Feature Image Credit: @katieneedsabiggerbookshelf
You’ve waited all year, picked up all the new and amazing books through spring and summer, and now it is finally time again to throw your cardigan on and smell the fresh, new, crisp pages of a new book. From love stories to natural disasters, this season’s most anticipated new books will have you curled up in a blanket for days. Add to your wish-list, pre-order, wait anxiously for the publishing date, whatever helps get you closer to having your hands on these books, there is no judgment here.
The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison (Aug 10)
Would you choose the life you love or the man you love? Olive McCormick sacrificed a lot in her journey from Minneapolis to New York City, but she does not regret one thing. She is an extremely talented singer and dancer and becoming a star in the Ziegfeld Follies is worth everything she gave up. Then she meets Archie. He’s everything a girl could want – handsome, wealthy, understanding. It isn’t until he proposes that Olive starts to see a new side to him, and she must decide which her heart wants more, the life she loves or the love of her life.
Write My Name Across the Sky by Barbara O’Neal (Aug 10)
Gloria Rose was in her seventies, and she didn’t have much to complain about. She’s living in her Upper West Side loft, entertaining her hundreds of Instagram followers. Until she receives word that an old ex-boyfriend has been arrested for art theft and forgery, and her being a kind-of-accomplice-but-not-really role sends her fleeing. But that plan is complicated when the nieces she raised are thrown into crises of their own. Willow and Sam are opposites of each other, but they are both devastated by the losses of their ever-spiraling life. These women will either be pushed apart or brought closer than ever as they deal with past trauma, love, and consequences.
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins (Aug 21)
Three women who are full of simmering resentment are linked to a young man who is found murdered in a London houseboat. Laura, a one-night stand, Carla, the grief-stricken aunt, and Miriam, the nosy neighbor, are all out for revenge. Each woman is holding back secrets. Which one could be capable of trying to find peace through this rageful deed?
The Women of Troy by Pat Barker (Aug 24)
In this feminist retelling of The Illiad, we are able to see the perspectives of the women of Troy. Troy has fallen, and the gods are offended. They are awaiting a fair wind from the Aegean, but it isn’t coming and the city that once held them together is unraveling. The Trojan queen, Briseis, starts to make alliances with Priam’s aged wife the defiant Hecuba, and with the disgraced soothsayer Calchas, all the while shrewdly seeking her path to revenge.
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova (Sept 7)
The Montoyas are used to a life without explanations. They don’t ask questions, partly because they know better and also because there have never been any definitive answers. But when Orquídea Divina invites them to her funeral and to collect their inheritance, they hope to learn the secrets that she has held onto so tightly their whole lives. Surprisingly they don’t, and they end up having more questions than when they arrived. Years later the seemingly magical gifts have manifested into the other girls, and now there is an unknown figure going through the family tree and picking them off one by one. Determined to save what’s left of their family and uncover the truth behind their inheritance, the four descendants travel to Ecuador–to the place where Orquídea buried her secrets and broken promises and never looked back
Matrix by Lauren Groff (Sept 7)
Marie de France is exiled from the royal court and is is sent to England to be the new prioress of an impoverished abbey. The transition is not easy, but she soon finds a certain devotion to her family, country, and new sisters. As the last in a long line of women warriors and crusaders, Marie is determined to chart a bold new course for the women she now leads and protects. History will move through and around this passionate woman, will it be enough?
Unbound by Tarana Burke (Sept 14)
Powerful, empathetic, intelligent and courageous. If those words inspire you, then so will the story of Tarana Burke. She writes about her journey of healing and the life that empowered her to speak up and make a difference for those around her, and herself. Tarana not only changed the way of society but the way she viewed herself. This memoir might just be the self-help book that everyone needs.
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (Sept 14)
If your mother was missing, would you tell the police? Even if the most obvious suspect was your father? This is the dilemma facing the four grown Delaney siblings. Their parents, Stan and Joy, are killers on the tennis court, and after fifty years of marriage, they’re ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. The four Delaney children were tennis stars in their own right, yet as their father will tell you, none of them had what it took to go all the way. But that’s okay, now that they’re all successful grown-ups. One night a stranger named Savannah knocks on Stan and Joy’s door, bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. Later, when Joy goes missing, and Savannah is nowhere to be found, the police question the one person who remains: Stan. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers comes a novel that looks at marriage, siblings, and how the people we love the most can hurt us the deepest.
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki (Sept 21)
When Benny Oh starts to hear voices from objects around the house, he tries to ignore them. Sometimes it’s just hums and coos, but others are snide and mean comments. As his mother’s hoarding problem grows, so does the cluster of voices. Then the voices follow him outside the house, so he finds refuge in the library where the voices are at least whispering and well behaved. It’s there he meets his very own talking book who narrates Benny’s life and teaches him to listen to the things that truly matter. This is the story of a thirteen-year-old who learns to find his voice amongst the many.
Lean Fall Stand by Jon McGregor (Sept 21)
Robert ‘Doc’ Wright is shaken to the core when the worst thing that can happen on an expedition on the Antarctic ice actually happens. Unable to tell his story or live life as he formerly knew it, it is up to both him and his wife to find a new way of living. There are far more complications and consequences than once believed, and everyone must find a new way to navigate. Mesmerizing and griping, this expedition of Antarctica and life will leave you speechless.
Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth by Wole Soyinka (Sept 28)
In an imaginary Nigeria, a cunning entrepreneur is selling body parts stolen from Dr. Menka’s hospital for use in ritualistic practices. Dr. Menka shares the grisly news with his oldest college friend and Yoruba royal, Duyole Pitan-Payne. Duyole is about to assume a prestigious post at the United Nations in New York, but it now seems that someone is determined that he not make it there. And neither Dr. Menka nor Duyole knows why, or how close the enemy is, or how powerful.
Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis (Sept 28)
When a blizzard shuts down the roads, Noelle Butterby finds herself stranded in her car. All seems lost until Sam Attwood, a handsome stranger also trapped in a nearby car, knocks on her window and offers assistance. After eight perfectly uninterrupted hours together, the roads finally open up and they go their separate ways. They are convinced that they will never see each other again, that is until they do. Is it coincidence, or is fate something beyond that?
Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray (Sept 28)
The magic hidden inside of sixteen-year-old Koffi could cost her life if anyone discovered it. Yet, when her family is threatened by the Night Zoo’s master, she unleashes the power that she doesn’t fully understand. Ekon is destined to become an elite warrior and uphold his family legacy, but on the night of his final rite of passage, he encounters a vicious monster and Koffi. The two make a tentative alliance and decide to hunt the monster that has plagued the city for a century in hopes to find the answers to Koffi’s powers and Ekon’s destiny.
Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen (Oct 5)
It’s December 23, 1971, and the Hildebrandt family is at a crossroads. The parents and the children are all seeking a freedom that doesn’t come easily, and everyone’s freedom is complicated by the others. Will they be able to live the life they strive for or destroy each other in the process? This is the story of three generations dealing with problems of their modern-day culture or moral crisis.
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (Oct 5)
In June 1954, Emmett Watson is on his way home from the juvenile work farm he has spent the past fifteen months at for involuntary manslaughter. His parents are gone, and Emmett just wants to start new in California with his eight-year-old brother, Billy. His plans are altered when he realizes that two of his friends from the juvenile work farm have hidden in the trunk of the warden’s car. Instead of California, Emmett finds himself on a fateful journey to New York.
What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J.A. Chancy (Oct 5)
No one imagines an earthquake at 7.0 magnitude to happen, especially at the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. This novel weaves together the lives of all those who were there that day, the ones who were taken down by the disaster that struck. From a father and his secret daughter, to a woman and her coworker, to a drug trafficker and many more. Deeply haunting, these lives are told through the devious acts of both nature and mankind.
Monster in the Middle by Tiphanie Yanique (Oct 19)
Do you believe in fate? If you don’t, Fly and Stela might just change your mind. A love story that has been decades in the making, traveling through countries, and landing in twentieth-century New York City, their love might just be a match made in heaven. Fly is a Black American musician from a mixed-religious background, while Stela is a Catholic science teacher from the Caribbean. Their love might be influenced by family lore, and love that has preceded their own. Exploring desire and identity, religion and class, passion and obligation, the novel might just answer the question “who are we meant to be with?”
Heard It in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves (Nov 2)
Layla Hilding is trying to recover from her ten-year marriage divorce and to deal with loneliness, especially since the memories of her glory days of being a lead singer while being married is taunting her. She currently teaches music at an elementary school where Josh, a single father who is currently recovering from the end of his twenty-year marriage, talks to Layla every morning before school as he drops his daughter off. The two form a bond, but being overly cautious about their past heartbreak and confusion of the current dating world, they decide to start as friends.
The London House by Katherine Reay (Nov 2)
Caroline Payne didn’t know that her great-aunt betrayed her family and country to marry her German lover during World War II. Now she does, though. Determined to find answers and save her family’s reputation, Caroline flies to the old family house in London. She discovers diaries and letters that reveal her grandmother and great-aunt were known as the “Waite sisters.” When life makes them grow apart, they both take different paths. Through the letters of the past, Caroline will discover stories of spies and secrets, love and heartbreak, and the events of one fateful evening in 1941 that changed everything.
You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao (Nov 2)
All of Julie’s plans change when her boyfriend, Sam, dies. In a desperate attempt to hear his voice one more time, she calls his cellphone to listen to his voicemail. What will Julie do when Sam picks up the phone? A touch of magic, first love and loss, this is the story of romance and heartache.
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich (Nov 9)
After serving a part of an outrageously long sentence, Tookie decides to work at a bookstore. It’s only after the death of her boss that Tookie realizes she is being haunted by her. The ghost isn’t even her only complicated realtionship. Tookie also finds love in Pollux, the tribal police officer who has been in love with her for years but also arrested Tookie all those years ago for a crime that turned out to be more serious than Tookie knew. Starting on All Souls Day of 2019 and ending exactly one year later, this story will have you hanging on with the mystery and beauty of the novel.
Great list!
Yes, excellent list. I am intrigued by The Book of Form and Emptiness and am looking forward to reading Amor Towles’ new novel.