The best books of October 2020, according to Amazon's editors

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The best books of October 2020, according to Amazon's editors

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Some readers see the month of October as a 31-day homage to Halloween, sinking deep into twisting thrillers, while others use the foray into fall as a time to cozy up with a chunky knit blanket and reflect via an insightful memoir. Whatever your preference, Amazon's book editors have you covered with their best books of October 2020.

As has been the case with the prior lists of recent months, the editors have selected 12 titles for readers to dive into this month, as compared to the usual 10. Included in this month's choices is Fareed Zakaria's particularly timely forthcoming book "Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World." And, in a completely different but no less eerie vein, "The Invisible Life of Addie Larue" tells the tale of a woman cursed with being forgettable in exchange for avoiding an arranged marriage. Plus, there are page-turners to satisfy history buffs, those looking to cultivate more creativity, and supernatural fans.

From mysteries to memoirs, here are Amazon's top 12 books of October 2020:

Captions have been provided by Erin Kodicek, editor of books, and Kindle at Amazon.com.

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"The Searcher" by Tana French

"The Searcher" by Tana French
Amazon

A retired Chicago cop and recent divorcé just wants to lick his wounds in the peace and quiet of an Irish backwater. But being pulled into a local murder investigation opens his eyes to the fine line between picturesque and grotesque in this suspenseful standalone by Tana French.

"Group" by Christie Tate

"Group" by Christie Tate
Amazon

In the vein of Lori Gottlieb's bestselling, "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone," Christie Tate's "Group" chronicles her unconventional, painful, but ultimately transformative experience in group therapy.

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"Dear Child" by Romy Hausmann

"Dear Child" by Romy Hausmann
Amazon

Drawing comparisons to Gillian Flynn's "Gone Girl" and Emma Donoghue's "Room," this nail-biting thriller begins with a young woman escaping her kidnapper with one of her children in tow. But while one nightmare has ended, another has just begun.

"The Invisible Life of Addie Larue" by V.E. Schwab

"The Invisible Life of Addie Larue" by V.E. Schwab
Amazon

In this enthralling romantic adventure, a woman takes not wanting to be tied down to extremes, bargaining with the devil to avoid an arranged marriage. In exchange, she is cursed with being forgettable, until, after 300 years, she meets a man named Henry.

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"The Zealot and the Emancipator" by H.W. Brands

"The Zealot and the Emancipator" by H.W. Brands
Amazon

John Brown and Abraham Lincoln had different approaches to ending slavery: one violent, one political. This absorbing history explores Lincoln's deft touch, navigating the fallout when Brown was sent to the gallows, with some seeing him as a martyr, others a terrorist.

"The Once and Future Witches" by Alix E. Harrow

"The Once and Future Witches" by Alix E. Harrow
Amazon

Harrow employs her historian chops and a formidable imagination to pen a spellbinding story, set in 1893, that finds three sisters making good trouble when they use their supernatural powers to support the suffragette movement.

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"Golem Girl" by Riva Lehrer

"Golem Girl" by Riva Lehrer
Amazon

Born with spina bifida, Riva Lehrer was raised to believe that she was something broken that needed to be fixed--a corrosive notion she is disabused of with the help of a group of artists, writers and performers. "Golem Girl" is her rousing memoir of reinvention.

"The Hidden Habits of Genius" by Craig Wright, PhD

"The Hidden Habits of Genius" by Craig Wright, PhD
Amazon

Craig Wright distills the insight he's gained from his "Genius Course" at Yale in a fascinating examination of what made people like Einstein, Marie Curie, Beethoven and Steve Jobs tick. It's also a call to cultivate curiosity, and celebrate learning for learning's sake.

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"Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World" by Fareed Zakaria

"Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World" by Fareed Zakaria
Amazon

In tenuous times like these it can be difficult to see the forest for the trees. CNN's Fareed Zakaria offers an insightful, and oddly comforting read, as he looks ahead at life post-pandemic.

"A Time for Mercy" by John Grisham

"A Time for Mercy" by John Grisham
Amazon

Continuing a popular series John Grisham started 31 years ago, Jake Brigance — the brilliant, compassionate lawyer from "A Time to Kill" — will do all he can to help a teenage boy accused of murdering a deputy in Clanton, Mississippi.

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"The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig

"The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig
Amazon

How would our lives be different if we made different choices? In this "Sliding Doors"-esqe novel, Nora Seed answers that question after she overdoses on antidepressants and ends up in an enchanted library that allows her to take roads she initially decided not to travel.

"Missionaries" by Phil Klay

"Missionaries" by Phil Klay
Amazon

Iraq war veteran and author of the National Book Award-winning "Redeployment" returns with his first foray into fiction. Set in Colombia, "Missionaries" examines the complicated toll of modern warfare.

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