The Best Grown-Up Reads of
October 2020
by the Brightly Editors
Between making a voting plan and prepping for an unconventional Halloween, we hope you can treat yourself with some quality reading time. October’s best new reads for grown-ups include sweet (and sour) romances, an atmospheric mystery, and a much-needed college admissions guide for the era of COVID-19.
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The Searcher
Tana French returns with an atmospheric and spellbinding mystery set in a seemingly idyllic Irish village, where retired Chicago police officer Cal Hooper decides to unwind from a harrowing career. But Hooper’s dreams of respite are disturbed when a local teenager convinces him to look into the case of his missing brother, which begins a slow unraveling of dark secrets.
(On Sale: 10/6/20) -
Greenlights
Available from:Celebrated actor Matthew McConaughey brings a lifetime of hard-won insights and advice for “catching the greenlights” of life — that is, living a life that feels meaningful for you, rather than embracing the rest of the world’s flavor of the week. McConaughey shares amusing anecdotes alongside regrettable mistakes as he thumbs through 35 years of diaries.
(On Sale: 10/20/20)Also available from: -
Snapped
Available from:In her much-loved Playbook series, Alexa Martin once again winningly combines romance and the sports world. The Denver Mustangs have a “problem” — their star quarterback, Quinton Howard Jr., is taking the knee during the national anthem. When the team assigns PR expert Elliot Reed to manage Quinton, a rocky working relationship slowly grows into something more.
(On Sale: 10/20/20)Also available from: -
Love Your Life
Available from:Exhausted by dating apps’ faulty algorithms, Ava takes a break and signs up for a writing retreat in coastal Italy, where attendees keep their real names and lives under wraps. There, Ava meets “Dutch,” and the two fall into a whirlwind romance. But Sophie Kinsella isn’t going to leave us there — too easy! The story follows Ava and Matt back to their real lives and the uber-real challenges of meshing your life with another person’s. The bumps are many and laughs are more in this clever rom-com.
(On Sale: 10/27/20)Also available from: -
Memorial
Once passionately in love, Benson and Mike now seem to be coasting, unsure of what either are getting out of their relationship. Everything changes when Benson’s mother arrives in Houston just as Benson flies to Osaka to be with his dying father, leaving Mike with an unusual roommate. Both young men experience profound transformations and new insights into what they want out of love and life.
(On Sale: 10/27/20) -
College Admissions During COVID
COVID-19 has brought about enormous change in the way we live, work, and learn, and it’s also raising numerous questions for high school students graduating in 2021 and 2022. Editor of The Princeton Review, Robert Franek, addresses over 70 COVID-related questions, like what to do about cancelled extracurriculars and the possibility of remote learning. A must-have guide for families of college-bound juniors and seniors.
(On Sale: 10/27/20)
