Last Saturday, Anbolyn and I gave a book talk on the books we think are fabulous for Fall. It was a success and we discovered that we have GROUPIES! Nearly everyone there was a repeat attendee from our Sizzlin’ Summer Reads program in June!
We are presenting again in the Spring and I’ve gotta start hunting down great Spring reads now.
Below are my Fall picks (in order of publication date):
Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart (Kopp Sisters #2)
Constance Kopp continues her journey as the first female deputy
Quick thoughts: Amy Stewart is fantastic at bringing history to life.
Interesting tidbit: Guys! Constance Kopp was real!
Perfect for fans of the first book in this series, Girl Waits with Gun, Maisie Dobbs readers, and those that aren’t crazy about graphic violence in their mysteries.
The Art of Waiting by Belle Boggs
An exploration of the author’s experiences with fertility that makes connections to literature, film, medicine, and politics
Interesting tidbit: Viral article; book deal.
Quick thoughts: My assumptions about infertility, the process and struggle associated with it, were demolished.
Perfect read for fans of memoirs mixed with more in-depth explorations of a topic like On Immunity by Eula Biss or Breasts by Florence Williams.
The Guineveres by Sarah Domet
Four girls all named Guinevere are left at a convent by their families where they learn about friendship, betrayal, and love
Interesting tidbit: debut author!
Quick thoughts: I had to remind myself more than once that these weren’t real girls — it’s fiction.
Perfect for fans of coming-of-age novels like Anton DiSclafani’s The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls.
The Wangs vs the World by Jade Chang
A wealthy Chinese immigrant family loses every last cent and takes a road-trip across America that binds them back together
Interesting tidbit: The author based the Wang family loosely on her own family history
Quick thoughts: A family saga with multiple perspectives! Be still my book-lovin’ heart!
Perfect for fans family sagas and humor, especially great for those that loved The Nest, Where’d You Go Bernadette, and Crazy Rich Asians.
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Follows three young people as they grow up and apart — and how choices can haunt us
Interesting tidbit: Another debut author!
Quick thoughts: The friendship between Nadia and Aubrey hooked me.
Perfect for fans of stories of friendship and coming-of-age novels.
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
A white supremacist couple demand a black nurse not touch their newborn
Quick thoughts: Intense and timely page turner that still has me thinking about my own bias (and why I’m so bothered by Jodi Picoult writing this story).
Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult (duh) and anyone looking for a great read that will foster conversation.
You Will Not Have My Hate by Antoine Leiris
Leiris shares what he and his son experienced in the immediate aftermath of his wife’s murder
Interesting tidbit: You may remember Leiris’ moving Facebook post right after the Paris attacks.
Quick thoughts: Everyone should read this book. It’s short and powerful and real and raw.
Perfect for readers of memoirs and current events.
Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood
A modern re-telling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest
Interesting tidbit: This is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare Project — re-tellings by modern authors that includes Jo Nesbo taking on Macbeth and Gillian Flynn adapting Hamlet later on in the project.
Quick thoughts: Atwood manages to take The Tempest and make it funnier, yet still sadder, and more interesting than the original.
Perfect for Shakespeare fans and anyone who’s ever plotted vengeance.
I’ll Take You There by Wally Lamb
Felix Funicello revisits his youth and learns more about the women in his life
Interesting tidbit: We first met Felix Funicello in Lamb’s Christmas novella Wishin’ & Hopin’.
Quick thoughts: The writing makes for an easy read, while the story ends up being surprisingly deep.
Perfect for fans of This is Your Life Harriet Chance by Jonathan Evison and In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume.
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