Happy first day of fall! It’s my favorite time of the year, even though it feels like summer is never going to end around here. I can’t wait for cooler temps, fall-scented candles, cozy sweaters, and pumpkin-flavored everything.
I’m also looking forward to a crop of new books coming out in the next few months. The list I have compiled below are some of the books I’m most excited to read. These recommendations come from the fall book preview episode of Sarah’s Book Shelves Live and Modern Mrs. Darcy’s fall book preview unveiling for its members (that full list can be found here). Click on the links* to get a full synopsis of each book.
The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall
Release Date: August 13, 2019
Mentioned On: Sarah’s Book Shelves Live
Genre: Literary Fiction
“A moving portrait of love and friendship set against a backdrop of social change.” —The New York Times Book Review (Editor’s Choice)
The Other’s Gold by Elizabeth Ames
Release Date: August 27, 2019
Mentioned On: Sarah’s Book Shelves Live
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
“An insightful and sparkling novel that opens on a college campus and follows the friendship of four women across life-defining turning points.”
Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
Release Date: September 10, 2019
Mentioned On: Modern Mrs. Darcy and Sarah’s Book Shelves Live
Genre: Nonfiction, Sociology
“Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast Revisionist History and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Outliers, offers a powerful examination of our interactions with strangers–and why they often go wrong.”
The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan
Release Date: September 10, 2019
Mentioned On: Modern Mrs. Darcy
Genre: Thriller
“The New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew conjures a dark and unpredictable tale of family secrets that explores the lengths people will go to hurt one another.”
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
Release Date: September 10, 2019
Mentioned On: Modern Mrs. Darcy
Genre: YA, Fantasy
“In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.”
The Second Chance Supper Club by Nicole Meier
Release Date: September 10, 2019
Mentioned On: Modern Mrs. Darcy
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
“Two estranged sisters reunite in an emotional novel of family, forgiveness, lost hope, and new beginnings.”
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
Release Date: September 17, 2019
Mentioned On: Modern Mrs. Darcy
Genre: Fiction
“In less than 200 sparsely filled pages, this book manages to encompass issues of class, education, ambition, racial prejudice, sexual desire and orientation, identity, mother-daughter relationships, parenthood and loss….With Red at the Bone, Jacqueline Woodson has indeed risen — even further into the ranks of great literature.” – NPR
The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott
Release Date: September 17, 2019
Mentioned On: Sarah’s Book Shelves Live
Genre: Historical Fiction
“A thrilling tale of secretaries turned spies, of love and duty, and of sacrifice–inspired by the true story of the CIA plot to infiltrate the hearts and minds of Soviet Russia, not with propaganda, but with the greatest love story of the twentieth century: Doctor Zhivago.”
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Release Date: September 24, 2019
Mentioned On: Modern Mrs. Darcy and Sarah’s Book Shelves Live
Genre: Literary Fiction
“Ann Patchett, the New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth and State of Wonder, returns with her most powerful novel to date: a richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go.”
– Tom Hanks narrates the audio version!
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
Release Date: October 29, 2019
Mentioned On: Modern Mrs. Darcy and Sarah’s Book Shelves Live
Genre: Fiction, Magical Realism
“Kevin Wilson’s best book yet—a moving and uproarious novel about a woman who finds meaning in her life when she begins caring for two children with remarkable and disturbing abilities.”
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
Release Date: November 5, 2019
Mentioned On: Modern Mrs. Darcy
Genre: Thriller
“From the New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone comes another page-turning look inside one family’s past as buried secrets threaten to come to light.”
Little Weirds by Jenny Slate
Release Date: November 5, 2019
Mentioned On: Modern Mrs. Darcy
Genre: Celebrity Memoir. Humor
“Jenny’s writing is magical and stylish, just like her. Each essay in Little Weirds feels like a vivid, cinematic experience, full of original observations and unexpected laughs.”―Mindy Kaling
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Release Date: November 5, 2019
Mentioned On: Modern Mrs. Darcy
Genre: Fantasy
“From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Circus, a timeless love story set in a secret underground world—a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea.”
The Great Pretender by Susannah Cahalan
Release Date: November 5, 2019
Mentioned On: Sarah’s Book Shelves Live
Genre: Nonfiction, Psychology
“From “one of America’s most courageous young journalists” (NPR) comes a propulsive narrative history investigating the 50-year-old mystery behind a dramatic experiment that changed the course of modern medicine.”
Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison
Release Date: December 30, 2019
Mentioned On: Sarah’s Book Shelves Live
Genre: Thriller
“J.T. Ellison’s pulse-pounding new novel examines the tenuous bonds of friendship, the power of lies and the desperate lengths people will go to to protect their secrets.”
Happy fall reading, everyone!
Let me know what you’re most looking forward to reading in the comments.
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
theshelfishlife.com 
I’m on the wait list at the public library for the Malcolm Gladwell book, The Nanny, and The Dutch House. Lots of good books to look forward to!
LikeLike
I’m planning on buying The Dutch House on audio because I don’t want to wait that long, haha. But I’m on the wait list for the other ones!
LikeLike