21 Big Books of Fall
We miss fall reading. Every season is a good one for a reader (because every season has books), but we're ready to move on from summer. We have stormy nights waiting for us, hot drinks to warm our hands…and irresistible new books from some of our favorite authors.
Seriously, this season is going to be awesome for book lovers. We're getting highly anticipated stories from John Green, Stephen King, Jennifer Egan, Philip Pullman, Sarah J. Maas, and Dan Brown—as well as stunning literary debuts, buzzy political memoirs, and more.
Don't have time to read everything in sight? We know the feeling. That's why we crunched the numbers to find the books Goodreads members and early readers are adding to their shelves and loving. Every book on our list has a 4.0+ rating. Which ones catch your eye?
Fiction
My Absolute Darling
by Gabriel Tallent
Against a backdrop of dangerous natural beauty, a half-wild girl works to escape her abusive survivalist father. [Read our interview with Tallent here.]
Release date: August 29
Sing, Unburied, Sing
by Jesmyn Ward
Mississippi's past and present collide as a desperate mother takes her kids on a road trip to meet their ex-con father. [Read our interview with Ward here.]
Release date: September 5
Little Fires Everywhere
by Celeste Ng
A defiant new tenant and an ugly custody battle shatter Elena's orderly life in this riveting read from the author of Everything I Never Told You. [Read our interview with Ng here.]
Release date: September 12
Five-Carat Soul
by James McBride
From the recipient of the 2013 National Book Award comes a collection of insightful, surprising, and humorous stories about our struggle for identity.
Release date: September 26
Young Adult
They Both Die at the End
by Adam Silvera
After getting the call from "Death-Cast" (a company that knows when everyone will die), strangers Mateo and Rufus meet up for a final adventure.
Release date: September 2
Warcross
by Marie Lu
Hacker and bounty hunter Emika enters a deadly virtual reality combat tournament as a contestant—and as a spy.
Release date: September 12
Turtles All the Way Down
by John Green
In the author's first novel since The Fault in Our Stars, plucky Ava accidentally gets wrapped up in the mystery of a fugitive billionaire.
Release date: October 10
La Belle Sauvage
by Philip Pullman
A boy and his daemon companion unravel a tricky, magical mystery in this companion to the author's beloved His Dark Materials trilogy.
Release date: October 19
Plus thrilling sequels from Sarah J. Maas, Rick Riordan, and Kendare Blake!
Nonfiction
From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death
by Caitlin Doughty
Mortician Doughty discovers how other cultures care for their dead in this follow-up to Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory.
Release date: October 3
We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The award-winning journalist and author reflects on the Obama era and explores the tragic echoes of history in this powerful essay collection.
Release date: October 3
Waiting for the Punch: Words to Live by from the WTF Podcast
by Marc Maron
Discover some of the secrets to success in this hilarious, insightful, and occasionally ridiculous guide to life from the comedian and podcaster.
Release date: October 10
Soonish: Ten Emerging Technologies That'll Improve and/or Ruin Everything
by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith
A collaboration between a cartoonist and a researcher, this is a clever peek into our possible future, featuring robots, space elevators, and more.
Release date: October 17
Mystery/Thriller
Lie to Me
by J.T. Ellison
Her note says she doesn't want to be found, but Ethan can't accept that from his missing wife…especially once the police start asking questions.
Release date: September 12
Bonfire
by Krysten Ritter
A lawyer stumbles upon a treacherous ritual called "The Game" in her own hometown in this tantalizing page-turner from the star of Marvel's Jessica Jones.
Release date: November 7
Plus exciting sequels from Dan Brown and Alan Bradley!
Historical Fiction
Love and Other Consolation Prizes
by Jamie Ford
Based on a true story, an orphan boy learns the meaning of belonging after being raffled off at Seattle's 1909 World Fair.
Release date: September 12
The Last Ballad
by Wiley Cash
While working a dirty, hazardous job at a textile mill, Ella May fights for her dignity and her rights in the Appalachian foothills of North Carolina.
Release date: October 3
Plus an epic sequel from Ken Follett!
Romance
Chasing Red
by Isabelle Ronin
After losing her apartment, Veronica reluctantly agrees to move in with campus bad boy, Caleb, in this swoon-worthy love story.
Release date: September 5
Without Merit
by Colleen Hoover
The author of Hopeless delivers a poignant, powerful tale of one outsider's messy search for truth and love.
Release date: October 3
Science Fiction and Fantasy
The Black Tides of Heaven
by J.Y. Yang
The bond between twins Mokoya and Akeha weakens as one develops a strange prophetic gift and the other joins a ruthless rebellion.
Release date: September 26
Her Body and Other Parties
by Carmen Maria Machado
This genre-bending collection of short stories focuses on the realities of women's lives while featuring the end of the world, ghosts, humanity-ending plagues, and more.
Release date: October 3
Artemis
by Andy Weir
The author of The Martian leaves behind the red planet—his second novel is an action-packed (and science-packed) heist story set on the moon. [Check out Weir's book recommendations here.]
Release date: November 14
Plus fantastical sequels from Brandon Sanderson, Nnedi Okorafor, and Peter V. Brett!
Which book are you most excited to read this season? Let us know in the comments!
Check out more recent blogs:
15 Beloved Books You May Have Hated the First Time You Tried Them
The Season's Hottest Debut Novels
How to Find the Love of Your Life in a Bookstore: The Ray Bradbury Method
Seriously, this season is going to be awesome for book lovers. We're getting highly anticipated stories from John Green, Stephen King, Jennifer Egan, Philip Pullman, Sarah J. Maas, and Dan Brown—as well as stunning literary debuts, buzzy political memoirs, and more.
Don't have time to read everything in sight? We know the feeling. That's why we crunched the numbers to find the books Goodreads members and early readers are adding to their shelves and loving. Every book on our list has a 4.0+ rating. Which ones catch your eye?
Fiction
by Gabriel Tallent
Against a backdrop of dangerous natural beauty, a half-wild girl works to escape her abusive survivalist father. [Read our interview with Tallent here.]
Release date: August 29
by Jesmyn Ward
Mississippi's past and present collide as a desperate mother takes her kids on a road trip to meet their ex-con father. [Read our interview with Ward here.]
Release date: September 5
by Celeste Ng
A defiant new tenant and an ugly custody battle shatter Elena's orderly life in this riveting read from the author of Everything I Never Told You. [Read our interview with Ng here.]
Release date: September 12
by James McBride
From the recipient of the 2013 National Book Award comes a collection of insightful, surprising, and humorous stories about our struggle for identity.
Release date: September 26
Young Adult
by Adam Silvera
After getting the call from "Death-Cast" (a company that knows when everyone will die), strangers Mateo and Rufus meet up for a final adventure.
Release date: September 2
by Marie Lu
Hacker and bounty hunter Emika enters a deadly virtual reality combat tournament as a contestant—and as a spy.
Release date: September 12
by John Green
In the author's first novel since The Fault in Our Stars, plucky Ava accidentally gets wrapped up in the mystery of a fugitive billionaire.
Release date: October 10
by Philip Pullman
A boy and his daemon companion unravel a tricky, magical mystery in this companion to the author's beloved His Dark Materials trilogy.
Release date: October 19
Plus thrilling sequels from Sarah J. Maas, Rick Riordan, and Kendare Blake!
Nonfiction
by Caitlin Doughty
Mortician Doughty discovers how other cultures care for their dead in this follow-up to Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory.
Release date: October 3
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The award-winning journalist and author reflects on the Obama era and explores the tragic echoes of history in this powerful essay collection.
Release date: October 3
by Marc Maron
Discover some of the secrets to success in this hilarious, insightful, and occasionally ridiculous guide to life from the comedian and podcaster.
Release date: October 10
by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith
A collaboration between a cartoonist and a researcher, this is a clever peek into our possible future, featuring robots, space elevators, and more.
Release date: October 17
Mystery/Thriller
by J.T. Ellison
Her note says she doesn't want to be found, but Ethan can't accept that from his missing wife…especially once the police start asking questions.
Release date: September 12
by Krysten Ritter
A lawyer stumbles upon a treacherous ritual called "The Game" in her own hometown in this tantalizing page-turner from the star of Marvel's Jessica Jones.
Release date: November 7
Plus exciting sequels from Dan Brown and Alan Bradley!
Historical Fiction
by Jamie Ford
Based on a true story, an orphan boy learns the meaning of belonging after being raffled off at Seattle's 1909 World Fair.
Release date: September 12
by Wiley Cash
While working a dirty, hazardous job at a textile mill, Ella May fights for her dignity and her rights in the Appalachian foothills of North Carolina.
Release date: October 3
Plus an epic sequel from Ken Follett!
Romance
by Isabelle Ronin
After losing her apartment, Veronica reluctantly agrees to move in with campus bad boy, Caleb, in this swoon-worthy love story.
Release date: September 5
by Colleen Hoover
The author of Hopeless delivers a poignant, powerful tale of one outsider's messy search for truth and love.
Release date: October 3
Science Fiction and Fantasy
by J.Y. Yang
The bond between twins Mokoya and Akeha weakens as one develops a strange prophetic gift and the other joins a ruthless rebellion.
Release date: September 26
by Carmen Maria Machado
This genre-bending collection of short stories focuses on the realities of women's lives while featuring the end of the world, ghosts, humanity-ending plagues, and more.
Release date: October 3
by Andy Weir
The author of The Martian leaves behind the red planet—his second novel is an action-packed (and science-packed) heist story set on the moon. [Check out Weir's book recommendations here.]
Release date: November 14
Plus fantastical sequels from Brandon Sanderson, Nnedi Okorafor, and Peter V. Brett!
Which book are you most excited to read this season? Let us know in the comments!
Check out more recent blogs:
15 Beloved Books You May Have Hated the First Time You Tried Them
The Season's Hottest Debut Novels
How to Find the Love of Your Life in a Bookstore: The Ray Bradbury Method
Comments Showing 1-50 of 81 (81 new)
You are right Hayley every season is good for a reader but I think Autumn and Winter are the best.
A drink,the sofa and a great book ,what could be better?!!
Add some chocolate to........
A drink,the sofa and a great book ,what could be better?!!
Add some chocolate to........

On the YA front, I'm salivating for [book:All the Crooked..."
Rules of Magic is wonderful! I got to read the advance copy!

—
The Last Ballad synopsis doesn't really grab me personally, but Cash is one hell of a writer who is grossly overlooked in my opinion. Glad to see he's on here.


Autumn was published earlier this year. I think Winter is supposed to come out on Nov. 2.

Not wild about the current trends in cover art. I was hoping we'd be getting away from scribbled font styles on cluttered backgrounds that look like no one gave the cover more than two minutes' thought. While I seldom choose a book only because of the cover, I have been known to avoid a book because of a eyesore cover.

On the YA front, I'm salivating for [book:All the Crooked..."
Alice Hoffman is one of my absolute favorite authors. I am definitely looking forward to her latest book.



I'm waiting on Origins by Dan Brown and Demon Crown by James Rollins (technically that's winter I think though), however I still have to wait another year on both for paperback :( I'm also waiting on the paperback version of Dragon's Teeth by Michael Crichton at the end of November.




On the YA front, I'm salivating for [book:Al..."
I remember reading Practical Magic when it came out, and I was TRANSFIXED by AH's writing style. I've not loved her other books as much, and I'm excited to know there's a sequel.

I mean, I know eight years is a long time, but I'd hardly call it a tragedy. More of a drawn out annoyance really.
Most looking forward to Andy Weir's new book this fall. Hope Artemis is as awesome as The Martian!

Me, too. If you like traditional hard sci-fi, check out Paul Anlee's, "The Reality Thief," (Book 1) of the Deplosion series.
I'm excited to read American Fire by Monica Hesse and We're Going To Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union

Also, at some point I want to read the new Ken Follett book.

It is helpful to know where the title comes from before you judge it as melodramatic. It actually refers to the Reconstruction period after the Civil War. Tragedy is not too strong a word for the unfulfilled promise of that period.




a half-wild girl works to escape her abusive survivalist father
a desperate mother takes her kids on a road trip to meet their ex-con father.
an ugly custody battle shatter(s) Elena's orderly life
stories about our struggle for identity
Mortician Doughty discovers how other cultures care for their dead
The tragic echoes of that history in our own time: the unprecedented election of a black president followed by a vicious backlash that fueled the election of the man Coates argues is America's "first white president." (PLEASE no more political wrangles or we was robbed stories.)
While working a dirty, hazardous job at a textile mill, Ella May fights for her dignity and her rights in the Appalachian foothills of North Carolina. (Norma Rae)


Not anywhere near as annoying, or dangerous, as what we're experiencing now.

Close to home by Robert Dugoni (Tracy Crosswhite#5)
Before Evil by Alex Kava
Oathbringer should have been at the top of the fantasy list followed by The Core

Quite a few white writers do the same.

a half-wild girl works to escape her abusive survivalist father
..."
I had the same reaction as Vicky.
On the YA front, I'm salivating for All the Crooked Saints coming out in October and Renegades, out in November.