It’s your lucky day! There’s just a hint of fall chill in the air, publishing is ramping up for its biggest season, and we have thirty fantastic reads for you to spend your September with. Have a look at what our booksellers are loving lately!

Lisavet is a Jewish girl in 1938 Germany whose father makes watches that allow timekeepers to access the time space- an other-dimensional library filled with memories. She grows up in the time space after her father sends her in, never to return. There, Lisavet learns there are government agents working to erase certain memories, leading her to rebel in ways that will change Time forever. I was engrossed on page one!

Also loved by Rae Ann!

Between To the Moon and Back and Atmosphere, it’s a great year to read about women in space! Eliana Ramage’s To the Moon and Back follows Steph, who has a singular goal of becoming the first Cherokee astronaut. Spanning across decades and continents, this debut is a tender, funny, and all-encompassing look at one woman’s all-encompassing ambition.

Also loved by Cat!

Cambridge grad students Alice and Peter must go into Hell to find their awful professor in order to not lose their rec letters. With their minds and their magic, they must solve ancient mysteries that have befuddled the likes of Dante. RF Kuang is the reigning Queen of dark academic fantasy, and if this novel any indicator, she will not be putting down that crown any time soon.

Also loved by Rachel and Chelsea!

A smart and funny story set in the world of publishing that also touches on the serious topics of sexual dynamics in the workplace and the behavior of powerful men. Full of engaging family, friend, co-worker, and romantic relationships, with an intriguing dual timeline. This one will warm your heart!

Hazel’s senior high school year in a new town begins with a startling proposition, while her father’s new university job hits a snag on day one. Themes of tenacity and staying true to oneself pepper this family saga which masterfully interweaves issues of harassment and cancel culture into a coming-of-age tale.

Two couples in a small Ohio town become intertwined through sins of omission and adultery. Can truth hurt? Brokenness is repaired with a different kind of love and definition of family and friends.

Also loved by Jake!

A tyrant king tasks a group of scholars with inventing an ancient civilization for him to falsely discover and twist into war propaganda. Our narrator is a professor of linguistics, and has to de-evolve their language or face execution. Perfectly witty and sardonic!

Magical like the 1969 moon landing it’s set against, Elizabeth Bass Parman’s second book includes a Greek chorus of bees. Rennie’s life has been difficult, softened by Uncle Dixon and memories of Aunt Eugenia, but things are going to change. They have to. I cried and smiled, believing everyone would get what was coming to them. A deftly woven, complex story leaving me with simple words: hope and love.

Also loved by Rae Ann!

Marisa faces ennui over her brainless marketing job and attempts to fill the void by binge-watching YouTube and ordering more Zara dresses. When this dissatisfaction meets grief over a coworker, things get wild at the company retreat. This book is hilarious and absurd, but also relatable. Perfect for weirdos who struggle with office jobs.

Also loved by Sarah!

Lucky Day is a surreal rush of a horror novel, where reality itself tests everything its heroine thinks she knows about the world. Creatively gruesome, with Chuck Tingle’s signature hopeful heart at its core.

The Orient Express is once again a setting for not one, but five murders. The first one is a locked room. Several sleuths just happen to be on board. Very clever use of an Agatha Christie setting.

Vivian Henry detests the Wynchester family and their vigilante reputation. But when her cousin disappears they are the only ones who can help. She must put aside her pride to work with Jacob Wynchester. A man with a secret passion for poetry and a vast assortment of animal sidekicks. This enemies to lovers adventure is a sweet conclusion to Erica Ridley’s swoonworthy regency romance series.

An eerie tale reminiscent of The Apothecary Diaries, Coraline, and Snow White. In Kingfisher’s latest retelling, poison-enthusiast Anja is summoned to treat the King’s daughter, who is suffering from a mysterious ailment. But what if it’s not poison at all? Anja doesn’t believe in magic, but something is amiss, and it involves blood, hearts, and reflections.

The F in fantasy stands for FUN in Sachar’s adult debut. An endlessly entertaining, funny, and mystical read for those in need of a little whimsy in their lives.

A novel made up of interconnected stories. The first chapter took my breath away. From beginning to end, I was captivated by the beautiful writing and intriguing characters. This one will not take you long to read, but the story will stick with you long after you reach the end.

A book conservator living in her wealthy NYC family’s mansion-turned-mystery-library-museum, Tory suddenly encounters Agatha Christie…or it seems like her. She shows up regularly requesting cocktails, reciting lines from her books, and helping Tory and friends solve murder most devious.

An old man’s insistence on dignity as he ages in his own home, with the emotional assistance of his beloved dog, despite the efforts of his son to “keep his father safe”. This book really moved me.

Legal thriller about a female lawyer who is passed over for a much earned promotion. She does the work, but the men get the recognition for the big account. There is a murder of one of the partners, and she cannot remember what happened because she blacked out. Did she do it?

If it’s my last day on earth I am eating a hot dog and reading a Mazey Eddings novel. It’s a no-brainer. Well Actually is an ode to second chances, the internet (shoutout to Chicken Shop Date and that one episode. IYKYK), soft boys and razor sharp ladies. I am full-on obsessed and you should be too.

Ever wanted to move to a fictional town that embraces its touristy side? I loved returning to Boneyard Key and this enemies-to-lovers, there’s-only-one-hurricane story about belonging, friendship, and love.

What a wild & twisty ride. What a crazy story. I absolutely loved it! Alice & Jamie have been happily married for years. After a break-in in which Alice kills the intruder in self defense, she begins to believe this was not a random attack. In questioning everything, she discovers you can never really know someone, even a spouse. Especially a spouse….

Narrated mostly in first person plural, follow a gaggle of young cousins visiting their New England family home trying to find the youngest amongst them, who has mysteriously vanished. Think if Frank & Joe Hardy and Nancy Drew fell down the rabbit hole into an even weirder Wonderland.

A 1910 mansion with twin male heir engagements with one being a childhood girlfriend. The other is a rich heiress with a bossy mother. The estate needs money and the heiress wants independence. Murders with hidden hallways help her discover her talent as a detective. The ending hopes for a sequel.

Deeply affecting and extraordinarily sharp, Misbehaving at the Crossroads is a fine-tuned compilation of history, poetry, and memoir with Black women at its center. Jeffers’ voice is passionate and reflective, contemplating all of the gray areas and messiness of the past and present while calling for foundational change. This will be the most important book you read all year.

Wow. This biography was a beautiful homage to a giant of the science fiction world. Both a beautiful reflection on her personal life and a deep dive into her dozen novels, Positive Obsession is a much deserved look at the immeasurable impact of Octavia Butler.

The definitive account of the rise of Caitlin Clark, On Her Game is a propulsive look at an athlete like no other. Covering every step, shot, and record broken of her already illustrious career, Brennan utilizes unparalleled access to shape a compelling narrative out of Clark’s life, both on and off the court. The result is a fascinating portrait of a once-in-a-generation athlete, one you’ll struggle to put down.

One thing about me: I love a MLM takedown. This one is dishy, not to mention the first of its kind in how it highlights the history of the pyramid scheme and its quirky web of royalty along the way.

For anyone who manages (or wants to start!) a book club, salon, dinner group, or any sort of gathering focused on creating meaningful connection and conversation. Facilitating groups of people can be challenging and rewarding, and here Linda-Marie Barrett packs in personal anecdotes from her own salon and thoughtful ideas for making the most of your gatherings.

It’s clear why Girls’ Guide is often called a handbook for women in their 20s. Follow Jane Rosenal as she falls in love and loses it, lands a dream job then blows it off, cares for and copes with her father’s cancer. Witty, keenly observant, and poetic, this is a great pick for fans of Laurie Colwin novels or Greta Gerwig as Frances Ha.

Patrick Ryan is my best friend, and Buckeye is a novel I’ve watched come into being over the last eight years. I was thrilled to pick it for the First Editions Club, and I wrote a loving letter to herald its arrival. But then John Parker, the wonderful husband of our wonderful children’s book buyer, Rae Ann Parker, read Rae Ann’s advanced copy and wrote a review of Buckeye for Goodreads. So perfect and true were John Parker’s words that we’ve decided to use them for the letter instead. This is what John Parker said:

Reading Buckeye, I fell in love on page 13, and my affection for these characters only deepened over the next 430-plus pages. We meet Cal, Margaret, Becky, and Felix—not through some grand dramatic arc, but through the kind of lived-in detail that makes them feel like your own people. Real enough that you don’t just read about them—you think about them. Worry about them. Want things for them. Get mad at them. Clap your hands a say little “Yay!” for them.

If a John Prine song grew up to be a book, it’d look like Buckeye.

With the possible exception of Becky, who claims to communicate with the spirit world, the settings and situations in this book aren’t particularly unique or groundbreaking. But it walks the old ground with such honesty and credibility. It captures the hard stuff and the tender stuff—what it means to thrive and fail, to make choices and live with them, to get over yourself or not, to face unfairness and keep going anyway.

It’s fiction, clearly. But it reads like truth. Maybe this is what it felt like when To Kill a Mockingbird first came out, before it was a classic—when people just read it and recognized something human and whole.

Thank you, John Parker. I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Enjoy.

Ann Patchett

More about our First Editions Club: Every member receives a first edition of the selected book of the month, signed by the author. Books are carefully chosen by our staff of readers, and our picks have gone on to earn major recognition including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Plus, there’s no membership fee or premium charge for these books. Build a treasured library of signed first editions and always have something great to read! Makes a FABULOUS gift, too.

Jamie Wendon-Dale (transmasc they/them) creates haunted houses for a living. Haunting is their life—but nobody working New Orleans’ spooky circuit actually believes in ghosts.

Edgar Lovejoy (cis he/him) is 100% haunted. No, really. Ghosts have tormented him since childhood and he’s organized his life around attempts to avoid them.

Opposites? Get ready to attract. But while Jamie’s biggest concern is that Edgar sometimes seems a bit distracted, Edgar’s fears are much greater. Not only is he scared of encountering the dearly departed whenever he leaves the house, but he’s terrified of making himself vulnerable to Jamie. After all, how do you tell someone who believes ghosts only exist as smoke and mirrors that you see them everywhere you go? And how can you trust in a happy future when you can’t even believe in yourself?

A little spooky, a little magical, and a whole lot cozy: The Most Unusual Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy will leave you feeling like you’ve found a brand new bookish family of your own.

The Love, Parnassus box is a monthly subscription box for romance readers curated by the experts at Parnassus Books. Each month you will receive a first edition book (which is sometimes signed), a letter from the author, a custom sticker, and a bookmark to track your reading. The Love, Parnassus selection will focus on debut and new-to-you romance authors. Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite romance reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.