With September just around the corner, chances are you are ready to delve into your next read admist the crisp autumn air. If summer has thrown you into a slump and you’re ready to reclaim your bookish habits or you’re looking for your next big read to get you closer to your Goodreads challenge, The Indiependent has put together a list of upcoming releases, tailored to suit many tastes and bookish cravings.
CHILDREN’S AND MIDDLE-GRADE
Jaqueline Woodson’s Before the Ever After (Nancy Paulsen Books) is coming on the 1st of September with the heart-warming story of ZJ, a boy whose football-star father is suffering from memory loss. Woodson portrays ZJ’s progress as he is trying to get used to his father’s condition and how it affects their relationship and family dynamics.
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Séance Tea Party by writer and illustrator Raimena Yee (Random House Graphic) will drop on the 15th of September, with a coming-of-age graphic novel accompanying Lora, who befriends her house-ghost in an attempt to stop herself from growing up.
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YOUNG ADULT FICTION
We Are Not Free by Traci Chee (HMH for Young Readers) will be available on Kindle from the 1st of September. The story takes place during World War II, following a group of second-generation, Japanese-American teenagers, who start a fight against racial injustice during a time when over 100 000 Japanese immigrants are incarcerated. The story covers the teenagers’ struggles to keep their community together and resist the perils of hate and discrimination in a time of war.
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Justin A Reynolds’s latest novel, Early Departures (Katherine Tegen Books) will drop on the 22nd of September, with the story of two best friends haunted by a tragic accident, a fast-approaching death and a temporary miracle, which can give them a chance to be honest to each other one last time.
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CONTEMPORARY FICTION
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi will drop on the 1st of September, with a story of racial identity, love and grief. It follows Gifty, a young girl from Ghana whose brother and father have succumbed to the harsh realities of being an immigrant in the United States. Eager to learn her family’s background, Gifty finds herself uncovering the painful history that shaped modern America.
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The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante (Europa Editions UK) is coming to Waterstones on the 1st of September, following a teenage girl whose identity is torn between the two opposite sides of Naples. Giovanna is coming to terms with adolescence and trying to find herself in the image and morale of the divided Naples.
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CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Ben Philippe’s Charming as a Verb (Balzer + Bray)is coming in digital format on the 8th of September and tells the story of Henri, a charming high school student with ambitious dreams, and Corinne, who blackmails him into helping her become more popular. Their relationship develops into something more than just an agreement, as the protagonists try their hardest to make peace with themselves.
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Madi Sinha’s debut, The White Coat Diaries (Berkley) set to be published on the 15th of September, follows Indian medical resident Norah, who tries to build her life around her career, family and a new love interest whom she needs to protect from the consequences of a professional mistake she witnessed and now holds secret.
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MYSTERY/THRILLER
Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike series continues with its fifth book, Troubled Blood (Sphere, 01 Edition), set to be released on the 15th of September. This time, Private Detective Cormoran Strike takes on his first cold case, when approached by a woman whose mother disappeared in the 1970s. The mystery involves tarot, untrustworthy witnesses and a psycho serial killer, which challenge Strike and his partner Robin Ellacott’s crime-solving abilities.
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Even If We Break (Sourcebooks Fire), the latest thriller from acclaimed author Marieke Nijkamp will be published on the 15th of September, following five friends playing a deadly game in a cabin they share over the weekend. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, Nijkamp’s story promises a frightening resolve to a friendship torn apart by secrets.
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POETRY
Blizzard: Poems by Henri Cole (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) will be available from the 1st of September with his self-defining sonnets – short poems capturing moments in strong, daring and concise language – on topics ranging from historical disasters to contemporary frustrations.
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Even the Milky Way is Undocumented by Amy Shimshon Santo (Unsolicited Press)will be released on the 8th of September and is a testament of humans’ earthly origins. The poems cover love and family bonds, seeing earth as a complete place of belonging, beyond borders.
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Autumn is the busiest time of the year for publishers and book sellers. This year, the literary scene is even more crowded, with spectacular debuts, long-awaited sequels and well-known authors coming back with new titles. On the 3rd of September only, there will be nearly 600 hardbacks published in the UK. Which are your most anticipated books at the start of this season?
Words by Eliza Lita
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