What I'm Reading for the Rest of the Year
based on upcoming book-to-film adaptions, new releases and general vibes!
Hello, friends!
This week, we get to look forward to flipping the calendar to October. I’ve long been a fan of the promise that comes with a fresh month, but this one in particular is stacked, including the release of Taylor Swift’s The Life of A Showgirl, cooler mornings that beg for a run, farmers market apples tucked into totes, a cozy Practical Magic rewatch, the ritual of pulling out our fall sweaters, and of course, pumpkin-flavored everything. I’m not going to apologize for being ‘basic’ with that list, because chances are if you enjoy my content, you’re not a contrarion either. It is, after all, fun to be just a girl who likes what all the other girliepops like: silly little coffee walks, getting the shot, listening to pop music, rewatching Sex and the City, and reading the books all the other women are buzzing about!!!!!!
If we’re connected on Instagram (@curatedbykayla), you may have seen that I shared my picks for fall books in the newest issue of my neighborhood newspaper, The District Tea. In this season’s edition, I themed “Kayla’s Bookish Corner” around art-filled stories—particularly those with a 60s setting—in celebration of the Sixties Surreal exhibit that just opened this week at The Whitney. Pairing books with a mood and sense of place is my love language, so I thought today would be the perfect opportunity to share the reads on my radar through the rest of the year!
But before we get into those picks, I wanted to share a fun interview I was able to do with a fellow Substacker, in her “Thirties on Thursday” series. Susie asked such thoughtful questions, and I loved getting the chance to chat with her about my perspective on being in my early thirties. From my love for serendipitous vintage finds to indulgences I’ll never give up (hint: artisanal grocers), we had so much to chat about. It’s my hunch that readers of The Sunday Series would very much be interested in Susie’s newsletter, Since Tuesday, so be sure to check it out.
Of course, another thing Susie and I chatted about was books! Since launching the newsletter in 2020, literary content has always been a pillar of The Sunday Series. So it’s not surprising that one of my most popular editions of 2025 so far was a mid-year check-in, sharing my 13 top books of the year.
I’ll do another roundup at the end of the year, analyzing where I net with my all-time faves, but in the meantime, did you know we share a recap of what each of our members read in our newsletter that goes out on the 1st of each month? That’s right! Alongside my girls , , , Laura, and Jenna, we review every single book we read, so be sure to subscribe to WVBC’s newsletter if you aren’t already but want those more thorough recaps!
Okay, now let’s get into it! Looking to the end of the year wanted to do a little clean up of my reading priorities based on what book-to-film adaptations are on the horizon, the new releases I’m eager to dive into, and titles that feel cozy for this fall and early winter season. I’m on track to hit my 60-book goal for the year if I’m able to prioritize 16 more titles, but I’ve rounded up 30 (!!!!) books that have my eye. I’m approaching this as somewhat of a pick list for myself next time I’m in a bookstore, so that I can stay focused and I hope it can serve to help you do the same.
Speaking of reading goals, do you participate in the annual Goodreads Reading Challenge? I have for the past five years, and in turn, have seen my reading increase quantifiably, which has been fun. And while I’m generally annoyed that Goodreads is owned by Amazon, and like so many, wish it were a more robust platform, I haven’t successfully converted myself to using StoryGraph yet. So, if you too [begrudingly] use Goodreads, I’d love to be connected there!
On the anti-Amazon front, note that whenever I link to books, I use Bookshop.org. Their mission is to support independent bookstores by sharing profits directly with local shops, which means every purchase helps sustain the kind of community spaces we’d all be devastated to lose. What’s fun about buying here is that you actually can choose which Indie bookstore you want to support with your purchases! For instance, all of my purchases or any gifting I do through the platform supports ’s store, Books Are Magic. And, when you buy through my Bookshop links, I make a small commission, which is an easy way for you to support the work I’m doing here on TSS.
When it comes to what motivates me to pick up a backlist title, knowing there is an adaptation coming is at the top of that list. I’m firmly in the camp of “but the book was better” 99.9% of the time, and how could I declare that annoying, Type A assessment if I hadn’t read said book? Exactly. So, here are the ones on my radar right now!
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware: coming to Netflix on October 10, 2025. Starring Keira Knightley. I’ve actually already read this one and it’s pretty spooky. But I love a good thriller in a closed-door setting, and this one being set on an expedition cruise ship really did it for me, but, I wouldn’t recommend while reading on a solo trip to Paris as I did…NOT the right vibe!!! You live and you learn.
Regretting You by Colleen Hoover: in theaters on October 24th, 2025. Starring Allison Williams and Dave Franco. I’m going to an early screening of this next Sunday with Meta and Paramount Pictures and am super excited!! I have loved Allison Williams since Girls and am looking forward to seeing her in this role. Going to try and squeeze in the book (which is currently on Kindle Unlimited) because it’ll pain my ‘book first’ purist mindset not to have a reference point when watching.
The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden: in theaters December 19, 2025. Starring Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, and Brandon Sklenar. I just read my first Frieda McFadden (The Tenant, highly recommend!) and feel like she’s now going to be a thriller staple for me. The trailer to this film looks way scarier than my usual film comfort zone, but I will 100% be reading and watching anyway.
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