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Quick note: Apologies for the late send today! I served on jury duty (no regrets! civic service is cool!), which messed with my schedule. x

As a self-confessed slower reader, I’ve made peace with not chasing the latest, buzziest titles. Instead, I read what feels right in the moment—even if that means diving into a book that made waves two, three, or more years ago. (I recently learned there’s an industry term for this: “backlist” titles—books that are still in print and have been in the market for at least a year.)

Rather than asking, “What’s the must-read of the moment?” I’m instead more interested in how I want to feel. For me, fall is about being cozy, transported, moved, and challenged. It’s the season for dense, thought-provoking reads—whether that’s a multigenerational family drama, a novel that explores big questions, or a sweeping, intricately-built fantasy world.

In that spirit, I’ve asked eight bookish friends and authors to share what’s on their fall reading lists for today’s issue - whether they’re new, new-ish, or a backlist title!

Before we get to their picks, here are four books on *my* fall reading list…

1. A smart romance novel: Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff is the debut from the new romance fiction company, 831 Stories. It’s about a political strategist and her boyband crush. It’s been pitched as The Idea of You meets The Good Wife. That’s all I needed to know to set it hiiiigh up on my fall reading list. And you guys, I’m freaking out (in a good way) about both this book and this new company. (You’ll hear more about them soon in the Friday newsletter and on my Instagram!!!)

2. A new American classic: James by Percival Everett is a retelling of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, an escaped enslaved person traveling alongside Huck. It’s made major waves, longlisted for the Booker Prize. I’m in the mood for Literature with a capital L this season, and this book written by a masterful author promises to scratch that itch.

3. A historical fiction gem: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. Earlier this year, O’Farrell’s The Marriage Portrait left me completely stunned. The writing is dazzling; I felt utterly transported to 16th-century Florence. It quickly became one of my favorite reads, not just of the year but possibly the past few years. I’ve heard Hamnet is even better (and it has a film adaptation coming soon, starring ✨Paul Mescal✨), so I’m excited to read this one.

4. A chunky fantasy book: A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas. Fall wouldn’t be complete for me without a good fantasy escape. I had to take a break from this wildly popular series last year after sort of burning out on it, and I’m ready to dive back in.

📚 What’s on your fall reading list?? Drop your recs in the comments, and let’s swap suggestions! xx Alisha

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Erica Cerulo, co-founder at 831 Stories

SELLING SEXY: VICTORIA’S SECRET AND THE UNRAVELING OF AN AMERICAN ICON by Lauren Sherman and Chantal Fernandez: Yes, this is a book about the rise, rise, rise, and fall of Victoria’s Secret, but it’s also about the birth of fast fashion, changing perceptions of women’s sexuality, mall culture, models as celebrities…I could go on. It’s the ideal mix of entertaining and get-the-wheels-turning, and Lauren Sherman and Chantal Fernandez are the best fashion reporters in the biz. Release date: October 8th.

SCANDALOUS WOMEN: A NOVEL OF JACKIE COLLINS AND JACQUELINE SUSANN by Gill Paul: I guess my picks have a bit of a theme, but: A book about how steamy books and the women who wrote them changed publishing? YES, PLEASE. If you need a stronger pitch, maybe this Lit Hub excerpt will sell you.

Claire Mazur, co-founder at 831 Stories

TWENTY-FOUR SECONDS FROM NOW: A LOVE STORY by Jason Reynolds: I'm not normally a big YA reader but the premise of this—plus the promise of romance, and Jason Reynolds's track record—has it at the top of my list.  Told from the perspective of a teen boy preparing to lose his virginity to his first love, we hear the story from the vantage points of 24 months prior, 24 weeks prior, 24 days prior, 24 minutes prior, and...well, you get it. Release date: October 8th, 2024.

DIDION & BABITZ by Lili Anolik: Wow, the pre-pub buzz of this book has been LOUD. I have somehow never done the requisite deep dive on either of these icons, but this dual biography that explores the complicated relationship between them, largely through the lens of their recently discovered letters, sounds juicy enough to be the starting point that'll get me sucked in. Were they the original frenemies? I'm about to find out. Release date: November 12th.

Alexis Reliford, writer of the Feeling My Shelf newsletter

IF I WERE YOU by Cesca Major: I recently rewatched Freaky Friday, which reignited my interest in magical, body-swap stories. So, I'm especially excited to dive into Cesca Major's latest book, which follows a couple going through a rough patch who accidentally swap bodies on the way to a family wedding. Release date: September 24th.

THEY DREAM IN GOLD by Mai Sennaar: Spanning two decades and multiple countries, this story follows two dreamers who fall in love against the backdrop of New York City's music scene in the 1960s—separated when one unexpectedly goes missing. Historical fiction isn't typically my jam, but the cover of this book caught my eye in the bookstore, and the glowing reviews compelled me to read it.

Becca Freeman, author and writer of Book Enthusiast

BEL CANTO by Ann Patchett: With fewer new releases publishing this fall due to the election cycle, I'm looking forward to catching up on some backlist titles I missed. Top of my list is the one about guests who are held hostage after terrorists crash a birthday party. I'm new (read: late) to Patchett after reading and loving TOM LAKE last year, so I'm curious to explore some of her earlier titles.

BLUE SISTERS by Coco Mellors: I was at a bookish party the other night and the question on everyone's lips was "Have you read Blue Sisters yet?" This book about three sisters mourning the death of their fourth sister came out in the UK earlier this year and has been getting serious buzz. I've heard tissues are mandatory. Also check for triggers as this one deals with a lot of heavier themes including grief and addiction.

[Editor’s note: Be sure to check out Becca’s roundup of 28 buzzy new titles for fall here!]

Katie, romance enthusiast and creator of Beach Reads & Bubbly

MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT by Riley Sager: I am rarely disappointed when I pick up a Riley Singer thriller, and I've been saving this one for a blustery autumn night. The premise is bone-chilling: Billy and Ethan camp in their backyard one evening, and when Ethan wakes up, he is shocked to find the tent sliced open and Billy missing without a trace. Thirty years later, Ethan returns to his childhood home and begins investigating what really happened in the middle of the night.

THE SONGBIRD & THE HEART OF STONE by Carissa Broadbent. In my opinion, fall is the best time to get lost in a fantasy series. This is book 3 in the Crown of Nyaxia series, and if you're a reader still nursing a romantasy hangover after reading A Court of Thorns and Roses and Fourth Wing, I implore you to try out this series. Book 1 features a dark and gothic Hunger Games-style competition that will hook you from the start. I am so excited to revisit this world in book 3. Release date: November 19th.

[Editor’s note: Katie posted a fun fall reading roundup video to her Instagram here!]

Michelle Martin, Maine-based photographer and writer of Literary Leanings

HOW TO BE EATEN by Maria Adelmann: falls squarely into a genre of book I love: the dark, edgy fairy tale. This novel takes the cozy, everyday fairytale heroines we're familiar with and puts them in a modern-day support group that meets in a New York City basement. Our heroines grapple with their experiences ("Gretel questions her memory of being held captive in a house made of candy") weekly in a group therapy setting. This darkly funny exploration of feminism will be perfect for cozying up with this fall.

THE BOOK OF GEORGE by Kate Greathead: This book hits shelves in October, and its exploration of an otherwise capable man struggling to live up to his potential reminds me of another book I loved earlier this year, Good Material by Dolly Alderton. I really enjoyed Greathead's debut, Laura & Emma, with its mix of humor and exploration of how hard it can be to love the people closest to us, so I'm excited to see this signature blend back in her sophomore novel. Release date: October 8th.

Thao Thai, author of Banyan Moon and the forthcoming Adam & Evie’s Matchmaking Tour (under pen name Nora Nguyen).

THE BLUE HOUR by Paula Hawkins: Fall makes me want to wrap myself in a story that feels mysterious and moody, so what better novel than one set on a remote island in Scotland, where a complicated artist once disappeared? In this book, a group of characters intertwine to unravel the mystery of what happened on that fateful day, parsing truth from fiction, madness from sanity, and love from revenge. Release date: October 29th.

THE WEDDING WITCH by Erin Sterling: For something light and magical, I could ask for nothing better than an Erin Sterling novel. The Wedding Witch is about a loner scholar who attends a Yuletide wedding at a magnificent Welsh estate, where he meets a mischievous thief who spins him on the adventure of a lifetime—one throws them back into the past. Stuck in 1958, this unlikely pair has to figure out a way to get back to the present, while discovering the mystery of the hauntings that keep them stranded in time. Release date: October 8th.

Rachel Khong, author of Real Americans and Goodbye, Vitamin

TINY THREADS by Lilliam Rivera: I cannot wait to read this supernatural fashion thriller by the talented (and stylish) Lilliam Rivera. Unraveling—literal and figurative—is promised. Release date: Sept 24th.

COLORED TELEVISION by Danzy Senna: I think Danzy Senna is a genius and I'm especially excited about Colored Television, her latest novel, about a mixed-race novelist, and Hollywood and the "racial-identity-industrial complex" (according to the publisher).

What book(s) are you most excited for this fall? (I’m surprised no one mentioned Sally Rooney’s forthcoming book, Intermezzo…!!)

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📚 FURTHER READING

For even more book recs…

• The Downtime Bookmarked column

• 2023 Downtime Fall Books List

• The full “Weekly Recs” archives—where I regularly share my current reads