Your beach bag might be filled with books to carry you through the summer, but it’s never too early to start thinking about what you’d like to read for the fall. Many of us at the library recently attended the annual Book Expo America conference, where we learned about the great books publishing in the months to come and which titles are receiving the biggest chatter within the book industry. Here are a few buzz-worthy titles coming out in September that you might like to add to your reading list. They are all on order in our catalog, so start placing yourself on reserve for them now!
Those looking for an epic story should check out An Italian Wife by Ann Hood, publishing September 2. In this multigenerational novel, Josephine Rimaldi, a 15-year-old Italian girl, is forced into an arranged marriage and join the husband she barely knows as he moves to America. Beginning in the early 1900s and carrying through a century of time, Hood unfolds the story of Josephine’s children and grandchildren as they live their lives with the backdrop of war and cultural revolutions.
Another title garnering a lot of buzz is We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas, also available on September 2nd. This debut novel is another epic portrait of American life and introduces us to Queens-born Eileen Tumulty, who cares for her alcoholic, Irish immigrant parents as a young girl but always dreams of living a grander, more cosmopolitan life. She marries a neuroscientist who she believes will provide her with that better life but realizes over time that he does not share her same pursuits.
Publishing on September 24 is A Deadly Wandering by Mat Richtel. Subtitled, “A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention,” this non-fiction title reads like a novel and tells the true story of Utah college student Reggie Shaw, who kills two rocket scientists while texting and driving. The book shares the fallout of the tragedy and includes scientific research on the effects of social networking and texting on the brain, including why the instant gratification of feedback through these mediums is so highly addictive.
A favorite of book clubs, author Garth Stein, of the massive bestseller The Art of Racing in the Rain, is back with A Sudden Light, publishing on September 30. This new novel is a coming of age story set in the Pacific Northwest, in which a family going through divorce attempts to sell off its legendary mansion, but a ghost inhabiting it has other plans. While the story is does not center on the amazing companionship of a lovable lab-terrier mix, fans of Stein will revel at the unique connections in this new book.
Photo of stack of books courtesy of flickr user Susana Fernandez.