I know it’s not quite yet fall in Nashville, but I already want to pull out my sweaters and sip on some piping hot apple cider at a coffee shop all day long. The mornings have been a lot cooler here, which brings a smile to my face every time I walk out the door, so I figured I might as well pull the trigger and share some of the fall book releases I’m excited for in 2019. Let’s get started!
Image from Amazon
1. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo — October
Galaxy (Alex) Stern is the sole survivor of an unsolved multi-homicide, so when she’s in her hospital bed and receives an offer to attend an elite university on a full-ride scholarship, she’s more than a little confused. She dropped out of school early and fell into a world of drug-dealers and shady boyfriends, so this second chance seems like her perfect opportunity to escape. When she arrives at Yale, she is tasked with monitoring the activities of the university’s secret societies. She has no idea what she’s gotten herself into. This is the first book in a series, and it immediately caught my eye. Despite the terrifying cover (I hate snakes!), I think I am going to power through and pick this one up as soon as it comes out.
Image from Harper Collins
2. Don’t You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane — September
While “Most Likely to Succeed” Georgina has been hopping from job to job unable to find something worthy of her time, her high school sweetheart Lucas has been running a successful pub. When she gets fired and dumped in the same day, Georgina takes the first job she is offered — which just so happens to be at Lucas’s pub. Now that the pair is thrown back together, they are forced to face their conflicting memories from high school. This looked like a cute romance book with a dark twist, which I am always interested in. It also reminded me of the Breakfast Club, which is never a bad thing.
Image from Amazon
3. The Queens of Animation: The Untold Story of the Women Who Transformed the World of Disney and Made Cinematic History by Nathalia Holt — October
Bestselling author Nathalia Holt is back with an account of how an influential group of women changed Disney animation forever. Told through interviews and archival documents, Holt tells the story of how women infiltrated the all-male Disney Studios to get the female perspective on artwork and storylines on the map. While also dealing with domestic abuse, sexism, and workplace harassment, these women made a lasting impact on the Disney audience for years to come. I love Disney, and I love female empowerment, so this book is right up my alley.
Image from Amazon
4. How We Fight for Our Lives by Saeed Jones — October
Award-winning poet Saeed Jones is sharing his compelling story of growing up as a black, gay man in the South. As he is fighting to find his place in the world, he is also managing complex relationships with his family, lovers, and community. This experience is so different from my own, which is what draws me to want to read the memoir from cover-to-cover.
Image from the LA Times
5. Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell — September
In Malcolm Gladwell’s newest book, he explores what happens when we make assumptions about people without getting to know anything about them. From case studies on Sylvia Plath to a spy in the Pentagon, Gladwell breaks down why we act the way we do when we are confronted with someone or something we know nothing about. I’m a huge Malcolm Gladwell fan, so I’m happy to read anything he comes out with.
Image from Amazon
6. Make it Scream, Make it Burn by Leslie Jamison — September
This collection of essays takes a deep dive into exploring longing and obsession. A mix between memoir, journalism, and critique, Make it Scream, Make it Burn explores the nature of storytelling while telling stories about whales, Civil War photography, and a break-up museum. Short stories/essays are some of my favorite forms of reading because it allows me to get more stories wrapped neatly into one book.
What book releases are you looking forward to in the fall? Let me know in the comments below.
Happy reading,
Kimberly
