East of Eden is currently the #2 series on Netflix here in the U.S. (behind the juggernaut that is The Great British Baking Show). But more important that than for East of Eden fans: it’s good. (I am one episode in, so not ready to call it for the whole show, but so far, just about as good as could be hoped).

Here are some nuggets from what reviewers are saying:

From Brady Langmann’s review in Esquire:
“If you’re lucky, you’ll watch one TV show a year that changes you forever. Take my word for it: Netflix’s East of Eden is that show, whether or not you’ve read John Steinbeck’s seminal 1952 novel of the same name.”

From Nick Hilton’s review in The Independent:
“Zoe Kazan captures the grandeur of the tale and wrestles, largely successfully, with its unruly structure. This is slow, poetic television-making and Netflix should be applauded for resisting the temptation to turn Cathy into a Gothic succubus. It helps East of Eden feel urgent, a story rendered from myth, and a parable for our times.”

From John Nugent’s review in Empire:
“With clear reverence for the novel, and clear-sighted new ideas elevating Steinbeck’s original themes, this is an excellent and elegant adaption, with stirring performances — especially from Pugh and Lee.”

From a more mixed review for The New Yorker, Inkhoo Kang:
Kazan’s curiosity about two figures given short shrift by Steinbeck—Cathy (Florence Pugh), Adam’s eventual wife and the show’s narrator, and Lee (Hoon Lee), Adam’s self-possessed Chinese American servant—stamps the show with her bigheartedness.

Currently, the series has a 87% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. And if the series has your interest piqued in Steinbeck’s original novel (or just cannot get enough East of Eden content), we have a full-breakdown of East of Eden over at Zero to Well-read for your listening pleasure.

It’s a great week for good old-fashioned books!

Also hitting shelves:

More new releases.

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The Libby team has shared with us their favorite titles by Latine authors to read this Latine Heritage month and beyond.

The list is comprised of a variety of genres and categories, from historical fiction to romance to nonfiction, with young adult and adult selections alike.

Here is a sampling of Libby’s favorite Latine titles:

Sense and Sensibility is not Jane Austen’s signal work, but it is her first published novel, and the first Austen novel we cover on Zero to Well-Read.

Ang Lee’s 1995 film adaptation has a special place in many an Austenite’s heart, with a stacked cast that includes Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, and Kate Winslet.

Decide for yourself when the film releases on October 16, and brush up on the text with Jeff and Rebecca on this week’s episode of Zero to Well-Read. –VD

Let’s start October the right way… meaning we have to pick an amazing book to read to kick off the spooky month! From lady knights to finding out you have amnesia and forgot the man you married, these new romance books of October 2026 will have you laughing, crying, and swooning—one big roller coaster of emotions.

Here are a few of the best romances hitting shelves in October, selected by Silvana Reyes Lopez.

Once Again, Always by Amanda Gayle – When Molly Graham wakes up in a hospital bed, she can’t remember the past six years of her life. She definitely doesn’t expect to be married to Aster Bishop, whom she despised back in boarding school. Confused and reluctant, she goes back home with him, ready to try to build her life again. But with secrets and the possibility of not being able to regain her memories, Molly questions whether she’s falling in love with the same person a second time around.

Bad Words by Ríoghnach Robinson – Author Parker Navarro thought his debut novel would take him places—until critic Selina Chan reviewed it. Now, four years later, they’re at it again: Parker is about to release his second novel and believes this is his final chance, so he doesn’t want his book anywhere near Selina. When her new review comes out, though, their sparring goes viral. While they’re enemies in public, behind closed doors, their relationship becomes something much deeper.

Once in a Timeline by Iman Hariri-Kia – Laia Grace is an up-and-coming New York lifestyle influencer. She crafts her days to perfectly fit the aesthetic she wants and films them for people to see. But one day, something glitches, and Laia realizes that she’s inside her latest “day in the life” video, in an infinite loop. With the help of a brooding man who is also trapped inside, she tries to figure out how to exit this endless cycle.

Not enough?: we have more picks here.

Travis Baldree is the author of the cozy fantasy novel Legends & Lattes, which has been adapted into Legends & Lattes: The Graphic Novel, out today from Ten Speed Graphic. Below, Travis discusses how the cozy fantasy subgenre has grown since Legends & Lattes was first published.

Legend and Lattes, my first book, was conceived in the heart of COVID, when I yearned for the experience of enjoying a coffee in a café, connecting with other people, and feeling hope and optimism once again.

It turned out that I was not the only one longing for some hopeful relief from a relentless news cycle and extended isolation.

Cozy fantasy has existed for a long time (Terry Pratchett and The Hobbit spring to mind), and I think of it as a way of using the tools of fantasy as a lens to expand on everyday human concerns. Fantasy can be employed to remind us that the mundanities we all struggle with are important, actually.

Genre fiction doesn’t have to be about slaying dragons or saving the realm. There’s plenty of room to examine the things we all care about, but are generally told are boring or unimportant. Will I be good enough? Am I stuck where I’m at? Does someone like me? How do I advocate for myself? Am I equal to making this dream I have real?

I am so glad that Viv and her life resonated with so many others—so much so that I was invited to write further books, and much art and creativity has bloomed from my little story.

The reinvigoration of the idea that everyday troubles and everyday kindness are worthy subjects for readers of grown-up fantasy is very welcome. I’m honored to be involved in this. The beautiful graphic novel adaptation of Legends and Lattes is a reminder to me of just how fortunate I am.

The current moment cozy fantasy is having indicates to me a universal truth: our personal lives and feelings and successes don’t only matter to us. They’re the connective tissue that creates our relationships to other people we may never even meet, a type of community that we have always needed, and always will.

Check out more interior art from the graphic novel at Book Riot!

Credit for interior art: Legends & Lattes: The Graphic Novel, by Travis Baldree, adapted by Samuel Sattin, illustrated by Shanti Rittgers and Sarah Webb; published by Ten Speed Graphic, 2026

Did you know? Hamer recited her civil rights speeches completely from memory.

What are you reading in October? Let’s chat about it.

A reimagining of Mrs. Dalloway set in Lagos is coming from Neon.

Read up on Russia’s war on Ukraine’s books.

A Parisian library becomes a runway for a Valentino show.

Can you guess whether or not a book is banned from its plot?

Written by Jeff O’Neal, Vanessa Diaz, Erica Ezeifedi, Silvana Reyes Lopez, and Danika Ellis. Thanks to Vanessa Diaz for copy editing.

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