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As the days get darker and the chill creeps in, turning in with a good book is customary.
With so many new titles coming out this fall, it can be hard to know which ones to give your limited time to. That's why many readers turn to Goodreads for guidance. The review site just published its 60 most-anticipated fall books, selected by tracking early reviews and which titles people are adding to their Want to Read shelves, it explains.
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Without further ado, below are two dozen of the most anticipated books being published this fall (September through November), including their authors, links to their publishing houses' full descriptions and a quick official synopsis for each.
Happy reading!
Contemporary and historical fiction
The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon
When does it come out? September 8 by Penguin Random House
What's it about? “A sweeping historical adventure inspired by the life of Grace O’Malley, the legendary Irish folk heroine who risked everything to defend her people. Venture onto the high seas with the thrilling latest from the New York Times bestselling author of The Frozen River and I Was Anastasia.”
Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang
When does it come out? September 8 by Harper Collins
What's it about? “From R.F. Kuang, the acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author of Katabasis and Yellowface, comes a wryly humorous and profoundly moving coming-of-age novel that grapples with grief, language, and culture shock—all set against the backdrop of an unforgettable summer in Taipei.”
Partita by Barbara Kingsolver
When does it come out? October 6 by Harper Collins
What's it about? “The story of a brief, passionate, life-changing love affair, wrapped up in what might be the greatest romance of all: our eternal human longing for art and beauty.”
Mystery and thriller
Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley
When does it come out? September 22 by Harper Collins
What's it about? “The brand-new Miss Marple novel from Lucy Foley, the #1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Guest List and The Midnight Feast.”
The French Illusion by John Grisham
When does it come out? September 29 by Penguin Random House
What's it about? “#1 New York Times bestselling author John Grisham delivers a gripping, suspenseful page-turner about a Paris honeymoon gone horribly wrong—and the nightmare that follows.”
The Witch by Freida McFadden
When does it come out? October 6 by Poisoned Pen Press
What's it about? “A brand-new, haunting thriller from Freida McFadden, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Housemaid! Some secrets don’t die―they wait. When Julia Barlow loses her job and her apartment, she has nowhere left to go but Pemberton, her family’s sprawling seventeenth-century estate in rural Massachusetts. Officially, she’s there to check in on her aging grandmother. Unofficially, she’s hoping the old house will give her a place to disappear. Instead, Pemberton begins to unravel her.”
Science fiction
Under Story by Chloe Benjamin
When does it come out? September 1 by Penguin Random House
What's it about? “The New York Times bestselling author of The Immortalists returns with an intimate yet epic love story—and a sweeping odyssey of scientific discovery. Under Story invites us to consider the promise of this life, what might lie beyond it, and how far we would go for more time with the people we love, cementing Chloe Benjamin’s place among our best, and most lasting, storytellers.”
Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel
When does it come out? September 15 by Penguin Random House
What's it about? “The award-winning, bestselling author of Station Eleven and Sea of Tranquility returns with a breathtaking novel of doubles, shadow worlds, and fractured timelines as a man disappears from a glittering Los Angeles party, and a woman—a gunrunner, an art collector, an operative of the State—searches for answers.”
As You Wake, Break the Shell by Becky Chambers
When does it come out? October 13 by Harper Collins
What's it about? “Explore a universe of stubborn survival and found family, of persistent danger and quiet wonder in the first installment of a heartfelt new duology from Hugo Award–winning author Becky Chambers.”
Romance and romantasy
The Knave and the Moon by Rachel Gillig
When does it come out? September 1 by Hachette
What's it about? “Rachel Gillig, the queen of gothic romantasy, returns with higher stakes, darker mysteries, and deeper longings in this gorgeous sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling sensation The Knight and the Moth”
Grim Tidings by B.K. Borison
When does it come out? September 15 by Harper Collins
What's it about? “From #1 New York Times bestselling author B.K. Borison comes a new whimsical, haunting romance. When a runaway grim reaper tries to save a life, she clashes with a skeptical Guardian, forcing them to form an unlikely partnership beyond the grave.”
Peculiar Stars by Rebecca Yarros
When does it come out? November 17 by Montlake
What's it about? “From #1 New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros comes a slow-burn romance about love, family, and what it means to become the truest version of yourself. Callista Moran has spent a lifetime putting her own plans aside to care for other people. Once she and Darren Knight announce their engagement, she thinks her future is finally set. But when a routine sailing trip goes tragically wrong, a cyclone blows those carefully made plans away.”
Fantasy
The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman
When does it come out? September 8 by Simon & Schuster
What's it about? “The brand-new series from the bestselling author of Practical Magic, following two brilliant young women in 1950s Cambridge, Massachusetts, as they become immersed in a mysterious secret group of witches at Radcliffe known as the Lilith Society.”
Bodies of Magic by Freya Marske
When does it come out? September 15 by Tor Books
What's it about? “Grey’s Anatomy meets A Deadly Education in this dark academia fantasy from USA Today bestselling author Freya Marske. At the Academie of the Grand Duchy of Sieuxerr, every mage with the healer’s gift has five years to master their power and to prepare for the infamous Grand Exam―a five-day trial whose results will determine their entire future.”
Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo
When does it come out? September 15 by MacMillan
What's it about? “The highly anticipated, explosive conclusion to the Ninth House trilogy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo. Hell is empty and all the devils are here…Alex Stern made it to hell and back more than once, but this time she left the door open behind her. Demons are creeping through the streets of New Haven and the Yale campus, feeding on the souls of the living, terrifying the dead. Alex and her allies can hunt them, but it’s only a matter of time before the gates to the underworld open and they face a war they cannot win. To stop it, they’ll have to reach deep into the secrets of Yale and its societies, and discover the truth hidden in Alex’s own blood.”
Horror
Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison
When does it come out? September 1 by Penguin Random House
What's it about? “Every wedding guest’s worst nightmare is on repeat in this wild and twisty new horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of So Thirsty and Play Nice. When Willa sneaks off with Dan at her best friend’s wedding, their rendezvous is interrupted by a masked killer terrorizing the reception. Willa and Danny fight to save the ones they love and survive the night, but the killer is unrelenting. A final girl Willa is not. Or is she?”
Mazywood by Tananarive Due
When does it come out? September 22 by Simon & Schuster
What's it about? “All the Sinners Bleed meets Erasure in this literary thriller from the award-winning author of The Reformatory following the grandson of a famous Black actress who returns to his grandmother’s cabin retreat in the California mountains only to encounter the legacy of her rage born in Old Hollywood.”
Nightjars by Michael Wehunt
When does it come out? September 29 by MacMillan
What's it about? “Memento meets Dracula in this heart-thudding, unpredictable, and beautifully crafted novel of a man exposed for crimes he doesn’t remember committing, and the monsters that dwell at the heart of us all, from celebrated and critically acclaimed author Michael Wehunt.”
Young adult
Hawk & Sparrow by Ayana Gray
When does it come out? September 1 by MacMillan
What's it about? “Sparks fly in this Gilded Age novel of mystery, magic, and romance by the author of the New York Times–bestselling Beasts of Prey. Vesper Evans is an ambitious reporter determined to keep her newspaper afloat. While covering a lavish society gala, Vesper happens upon a shocking scene: the murdered body of a man she had spoken with just minutes before. Prime suspect is wealthy industrialist Maximilian Kite, who makes Vesper a tempting offer: Find the culprit and restore his reputation in exchange for a substantial fee. There’s only one catch: In order for her to infiltrate society, the two must pose as a courting couple.”
The Sixth Faction by Veronica Roth
When does it come out? October 6 by Harper Collins
What's it about? “The worldwide sensation as you’ve never seen it before. Step into a bold new Divergent series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth. Beatrice Prior stands on the brink of a decision every person in her world must make: five factions, five futures, five lives. She has a plan: she’s going to make the bravest choice and leave Abnegation to join Dauntless, even though it means abandoning her family. But when tragedy strikes at her choosing ceremony, everything changes—her world, her plans, even Beatrice herself.”
The Last King of Faerie by Cassandra Clare
When does it come out? November 3 by Penguin Random House
What's it about? “The highly anticipated first book of The Wicked Powers, the final Shadowhunters trilogy! #1 New York Times bestselling author Cassandra Clare brings the saga that began in The Mortal Instruments to a stunning conclusion.”
Nonfiction
Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature by Emily Wilson
When does it come out? September 1 by Liveright
What's it about? “From the most celebrated translator of our time comes a visionary exploration of how translation reshapes and enriches our understanding of the ancient world. In this sharp and often entertaining tour through antiquity, Emily Wilson—whose renditions of Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad have captured a generation’s imagination—explores the complicated terrain of reading and writing about the ancient past. Drawing on twenty years of scholarship and teaching, Wilson explores the difficult choices that translators must make, the pleasures of finding new solutions to old problems, and the inevitable frustrations of never fully capturing what is in the original work.”
American Scoundrel by Kai Bird and Susan Goldmark
When does it come out? September 1 by Simon & Schuster
What's it about? “From the Pulitzer Prize–winning coauthor of American Prometheus, inspiration for the box-office sensation Oppenheimer, a penetrating biography of super-lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn, whose shocking exploits over four decades have shaped the modern political era, most prominently the ascent of Donald Trump.”
The American Way of Killing: The Invention of an Epidemic by Malcolm Gladwell
When does it come out? September 29 by Little, Brown and Company
What's it about? “Malcolm Gladwell’s most urgent book yet: a provocative investigation of America’s epidemic of gun violence. The United States has far more homicides than any of its peers around the world. Why? In this groundbreaking book, Malcolm Gladwell explores the American ‘peculiarity’—how the world’s wealthiest country came to suffer from a problem typically only seen in the world’s poorest countries.”