a lifestyle blog for book lovers

24 much-anticipated new titles to add to your fall To Be Read list

Readers, get ready. School is starting, fall is coming, and as the seasons change, so do the books.

You know I adore summer reading, but I’m excited about the change of seasons. If you’re anything like me, your heart warms at the thought of a cup of tea, a cozy blanket, and a big stack of books. (We’re months away from that around here, but a girl can dream.)

But which titles should go in that stack? That is the question.

The crop of Fall 2018 novels looks especially good, so get your TBR list ready, open that library browser, load up your local bookstore website … and let’s get reading.

Check these out, decide which ones sound like they might be for you, and stay tuned—because I’m sure we’ll see these titles again in future posts and What Should I Read Next? episodes! I’ve read about a third of them so far, and I will certainly update you here—especially in Quick Lit—as I tick these books off my own reading list.

24 much-anticipated new titles to add to your fall To Be Read list
Tear Me Apart

Tear Me Apart

Author:
If you loved last year's domestic thriller Lie to Me, don't miss this new standalone suspense. Competitive skier Mindy Wright just needs one good race to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team, but on the downhill run she suffers a spectacular crash. The cause is quickly determined to be neither athlete error, nor overtraining, but leukemia—and Mindy is to survive, she needs to find a stem cell donor, and quickly. Her parents are eager to donate, but the test results reveal that they're not a match—because Mindy is not their daughter. A tightly-wound pageturner built around competitive skiing, family secrets, and a long-ago visit to a psychiatric hospital. Publication date August 28. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Libro.fm
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from IndieBound
The Clockmaker’s Daughter

The Clockmaker’s Daughter

Author:
I'm always up for a new Kate Morton. I read this one at the beach this summer and found it so unlike her others—would you please hurry and read it so we can discuss? Set at an eerily charming home in the Oxfordshire countryside, the story follows two timelines, 150 years apart, linked by a priceless jewel—and one remarkable woman. I found this strikingly different from Morton's previous work, and would especially like to discuss the narrative voice, please. Publication date October 9. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Transcription

Transcription

Author:
Kate Atkinson has become one of my must-read authors. Her new historical sticks to the WWII setting of Life After Life and A God in Ruins but stands on its own. It's 1940, and an eighteen-year-old girl named Juliet, in search of a job, is surprised to find herself plunged into the world of espionage. Confession: I read this at the beach this summer and loved its droll British voice (though it took me more than a few chapters to get oriented). September 25. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Almost Everything: Notes on Hope

Almost Everything: Notes on Hope

Author:
I've loved Anne Lamott's last few books, and am so excited about her next one (which is in my hot little hands as I type, and flipping through the book makes me think I'll walk away from the computer and read the whole thing right now). The guiding principle here, as she expresses in Chapter 3 ("Humans 101") is: "Almost everything is screwed up, broken, clingy, scared, and yet designed for joy." Anne advocated "joy training" to combat the irrational fears, and I am more than ready for her to lead the way. Publication date October 16. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

Author:
The YA debut from the younger Vlogbrother, the other being John Green. April May (really) is living the starving artist life in NYC, until one night she stumbles upon what may very well be an alien on the streets of Lower Manhattan. When a video capturing the moment goes viral, April gets swept up in an international mystery. Who are these aliens (because hers has company), and what are they doing here? Green says he was inspired to write the story based on his own strange experience with internet fame and the anxiety it brings him. Early reviews say the cliffhanger ending means a sequel is surely in store. Publication date September 25. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Unsheltered

Unsheltered

Barbara Kingsolver is another must-read author for me. I love her work, especially The Poisonwood Bible. At 466 pages, this is a long book, but I inhaled it. Kingsolver writes that she is explicitly addressing the events of her time, but she does that in part by looking back: her double narrative follows the life-changing decisions and uncertain times experienced by two separate families, one hundred years apart, who both live in the same home in Vineland, New Jersey. Kingsolver found one heck of a subject for the historical element, an American scientist I'd previously never heard of named Mary Treat. I loved the clever linking of the chapter titles—pick up the book and you'll see what I mean. Publication date October 16. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Bookshop
A Winter’s Promise

A Winter’s Promise

If you're still looking for a book in translation for your 2018 Reading Challenge, this might be for you. Europa's first YA release, translated from the French bestseller. Kirkus says this novel stars "an endearingly bookish and clumsy antiheroine," whose life is turned upside-down when she's betrothed, in a potential marriage whose purpose is diplomacy. First in a planned quartet. Publication date September 25. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Marilla of Green Gables

Marilla of Green Gables

Author:
When the news first dropped about the subject of McCoy's next book, the common refrain from readers went like this: "I'm so excited! And I'm so scared!" But if there's anyone I can entrust my beloved characters to, it's Sarah McCoy. This is Marilla's story, beginning at age 13—long before Anne came to Green Gables—and continuing till she and Matthew decide to adopt Anne. I'm with the readers on this: scared, but excited to read. Publication date October 23. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Libro.fm
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Virgil Wander

Virgil Wander

Author:
I loved Enger's first novel Peace Like a River, which was published almost ten years ago. Our title character is a Midwestern movie theater owner who drives his car into icy Lake Superior, and isn't the same after the experience (and ensuing concussion). The accident affected his language and memory, and he cannot navigate the world as before. This may not be a bad thing. Knowing that Enger loves his symbolism, I'm particularly intrigued by the title, and expecting a novel about seeking. But what his characters will find remains to be seen. (Or rather, read.) Publication date October 2. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves

Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves

Author:
I've been looking forward to this essay collection for a long time, curated by Glory Edim, founder of the Well-Read Black Girl book club. Contributors write about how important it is that we all see ourselves in literature, and include Jesmyn Ward, Lynn Nottage, Jacqueline Woodson, Gabourey Sidibe, Morgan Jerkins, Tayari Jones, Rebecca Walker, and more. Publication date October 30. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Bookshop
A Spark of Light

A Spark of Light

Author:
Jodi Picoult's particular talent is taking hot-button contemporary issues and giving them flesh through the lives of her characters. In her new novel, set at a Mississippi women's reproductive health services clinic, she begins with the end: everyone is reeling in the aftermath of a mass shooting inside the clinic. Hostages were taken; not all have been released. One person is dead. Moving backwards through the day, Picoult reveals the stories behind the people at the clinic that day—who are they, and why are they here? Kirkus compares this to The Jungle, calling it "not necessarily art ... but necessary." Mind your triggers. Publication date October 2. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from IndieBound
Nine Perfect Strangers

Nine Perfect Strangers

Author:
In Liane Moriarty's latest, nine strangers spend ten days at a luxurious health resort. Seeing as it's a Liane Moriarty novel, something is clearly about to go terribly wrong. Nicole Kidman's already snatched up the film rights. Publication date November 6. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from IndieBound
The Dream Daughter

The Dream Daughter

Chamberlain is known for writing contemporary Southern fiction featuring strong female characters and not shying away from sensitive subjects. Without giving away too much: her next book is about the lengths a mother will go to to save her unborn child. The doctor's have told her she will be born with a fatal heart defect, and in 1970, nothing further can be done. But her mysterious physicist brother-in-law has an idea. Time travel may be involved. I did not expect this from Diane Chamberlain, but I'm excited to read it. Publication date October 2. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from IndieBound
Night of Miracles

Night of Miracles

Author:
I've looked at Elizabeth Berg's work differently ever since Liane Moriarty said this author changed her life—and not just her writing life. Her new novel begins with a link to Arthur Truluv; many of the same characters reappear in her new novel, again set in the small town of Mason, Missouri. Berg writes warmly of sympathetic characters facing uncertain times, and leaning on each other (and a little big of magic) to find their way. Publication date November 13. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Libro.fm
Buy from Bookshop
I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life

I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life

Author:
Of course I had to include this! (Preorder now to get those great bonuses!) For so many people, reading isn't just a hobby or a way to pass the time--it's a lifestyle. Our books shape us, define us, enchant us, and even sometimes infuriate us. Our books are a part of who we are as people, and we can't imagine life without them. I'd Rather Be Reading leads readers to remember the book that first hooked them, the place where they first fell in love with reading, and all of the moments afterward that helped make them the reader they are today. Publication date September 4. More info →
Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis

Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis

Author:
You may know the outlines of this story from Shadowlands: In her new biographical novel, Henry tells the story of poet Joy Davidman, and how she became the wife of C.S. Lewis. Henry has said she was fascinated by how Davidman, a fascinating woman in her own right, completely transformed her life at a time when it was incredibly difficult for a woman to do such a thing. Henry portrays how a robust correspondence turned into friendship, and then something more. I've read this, and while I thought I was familiar with the story, I learned something new on every page. Publication date October 2. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Kingdom of the Blind (A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel)

Kingdom of the Blind (A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel)

Author:
A NEW LOUISE PENNY NOVEL. That's all I really need to know, but if you'd like the details: this one resumes six months after Glass Houses, with Gamache suspended in the midst of the devastating opioid crisis. Penny hadn't initially planned to release a novel this fall, and I'm thrilled about the November date. Publication date November 27. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from IndieBound
Rush

Rush

Author:
I've already gotten to read this and recommended it to Jen Hatmaker on episode 135 of What Should I Read Next. This campus novel, set at Ole Miss, is hitting shelves just in time for back-to-school—and football season. First line: "I work for four hundred and thirty-eight white ladies in a three-story mansion, not a one of them over the age of twenty-two." The beautiful cover promises an intriguing, easy-reading novel about sorority life, and it is that—but many readers have been surprised to discover how serious and timely the story is, and how necessary and overdue the changes advocated for in Rush are. Publication date August 21. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from IndieBound
Bridge of Clay

Bridge of Clay

Author:
After more than a decade, a new book from the author of The Book Thief! The story centers around Clay Dunbar, one of five now-parentless brothers, the only brother who agrees to fulfill the wish of their deceased father by by building a bridge on their property after he died. Zusak has said the idea for this story first came to him when he was 19, and he started writing it 12 or 13 years ago. I'm glad we finally get to read it. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
The Wondering Years: How Pop Culture Helped Me Answer Life’s Biggest Questions

The Wondering Years: How Pop Culture Helped Me Answer Life’s Biggest Questions

Author:
I can't wait to get my hands on this new memoir-of-sorts from Knox McCoy, who makes up one half of The Popcast with Knox and Jamie. Knox has been talking about his book on his show and on social media (his instagram stories are HILARIOUS) and they have me even more excited to read. Knox and Jamie say their podcast is devoted to "the things that entertain but do not matter," but here Knox explains how and why pop culture has been such a significant influence in his life. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from Bookshop
When the Lights Go Out

When the Lights Go Out

Author:
Kubica has earned quite the reputation for compulsively readable edge-of-your-seat thrillers with her bestsellers like The Good Girl and Pretty Baby. Her new book has a killer premise: Jessie sets out to find herself again after spending years caring for her sick mother. She gets a new place to live and applies for college ... and when she does, the college informs her that there's a problem with her social security number. Jessie soon learns that this isn't some bureaucratic mistake, as the details she discovers lead her to question her very identity. Publication date September 4. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from IndieBound
The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up to God’s Goodness Around You

The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up to God’s Goodness Around You

Author:
I'm so excited to read another book from Shannan Martin! In fiction and nonfiction, I love reading about the significance of ordinary things and everyday events. Shannan's new book is about paying attention to these very things, and I can't wait to read it. I LOVE that the cover photo is of Shannan's very own collection of coffee mugs. Publication date October 9. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from IndieBound
The Proposal

The Proposal

I enjoyed Guillory's debut The Wedding Date (a Summer Reading Guide pick!) and am excited to read more. Guillory brings back her character Carlos, and this time instead of handsome sidekick he gets the starring role, beginning with one heck of a meet-cute: he rescues a stranger from total humiliation after she's the recipient of a most unwelcome and extremely public (hello, Jumbotron) proposal at a Dodgers game. If you're looking for a lighthearted romance featuring a diverse cast of characters, add this to your TBR immediately. Heads up: The Wedding Date is pretty racy; expect more of the same. Publication date October 30. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from Bookshop
Winter in Paradise

Winter in Paradise

A new series from Nantucket author Elin Hilderbrand—that's set in St. John! In this first book in a planned series, Irene Steele receives a devastating phone call: her husband has suddenly died. This is shocking news, especially because he's found dead on St. John island, a place she didn't know he'd been. And when she flies down to tend to his affairs, the surprises just keep getting worse. First in a planned series. Publication date October 9. More info →
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from IndieBound

24 much-anticipated new fall titles

67 comments

Leave A Comment
  1. Gayla Mazzuca says:

    What a great list of books. I still have holds on books from the Summer Reading Guide. I’m going to have to start reading faster so I can read some of these before the year is over. I can’t wait to read all of these.

    • Denise says:

      Gayla- I was just about to type the same thing! I haven’t even completed reading all the books for the summer reading guide. Because of library holds, I won’t be reading these until the new year.

  2. Sarah R says:

    Is it me, or is this the best fall for new releases? 🙂 We’re getting Liane Moriarty, Kate Atkinson, Barbara Kingsolver, Anne Lamott, plus you and Knox! I never wish summer away but I am looking forward to these books.

  3. Tina says:

    So many great books! I am really looking forward to Nora McInerny’s new memoir, No Happy Endings. She has a way of creating compassion and recognizing that the hardships we experience sometimes don’t make sense, but they happen and they shape us. Her podcast “Terrible, Thanks for Asking” is also amazing and gives a good sense of her style and perspective. And her first memoir, It’s Okay to Laugh (Crying is Cool Too), is also awesome! It’s about her experiences losing her husband to cancer, as she also lost her dad to cancer and had a miscarriage.

  4. Suzanne Hecker says:

    I’m so excited by this list! Of course I’m still working on the summer reading list but more than happy to build my fall reading list and start obtaining copies.
    Will there be an audible version of your book? I’d be interested and if there is one, I hope you’ll read it!

  5. Donna H. says:

    There are so many great books to look forward to! I always love seasons changing and I feel like new reading seasons are a bonus. Another one I’m looking forward to is The Library Book by Susan Orlean.

  6. So many great reads coming out!! I recently found out about the Kingsolver and Moriarity new titles, but I didn’t know anything about RUSH, which looks so good! I’ve added it to my TBR list. Thanks for sharing!

  7. Eileen slater says:

    Wow, what a great list! I am still getting through the summer list, but some of these might come first. You have really gotten me curious about Kate Morton’s new book! Thanks Anne, you are this readers best bookish friend!!

  8. Hello, I want them all, and already have RUSH and TEAR ME APART pre-ordered. Now I’m off to pre-order yours! The news about the Galbraith book comes at exactly the right time—I finished the first three this summer. Think my family will understand if I spend our whole Christmas budget on books for me? ?

  9. Mary H says:

    Such great variety on this list. It’s been so long since I read Peace Like A River….looking forward to reacquainting myself with Leif Enger.
    I’ve heard good things about If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim as far as new releases go. I think historical fiction in the fall actually requires a blanket while reading 😉

    • Anne says:

      I’m looking forward to reading Kim’s novel myself. We’re going to be at the same literary festival in a month and I hope I get to hear her speak about it.

  10. Melanie says:

    Wow, what a list! Too bad I used almost all of my vacation on a long trip this summer; otherwise I’d love to take a fall/winter week off and dive into several picks from this list.

  11. Cristin Conner says:

    I just added many of these to my TBR. Also excited for the new Tana French – The Witch Elm – out in November.

  12. Ellen says:

    Thanks Anne—I have just filled a page to add to my Books I Want to Read section of my book journal! After a years-long hiatus from reading (burned out on reading doing an online masters program and depression), I am excited to put reading back into my daily life, especially after this list!
    Two of my favorite authors you haven’t mentioned: Craig Johnson and Lorna Landvik. Both are great if, like me, you love finding great books whose authors have written more than just one! Johnson’s books are what I would call modern Westerns. His new one is out in Early September. I can’t wait, because the last one was a cliffhanger!
    For Lorna Landvik, I’d start with Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons—older, but still my favorite. She creates amazing characters, often doing really odd things. Both authors are ones whose books I tend to devour in one sitting, then lament that the book is over!
    One last book recommendation—The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller. She is a teacher, explaining how she creates bookworms and excellent readers, even from kids who dislike reading or are reading several grades below level. She is my new hero!
    Thanks for this blog—it is a big reason that I have rediscovered reading!

  13. Debi Morton says:

    Wow! I was about to say which ones I was really excited about, then realized that there are just too many to list! We are moving, so I hope the new-to-me Library is good about ordering new books quickly; then I hope there won’t be 75 people on the hold list who want to read them!?

  14. Megan says:

    There are so many great books coming out! Louise Penny, Liane Moriarty, and Robert Galbraith all this close together is too much!

  15. Amy says:

    SO excited about the new Cormoran Strike as well as Louise Penny’s newest!!! I wish I had the same enthusiasm for Jodi Picoult books that I used to. I am afraid to read her newest; she tends to default to negative stereotypes of people of faith and I find it to be lazy and misguided. I suspect I know her agenda in her newest book. I hope I’m wrong. 🙁 But some great books here….can’t wait for Fall reads!

    • Adrienne Hudson says:

      Hi Amy! I’m sad to say I agree with you. I have loved many of her earlier novels but I found myself yelling “NO!” to some of the negative stereotypes in ‘Small Great Things’. I’ll probably give her new novel a try, but if it goes down that path, it will quickly go in the did-not-finish category.

  16. So many great books to add to my ever-growing TBR! I think I’m the most excited about Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers. I have loved everything she’s written!

    And as an FYI, Jasmine Guillory’s The Proposal has been pushed back until the end of October.

  17. Kirsten says:

    Looking forward to reading Karen Swallow Prior’s book “On Reading Well”, another 9/4 release. Along with so many of these titles!!!

  18. Kendra says:

    I know better than to COMPLETELY judge a book by its cover, but there is some beautiful cover art in this selection! On another note, I am psyched to be ahead of the game with my library holds list for the fall 🙂

  19. Angela Mills says:

    This may be the first time I’ve read a list from anyone where I desperately want read literally every single book on the list. I actually gasped a couple times. I am so behind on publishing news, I didn’t know about half of these.

    I’m also very interested in the connection between Moriarty and Berg. I’ve loved Berg’s novels for 20 years or so (her writing book in particular is one of my favorites on the craft).

    • Lisa Root says:

      Yes, I’ll never forget Berg’s Talk Before Sleep…I think that was her first novel? It was wonderful. After that, though, I felt her writing become recycled bits of itself (if that makes any sense). Style is one thing, but too much of a good thing can be – well – too much.

  20. I read The Clockmaker’s Daughter last month…and didn’t love it. I’m normally a huge fan of Kate Morton, but I agree that this one felt completely different. Honestly, I was disappointed. There wasn’t any of the anticipation and deep character connection I usually find in her novels.

    Also, I just received an ARC of Becoming Mrs Lewis and can’t wait to dive in!

  21. Jennifer O. says:

    I am so excited about Transcription and The Proposal, as well as the new Louise Penny book! Also, as a regular romance reader I’m finding it hilarious to hear The Wedding Date described as racy. For its genre, it’s really not. But I guess it is to people who are just dipping their toe in romance.

  22. Christine Dellutri says:

    I would recommend: The Other Woman: Released date August 21, 2018 by Sandie Jones. If you like psychological read this is for you. I had an Advance readers copy of this book and could not put it down. I finished it in 24 hrs. Love a good mystery.

  23. Nancy says:

    Where does the new Cormoran Strike book fall on the gruesome scale relative to the earlier books? I really enjoy the characters in those books but struggled with the second and third installments.

  24. Ioana says:

    Is it a conscious choice to make the release day of a book a Tuesday? Because from what I saw, every single one of these books releases on a Tuesday. Since you now have (almost) two books published, I was wondering if you know anything about this. It’s a curious thing, but at the same time I see the reasoning behind it.

  25. Angela S says:

    What a fantastic selection of books to look forward to! I’m particularly excited about the new Barbara Kingsolver book, I loved, loved, loved The Lacuna, a beautiful and very moving book.

  26. Anne with an E says:

    I’m also excited about all the new books coming, not soon enough! Looking forward to Robert Galbraith, Louise Penny, Tana French, but most excited by the new ‘spin-off’ of the Shadow of Darkness Trilogy by Deborah Harkness (Sept 25). It’s called ‘Time’s Convert’ and is the story of Marcus and Phoebe. Also want to read Kate Morton’s ‘The Clockmaker’s Daughter’ (Sept. 20)

  27. Debra says:

    I just finished Becoming Mrs. Lewis and am reading your book, Anne. I love your book and laugh at the universality of our reading experiences. Curious, I loved What Alice Forgot as well, but could not stand Truly, Madly, Guilty. Hated the format of the book and did not think any of the characters were someone to root for. Will I like her new one?

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

We appreciate a good conversation in the comments section. Whether we’re talking about books or life, differing opinions can enrich a discussion when they’re offered for the purpose of greater connection and deeper understanding, which we whole-heartedly support. However, my team and I will delete comments that are hurtful or intended to shame members of this community, particularly if they are left by first-time commenters. We have zero tolerance for hate speech or bigotry of any kind. Remember that there are real people on the other side of the screen. We’re grateful our community of readers is characterized by kindness, curiosity, and thoughtfulness. Thank you for helping us keep it that way.

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations
for every mood

Plus weekly emails with book lists, reading life tips, and links to delight avid readers.