Behold October’s must-read books

The best newly released books for autumn...

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Now the nights are a little darker, the idea of snuggling up in bed with a good book is more inviting than ever. Whether it’s an exhilarating thriller rooted in history, a tale of survival or a story that’ll have you in fits of laughter one moment and tears the next, here are five newly released books to add to your reading list...

Mr Gandy's Grand Tour is the new bestselling novel from Britain’s favourite gardener and TV presenter Alan Titchmarsh. Timothy Gandy escapes his humdrum life with an unexpected Grand Tour of Europe where drama, romance and friendship await in this beguiling tale of self-discovery. Buy it here.

Graham Norton’s masterful debut Holding is an intelligently crafted story of love, secrets and loss. The inhabitants of Duneen are roused from their quiet lives when human remains are uncovered. To solve the case, the town’s only policeman, PJ Collins, unearths anger, resentments, secrets and regret. Buy it here.

A debut novel by actress and presenter Janet Ellis, The Butcher’s Hook is the dark and twisted tale of a young girl in 18th-century London, who is determined to take her life in to her own hands – no matter the cost. Buy it here.

The Tenderness of Wolves is a must-read historical epic, weaving adventure, suspense and humour into an exhilarating thriller, a panoramic romance and ultimately, an unforgettable debut novel. Set in Canada in 1867, a young murder suspect flees across the snowy wilderness. Tracking him is what passes for the law in this frontier land – with trappers, sheriffs, traders and the suspect’s own mother desperate to clear his name. As the party pushes further from civilisation, hidden intentions and old obsessions are revealed. But where survival depends on cooperation, their fragile truce cannot afford to be broken. Buy it here.

Stella Newman’s Seven Steps to Happiness is a funny, moving novel of friendship, heartbreak and the restorative power of melted cheese. When Lenny’s friend Juliet finds herself at rock bottom, she embarks on a programme called the HappyGuru, promising happiness in seven easy steps. The friends are immersed in mindfulness and juice cleanses but as Juliet bounces back to happiness, things seem to get even more complicated for Lenny. Buy it here.

Win all five books in our edit of new reads! We’ve teamed up with women’s fiction community Bookends to give away 50 bundles of these five brilliant novels to make sure you’re never without a good book. For your chance to win, enter here.

For exclusive author Q&As, reading group guides and insights behind bestselling women’s fiction, go to Bookends and join the conversation on its Facebook page and Twitter. In association with Bookends, Marie Claire has selected its favourite books to read this autumn. Find more good reads here.