A soon-to-be-ex mother-in-law and son-in-law duo with nothing in common are forced together in Nod Book Club's October 2026 pick

Some People by Parini Shroff

Why we chose ‘Some People’ as our October book club pick 

About: Malti Patel is absolutely fine. Concussed and bruised, maybe, but fine. Certainly fine enough to not need her daughter's soon-to-be-ex-husband, Nathan Whitlock, playing nurse in her home while she recuperates. And yet, that's exactly the quandry in which she finds herself. Her doctor insists on in-home supervision for seven days, and with her daughter, Kavya, abroad at grad school in India, Nathan proves too much of a do-gooder to let Malti rehabiliate alone. Seven days of Nathan, the man divorcing her daughter for all manner of cultural misunderstanding, emotional walls, simmering hostility...most of them having to do with Kavya's scars from her childhood with Malti.They want nothing to do with one another. But over the course of the week, as Malti grapples with the shadows of her past and Nathan ponders the wreckage of his marriage, they learn that they are the two people who know Kavya best—and the ones who have hurt her so deeply that she's left them both entirely.

Some People Parini Shroff nod book club pick

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When Mona moved into her glorified broom closet in a broken-down apartment block, she didn’t mean to stay long. But somehow, she’s spent years with the late night noises, the missing packages, the fact underwear keeps disappearing from one of the dryers… So when she’s offered free rent in exchange for some work around the building, she jumps at the opportunity to save some money and escape. As long as she doesn’t have to talk to any of her neighbours, it should be fine.&nbsp;But the longer she sticks around, the more this falling-apart building – and the weirdos inside it – start to feel like something worth fighting for.

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You’ll Love It Here by Natalie Sue

Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. But in terms of caretaking and relating to two children, no matter how adorable, Patrick is, honestly, overwhelmed.&nbsp;So when tragedy strikes and Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick's brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of "Guncle Rules" ready to go, Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled acting career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old. Quickly realizing that parenting--even if temporary--isn't solved with treats and jokes, Patrick's eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility, and the realization that, sometimes, even being larger than life means you're unfailingly human.

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The Guncle by Steven Rowley 

Deep in the heart of the continent, Koschei the Deathless is stirring. Though he's been bound to a mountain lake for millennia, the insidious threat of his return now spreads across the Fae territories, attracting powerful allies hell-bent on reclaiming what was once theirs: the human lands.&nbsp;The Night Court will not stand idly by while innocents are attacked. But with Prythian still piecing itself together in the wake of the devastating Hybern War, the task of uniting is proving more difficult by the day. To make matters worse, those who rule and protect the Night Court are reeling from recent betrayals and revealed truths. The rifts dividing them seem insurmountable.&nbsp;But to defeat Koschei's creeping shadow, they must find a way back to each other and resurrect their former alliances. To survive, they must find a way to repair the splintered harmony all around them.

A Court of Splintered Harmony: The Valkyrie Cycle, Movement I

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Batter Gray is worried about his future. Even when he was eleven, his classmates seemed to have settled on a goal: doctor, lawyer, broker, engineer. Good jobs that automatically command respect, security, 401Ks. Now Batter is in his early twenties, living in New York City, and he wants something different; something that alienates some readers and bores most. Poetry. And yet—to him and exactly thirty-nine editors at a company called Peck &amp; Peck—poetry not only represents the power of humanity but holds the key to its survival.&nbsp;Batter is named after his mother’s heroic dog. An identical twin who lost his brother at birth, he finds himself confronted by the everyday dualities that make up life: right vs. wrong, truth vs. lies, rejection vs. acceptance. It’s almost as if his dead brother is a reminder: there are always two sides to every story.

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Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus 

In Victorian London, economist Reina Martin hopes to build Britain’s first women’s bank. A fraud investigation puts her new household and a budding romance at risk

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Queen of Lombard Street by Lisa Kleypas

A virtual literary hangout where we handpick one unputdownable book every month

Some People

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Join our Instagram channel to discuss the book of the month as we read it. From every-thought-you-had-while-reading to the author's notes, there's a lot going on here. 

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