Our 32 Most Anticipated New Reads of Fall 2020

Get Literary
September 4 2020
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As the days grow chillier, the reading nooks grow cozier. The wool socks and chunky sweaters come out. The scent of nutmeg and cinnamon fills the air. But what really sets the mood is NEW FALL BOOKS. We’ve rounded up our most anticipated books coming out from top authors including Alice Hoffman, Christina Lauren, Elena Ferrante, Ruth Ware, etc., etc., ETC. These reads have us buzzing with even more anticipation than—dare we say it—that first sip of pumpkin spice latte. Happy reading!

This post was originally published on GetLiterary.com.

Magic Lessons
by Alice Hoffman

Sara’s Pick #1

As much as I love horror, Halloween always makes me want to return to the world of Practical Magic, both the book and the movie. Luckily for us all, Alice Hoffman is back with another addition to the story of the Owens women, this time taking readers to its source, the progenitor of the curse, Maria Owens. Abandoned as a baby in 1600s England, young Maria is taken in by Hannah Owens, who teaches her to harness her powers. The real trouble starts when Maria follows—all the way to Salem, Massachusetts—the man who loved and left her. Magic Lessons is captivating and all-consuming, and Hoffman somehow manages to create a work so different from the other books in the series, yet still imbued with the same magical touch. A dark, emotional tale of what we will do for love, and a caution to be careful what you wish for, either for yourself or others.

Publication Date: October 6, 2020

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Magic Lessons
Alice Hoffman

In an unforgettable novel that traces a centuries-old curse to its source, beloved author Alice Hoffman unveils the story of Maria Owens, accused of witchcraft in Salem, and matriarch of a line of the amazing Owens women and men featured in Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic.

Where does the story of the Owens bloodline begin? With Maria Owens, in the 1600s, when she’s abandoned in a snowy field in rural England as a baby. Under the care of Hannah Owens, Maria learns about the “Unnamed Arts.” Hannah recognizes that Maria has a gift and she teaches the girl all she knows. It is here that she learns her first important lesson: Always love someone who will love you back.

When Maria is abandoned by the man who has declared his love for her, she follows him to Salem, Massachusetts. Here she invokes the curse that will haunt her family. And it’s here that she learns the rules of magic and the lesson that she will carry with her for the rest of her life. Love is the only thing that matters.

Magic Lessons is a celebration of life and love and a showcase of Alice Hoffman’s masterful storytelling.

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Black Sun
by Rebecca Roanhorse

Emily’s Pick #1

Fall always puts me in the mood for epic fantasies and one of the best (and most impressive) ones I’ve read recently is Black Sun, the first book in Rebecca Roanhorse’s new series, inspired by Pre-Columbian histories and myths. In this well-developed world, Convergence approaches—the rare celestial event when the solar eclipse and winter solstice occur simultaneously—which prophesies the arrival of the Crow God to avenge past injustices wrecked upon the Carrion Crow clan. Through multiple perspectives, the story follows a priesthood’s traditions under a cultist threat; a down-on-her-luck Teek captain, whose magical sea-calling abilities mark her as a pariah, and the so-called prophesied avatar on his way to fulfill his destiny. Kirkus Reviews calls this book “perfection” and you can’t get higher praise than that!

Publication Date: October 13, 2020

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Black Sun
Rebecca Roanhorse

From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Resistance Reborn comes the first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.

A god will return
When the earth and sky converge
Under the black sun

In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial event proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world.

Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio, is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.

Crafted with unforgettable characters, Rebecca Roanhorse has created an epic adventure exploring the decadence of power amidst the weight of history and the struggle of individuals swimming against the confines of society and their broken pasts in the most original series debut of the decade.

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One by One
by Ruth Ware

Saimah’s Pick #1

Ruth Ware is back again with another twisty story. In her latest thriller, One by One, a group of employees at tech startup Snoop head to a luxury ski chalet in the French Alps for a corporate retreat. But upon arrival, there seems to be some tension among the employees. One of the co-founders of the company escalates things by bringing up a lucrative and contentious buyout. The company is on the brink—depending on how the shareholders vote, it could mean disaster or a massive payday. In an attempt to take a break from the weighty decision they must make, the group decides to hit the slopes and mull things over. While out on the mountain, the group gets separated, and then a mammoth avalanche hits, causing a power outage. They are left stranded. When one among them is found dead, the anxiety and distrust escalate, and the group starts to dwindle one by one....

 Publication Date: September 8, 2020

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One by One
Ruth Ware

“The Agatha Christie of our generation.” —David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Diabolically clever.” —Riley Sager, author of Final Girls

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Turn of the Key and In a Dark Dark Wood returns with another suspenseful thriller set on a snow-covered mountain.

Getting snowed in at a luxurious, rustic ski chalet high in the French Alps doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world. Especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a full-service chef and housekeeper, a cozy fire to keep you warm, and others to keep you company. Unless that company happens to be eight coworkers…each with something to gain, something to lose, and something to hide.

When the cofounder of Snoop, a trendy London-based tech startup, organizes a weeklong trip for the team in the French Alps, it starts out as a corporate retreat like any other: PowerPoint presentations and strategy sessions broken up by mandatory bonding on the slopes. But as soon as one shareholder upends the agenda by pushing a lucrative but contentious buyout offer, tensions simmer and loyalties are tested. The storm brewing inside the chalet is no match for the one outside, however, and a devastating avalanche leaves the group cut off from all access to the outside world. Even worse, one Snooper hadn’t made it back from the slopes when the avalanche hit.

As each hour passes without any sign of rescue, panic mounts, the chalet grows colder, and the group dwindles further…one by one.

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Group
by Christie Tate

Justin’s Pick

If your time indoors during quarantine has caused you to get overly introspective, find escape in someone else’s problems for a little bit! Christie Tate’s debut, the memoir Group, chronicles her unconventional experience attending group therapy to work through issues related to her childhood, eating disorders, and suicidal thoughts. Tate doesn’t mince words—she writes about the most vulnerable period in her life with such refreshing vulnerability, heart, and humor that it’s impossible not to empathize with her story. She lays it all bare to her therapist and the other members of her therapy group, and, now, to readers as well—and it’s a privilege to listen in and be moved by her account.

Publication Date: October 27, 2020

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Group
Christie Tate

“Hilarious and engrossing.” People * “Fearless candor and vulnerability.” —Time * “Funny, emotional, and insightful.” —Good Morning America * “Honest, addictive” —HelloGiggles * “Wonderful...sparkle and intelligence.” —Booklist * “Dazzling.” —Publishers Weekly

The refreshingly original debut memoir of a guarded, over-achieving, self-lacerating young lawyer who reluctantly agrees to get psychologically and emotionally naked in a room of six complete strangers—her psychotherapy group—and in turn finds human connection, and herself.

Christie Tate had just been named the top student in her law school class and finally had her eating disorder under control. Why then was she driving through Chicago fantasizing about her own death? Why was she envisioning putting an end to the isolation and sadness that still plagued her in spite of her achievements?

Enter Dr. Rosen, a therapist who calmly assures her that if she joins one of his psychotherapy groups, he can transform her life. All she has to do is show up and be honest. About everything—her eating habits, childhood, sexual history, etc. Christie is skeptical, insisting that that she is defective, beyond cure. But Dr. Rosen issues a nine-word prescription that will change everything: “You don’t need a cure, you need a witness.”

So begins her entry into the strange, terrifying, and ultimately life-changing world of group therapy. Christie is initially put off by Dr. Rosen’s outlandish directives, but as her defenses break down and she comes to trust Dr. Rosen and to depend on the sessions and the prescribed nightly phone calls with various group members, she begins to understand what it means to connect.

Group is a deliciously addictive read, and with Christie as our guide—skeptical of her own capacity for connection and intimacy, but hopeful in spite of herself—we are given a front row seat to the daring, exhilarating, painful, and hilarious journey that is group therapy—an under-explored process that breaks you down, and then reassembles you so that all the pieces finally fit.

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Legendborn
by Tracy Deonn

Nicole's Pick #1

Bree Matthews begins the Early College program at the University of North Carolina with a chip on her shoulder and grief in her heart. After her mother dies in a tragic car accident, all Bree wants to do is start fresh, far away from home where the reminders of her mother are plentiful. But then Bree witnesses a magical attack on campus. A teenage mage attempts to wipe Bree’s memory of the events of that night, but when he fails, Bree’s unique magic is revealed. She’s able to remember that on the night of her mother’s accident, another mage attempted the very same memory wipe.

Determined to get to the bottom of her mother’s death, Bree finds herself embroiled in the Legendborn secret society. It’s a world of scions and oaths and the descendants of King Arthur’s really really old white legacy. A war is coming, and Bree has to decide how far she’s willing to go to get at the truth, and whether or not she will use her magic to join the fight. More than just a tale of fantasy, Legendborn is a powerful look at institutionalized racism in the South, whitewashing and gatekeeping of history, Black girl magic, and what legacy truly means.

Publication Date: September 15, 2020

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Legendborn
Tracy Deonn

Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn’s YA contemporary fantasy Legendborn offers the dark allure of City of Bones with a modern-day twist on a classic legend and a lot of Southern Black Girl Magic.

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her previous life, family memories, or her childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at a local university seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.

And a teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.

The mage’s failure reveals Bree’s own, unique magic and unlocks a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that she knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, Bree will do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn by becoming one of their initiates. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur and his knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

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The Hollow Places
by T. Kingfisher

Sara’s Pick #2

Fall always triggers a part of my brain that craves all things creepy, and thankfully, T. Kingfisher is here to provide just that. Recovering from her recent divorce, Kara finds a strange bunker in her uncle’s museum that holds portals to a number of alternate realities. While fun at first, she and her travel companion, a barista named Simon, soon discover that their explorations have caught the attention of creatures that appear to hear thoughts. Oh, and they only get more powerful the more you fear them. It’s a battle of wits, speed, and luck to outsmart these deadly foes, who will show no mercy once they reach their prey. The Hollow Places is the kind of high-anxiety, minimal-description horror that keeps people up at night and will likely have a guest spot in your nightmares for at least a few autumnal evenings.

Publication Date: October 6, 2020

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The Hollow Places
T. Kingfisher

A young woman discovers a strange portal in her uncle’s house, leading to madness and terror in this gripping new novel from the author of the “innovative, unexpected, and absolutely chilling” (Mira Grant, Nebula Award–winning author) The Twisted Ones.

Pray they are hungry.

Kara finds the words in the mysterious bunker that she’s discovered behind a hole in the wall of her uncle’s house. Freshly divorced and living back at home, Kara now becomes obsessed with these cryptic words and starts exploring this peculiar area—only to discover that it holds portals to countless alternate realities. But these places are haunted by creatures that seem to hear thoughts…and the more one fears them, the stronger they become.

With her distinctive “delightfully fresh and subversive” (SF Bluestocking) prose and the strange, sinister wonder found in Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, The Hollow Places is another compelling and white-knuckled horror novel that you won’t be able to put down.

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White Ivy
by Susie Yang

Sharon’s Pick #1

One of my favorite movies watched so far in quarantine is The Talented Mr. Ripley, so when I first read the synopsis for White Ivy, I immediately became intrigued. Ivy Lin is a teenager growing up outside of Boston who is taught by her grandmother to pilfer from yard sales and second-hand stores in order to maintain the appearance of a suburban teenager and win the heart of the wealthy Gideon Speyer. Ivy is sent back to China when her mom discovers her thieving habits, but she later returns to Boston and bumps into Gideon’s sister, Sylvia. Soon Ivy immerses herself in the Speyer family and is within striking distance of everything she’s ever wanted, until a ghost from her past reemerges. This debut novel from Susie Yang, White Ivy, is sure to be a standout this fall with its gripping plot.

Publication Date: November 3, 2020

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White Ivy
Susie Yang

***LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION’S FIRST NOVEL PRIZE***

From prizewinning Chinese American author Susie Yang, this dazzling coming-of-age novel about a young woman’s dark obsession with her privileged classmate offers sharp insights into the immigrant experience.

Ivy Lin is a thief and a liar—but you’d never know it by looking at her.

Raised outside of Boston, Ivy’s immigrant grandmother relies on Ivy’s mild appearance for cover as she teaches her granddaughter how to pilfer items from yard sales and second-hand shops. Thieving allows Ivy to accumulate the trappings of a suburban teen—and, most importantly, to attract the attention of Gideon Speyer, the golden boy of a wealthy political family. But when Ivy’s mother discovers her trespasses, punishment is swift and Ivy is sent to China, and her dream instantly evaporates.

Years later, Ivy has grown into a poised yet restless young woman, haunted by her conflicting feelings about her upbringing and her family. Back in Boston, when Ivy bumps into Sylvia Speyer, Gideon’s sister, a reconnection with Gideon seems not only inevitable—it feels like fate.

Slowly, Ivy sinks her claws into Gideon and the entire Speyer clan by attending fancy dinners, and weekend getaways to the cape. But just as Ivy is about to have everything she’s ever wanted, a ghost from her past resurfaces, threatening the nearly perfect life she’s worked so hard to build.

Filled with surprising twists and a nuanced exploration of class and race, White Ivy is a glimpse into the dark side of a woman who yearns for success at any cost.

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Invisible Girl
by Lisa Jewell

Ariele’s Pick #1

Invisible Girl follows an involuntary celibate or “incel” whose life is falling apart; a 17-year-old girl who becomes infatuated with her therapist; and a family whose secrets get them mixed up in both of these questionable characters’ lives. As one early reviewer put it, “The cliche ‘could not put this book down’ gets thrown around a lot in reviews, but I...literally could not put this book down and finished it in less than 24 hours. I devoured this book with the same breakneck pace in which the plot unfurled.” Creepy surprises and twists abound in this new winner from the queen of domestic suspense, which JoJo Moyes has praised as Lisa Jewell’s “best yet.”

Publication Date: October 13, 2020

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Invisible Girl
Lisa Jewell

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

I absolutely loved Invisible Girl—Lisa Jewell has a way of combining furiously twisty, utterly gripping plots with wonderfully rich characterization—she has such compassion for her characters, and we feel we know them utterly… A triumph!” —Lucy Foley, New York Times bestselling author

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone returns with an intricate thriller about a young woman’s disappearance and a group of strangers whose lives intersect in its wake.

Young Saffyre Maddox spent three years under the care of renowned child psychologist Roan Fours. When Dr. Fours decides their sessions should end, Saffyre feels abandoned. She begins looking for ways to connect with him, from waiting outside his office to walking through his neighborhood late at night. She soon learns more than she ever wanted to about Roan and his deceptively perfect family life. On a chilly Valentine’s night, Saffyre will disappear, taking any secrets she has learned with her.

Owen Pick’s life is falling apart. In his thirties and living in his aunt’s spare bedroom, he has just been suspended from his job as a teacher after accusations of sexual misconduct—accusations he strongly denies. Searching for professional advice online, he is inadvertently sucked into the dark world of incel forums, where he meets a charismatic and mysterious figure.

Owen lives across the street from the Fours family. The Fours have a bad feeling about their neighbor; Owen is a bit creepy and suspect and their teenaged daughter swears he followed her home from the train station one night. Could Owen be responsible? What happened to the beautiful missing Saffyre, and does her disappearance truly connect them all?

Evocative, vivid, and unputdownable, Lisa Jewell’s latest thriller is another “haunting, atmospheric, stay-up-way-too-late read” (Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author).

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I Would Leave Me If I Could.
by Halsey

Nicole's Pick #2

I’ve been a fan of the biracial bisexual goddess known to her fans as Halsey (and to her family as Ashley) from the moment I heard her first album. Earlier this year (yes, it’s still 2020 somehow), Halsey released one of music’s most anticipated albums, her third studio release, titled Manic. From the moment it was announced, fans knew they would be treated to Halsey’s most personal and painful album yet, as she described it as the first album she’s written as herself—Ashley Frangipane. Now, on the heels of a new album AND the five-year anniversary of her album Badlands, Halsey is back with a collection of poetry titled I Would Leave Me If I Could. The collection will include original and autobiographical poems about everything from sexuality to feminism to heartbreak, and features cover art done by Halsey herself. If this collection is anything like the work she’s already given us this year, then we are in for a treat!

Publication Date: November 10, 2020

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I Would Leave Me If I Could.
Halsey

Grammy Award–nominated, platinum-selling musician Halsey is heralded as one of the most compelling voices of her generation. In I Would Leave Me If I Could, she reveals never-before-seen poetry of longing, love, and the nuances of bipolar disorder.

In this debut collection, Halsey bares her soul. Bringing the same artistry found in her lyrics, Halsey’s poems delve into the highs and lows of doomed relationships, family ties, sexuality, and mental illness. More hand grenades than confessions, these autobiographical poems explore and dismantle conventional notions of what it means to be a feminist in search of power.

Masterful as it is raw, passionate, and profound, I Would Leave Me If I Could signals the arrival of an essential voice.

Book cover painting, American Woman, by the author.

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Grown
by Tiffany D. Jackson

Nicole's Pick #3

From the moment I learned about this book, I was hooked. And then gorgeous cover art came out and somehow my excitement increased even further. In Grown, the mysterious death of a R&B star Korey Fields rocks the world of Enchanted Jones, an aspiring singer and mentee of Korey’s. When Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and no memory of what transpired the night before, she’s beyond confused. Before the murder though, Enchanted was a teenager trying to fit in as the only Black person at her school and dreaming of a future as a famous singer. Grown is a gripping look at how misogyny and rape culture affect young Black girls, and has been described as required reading for the current era.

Publication Date: September 15, 2020

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Grown
Tiffany D. Jackson

Nicole's Pick #3 From the moment I learned about this book, I was hooked. And then gorgeous cover art came out and somehow my excitement increased even further. In Grown, the mysterious death of a R&B star Korey Fields rocks the world of Enchanted Jones, an aspiring singer and mentee of Korey’s. When Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and no memory of what transpired the night before, she’s beyond confused. Before the murder though, Enchanted was a teenager trying to fit in as the only Black person at her school and dreaming of a future as a famous singer. Grown is a gripping look at how misogyny and rape culture affect young Black girls, and has been described as required reading for the current era. Publication Date: September 15, 2020

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They Never Learn
by Layne Fargo

Anne’s Pick

If you devoured Killing Eve, it's time to read They Never Learn. It’s back-to-school season at Gorman University and in between preparing lesson plans and applying for a prestigious research grant, English professor Scarlett Clark is plotting her next murder. But don't worry... she'll only kill evil men who really deserve it. But as Scarlett begins to fall for her newest mark's ex-wife, she risks exposing her secret life. I read this book through, enthralled, in one sitting. It will make you furious as you consider the sexism and rage that drives this serial killer. And as an added bonus there is a seriously steamy bisexual romance at the center of the book. Read it, and then immediately go pick up the author’s first book, Temper.

Publication Date: October 13, 2020

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They Never Learn
Layne Fargo

From the author of the “raw, ingenious, and utterly fearless” (Wendy Walker, USA TODAY bestselling author) Temper comes a dynamic psychological thriller about two women who give bad men exactly what they deserve.

Scarlett Clark is an exceptional English professor. But she’s even better at getting away with murder.

Every year, she searches for the worst man at Gorman University and plots his well-deserved demise. Thanks to her meticulous planning, she’s avoided drawing attention to herself—but as she’s preparing for her biggest kill yet, the school starts probing into the growing body count on campus. Determined to keep her enemies close, Scarlett insinuates herself into the investigation and charms the woman in charge, Dr. Mina Pierce. Everything’s going according to her master plan…until she loses control with her latest victim, putting her secret life at risk of exposure.

Meanwhile, Gorman student Carly Schiller is just trying to survive her freshman year. Finally free of her emotionally abusive father, all Carly wants is to focus on her studies and fade into the background. Her new roommate has other ideas. Allison Hadley is cool and confident—everything Carly wishes she could be—and the two girls quickly form an intense friendship. So when Allison is sexually assaulted at a party, Carly becomes obsessed with making the attacker pay...and turning her fantasies about revenge into a reality.

Featuring Layne Fargo’s trademark “propulsive writing style” (Kirkus Reviews) and “sinister, of the moment” (Chicago Review of Books) suspense, They Never Learn is a feminist serial killer story perfect for fans of Killing Eve and Chelsea Cain.

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Fortune and Glory
by Janet Evanovich

Heather’s Pick #1

Out of all the many books I’ve read in my life, there are only a handful where I can tell you exactly where I was the day I read them. The first Stephanie Plum novel, One for the Money, is one of them. A friend of the family was hosting a pool party, but I didn’t feel like swimming (sullen teenager alert), so instead, I spent the whole day in a comfy lounge chair getting to know Stephanie, Ranger, Morelli, Lula, Grandma Mazur, and the whole crew. Now, years later, I’m looking forward to catching up with them in Fortune and Glory, the newest book in this long-running series.

Publication Date: November 3, 2020

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Fortune and Glory
Janet Evanovich

The twenty-seventh entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series isn’t just the biggest case of Stephanie Plum’s career. It’s the adventure of a lifetime.

When Stephanie’s beloved Grandma Mazur's new husband died on their wedding night, the only thing he left her was a beat-up old easy chair…and the keys to a life-changing fortune.

But as Stephanie and Grandma Mazur search for Jimmy Rosolli’s treasure, they discover that they’re not the only ones on the hunt. Two dangerous enemies from the past stand in their way—along with a new adversary who’s even more formidable: Gabriela Rose, a dark-eyed beauty from Little Havana with a taste for designer clothes. She’s also a soldier of fortune, a gourmet cook, an expert in firearms and mixed martial arts—and someone who’s about to give Stephanie a real run for her money.

Stephanie may be in over her head, but she’s got two things that Gabriela doesn’t: an unbreakable bond with her family and a stubborn streak that will never let her quit.

She’ll need both to survive because this search for “fortune and glory” will turn into a desperate race against time with more on the line than ever before. Because even as she searches for the treasure and fights to protect her Grandma Mazur, her own deepest feelings will be tested—as Stephanie could finally be forced to choose between Joe Morelli and Ranger.

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She Come By It Natural
by Sarah Smarsh

Heather’s Pick #2

Sure, I grew up listening to Dolly Parton, but who in the South did not? I don’t think I truly understood how ingrained she is in general popular culture, though, or how much I’d taken her presence for granted, until I listened to the podcast Dolly Parton’s America earlier this year. (If you haven’t binged that yet, do it. It’s excellent.) Now that I’m fully up to speed on Dolly’s enduring legacy, and in the wake of her recent comments supporting Black Lives Matter, I’m fired up to read Heartland author Sarah Smarsh’s take on the iconic singer and “women who have lived her songs.” An essay collection first published as a four-part series by the music journal No Depression, She Come By It Natural is an essential read for all of us who have been inspired by Dolly and her trailblazing career.

Publication Date: October 13, 2020

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She Come By It Natural
Sarah Smarsh

The National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Heartland focuses her laser-sharp insights on a working-class icon and one of the most unifying figures in American culture: Dolly Parton.

Growing up amid Kansas wheat fields and airplane factories, Sarah Smarsh witnessed firsthand the particular vulnerabilities—and strengths—of women in working poverty. Meanwhile, country songs by female artists played in the background, telling powerful stories about life, men, hard times, and surviving. In her family, she writes, “country music was foremost a language among women. It’s how we talked to each other in a place where feelings aren’t discussed.” And no one provided that language better than Dolly Parton.

Smarsh challenged a typically male vision of the rural working class with her first book, Heartland, starring the bold, hard-luck women who raised her. Now, in She Come By It Natural, originally published in a four-part series for The Journal of Roots Music, No Depression, Smarsh explores the overlooked contributions to social progress by such women—including those averse to the term “feminism”—as exemplified by Dolly Parton’s life and art.

Far beyond the recently resurrected “Jolene” or quintessential “9 to 5,” Parton’s songs for decades have validated women who go unheard: the poor woman, the pregnant teenager, the struggling mother disparaged as “trailer trash.” Parton’s broader career—from singing on the front porch of her family’s cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains to achieving stardom in Nashville and Hollywood, from “girl singer” managed by powerful men to leader of a self-made business and philanthropy empire—offers a springboard to examining the intersections of gender, class, and culture.

Infused with Smarsh’s trademark insight, intelligence, and humanity, She Come By It Natural is a sympathetic tribute to the icon Dolly Parton and—call it whatever you like—the organic feminism she embodies.

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How to Catch a Queen
by Alyssa Cole

Heather’s Pick #3

We all need some fairy-tale-esque escapism from the real world this year, and that’s exactly what the first installment in Alyssa Cole’s Runaway Royals series promises. In How to Catch a Queen, Shanti Mohapi agrees to an arranged marriage with Sanyu, the king of Njaza, to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a queen who can make a positive difference in people’s lives. Neither she nor Sanyu expect their pragmatic partnership to transform into a love match, but the more time they spend together, the more at-risk their hearts become.… Even if I weren’t already a devoted fan of Cole’s work, this novel would’ve had me at “marriage of convenience,” because it’s one of the most popular tropes in romance fiction for good reason.

Publication Date: December 1, 2020

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How to Catch a Queen
Alyssa Cole

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The Thirty Names of Night
by Zeyn Joukhadar

Sharon’s Pick #2

After I read Zeyn Joukhadar’s essay about reclaiming queer and trans power during Pride, I knew that it was essential for me to add The Thirty Names of Night to my TBR. Joukhadar’s novel is about a closeted Syrian American boy who is haunted by the ghost of his ornithologist mother who died five years ago in a fire. He can only find solace in slipping out of his grandmother’s apartment at night to paint murals on buildings in the Little Syria neighborhood of Manhattan. One day, he comes across the journal of Syrian American artist Laila Z, who encountered the same rare bird his mother did before she died, and whose past reveals the histories of queer and transgender people in his own community. With its intergenerational themes and lyrical prose, The Thirty Names of Night promises to be an exceptional novel.

Publication Date: November 24, 2020

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The Thirty Names of Night
Zeyn Joukhadar

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2020 by PopSugar and The Millions

The author of the “vivid and urgent…important and timely” (The New York Times Book Review) debut The Map of Salt and Stars returns with this remarkably moving and lyrical novel following three generations of Syrian Americans who are linked by a mysterious species of bird and the truths they carry close to their hearts.

Five years after a suspicious fire killed his ornithologist mother, a closeted Syrian American trans boy sheds his birth name and searches for a new one. He has been unable to paint since his mother’s ghost has begun to visit him each evening. As his grandmother’s sole caretaker, he spends his days cooped up in their apartment, avoiding his neighborhood masjid, his estranged sister, and even his best friend (who also happens to be his longtime crush). The only time he feels truly free is when he slips out at night to paint murals on buildings in the once-thriving Manhattan neighborhood known as Little Syria.

One night, he enters the abandoned community house and finds the tattered journal of a Syrian American artist named Laila Z, who dedicated her career to painting the birds of North America. She famously and mysteriously disappeared more than sixty years before, but her journal contains proof that both his mother and Laila Z encountered the same rare bird before their deaths. In fact, Laila Z’s past is intimately tied to his mother’s—and his grandmother’s—in ways he never could have expected. Even more surprising, Laila Z’s story reveals the histories of queer and transgender people within his own community that he never knew. Realizing that he isn’t and has never been alone, he has the courage to officially claim a new name: Nadir, an Arabic name meaning rare.

As unprecedented numbers of birds are mysteriously drawn to the New York City skies, Nadir enlists the help of his family and friends to unravel what happened to Laila Z and the rare bird his mother died trying to save. Following his mother’s ghost, he uncovers the silences kept in the name of survival by his own community, his own family, and within himself, and discovers the family that was there all along.

Featuring Zeyn Joukhadar’s signature “magical and heart-wrenching” (The Christian Science Monitor) storytelling, The Thirty Names of Night is a timely exploration of how we all search for and ultimately embrace who we are.

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The Times I Knew I Was Gay
by Eleanor Crewes

Sharon’s Pick #3

To be honest, I don’t usually read graphic novel memoirs, but when I saw this book’s highly relatable title and the cover art, it shot to the top of my TBR list. Ellie always knew she was different when she was younger: she wore all black, obsessed over Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and found dating boys confusing. The Times I Knew I Was Gay charts Ellie’s journey toward self-discovery and self-acceptance. Crewes also provides essential reminders that coming out is not a one-time thing and that identity is more determined by coming to terms with yourself than with who you fall in love with, which particularly hit home for me as a bisexual woman.

Publication Date: October 6, 2020

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The Times I Knew I Was Gay
Eleanor Crewes

A charming, highly relatable graphic memoir that follows one young woman’s adventures in coming out and coming of age.

Ellie always had questions about who she was and how she fit in. As a girl, she wore black, obsessed over Willow in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and found dating boys much more confusing than many of her friends did. As she grew older, so did her fears and a deep sense of unbelonging. From her first communion to her first girlfriend via a swathe of self-denial, awkward encounters, and everyday courage, Ellie tells her story through gorgeous illustrations—a fresh and funny self-portrait of a young woman becoming herself.

The Times I Knew I Was Gay reminds us that people sometimes come out not just once but again and again; that identity is not necessarily about falling in love with others, but about coming to terms with oneself. Full of vitality and humor, it will ring true for anyone who has taken the time to discover who they truly are.

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The 2084 Report
by James Lawrence Powell

Fiora’s Pick

The 2084 Report is as captivating as it is terrifying. This book taught me not only about the science behind climate change but the humanity (and inhumanity) of it—what signs have been actively ignored by government officials, the emotional repercussions of living with the earth’s destruction, and the general interconnectedness of people across the globe, united by their disappearing landscapes. Not for the faint of heart, set in the year 2084, Powell’s book will make an activist of you yet.

Publication Date: September 1, 2020

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The 2084 Report
James Lawrence Powell

This vivid, terrifying, and galvanizing novel reveals our future world after previous generations failed to halt climate change—perfect for fans of The Drowned World and World War Z.

2084: Global warming has proven worse than even the direst predictions scientists had made at the turn of the century. No country—and no one—has remained unscathed. Through interviews with scientists, political leaders, and citizens around the globe, this riveting oral history describes in graphic detail the irreversible effects the Great Warming has had on humankind and the planet.

In short chapters about topics like sea level rise, drought, migration, war, and more, The 2084 Report brings global warming to life, revealing a new reality in which Rotterdam doesn’t exist, Phoenix has no electricity, and Canada is part of the United States. From wars over limited resources to the en masse migrations of entire countries and the rising suicide rate, the characters describe other issues they are confronting in the world they share with the next two generations. Simultaneously fascinating and frightening, The 2084 Report will inspire you to start conversations and take action.

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In a Holidaze
by Christina Lauren

Saimah’s Pick #2

I’m thinking I’m not alone in wishing I could hit fast-forward to the holiday season and see the end of 2020. This charming novel by Christina Lauren is the perfect balm to the anxiety that this year has brought. Every holiday season, Maelyn Jones and her family go to a cabin in snowy Utah with close family friends and reminisce about years past. But this year, Mae feels lost—she’s living with her parents again at the age of 26, hates her dead-end job, just made a huge mistake in her love life, and discovers that this will be their last year at their beloved holiday retreat. Dismayed as she drives away from the cabin after Christmas, Mae makes a plea to the universe “Show me what will make me happy.” What comes next, Mae does not expect: the car crashes and when she wakes, she realizes she’s trapped in a cycle just like the movie Groundhog Day. Stuck reliving December 20, she must figure out how to break free of this crazy time loop and put her life back on track. This read had me laughing, swooning, and letting out a few expletives in frustration alongside Mae as she had to start over again so many times in a time loop when she got so close to confessing her feelings to her crush! I can’t wait for you all to escape with this enchanting story.

Publication Date: October 6, 2020

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In a Holidaze
Christina Lauren

One Christmas wish, two brothers, and a lifetime of hope are on the line for hapless Maelyn Jones in In a Holidaze, the quintessential holiday romantic novel by Christina Lauren, the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

Jam-packed with yuletide cheer, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Christina Lauren’s trademark “downright hilarious” (Helen Hoang, author of The Bride Test) hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays.

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Anxious People
by Fredrik Backman

Ariele’s Pick #2

“A bank robbery. A hostage drama. A stairwell full of police officers on their way to storm an apartment. It was easy to get to this point, much easier than you might think. All it took was one single really bad idea.” So begins Fredrik Backman’s latest novel, Anxious People, and who wouldn’t want to read on to find out what the really bad idea was? Once the puzzle pieces of this locked-room mystery, comedy, and character study start to come together, you will be racing toward an exceptional conclusion. Along the way, you will laugh and cry and perhaps even shout at your book, but in the end, it will all be totally worth it. In a year in which we thought the election would be the most anxiety-inducing topic, it turns out that this novel about anxious people getting through a day—and its ultimate message of hope and how being kind to one another can change lives—could not be more timely.

Publication Date: September 8, 2020

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Anxious People
Fredrik Backman

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and “writer of astonishing depth” (The Washington Times) comes a poignant, charming novel about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.

Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world.

Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.

Rich with Fredrik Backman’s “pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature” (Shelf Awareness), Anxious People is an ingeniously constructed story about the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope—the things that save us, even in the most anxious times.

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Singular Sensation
by Michael Riedel

Morgan’s Pick #1

Is anyone else missing live theater so much they could cry? No? Just me? For the reader who has now watched every bootleg musical available on YouTube, GET EXCITED, because we’ve got the book for you. Coming November 10, Singular Sensation by Michael Riedel is a must-read for any theater nerd. This book takes you behind the scenes of Rent, Angels in America, Chicago, The Lion King, The Producers, and so many more gems. It’s not quite the same as sitting in a packed theater as the house lights dim and the curtain rises, but it’s pretty darn close. Full of anecdotes about the writers, composers, actors, and characters you know and love, this is a book you’ll want to own if you proudly identify as a theater nerd.

Publication Date: November 10, 2020

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Singular Sensation
Michael Riedel

The extraordinary story of a transformative decade on Broadway, featuring gripping behind-the-scenes accounts of shows such as Rent, Angels in America, Chicago, The Lion King, and The Producers—shows that changed the history of the American theater.

The 1990s was a decade of profound change on Broadway. At the dawn of the nineties, the British invasion of Broadway was in full swing, as musical spectacles like Les Miserables, Cats, and The Phantom of the Opera dominated the box office. But Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard soon spelled the end of this era and ushered in a new wave of American musicals, beginning with the ascendance of an unlikely show by a struggling writer who reimagined Puccini’s opera La Bohème as the smash Broadway show Rent. American musical comedy made its grand return, culminating in The Producers, while plays, always an endangered species on Broadway, staged a powerful comeback with Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. A different breed of producers rose up to challenge the grip theater owners had long held on Broadway, and corporations began to see how much money could be made from live theater.

And just as Broadway had clawed its way back into the mainstream of American popular culture, the September 11 attacks struck fear into the heart of Americans who thought Times Square might be the next target. But Broadway was back in business just two days later, buoyed by talented theater people intent on bringing New Yorkers together and supporting the economics of an injured city.

Michael Riedel presents the drama behind every mega-hit or shocking flop, bringing readers into high-stakes premieres, fraught rehearsals, tough contract negotiations, intense Tony Award battles, and more. From the bitter feuds to the surprising collaborations, all the intrigue of a revolutionary era in the Theater District is packed into Singular Sensation. Broadway has triumphs and disasters, but the show always goes on.

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The Appointment
by Katharina Volckmer

Morgan’s Pick #2

This is a debut novel that you will not forget. A compelling read for fans of Ottessa Moshfegh and Han Kang, this story is told through a stream of consciousness narrative as a young woman addresses her doctor for the duration of her gynecological appointment. It’s dark, it’s comical, it’s audacious, and it’s thought-provoking.

Publication Date: September 1, 2020

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The Appointment
Katharina Volckmer

“A darkly funny untangling of national and sexual identity.” —The Guardian * “Transgressive...Incendiary.” —The New Yorker * “A furious comic monologue...with a disregard for propriety worthy of Alexander Portnoy.” —The New York Times Book Review * “Sexy, hilarious, and subversive.” The Paris Review

For readers of Ottessa Moshfegh and Han Kang, a whip-smart debut novel in which a woman on the verge of major change addresses her doctor in a stream of consciousness narrative.

In a well-appointed examination in London, a young woman unburdens herself to a certain Dr. Seligman. Though she can barely see above his head, she holds forth about her life and desires, her struggles with her sexuality and identity. Born and raised in Germany, she has been living in London for several years, determined to break free from her family origins and her haunted homeland. But the recent death of her grandfather, and an unexpected inheritance, make it clear that you cannot easily outrun your own shame, whether it be physical, familial, historical, national, or all of the above.

Or can you? With Dr. Seligman’s help, our narrator will find out.

In a monologue that is both deliciously dark and subversively funny, she takes us on a wide-ranging journey from Hitler-centered sexual fantasies and overbearing mothers to the medicinal properties of squirrel tails and the notion that anatomical changes can serve as historical reparation. The Appointment is an audacious debut novel by an explosive new international literary voice, challenging all of our notions of what is fluid and what is fixed, and the myriad ways we seek to make peace with others and ourselves in the 21st century.

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Solutions and Other Problems
by Allie Brosh

Erin’s Pick

I still remember the first Allie Brosh story I read. It was on her Hyperbole and a Half blog in 2010. After reading that first story (The Party, in case you're wondering) and nearly dying of laughter, I knew I had to read everything else she'd ever posted. Then, when her first book (titled Hyperbole and a Half, after the blog) was published, I rushed out to buy it, thrilled to both reread some of my favorite stories of hers and discover new ones. It's now been seven years since the publication of that first book and since Allie's posted anything on her blog, but as an Allie Brosh fan, I have something huge to be excited for this fall. Her long anticipated second book, Solutions and Other Problems, will hit shelves this September, and I cannot wait! Allie's stories, complete with ingenious doodles, are always hilarious, while also tackling more serious topics such as mental health. If you haven't read any of Allie's work before, I highly recommend buying both Hyperbole and a Half and the new Solutions and Other Problems. They're filled with the type of stories we all need to make it through this grueling year.

Publication Date: September 22, 2020

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Solutions and Other Problems
Allie Brosh

INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

For the first time in seven years, Allie Brosh—beloved author and artist of the extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller Hyperbole and a Half—returns with a new collection of comedic, autobiographical, and illustrated essays.

Solutions and Other Problems includes humorous stories from Allie Brosh’s childhood; the adventures of her very bad animals; merciless dissection of her own character flaws; incisive essays on grief, loneliness, and powerlessness; as well as reflections on the absurdity of modern life.

This full-color, beautifully illustrated edition features all-new material with more than 1,600 pieces of art. Solutions and Other Problems marks the return of a beloved American humorist who has “the observational skills of a scientist, the creativity of an artist, and the wit of a comedian” (Bill Gates).

Praise for Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half:
“Imagine if David Sedaris could draw….Enchanting.” —People
“One of the best things I’ve ever read in my life.” Marc Maron
“Will make you laugh until you sob, even when Brosh describes her struggle with depression.” —Entertainment Weekly
“I would gladly pay to sit in a room full of people reading this book, merely to share the laughter.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer
“In a culture that encourages people to carry mental illness as a secret burden….Brosh’s bracing honesty is a gift.” —Chicago Tribune

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Transcendent Kingdom
by Yaa Gyasi

Emily’s Pick #2

After reading Homegoing, I put Yaa Gyasi down on my list of authors-whose-new-book-I-will-drop-everything-for. In that debut novel, the author navigated time jumps and generations so expertly and concisely, that I can’t wait to see how she’ll break my heart this time with the more linear, granular story of Transcendent Kingdom. Gifty is a brilliant neuroscience student, studying addiction and depression in the neural pathways of mice. Outside her professional life, she approaches her personal life with a similar scientific process. Questioning everything, she attempts to arrive at conclusions about Christianity, mental illness, love, and all the other forces that run through her family’s devastating history and what they left in its wake.

Publication Date: September 1, 2020

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Transcendent Kingdom
Yaa Gyasi

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By Get Literary | September 11, 2020

Our 32 Most Anticipated New Reads of Fall 2020

By Get Literary | September 4, 2020

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The Lying Life of Adults
by Elena Ferrante

Emily’s Pick #3

Elena Ferrante writes her characters with such honesty and complexity that they come to life, and I can’t help but imagine myself in between the lines. Plop me right beside Lila and Lenu (My Brilliant Friend), running around Naples studying grammar, designing shoes, and fighting the patriarchy! Somehow these characters become people I’ve known my whole life, which makes their awful, real choices and thoughts that much more heartbreaking. I can’t wait to read Elena’s newest book, The Lying Life of Adults, about a young girl, Giovanna, growing up in Naples, so that I can graft some new scenes and characters to my oldest memories.

Publication Date: September 1, 2020

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The Lying Life of Adults
Elena Ferrante

Emily’s Pick #3 Elena Ferrante writes her characters with such honesty and complexity that they come to life, and I can’t help but imagine myself in between the lines. Plop me right beside Lila and Lenu (My Brilliant Friend), running around Naples studying grammar, designing shoes, and fighting the patriarchy! Somehow these characters become people I’ve known my whole life, which makes their awful, real choices and thoughts that much more heartbreaking. I can’t wait to read Elena’s newest book, The Lying Life of Adults, about a young girl, Giovanna, growing up in Naples, so that I can graft some new scenes and characters to my oldest memories. Publication Date: September 1, 2020

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Our 32 Most Anticipated New Reads of Fall 2020

By Get Literary | September 4, 2020

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Cobble Hill
by Cecily von Ziegesar

Saimah’s Pick #3

You might not know that the Gossip Girl series that aired on the CW from 2007 to 2012, about the deliciously complicated lives of rich and spoiled high schoolers on New York City’s Upper East Side, was based on a YA book series by Cecily von Ziegesar. I remember picking up the first book in the series, also titled Gossip Girl, back when I was in middle school. I devoured each book, exploring the glamour of New York City through these stories. Growing up in a small suburb in Ohio, the Big Apple seemed so far away from what I knew. I couldn’t wait to see it in person but had to live vicariously through those characters in the meantime.

Now Cecily Von Ziegesar is back with a new story for grownups set in New York City, but this time she’s taking us on a journey through Cobble Hill, a neighborhood in Brooklyn. Here we meet four families who have lives that are quite different from the glitz and glamour of the Gossip Girl crowd. These dysfunctional families are all seeking to find their purpose and navigate obstacles, until one unforgettable night at a boisterous party in the neighborhood that changes everything.

Publication Date: November 10, 2020

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Cobble Hill
Cecily von Ziegesar

“Best Novels of Fall 2020” —Vogu­e
“Most Anticipated List for Fall 2020” —Parade
“Best of Fall 2020” —PopSugar
“Best Books of 2020” —Marie Claire

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Gossip Girl series, a deliciously irresistible novel chronicling a year in the life of four families in an upscale Brooklyn neighborhood as they seek purpose, community, and meaningful relationships—until one unforgettable night at a raucous neighborhood party knocks them to their senses.

Welcome to Cobble Hill.

In this eclectic Brooklyn neighborhood, private storms brew amongst four married couples and their children. There’s ex-groupie Mandy, so underwhelmed by motherhood and her current physical state that she fakes a debilitating disease to get the attention of her skateboarding, ex-boyband member husband Stuart. There’s the unconventional new school nurse, Peaches, on whom Stuart has an unrequited crush, and her disappointing husband Greg, who wears noise-cancelling headphones—everywhere.

A few blocks away, Roy, a well-known, newly transplanted British novelist, has lost the thread of his next novel and his marriage to capable, indefatigable Wendy. Around the corner, Tupper, the nervous, introverted industrial designer with a warehose full of prosthetic limbs struggles to pin down his elusive artist wife Elizabeth. She remains…elusive. Throw in two hormonal teenagers, a ten-year-old pyromaniac, a drug dealer pretending to be a doctor, and a lot of hidden cameras, and you’ve got a combustible mix of egos, desires, and secrets bubbling in brownstone Brooklyn.

Smart, sophisticated, yet surprisingly tender, Cobble Hill is highly entertaining portrait of contemporary family life and the colorful characters who call Brooklyn home.

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Ready Player Two
by Ernest Cline

Saimah’s Pick #4

You know that feeling when you get sucked into the story of a great book and you just want to skip work and keep reading? When I picked up Ready Player One, I didn’t realize I would get so swept up in the story. Since there haven’t been any details released about the highly anticipated sequel, Ready Player Two, I’m waiting excitedly to get my hands on it in November. Until then I’ll have to reread the first book. If this is your intro into the world, not to worry…here’s a recap of Ready Player One, which you can check out while waiting for the sequel.

It’s 2045 and most people spend their days in the virtual universe of the OASIS. When James Halliday, the founder of the OASIS, dies, his will reveals that he created a challenge within his video game world—and the winner will inherit his fortune and control of the OASIS. Wade Watts (a.k.a. Parzival) goes on an exploration through the OASIS, trying to complete the three challenges that will ultimately allow him to win the game and the inheritance. But he isn’t the only one trying to win…and the wicked IOIs collective won’t hesitate to crush anybody who gets in their way.

This book will take you on an adventure through its virtual reality world, in which you feel like you’re living in the video game that Halliday created. It’s filled with 80s nostalgia references and danger at every turn; you’ll be hooked before you know it!

Publication Date: November 24, 2020

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Ready Player Two
Ernest Cline

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Our 7 Most Anticipated New Reads of November

By Off the Shelf Staff | November 2, 2020

Our 32 Most Anticipated New Reads of Fall 2020

By Get Literary | September 4, 2020

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The Dynasty
by Jeff Benedict

Molly’s Pick

The 2020 NFL season officially starts on September 10, which means I can no longer pretend Tom Brady is still a Patriot. What do I do? Pledge my allegiance to Cam Newton? Repeat “In Bill We Trust” to anyone who will listen? Purchase a Vince Wilfork jersey because he has never, and will never, let me down? (Even ending his career with the Texans gave us that glorious season of Hard Knocks.) I suppose the mature thing to do—instead of, like, getting a 28–3 tattoo—would be to feel gratitude for witnessing my team run a dynasty for two decades. It’s been a truly thrilling experience that all started with Robert Kraft purchasing the team in 1994; Bill Belichick quitting as head coach of the Jets just ONE DAY after accepting the post to join the Patriots in 2000; and the drafting of Tom. Fricking. Brady in the sixth round of the draft a few months later. Jeff Benedict’s The Dynasty, based on access to the Patriots organization for over a year and hundreds of hours of interviews with players and officials, is a comprehensive look at how this dynasty began and how it managed to last so long. Patriots fan or not, you cannot deny how impressive and unprecedented this run was. And now you can enjoy looking back on it because, ugh, it is officially in the past.

Publication Date: September 1, 2020

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The Dynasty
Jeff Benedict

From the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Tiger Woods comes the definitive inside story of the New England Patriots—the greatest sports dynasty of the 21st century.

It’s easy to forget that the New England Patriots were once the laughingstock of the NFL, a nearly bankrupt team that had never won a championship and was on the brink of moving to St. Louis. Everything changed in 1994, when Robert Kraft acquired the franchise. Since then, the Patriots became a juggernaut, making ten trips to the Super Bowl, winning six of them, and emerging as one of the most valuable sports teams in the world with an estimated value of $4 billion. Led by Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick, and quarterback Tom Brady, the Patriots’ twenty-year reign atop the NFL was the longest in league history, surpassing previous dynasties by the Packers, the Steelers, and the 49ers. The sports world has wondered: How was the Patriots dynasty built? And how did it last for two decades?

In The Dynasty, acclaimed sportswriter Jeff Benedict provides richly reported answers to those questions. Beginning with training camp in 2018, he secured unprecedented exclusive access to the Patriots team and organization. Over the next two years he conducted interviews with more than 200 insiders, including team executives, coaches, players, players’ wives, team doctors and lawyers, league officials, network television executives, sports agents, politicians, and entertainers. He also had access to hundreds of hours of video and audio recordings, as well as thousands of pages of legal documents, business records, emails, text messages, and minutes from phone calls and meetings.

From his interviews and exhaustive research, Benedict uncovers surprising new details about the inner workings of a team notorious for its secrecy. Readers are in the room when Robert Kraft outmaneuvers a legion of lawyers and investors in his quest to buy the team. We observe the heated disagreements between Kraft and legendary coach Bill Parcells that led to their breakup. We listen in on the phone call when the greatest trade ever made—Bill Belichick for a first round draft choice—is negotiated. We are in the emergency room when doctors scramble to save franchise quarterback Drew Bledsoe as his chest is filling up with blood from a lacerated artery. And we look over the shoulder of forty-year-old Tom Brady as a surgeon performs a procedure on his throwing hand on the eve of the AFC Championship game in 2018.

What emerges is an intimate portrait that captures the human drama of the dynasty’s three key characters—Kraft, Belichick, and Brady. The result is perhaps the most compelling and illuminating book that will ever be written about the greatest professional sports team of our time.

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Be Still My Bookish Heart: All the Spectacular Books Out this September 2020

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Can’t Even
by Anne Helen Petersen

Heather’s Pick #4

I placed my pre-order for this weeks ago—that’s how ready I am to read the follow-up to Anne Helen Petersen’s viral Buzzfeed article “How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation.” As someone who experiences a constant hum of low-grade anxiety, and especially during the pandemic, Petersen’s relatable article about “errand paralysis” and its root cause was strangely comforting. While I’ve already braced for the fact that there’s no cure for this type of burnout, I know that Can’t Even will at least remind me that I’m not alone in wondering if my generation can ever really attain the American Dream we grew up believing was within reach. You know, before multiple “once-in-a-lifetime downturns,” stagnating wages, mountains of student debt, and skyrocketing housing prices caught up with us. 

Publication Date: September 22, 2020

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Can’t Even
Anne Helen Petersen

Heather’s Pick #4 I placed my pre-order for this weeks ago—that’s how ready I am to read the follow-up to Anne Helen Petersen’s viral Buzzfeed article “How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation.” As someone who experiences a constant hum of low-grade anxiety, and especially during the pandemic, Petersen’s relatable article about “errand paralysis” and its root cause was strangely comforting. While I’ve already braced for the fact that there’s no cure for this type of burnout, I know that Can’t Even will at least remind me that I’m not alone in wondering if my generation can ever really attain the American Dream we grew up believing was within reach. You know, before multiple “once-in-a-lifetime downturns,” stagnating wages, mountains of student debt, and skyrocketing housing prices caught up with us.  Publication Date: September 22, 2020

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Be Still My Bookish Heart: All the Spectacular Books Out this September 2020

By Get Literary | September 11, 2020

Our 32 Most Anticipated New Reads of Fall 2020

By Get Literary | September 4, 2020

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Nothing Like I Imagined (Except for Sometimes)
by Mindy Kaling

Heather’s Pick #5

I was obsessed with Mindy Kaling’s The Mindy Project in 2013–2014. It’s pretty much all I wanted to talk about back then, most notably during the excruciating two-month hiatus between a certain impromptu Mindy/Danny kiss and the episode that dealt with the fallout. But I digress. For a while there, only more of Mindy Kaling’s work could soothe me, so of course I read her first memoir, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? It was so good that I needed Why Not Me? as soon as it was released. What I’m saying here is that I’ve devoured both of her previous essay collections, and there is absolutely no question in my mind that I will be among the first to snag a copy of Nothing Like I Imagined (Except for Sometimes) too. Kaling’s a rom-com genius and an all-around marvelous writer, so I’m eager to see what she’s learned to laugh about in the years since her last book.

Publication Date: October 6, 2020

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Nothing Like I Imagined (Except for Sometimes)
Mindy Kaling

Heather’s Pick #5 I was obsessed with Mindy Kaling’s The Mindy Project in 2013–2014. It’s pretty much all I wanted to talk about back then, most notably during the excruciating two-month hiatus between a certain impromptu Mindy/Danny kiss and the episode that dealt with the fallout. But I digress. For a while there, only more of Mindy Kaling’s work could soothe me, so of course I read her first memoir, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? It was so good that I needed Why Not Me? as soon as it was released. What I’m saying here is that I’ve devoured both of her previous essay collections, and there is absolutely no question in my mind that I will be among the first to snag a copy of Nothing Like I Imagined (Except for Sometimes) too. Kaling’s a rom-com genius and an all-around marvelous writer, so I’m eager to see what she’s learned to laugh about in the years since her last book. Publication Date: October 6, 2020

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Our 15 Most Anticipated New Reads of October 2020

By Get Literary | September 30, 2020

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By Get Literary | September 4, 2020

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Piranesi
by Susanna Clarke

Sara’s Pick #3

We’re all probably more than a little sick of being stuck inside, but if you lived in Piranesi's house, you’d never get bored. He’s got infinite doors and hallways to explore, though he never gets lost. The only other person in this strange house is a man called the Other, who helps Piranesi with his bizarre research. However, the two might not be as alone as they think, and slowly the labyrinth they call home becomes more and more sinister. A twisting tale of a world within a house with its own set of rules and mysteries, this book is very different from Clarke’s hit Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but it’s just as immersive and satisfying. If you’re looking for a fantasy that will challenge you and bring something unique to your reading list, Piranesi fits the bill with style to spare.

Publication Date: September 15, 2020

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Piranesi
Susanna Clarke

Sara’s Pick #3 We’re all probably more than a little sick of being stuck inside, but if you lived in Piranesi's house, you’d never get bored. He’s got infinite doors and hallways to explore, though he never gets lost. The only other person in this strange house is a man called the Other, who helps Piranesi with his bizarre research. However, the two might not be as alone as they think, and slowly the labyrinth they call home becomes more and more sinister. A twisting tale of a world within a house with its own set of rules and mysteries, this book is very different from Clarke’s hit Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but it’s just as immersive and satisfying. If you’re looking for a fantasy that will challenge you and bring something unique to your reading list, Piranesi fits the bill with style to spare. Publication Date: September 15, 2020

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MENTIONED IN:

Be Still My Bookish Heart: All the Spectacular Books Out this September 2020

By Get Literary | September 11, 2020

Our 32 Most Anticipated New Reads of Fall 2020

By Get Literary | September 4, 2020

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The Once and Future Witches
by Alix E. Harrow

Sara’s Pick #4

Alix E. Harrow, known for her adventurous debut hit, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, is back with a tale of witchy women finding their power from both books and the ballot box. Yes, it’s the 1890s and James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna, a.k.a. the Eastwood sisters, are here to fight for the right to vote. Along the way, they’ll find ancient magics to help turn the tide of the debate and fight back against enemies who would sooner see them six feet under than heading to the polls. Blending folklore, history, and fantasy, The Once and Future Witches crafts a gender-neutral, diverse world of sorcery, casting a critical eye on the prejudices and systematic practices that kept many communities oppressed.

Publication Date: October 13, 2020

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The Once and Future Witches
Alix E. Harrow

Sara’s Pick #4 Alix E. Harrow, known for her adventurous debut hit, The Ten Thousand Doors of January, is back with a tale of witchy women finding their power from both books and the ballot box. Yes, it’s the 1890s and James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna, a.k.a. the Eastwood sisters, are here to fight for the right to vote. Along the way, they’ll find ancient magics to help turn the tide of the debate and fight back against enemies who would sooner see them six feet under than heading to the polls. Blending folklore, history, and fantasy, The Once and Future Witches crafts a gender-neutral, diverse world of sorcery, casting a critical eye on the prejudices and systematic practices that kept many communities oppressed. Publication Date: October 13, 2020

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Our 32 Most Anticipated New Reads of Fall 2020

By Get Literary | September 4, 2020

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How to Start a Revolution
by Lauren Duca

Sharon’s Pick #4

During this current political moment, it can be easy to become overwhelmed and conclude that you are voiceless in a seemingly unchangeable society. However, Lauren Duca’s How to Start a Revolution places young people and their efforts to create dramatic shifts in American politics at the forefront of her book. She highlights figures such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever to be elected to Congress; David and Lauren Hogg, two survivors of the Parkland school shooting who became advocates for gun control; and Amanda Litman, who founded the nonprofit Run for Something. Through these stories, How to Start a Revolution is sure to give you hope that change is attainable and provide you with inspiration to become politically involved yourself.

Paperback Publication Date: September 15, 2020

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How to Start a Revolution
Lauren Duca

Teen Vogue award-winning columnist Lauren Duca shares a “fun, pithy, and intelligent” (Booklist) guide for challenging the status quo in a much-needed reminder that young people are the ones who will change the world.

Journalist Lauren Duca has become an exciting and authoritative voice on the experience of millennials in today’s society. Dan Rather agrees, saying “we need fresh, intelligent, and creative voices—like Lauren’s—now as much—perhaps more—than ever before.” Now, she explores the post-Trump political awakening and lays the groundwork for a re-democratizing moment as it might be built out of the untapped potential of young people.

Duca investigates and explains the issues at the root of our ailing political system and reimagines what an equitable democracy would look like. It begins with young people getting involved. This includes people like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever to be elected to Congress; David and Lauren Hogg, two survivors of the Parkland, Florida shooting who went on to become advocates for gun control; Amanda Litman, who founded the nonprofit organization Run for Something, to assist progressive young people in down ballot elections; and many more.

Called “the millennial feminist warrior queen of social media” by Ariel Levy and “a national newsmaker” by The New York Times, Duca combines extensive research and first-person reporting to track her generation’s shift from political alienation to political participation. Throughout, she also drays on her own story as a young woman catapulted to the front lines of the political conversation (all while figuring out how to deal with her Trump-supporting parents).

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Our 32 Most Anticipated New Reads of Fall 2020

By Get Literary | September 4, 2020

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