October New Releases 2026

Inspired by the life and work of Emily Brontë, this masterful, multi-award-winning book — acclaimed as the best Dutch novel published this century — pulls readers into a narrative that redefines time itself. 

In the early 1800s, in Yorkshire, Eliza May Drayden and her sisters live far from the public eye, devoted to their shared love of reading and writing books. When, after dozens of rejections, Eliza May’s only novel, Haeger Mass, is finally published, it’s labelled as ‘ghastly’ and ‘immoral’. Over time, however, it is embraced by generations of readers as a masterpiece, and tales about its mysterious, reclusive author take on a life of their own.

In eleven extraordinary chapters, the story of Eliza May — both before and after her death — unfolds: through the tales of people who met her; her sister’s letters; her biographers’ words; the pages of a mysterious notebook; and the lives that become intertwined with hers, even centuries later.

In The Song of Stork and Dromedary, Anjet Daanje has crafted an absorbing literary mystery and an unforgettable meditation on love, life, loss, and the inexplicable nature of time. As the Brontës themselves did, Daanje shows us that storytelling is our only way to transcend death.

A celebration of the restaurants, bars, cafés, pubs, and markets that have helped shape Melbourne’s unique cultural identity.

From the immensely popular creator of Old Vintage Melbourne and Old Vintage Melbourne, 1960–1990, here are profiles of around 120 of Melbourne’s culinary institutions, drawing on original research, historic photography, and direct contributions from the venues themselves and their families. Some are iconic and enduring, such as Grossi Florentino, Pellegrini’s, and France-Soir, while others have long since closed but remain etched in Melbourne’s memory, such as Cafe Scheherazade, Coles Cafeteria, and even Dine-In Pizza Hut. Each entry combines images radiating nostalgic warmth alongside Chris Macheras’s landmark informed historical text.

From a multiple New York Times bestselling author, here is an eye-opening history of the United States’ war on terror across four presidential administrations.

The year 2026 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11, the most devastating attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Within days, the United States began to declare its war on terror: ‘Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists,’ President George W. Bush proclaimed. The resulting invasion of Afghanistan cost trillions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives, and led to a series of misguided wars and the damaged perception of American power.

Based on hundreds of interviews, All the Presidents’ Wars focuses on critical decisions of four successive presidents — Bush, Obama, Biden, and Trump — that arose out of the country’s responses to 9/11. One of the few journalists to interview Osama bin Laden and to have unparalleled access to the US intelligence community, Peter Bergen covers a tragic history that might have been avoided.

All the Presidents’ Wars explores the innovations and unintended consequences of each presidency’s military and political decisions, including debates over military intervention and withdrawal, and the tactics of special operations units, armed drones, and the armies of counterterrorism partners. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand America’s devastating war on terror and to avoid the mistakes of the past.

Parlour Games for Friends and Family sets out to revive the tradition of indoor family games: push aside the screens, turn off the TV, and bring some mental stimulation, silliness and laughter, joy and connection back into your living room.

This book is bursting with games of logic and memory, wordplay, card games, role-play, and rough and tumble. Not a single game requires equipment that you won't find in your average home: a pack of cards, a dictionary, dice, paper and pen.

There are games that will challenge and stimulate you, and games that will have you in fits; games that can last all night or just a half-hour; games for adults and older children, and games for your four-year-old's birthday party.

Parlour Games for Friends and Family, a book for fun-lovers aged four to 104, winds back the clock to remind you of games you'd forgotten and then a whole lot more. Whether you dip into it as the urge takes you or read it from cover to cover, a very good time is guaranteed.