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Sometimes, even minimal is superfluous.

Mallard is a predominantly black village in the South, surrounded by a slew of bigoted settlements. It's where Stella and Desiree Vignes were born, twins with skin so pale that they might pass for white. In a state of restlessness, they run away from home at an early age to begin life anew; but their contrasting decisions govern and transform them. Years later, Stella, estranged from her sister, is a white woman with a husband to whom her past is unknown; and Desiree is back in Mallard with her black daughter.

It is Paris, 1714. Adeline LaRue is fascinated by the world. She yearns to explore it all, but her life prevents her from doing so. Desperate, she strikes a bargain with the darkness: unlimited time on earth in exchange for her soul when she no longer wants it. She quickly understands, however, that it was a curse. The people she meets forget her as soon as she is out of sight. Unable to do much else, Addie roams the earth for three hundred years, constantly recalling but always forgotten...until one day, in a dusty old bookshop in the crevices of New York, someone remembers her name.                    

A mysterious plague has engulfed 1920s Shanghai, leading victims to sever their own throats. The city's two main gangs are forced to put aside their long-standing rivalry and work together to repress the source before it's too late. Among the animosity are ex-lovers Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov, who are both heirs to their respective gangs. Past betrayals and rivalry between their clans are keeping them apart. An alliance is formed, clues are unraveled and discoveries are made. It is a mystery, a monster-hunt and a Romeo and Juliet retelling, all rolled into one.     

As the spooky season approaches, it is only fitting that we grab our essentials- a blanket, some snacks and a thriller novel. Here are three to add to your October TBR .  

  Set in Nazi Germany and narrated by Death, The Book Thief recounts the story of Liesel Meminger and her coming of age during the Second World War. A love for books blossomed within her when she was nine, and with the guidance of her foster father, Liesel learns how to read. Soon she is stealing books from wherever she can and sharing her stories with the people in her world while the dangerous times threaten to tear everything apart.