If you need some reading suggestions for this fall, check out our list of new favorite titles. With everything from science fiction to mysteries to memoirs, there’s something for everyone. All titles are linked to our catalog, but feel free to stop by the Adult Reference Desk for help finding a book on this list.
Fiction
The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey
In an imagined alternate 1979 England shaped by a World War II that ended without a victor, orphaned triplets and a sheltered girl named Nancy uncover the grim truth behind their origins.
Something to Look Forward To by Fannie Flagg
This collection of thirty humorous and heartfelt stories follows everyday Americans, from a Kansas great-grandmother to small-town café regulars, who are navigating love, loss, and change with wit and resilience, all observed by a curious outsider trying to understand the quirks of the human spirit.
Circle of Days by Ken Follett
In this powerful novel about the building of Stonehenge, Follett depicts a vivid ancient landscape, replete with stories of ambition, love, jealousy, and revenge.
Amity by Nathan Harris
In 1866 New Orleans, formerly enslaved siblings Coleman and June are separated, and each embarks on a perilous journey through the Mexican desert to reunite and seize the freedom they were promised.
Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher
Combining dark fairy tale aesthetics with a medical mystery plot, this riff on Snow White from award-winning author Kingfisher transports readers to a New Mexico-esque kingdom of deserts, mesa houses, and saints with the heads of venomous snakes.
Katabasis by R. F. Kuang
Alice has sacrificed everything to work at Cambridge with Professor Grimes, the world’s greatest magician, but when he dies in a magical accident and is sent to Hell, she and academic rival Peter follow him, using only tales of Orpheus and Dante to guide them.
Songs for Other People’s Weddings by David Levithan, with songs by Jens Lekman
Swedish wedding singer J struggles with his love life after his girlfriend V moves to America and the strain of long distance highlights the troubles in their relationship.
All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu
In a near-future world powered by AI technology, hacker Julia Z is pulled from digital obscurity when lawyer Piers Negri contacts her to help find his missing wife. As Julia is drawn into a dangerous criminal underworld, she must use all her cybersecurity skills to track down Piers’ wife while evading danger.
These Memories Do Not Belong to Us by Yiming Ma
This debut novel-in-stories is set in a future run by an authoritarian state in which citizens can record and transfer memories between minds, but those memories can also be manipulated.
Bog Queen by Anna North
Anthropologist Dr. Agnes Linstrom is tasked with identifying human remains found in a bog in contemporary northern England, while in 50 BCE, a druid leader sets out on a perilous journey.
To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage
After fleeing her home and arriving at the Cherokee Nation, Steph Harper dedicates her life to escaping Oklahoma and reaching NASA, but her relentless pursuit of independence strains her ties with her sister Kayla, her girlfriend Della, and her mother Hannah.
The Magician of Tiger Castle by Louis Sachar
As political pressure mounts in the faltering kingdom of Esquaveta, Princess Tullia falls in love with a lowly scribe, forcing disgraced court magician Anatole to choose between salvaging his reputation and protecting the one person who still believes in him.
My Other Heart by Emma Nanami Strenner
Seventeen years after Mimi Truang’s toddler daughter disappears in 1998 in Philadelphia, best friends Kit and Sabrina make plans in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, before starting college. But when Mimi, Kit, and Sabrina come face to face, they will confront the people they truly are.
Under the Stars by Beatriz Williams
Providence Dare vanishes during a steamship disaster near Winthrop Island in 1846, leaving behind a trail of mystery that resurfaces nearly two centuries later when chef Audrey Fisher uncovers hidden paintings that reveal long-buried family secrets.
Mystery & Thriller
A Murder in Paris by Matthew Blake
When memory specialist Olivia Finn receives a call that her grandmother is refusing to leave a hotel lobby after confessing to committing a murder there during WWII, she must dig into her grandmother’s wartime past to uncover the truth.
Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen
In 1938 England, blindsided by her husband’s divorce appeal, Ellie impulsively heads to the South of France with housekeeper Mavis and elderly friend Dora until their Bentley breaks down in Saint Benet, where Ellie is drawn to fisherman Nico as war looms.
The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown
When Katherine Solomon vanishes and her manuscript disappears following a murder in Prague, Robert Langdon races across three cities to uncover a hidden truth about consciousness, pursued by ancient myths, secret societies, and a revelation that could upend humanity’s understanding of the mind.
Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman
Book conservator Tory Van Dyne meets a woman claiming to be Agatha Christie who asks for help solving a murder that has yet to happen. Soon, a found family of sleuths is created, and an investigation is afoot in this debut novel that’s a real treat for any Christie fan.
Too Old for This by Samantha Downing
Retired and hidden under a new identity, Lottie Jones faces exposure when a persistent journalist starts digging into her murderous past, forcing her to confront old crimes and attempt one more cover-up before age—and curiosity—catch up with her.
The Break-In by Katherine Faulkner
After killing an intruder in self-defense while hosting a playdate at her London home, Alice becomes obsessed with uncovering his identity, unraveling unsettling clues that suggest her seemingly perfect life may be built on hidden betrayals.
Jenny Cooper Has a Secret by Joy Fielding
While visiting a friend at a memory care facility, Linda meets Jenny, a ninety-two-year-old dementia patient who admits that she kills people; Linda dismisses her “secret” as the confusion of Jenny’s ailing mind until a fellow patient dies.
You Belong Here by Megan Miranda
Beckett Bowery, who attended Wyatt College twenty years ago, is getting her daughter settled on campus, but buried truths and old suspicions threaten to resurface and put her daughter in danger.
The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols
Mrs. B, the landlady of a tiny bungalow community in Southern California, and her eclectic bunch of tenants all get caught up in a murder mystery when a body is found on the property.
A Killer Wedding by Joan O’Leary
Magazine writer Christine is hired to cover a top-tier wedding in Ireland for an ultra-wealthy family, but when the matriarch is found dead, Christine is threatened into silence and wonders if she is at a wedding with a killer.
We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter
When two girls vanish on fireworks night in North Falls, Officer Emmy Clifton races to uncover their secrets and redeem her past failure, only to find that the town—and those closest to her—harbor darker truths than she ever imagined.
The Girl with Ice in Her Veins by Karin Smirnoff
As unrest simmers in the snowbound town of Gasskas, Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist are drawn into a web of violence and buried histories involving a murdered journalist, a missing hacker, and Lisbeth’s vanished niece in this eighth installment in the Millenium series.
Nonfiction & Biography
The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon
Publishing in time for the 50th anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, bestselling Bacon offers an account of the sinking of this famous ship on Lake Superior in 1975, using extensive interviews to reveal the disaster’s causes and its profound impact on families.
Running Deep: Bravery, Survival, and the True Story of the Deadliest Submarine in World War II by Tom Clavin
Bestselling Clavin combines taut, evocative storytelling with rigorous research to tell the story of Captain Richard Hetherington O’Kane and the attack submarine, the USS Tang, that he commanded during World War II in this chronicle of wartime heroism.
A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst
A couple seeking escape sells everything to sail the world, but after a whale sinks their boat, they endure months adrift in a raft, battling starvation, inner demons, and the ultimate test of their relationship in this true-life survival struggle.
The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb by Garrett M. Graff
Combines archival research with firsthand accounts from political leaders, scientists, soldiers, and survivors to chronicle the development and use of the atomic bomb, examining its ethical, military, and human consequences during the final months of World War II and the start of the Cold War.
Mailman: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home by Stephen Starring Grant
This is an exuberant, hilarious, and profound memoir by a mailman in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, who found that his mid-pandemic stint as a rural mail carrier saved his life, gave him purpose, and taught him who he was.
Digital Exhaustion: Simple Rules for Reclaiming Your Life by Paul Leonardi
Offering realistic research-backed strategies, this practical guide helps you understand digital burnout, shift daily tech habits, avoid emotional traps, and use devices more intentionally to boost focus, creativity, and well-being without needing to unplug completely from modern life.
History Matters by David McCullough
This posthumous collection of essays from the legendary historian looks at subjects such as the character of American leaders, the influence of art and mentors, and the importance of understanding the past to better navigate the present and future.
Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love by Samin Nosrat
The James Beard Award-winning author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat shares 125 soul-nourishing, flavor-packed recipes, along with heartfelt cooking wisdom that celebrates connection, comfort, and the everyday joy of feeding those we love.
Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy by Mary Roach
In her latest, bestselling Roach considers the human body and what happens when parts of it fail. She interviews patients, physicians, pathologists, engineers, and scientists to consider regenerative medicine, prosthetics, organ donations, and more.
Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature by Becky Spratford
This captivating anthology is a heartfelt tribute to the horror genre, featuring essays from some of the most celebrated contemporary horror writers including Grady Hendrix, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Josh Malerman, Victor LaValle, Tananarive Due, and Rachel Harrison.
Destroy This House: A Memoir by Amanda Uhle
Uhle, publisher and executive director of McSweeney’s, writes a memoir about her life growing up with a scheming father and a mother with a hoarding disorder and her eventual escape into independence.
Anatomy of a Con Artist: 14 Red Flags to Spot Scammers, Grifters, and Thieves by Johnathan Walton
Victim-turned-investigator Walton recounts his experience of being scammed and offers advice on avoiding the same fate. He shares fourteen red flags to use to spot con artists, drawing from hundreds of real-life cases and his personal mission to bring scammers to justice.