needs something that’s impossibly out of reach. Or, if you’d like to know how a brush with death can be the portal to a happy marriage, Cynthia will tell you all about it. In My Beloved, Harley gets an important letter of his own; a broken heart teaches the Old Mayor, Esther Cunningham, a lesson long in coming; and thanks to Lace and Dooley, readers get what they’ve been waiting for: Sadie. (Release date is Oct. 7.)

Christmas at the Women’s Hotel is a novella by Daniel M. Lavery, part of the Women’s Hotel series. Christmas at the Biedermeier Hotel means work. For much of the year, employment comes infrequently to Biedermeier residents. But during the Advent season, they’re in high demand all over the city: as holiday window dressers, sales-girls at the card stores on Forty-Second Street, Broadway usherettes, assisting the Lincoln Center laundress at the Nutcracker, or working for Pinkerton as off-season security guards at the World’s Fair. (Release date is Oct. 14.)

Margie Bunting mentioned Debbie Macomber’s A Ferry Merry Christmas in a Thursday post. Avery and Reed Bond grew up sharing a close-knit relationship, weathering life’s storms side by side. Even so, Avery often finds herself exasperated by her brother’s relentless matchmaking, while Reed can’t resist teasing his sister—after all, isn’t that what siblings do? Facing their first Christmas without their beloved Grams, the woman who lovingly raised them, Reed and Avery decide to spend the holiday together at Reed’s home. However, their plans take an unexpected turn when the ferry Avery’s traveling on stalls in the middle of Puget Sound, stranding its passengers and leaving Reed waiting a now undetermined length of time for her arrival. What is at first an inconvenience threatens to ruin the plans of a number of commuters, but Avery and Reed soon discover that this unforeseen delay might end up being be a perfectly timed blessing in disguise. (Release date is Oct. 21.)

I’m excited about this “cozy fantasy” from Jenn McKinlay, Witches of Dubious Origin. Zoe Ziakas enjoys a quiet life, working as a librarian in her quaint New England town. When a mysterious black book with an unbreakable latch is delivered to the library, Zoe has a strange feeling the tome is somehow calling to her. She decides to consult the Museum of Literature, home to volumes of indecipherable secrets, some possessing dark magic that must be guarded. Here, among their most dangerous collection, the Books of Dubious Origin, Zoe discovers that she is the last descendant of a family of witches and this little black book is their grimoire. Zoe knows she must decode the family’s spell book and solve the mystery of what happened to her mother and her grandmother. However, the book’s potential power draws all things magical to it, and Zoe finds herself under the constant watch of a pesky raven, while being chased by undead Vikings, ghost pirates, and assorted ghouls. With assistance from the eccentric staff of the Books of Dubious Origin department—including their annoyingly smart and handsome containment specialist, Jasper Griffin—Zoe must confront her past and the legacy of her family. But as their adventure unfolds, she’ll have to decide whether or not she’s ready to embrace her destiny. (Release date is Oct. 14.)

I know a few of us are fans of Margaret Mizushima’s Timber Creek K-9 mysteries. Dying Cry is the tenth in the series. Newlyweds Mattie and Cole Walker are teaching Cole’s daughters how to snowshoe in a remote canyon when a shattering scream pierces the air. They know that somewhere ahead, someone has been injured or worse. Cole takes the girls while Mattie and Robo go deeper into the canyon to search for the source of the scream. From a distance, Mattie and Robo see a shadowy figure at the base of a cliff, but a rockslide buries the person under layers of stone and shale before they can provide help. Desperate to uncover the individual in case they’re still alive under the rock, their efforts are in vain. The victim is already dead. When they investigate the canyon rim from which the person fell, they discover evidence that indicates the fall was no accident. To make matters worse, the victim was one of Cole’s friends. The Timber Creek County investigative team springs into action, uncovering a trail of greed that leads to a killer who threatens Mattie’s cherished new family and tests her with the most difficult task she’s faced in her duty as a K-9 handler. (Release date is Oct. 14.)

Matthew Norman’s novel, Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon, sounds as if it’s right up my alley. A sentimental advertising creative and a blunt, no-nonsense bar owner find a second chance at love while binge-watching iconic holiday movies in this poignant and heartwarming romance. The new year had barely begun when Grace White and Henry Adler both lost their spouses. Now, nearly a year later, the first holiday season since their “Great and Terrible Sadnesses” approaches. Although their mothers scheme to matchmake the two surviving spouses, it’s clear that neither is ready to date again. Yet no one understands what they are going through better than each other, and a delicate friendship is born.When Henry sees an ad for a Christmas movie marathon—once an annual tradition for him and his wife—Grace offers to watch some films with him, despite her aversion to a few of his picks. Her two young kids, Ian and Bella, also join in whenever possible—bedtimes permitting, of course. With each movie, Grace and Henry’s shared grief eases as they start to see a life beyond the sadness. But as they draw closer, other romantic possibilities leave them uncertain about their future together. Is their bond merely the result of loneliness and shared circumstances, or have they found something that’s worth taking a shot at . . . again? (Release date is Oct. 14.)

The Black Wolf is Louise Penny’s twentieth Chief Inspector Gamache novel. Somewhere out there, in the darkness, a black wolf is feeding. Several weeks ago, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team uncovered and stopped a domestic terrorist attack in Montréal, arresting the person behind it. A man they called the Black Wolf. But their relief is short-lived. In a sickening turn of events, Gamache has realized that plot, as horrific as it was, was just the beginning. Perhaps even a deliberate misdirection. One he fell into. Something deeper and darker, more damaging, is planned. Did he in fact arrest the Black Wolf, or are they still out there? Armand is appalled to think his mistake has allowed their conspiracy to grow, to gather supporters. To spread lies, manufacture enemies, and feed hatred and division. Still recovering from wounds received in stopping the first attack, Armand is confined to the village of Three Pines, leading a covert investigation from there. He must be careful not to let the Black Wolf know he has recognized his mistake. In a quiet church basement, he and his senior agents Beauvoir and Lacoste, pore over what little evidence they have. From the apparent peace of his little village, Gamache finds himself playing a lethal game of cat and mouse with an invisible foe who is gathering forces and preparing to strike. (Release date is Oct. 28.)

Cozy mysteries have some of my favorite covers. Sugar and Spite is Carol J. Perry’s latest Witch City mystery. There’s no place like Salem, Massachusetts—aka “the witch city”—for Halloween. As residents embrace their historic heritage to celebrate the season, WICH-TV program director Lee Barrett is assigned the decadent task of highlighting the village’s delectable sweet shops—only to learn that some revelers prefer deadly tricks over delicious treats . . . Casa del Chocolate is one of Salem’s most charming boutique candy shops, making it a perfect profile story. Shirley Parker inherited Casa del Chocolate, housed in her beautiful ancestral home on the waterfront, continuing her family’s sweet tradition of conjuring magical treats for the folks of Salem. Mesmerized by the delightful chocolate scented aromas filling the air while touring the kitchen, Lee is shocked when she stumbles upon the murdered body of Barney Bingham, Shirley’s estranged husband. As the police focus their suspicions on Shirley, Lee learns that many people had reasons for wanting Barney dead. Now, with help from Pete, tarot reader River North, and clairvoyant gentleman cat O’Ryan, as well as some new feline friends, Lee must unmask the true killer. (Release date is Oct. 28.)

A ghost in a library. A story waiting to be told. Alyson Richman’s The Missing Pages is a rich, lyrical novel that reminds us that books are as eternal as the soul. 1912:  Harry Widener, a promising and passionate book collector, boards the Titanic holding tight to a priceless volume he’s just purchased in London. After catastrophe strikes the ship, Harry’s last known words are that he must return to his cabin to retrieve his latest treasure. Neither the young man nor the book are ever seen again. Honoring her son’s memory, Harry’s mother builds the Harry Widener Memorial Library at Harvard to house his extensive book collection and ensure his legacy. Decades later, Violet Hutchins, a Harvard sophomore recovering from her own great loss, is working as a page at the Widener Library. When mysterious things begin happening at the library, Violet wonders if Harry Widener’s ghost is trying to communicate with her, seeking Violet to uncover a long-buried secret that the ardent young Harry took with him to the grave.  (Release date is Oct. 14.)

I’m sure fans of David Rsoenfelt’s Andy Carpenter mysteries will anticipate And To All a Good Bite. Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter can’t wait for Christmas. He doesn’t care much about the season, unless it’s football season. Andy’s excited to finally relax and watch the games. But when there’s a murder related to an old case in Paterson, New Jersey, Andy puts the games on pause. Two years ago, a gas leak in an office building led to a tragic explosion that killed seven people. Jeff Wheeler was there to pick up his girlfriend and ran into the building to help. All he heard was the barking of a dog, Rufus, and was able to save him. The pup was the sole survivor and Jeff was named a hero. Initially, Rufus went to the Tara Foundation since his owner had died in the accident. But Andy met Jeff and liked him, respecting his courage and allowed him to adopt Rufus. Since then, Jeff and Rufus have formed an unbreakable bond. The accident never sat right with Jeff. He believed that one of the building owners was responsible for the tragedy. Now that owner has been murdered and Jeff is arrested for the crime, Rufus is left with Jeff’s sister, who begs Andy to take the case. Andy remembered Jeff’s tremendous bravery and with the lingering Christmas spirit, decides to help reunite the two. With David Rosenfelt’s signature humor and hijinks, it’s time to close this case for good and bid it a good night. (Release date is Oct. 14.)

Fans probably wondered if there would be any more Inspector Ian Rutledge stories after the death of Charles Todd’s writing partner, his mother, Caroline Todd. Yes! A Christmas Witness is a novella. December 1921: Being single and a new Chief, Inspector Rutledge of Scotland Yard gets the short straw at Christmastime and is called upon by Chief Superintendent Markum to go to the Kentish home of a lord recovering from an attempt on his life. In bed with a concussion, the man is convinced someone is trying to kill him after he claims he was struck by the hoof of a running horse whose rider never stopped to check on him. Struggling with his own demons from the war and misgivings about helping a man who, as a colonel, oversaw the suffering of those on the frontlines from afar, Rutledge undertakes an uneasy investigation. And as the winter holiday approaches, he becomes increasingly convinced that nothing is as it seems… (Release date is Oct. 14.)

Here’s this month’s debut novel, The Second Chance Cinema by Thea Weiss. At the end of a fog-covered alley, glitters a glamorous cinema. It’s nearly impossible to find. When Ellie and her fiancé, Drake, stumble upon it during a late-night walk, they’re shocked to discover what’s playing inside the red-velvet auditorium: their formative memories. Drake fears what the cinema might reveal, but eventually gives in when Ellie insists they return for more viewings. She’s haunted by a night from her past that she doesn’t fully remember. This is her opportunity to piece the story back together. But as the memories displayed on screen inch closer to the present, they realize they’re both keeping secrets from each other. With their wedding on the horizon, Ellie and Drake must decide if seeing their pasts changes their plans for a future together. Filled with warmth, hope, and a dash of magic, The Second Chance Cinema is both an enchanting escape and a thought-provoking examination of how our memories shape who we are. (Release date is Oct. 7.)

Those are my “Treasures” for October. Do you have titles you’d like to share? What books are you anticipating?