24 September Releases We're Excited About

And what you can read in the meantime

Our TBR shelves may be overflowing, but there are always new books that we have to find space for. From Pulitzer Prize-winning authors to whimsical fantasies to edge-of-your-seat mysteries, September’s most anticipated list is especially 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.

Contemporary fiction

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors (Sept. 3)
The Blue sisters are exceptional—and exceptionally different. A year after Nicky's unexpected death, her grieving sisters, Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky, return to their family home in New York where they must reckon with the disappointments of their childhood and the loss of the only person who held them together.  

What to read while you wait: Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout (Sept. 10)
Fans of this Pulitzer Prize-winning author will rejoice in her return to the town of Crosby, Maine, where her beloved cast of characters—including Lucy Barton AND Olive Kitteridge (together at last!)—deal with a shocking murder in their midst and grapple with the question, as Lucy puts it, "What does anyone's life mean?"

What to read while you wait: Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Sept. 24)
Aside from the fact that they are brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek seem to have little in common. But in the wake of their father's death, both brothers find themselves at a new interlude in life. It is a period of desire, despair, and possibility; a chance to find out how much one life can hold without breaking.

What to read while you wait: Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen

Playground by Richard Powers (Sept. 24)
Four lives are drawn together in this sweeping, panoramic novel from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Overstory. Set in the world’s largest ocean, this ambitious, awe-filled book follows multiple storylines and explores weighty themes of technology and the environment, and our shared humanity.

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

The Lightning Bottles by Marissa Stapley (Sept. 24)
Since the disappearance of her more popular bandmate (and soulmate) Elijah Hart, Jane Pyre has become the  most hated—and least understood—woman in music. When a sullen teenaged girl shows up claiming that Elijah is alive and has been leaving secret messages for Jane, the two outsiders set out on a quest. 

What to read while you wait: Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Mystery, thriller, and suspense 

Passions in Death: An Eve Dallas Novel by J. D. Robb (Sept. 3)
A pre-wedding girls' night out turns into a murder scene in the 59th installment of the futuristic police procedural In Death series. The site of the grisly crime brings back bad memories for Homicide Detective Eve Dallas, but she won't stop until she gets justice for the young bride whose dreams have been cut short.

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

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty (Sept. 10)
If you were told how and when you were going to die, would you do things differently? Would you try to dodge your destiny? From the author of Big Little Lies comes a brilliantly constructed tale that looks at free will and destiny, grief and love, and the struggle to maintain control in an uncertain world.

What to read while you wait: The Measure by Nikki Erlick

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman (Sept. 17)
Solving murders is a family business. Retired cop Steve Wheeler thinks his days of adventure are behind him. But when his daughter-in-law Amy, a bodyguard protecting bestselling thriller author Rosie D'Antonio, finds herself in a real-life murder mystery, she enlists Steve's help to root out the killer.

What to read while you wait: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

The Butcher Game: A Dr. Wren Muller Novel by Alaina Urquhart (Sept. 17)
Heading north to evade capture, serial killer Jeremy Rose remains focused on unfinished business with forensic pathologist Dr. Wren Miller, the one target who got away. As Jeremy's trail of victims grows, Wren, still recovering from the harrowing encounter, realizes that the best way to heal is to renew her pursuit.

What to read while you wait: The Butcher and the Wren by Alaina Urquhart

The Forest of Lost Souls by Dean Koontz (Sept. 24)
Raised in the wilderness by her great-uncle, Vida is a fearless young woman with an unshakeable bond to nature and the wolves who share her forested mountain home. When a group of powerful men come for her, prepared to do anything to see their evil plans through, Vida is no less prepared for them.

What to read while you wait: Once there Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

Sci-fi and fantasy

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig (Sept. 3)
After inheriting a house in Ibiza from a long-lost friend, retired math teacher Grace Winters buys a one-way ticket to the Mediterranean island. Searching among the rugged hills and golden beaches for answers about her friend's life—and death—Grace discovers something stranger than she could have dreamed.

What to read while you wait: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune (Sept. 10)
In this sequel, Arthur Parnassus and the love of his life, Linus Baker are hoping to adopt the six magical and so-called dangerous children who live in their strange orphanage. But unforeseen forces pose a threat to their family's future happiness. Pre-Order to get a gorgeous special edition with golden sprayed edges!

What to read while you wait: The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik (Sept. 17)
From the dragon-filled Temeraire series and the gothic, magical halls of the Scholomance trilogy to the fairy tale worlds of Spinning Silver and Uprooted, this stunning collection takes us from fairy tale to fantasy, myth to history, and mystery to science fiction. Plus get a sneak peek into the world of the author's next novel.

What to read while you wait: How Long 'Til Black Future Month?: Stories by N. K. Jemisin

An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson (Sept. 17)
Lennon Carter's life is falling apart. Then she gets a mysterious phone call inviting her to take the entrance exam for Drayton College, a school of magic hidden in a secret pocket of Savannah. She has been chosen because—like everyone else at the school—she possesses a devastating and unsettling power.

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

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan (Sept. 24)
Percy Jackson, now a high school senior, needs three recommendation letters from the Greek gods to get into New Rome University. He earned one by retrieving Ganymede's chalice. Now Hecate has offered him the "opportunity" to pet-sit her polecat, Gale, and mastiff, Hecuba, over Halloween week. Piece of cake, right?

What to read while you wait: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan

Historical fiction

The Fallen Fruit by Shawntelle Madison (Sept. 3)
May, 1964: History professor Cecily Bridge-Davis discovers a dark family secret. In each generation, one family member is mysteriously whisked back in time. And there are rules: 1. Never interfere with past events. 2. Always carry your free Negro papers. 3. Do not speak to strangers unless absolutely necessary.

What to read while you wait: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin (Sept. 3)
In Nottingham, England, widowed mother Emma Taylor finds desperately needed employment at Boots' Booklover's Library. As WWII descends, Emma's beloved daughter Olivia is evacuated to the countryside and Emma learns to depend on her community and the power of literature for hope in the darkest of times.

What to read while you wait: The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

Songs for the Brokenhearted by Ayelet Tsabari (Sept. 10)
Zohara is a young Yemeni Israeli woman living in New York City. When her sister calls to tell her that their mother has died, she gets on a plane to Israel with no return ticket. Soon Zohara finds herself on an unexpected path that leads to shocking revelations about her mother's past.

What to read while you wait: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

A Place to Hide by Ronald H. Balson (Sept. 17)
In 1938 as Hitler's rise continues, diplomat Teddy Harrington is re-assigned to the US Consulate in Amsterdam, where he processes visa applications for refugees fleeing the Nazis. When Teddy and his girlfriend Sara meet a young orphan named Katy, they decide to adopt her, leading Teddy to realize the power of his position.

What to read while you wait: Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson

In the Garden of Monsters by Crystal King (Sept. 24)
Italy, 1948 Julia Lombardi is a mystery even to herself. The beautiful model can’t remember where she’s from, where she’s been or how she came to live in Rome. When she's invited to pose for the celebrated eccentric artist Salvador Dalí, she is compelled to accept. This vivid, atmospheric novel is a love letter to surrealism.

What to read while you wait: Feast of Sorrow by Crystal King

Romance

How to Hide in Plain Sight by Emma Noyes (Sept. 10)
Eliot adores her big, wacky family, but there's a reason she fled to Manhattan and hasn't seen them in three years—and she's not ready to share it. Now she's back in Canada for her older brother's wedding and she thinks she's prepared to survive the four-day extravaganza. That is, until she sees her best friend, Manuel.

What to read while you wait: Guy's Girl by Emma Noyes

My Vampire Plus-One by Jenna Levine (Sept. 17)
Amelia Collins is tired of dealing with her family's questions about her nonexistent dating life, so when confronted with yet another family wedding, she asks her strange new acquaintance, Reginald Cleaves, to be her fake date. For Reggie, a centuries-old vampire, posing as her plus-one sounds like the ultimate fun.

What to read while you wait: My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine

Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks (Sept. 24)
Raised by his grandparents, Tanner Hughes follows in his grandfather's military footsteps. Happiest when off on his next adventure, he has zero desire to settle down. But when his grandmother passes away, her last words are find where you belong. She also tells him where to find the father he never knew.

What to read while you wait: The Wish by Nicholas Sparks

Cookbook/Lifestyle

Good Lookin' Cookin': A Year of Meals by Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton George (Sept. 19)
"Hey, good lookin', what ya got cookin'?" This is what Dolly Parton sings whenever she walks into her sister Rachel Parton George's kitchen. Filled with more than 80 crowd-pleasing recipes, year-round hosting tips, and Parton family stories, this keepsake cookbook will make you feel like part of the family.

What to read while you wait: Not That Fancy by Reba McEntire

We hope you find some titles here that you want to add to your TBR list! Let us know which new books you’re most excited about this month.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter (X), and Instagram to connect with a community of readers like you and get daily book recommendations, literary tidbits, and more.

Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon