24 September Book Releases We’re Excited About

Plus, what's new in paperback

Reading ahead 

Our TBR piles may be taller than small children, but there are always new books that we want to add to the stack. From beloved returning authors to chilling new horror to literary historical fiction, September’s most anticipated list is packed with must-reads! Here are 24 upcoming releases across a mix of genres. These titles are available for preorder, but in the meantime, we have recs for similar reads that you can enjoy now.  

Plus, find out what's new or coming soon in paperback. 

Literary and contemporary

The Three Graces of Pearl Street by Elizabeth Wellington Rollins (Sept. 1) 

Graziella is a ninety-six-year-old former nun. Her daughter, Grace, is a respected psychology professor. Ella, an MIT graduate, is Graziella's granddaughter and Grace's daughter. Living together, the three Graces reckon with the distances that have shaped them, and with what it means, at last, to be fully known. 

What to read while you wait: The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett 

Switzy by Emma Cline (Sept. 8) 

A private plane cuts through the winter night. David, a retired executive, sits in his leather seat, playing solitaire on his phone. His assistant, asleep next to him, will shepherd him along the voyage: Dinner with his adult daughter in London; meeting a long-estranged old friend in France; his final destination, Zurich. 

What to read while you wait: The Guest by Emma Cline 

Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult (Sept. 15) 

On September 11, 2001, when Molly Fitzgerald was two months old, her mother went to an appointment at the World Trade Center and never came home. From a bestselling author comes a riveting novel about what we'll do to protect our loved ones in a world where crisis is always just around the corner. 

What to read while you wait: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult 

Hollywood, Ending by John Green (Sept. 22) 

For rising young actors Kai Laramie and Juniper Castillo, being cast in the buzzy Andy Warhol biopic is the opportunity of a lifetime. The bestselling author of Looking for Alaska makes his much-anticipated return to fiction with a Hollywood love story about finding someone to trust in an untrustworthy world.  

What to read while you wait: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin 

The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw (Sept. 29) 

Since marrying a megachurch pastor fifteen years her senior, Scharisse Freeman has been called too brash by church folks and too holy by her estranged childhood bestie. Despite this, she has built an enviable business empire. But her "rags-to-Rolex" life is upended when her past comes roaring into the spotlight. 

What to read while you wait: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw 

Thriller and Mystery

Before You Were Anne by Emiko Jean (Sept. 1) 

Married, pregnant, and thriving in her career, Detective Chelsey Calhoun's life finally feels whole, until an explosive new case shatters everything. A mother is dead. Her sixteen-year-old daughter, Naomi, has disappeared. And the search will awaken questions about Chelsey's own origins. 

What to read while you wait: The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean 

Mother Daughter Sister Stranger by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Sept. 1) 

The sole survivors of the fiery plane crash that killed their parents, Eliza Ramsey and her sister Bea share an unbreakable bond. But now, on the eleventh anniversary of the tragedy, Bea disappears and Eliza, along with Bea's preteen daughter, is racing against time to uncover her family's deadly secret. 

What to read while you wait: The Only One Left by Riley Sager 

Fury in Death by J. D. Robb (Sept. 8) 

NYSPD lieutenant Eve Dallas never knows what to expect when she gets word of a body. It could be an elderly man who made the mistake of climbing a ladder in slippery footwear. And the next call is a wealthy biotech executive beaten to death in his home office—but what was Larry Chu's mistake? 

What to read while you wait: Naked in Death by J. D. Robb 

We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman (Sept. 15) 

At sunrise, high in the Italian hills, a body is found on the steps of a beautiful private villa along with a mysterious, threatening note. At We Solve Murders HQ, Amy, Rosie, and Steve leap at the chance to take on their first proper case. All they need to do is uncover who left the note and then find them. Simple. 

What to read while you wait: We Solve Murders by Richard Osman 

Horror

Blacktail by Scott Hawkins (Sept. 1) 

The wolf Blacktail is faithful to his Forest God, but in these times, faith is not enough. His world is besieged by men. Soon his territory will be overrun, and then there will be nowhere left to go. When his mate, a house dog, is killed, Blacktail sets out on an epic journey of revenge. 

What to read while you wait: The Fisherman by John Langan 

Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison (Sept. 8) 

When her ex shows up with a date at her bestie's wedding, Willa counters by sneaking off with a groomsman. But then a masked killer invades the reception and Willa is one of his victims. Or is she? She wakes up on the morning of the wedding. And it all starts again. Until Dawn meets Groundhog Day.  

What to read while you wait: Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison 

Mazywood by Tananarive Due (Sept. 29) 

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. 

What to read while you wait: The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro 

Sci-fi and fantasy

Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo (Sept. 15) 

In the highly anticipated, explosive conclusion to the Ninth House trilogy, Alex Stern has made it to hell and back once again, 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.  

What to read while you wait: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo 

Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel (Sept. 15) 

The award-winning, bestselling author of Station Eleven returns with a breathtaking novel of doubles, shadow worlds, and fractured timelines. When a man disappears from a glittering Los Angeles party, Ari Walker—a gunrunner, art collector, and operative of the State—searches for answers. 

What to read while you wait: The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard 

The Wretched Divine by Adalyn Grace (Sept. 22) 

Raised in a kingdom embroiled in an ancient war between angels and demons, Aurelie has spent her life training to stop the monsters who tore her family apart. The deluxe edition of this heart-pounding debut adult fantasy from a bestselling YA author features metallic red edges, a fully illustrated case, and more. 

What to read while you wait: One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig 

Threshing Day by Rebecca Yarros (Sept. 29) 

The next book in the blockbuster Empyrean series, this collection contains thirteen stories starring your favorite characters and their dragons. The deluxe first edition includes sixteen beautiful, original full-color illustrations by artist Joe Requeza. Available only while supplies last.  

What to read while you wait: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 

Historical fiction

The Birthing Tree by Amanda Peters (Sept. 1) 

Born under the shadow of a sacred birthing tree where her mother died bringing her into the world, Aliet Paul grows up in a small Nova Scotian Mi'kmaq community with her fierce, loving grandmother Kiju. Years later, after Kiju's death, Aliet returns to confront her family's buried truths. 

What to read while you wait: The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters 

The Disappearers by Marlon James (Sept. 1) 

In 1980s Jamaica, eight men, all of them gay, begin rehearsals for a play. One night the men are savagely beaten and one of them is killed setting off far-reaching consequences. Full of fascinating characters and biting humor, this story is both a thrilling page-turner and a finely etched portrait of queer life. 

What to read while you wait: The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai 

The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman (Sept. 8) 

In the first book of a new series from the author of Practical Magic, Ava and Lauren are two brilliant young women who meet as students at Radcliffe College in 1950s Cambridge, Massachusetts. Both are recruited by the Lilith Society, a secret organization of witches dating back to colonial times.  

What to read while you wait: Weyward by Emilia Hart 

The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon (Sept. 8) 

Venture onto the high seas with this sweeping historical adventure. From the bestselling author of The Frozen River and I was Anastasia, comes a thrilling novel inspired by the life of Grace O'Malley, the legendary Irish folk heroine who risked everything to defend her people.  

What to read while you wait: The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty 

Romance

Falling for Peachtree Bluff by Kristy Woodson Harvey (Sept. 15) 

In the fifth Peachtree Bluff book, oldest sister Caroline has never been happier. The family business is thriving, her kids are great, and a new man has swept her off her feet. But when her not-quite-ex-husband begs Caroline for a second chance, she's thrown into the midst of a love triangle she never saw coming. 

What to read while you wait: Slightly South of Simple by Kristy Woodson Harvey 

If Not You by Ellen O'Clover (Sept. 15) 

Copywriters Mattie French and Campbell Porter have been rivals ever since they interned together five years ago. Now Mattie works for a scrappy independent agency while Campbell is a senior copywriter at Chicago's slickest ad firm. When they're thrown into competition for a luxury resort account, sparks fly.    

What to read while you wait: Beach Read by Emily Henry 

Thank You for Remembering by Emily Harding (Sept. 15) 

Marnie wakes up in a hospital with no memory of the last year of her life. The boyfriend she remembers insists they broke up months ago. And now she's come home to an apartment she doesn't remember with only Ben, her grumpy—and incredibly attractive—neighbor to help her retrace the last year of her life.   

What to read while you wait: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty 

Well Versed by Jen DeLuca (Sept. 22) 

Caitlin was eighteen when she fell out of love with the Renaissance Faire. But now, twenty-four and unemployed, she finds herself back on stage at the Faire. The last person she wants to see is Alexander, the sword-fighting, Shakespeare-spouting young man who won and broke her teenage heart. 

What to read while you wait: Well Met by Jen DeLuca 

New or coming soon in paperback! 

• Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab—A genre-defying novel about immortality and hunger. 

• Wreck by Catherine Newman—The sequel to Sandwich returns readers to Rocky and her family in another novel filled with laughter and heart. 

• The Black Wolf by Louise Penny—The 20th mystery in the #1 New York Times-bestselling Armand Gamache series. 

• Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy—A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon. 

• Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary Roach—An exploration of the remarkable advances and difficult questions prompted by the human body's failings. 

• The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown—In the newest Robert Langdon thriller, the esteemed professor of symbology plunges into the dual worlds of futuristic science and historical lore. 

• The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai—A spellbinding story of two young people whose fates intersect and diverge across continents and years. 

• The Women by Kristin Hannah—At once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided. 

• Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry—A slow-burn, high-stakes romantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros. 

• Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind by Nate Bargatze—A hilarious collection of personal stories, opinions, and confessions from the so-called everyman comedian. 

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon