If there’s a theme to our recommended books for October 2025, it has something to do with revealing how different things work. That might apply to critically acclaimed filmmakers offering a behind-the-scenes look at their lives and work; it could just as easily apply to a candid look at the internet’s early days or the economics you didn’t know existed. Read on for a look at 10 books due out in October that we recommend.
Anthony Bourdain, The Anthony Bourdain Reader: New, Classic, and Rediscovered Writing (Oct. 28)
Over the course of his career, Anthony Bourdain wrote a lot — including candid tales of the restaurant world, gripping crime fiction and moving travelogues. This new volume brings together multiple aspects of Bourdain’s prose, including some previously unpublished work. As a bonus, there’s an introduction by Say Nothing author Patrick Radden Keefe, which should make for a bonus for admirers of great nonfiction.
Cameron Crowe, The Uncool: A Memoir (Oct. 28)
The last time Cameron Crowe wrote a book about films and storytelling, it was the magisterial Conversations With Wilder, which is on my personal list of the best books about moviemaking ever written. While Crowe is best known for his work as a filmmaker, he was also a working rock journalist in the 1970s; either of those experiences would be enough for a captivating read, but the fact that both are featured in this book makes it even more enticing.
Tochi Onyebuchi, Racebook: A Personal History of the Internet (Oct. 21)
Much of Tochi Onyebuchi’s work to date has involved speculative fiction — including the well-received novels Riot Baby and Goliath. Onyebuchi’s new book has a different future on its mind: the promise of technology and online spaces that existed only a few years ago. Racebook grapples with significant questions regarding the internet of the 1990s and 2000s, as well as the impact of online life on everything from perceptions of race to fandom and pop culture.
Rachel Corbett, The Monsters We Make: Murder, Obsession, and the Rise of Criminal Profiling (Oct. 14)
If your tastes include true crime or police dramas, you’re already aware of the role that profiling plays in attempting to better understand violent acts. There’s a long history behind that discipline — both in terms of how it developed and how it became widely used. And Rachel Corbett’s new book The Monsters We Make — which has received enthusiastic advance reviews — expertly chronicles the complex issues that this science raises.
Damon Krukowski, Why Sound Matters (Oct. 21)
Since he first arrived on the cultural scene as one member of the influential band Galaxie 500, Damon Krukowski has made an impact across multiple artistic disciplines. (His newsletter, Dada Drummer Almanach, is also excellent reading.) His work as a writer has included thoughtful looks at music, art and listening — and his latest book, Why Sound Matters, touches on everything from the rise of playlist culture to the skills of jazz legend Herbie Hancock.
Paul Myers, John Candy: A Life in Comedy (Oct. 7)
Over the course of his far-too-short career — he was just 43 at the time of his death — John Candy appeared in a host of classic comedies, including Home Alone and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Candy worked with a host of comic legends as well, and many of them spoke with Paul Myers for his detailed new biography of Candy. (See also: Dan Aykroyd, who contributed the book’s introduction.) It’s a comprehensive look at a warm and charismatic screen presence.
Hu Anyan, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing (Oct. 28)
There’s always room for another memorable memoir that takes the reader into the inner workings of a particular job. In Hu Anyan’s new book — translated by Jack Hargreaves — the author chronicles his time working a series of jobs all over China. Earlier this year, The New York Times called it “an unvarnished dispatch from the front lines of the gig economy, written by a guy who’s held nearly every low-wage, low-reward job on the market.”
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Abel Ferrara, Scene: A Memoir (Oct. 21)
Maybe there’s something in the water, but 2025 is shaping up to be a very good year for books by acclaimed filmmakers. Recent months have brought us tomes from Neil Jordan and Werner Herzog, and King of New York director Abel Ferrara is one of two directors with memoirs on this month’s list. Given that Ferrera’s career also includes controversial movies like Bad Lieutenant and The Addiction, his recollections of his long and complex career should make for engaging reading.
Judd Kessler, Lucky by Design: The Hidden Economics You Need to Get More of What You Want (Oct. 14)
What can we learn from economics? In his new book Lucky by Design, Wharton professor Judd Kessler takes an expansive look at the subject and uncovers certain metrics by which the reader can better understand the world. Kessler has described these as “the ‘hidden markets’ that determine who gets what” — and in this book, he reckons with how they apply to everything from organ transplants to restaurant reservations.
Nicholas Thompson, The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports (Oct. 28)
Memoirs by beloved filmmakers are one unexpected trend this year. Another one: idiosyncratic chronicles of running, including Ben Ratliff’s Run the Song. This year also brings with it Nicholas Thompson’s The Running Ground, in which Thompson revisits the process of training for the Chicago Marathon and ponders the role that the sport has played in his own life.
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