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 

  

Glass Houses by Madeline Ashby 

A startup team led by a charismatic billionaire is stranded on a deserted tropical island with a mysterious AI-driven mansion, and soon members begin to disappear one by one. 

  

Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner 

For several terrifying days in 1980, wealthy businessman Carl Fletcher is kidnapped and held for ransom. He’s returned to his family, but 40 years later, his grown children and long-suffering wife still feel the impact of this traumatic event. 

 

Close Knit by Jenny Colgan 

Gertie spends her time knitting and dreaming of leaving the small Scottish island where she lives. She gets the chance to chase her dreams when she takes a job working for the local airline, expanding her world with new friendships and the possibility of romance. 

 

The Wedding People by Alison Espach 

Phoebe Stone is at rock bottom when she is mistaken for a wedding guest while staying at the grand Cornwall Inn. As she unexpectedly becomes the bride’s confidant, she also meets a surprising cast of characters who help her start anew. 

  

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig 

Retired math teacher Grace Winters has been left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend. Game for adventure, she arrives without a plan. Adventure indeed awaits, but so do wonder, hope, mystery, and a new beginning.   

   

Burn by Peter Heller 

Longtime hunting buddies Jess and Storey stumble out of the woods and into a post-apocalyptic Maine after their two-week, off-the-grid moose hunt, forcing them to fight their way home amidst bewildering secessionist violence and a shocking discovery. 

 

Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune 

In this sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea, Arthur Parnassus and his partner Linus will do whatever it takes to care for their magical, soon-to-be-adopted children, even if that means leaving their island home for the first time in decades to appear at a government hearing. 

 

The Thirteenth Husband by Greer Macallister 

Tearing through millions of dollars, four continents, and a hearty collection of husbands, real-life American railroad heiress Aimee Crocker blazed an unbelievable trail of public scandal and private tragedy as she lived life like the kind of strong independent woman the 1880s had never seen. 

 

God of the Woods by Liz Moore 

Many years after her older brother goes missing, Barbara Van Laar vanishes from the same sleepaway camp he did, leading to dark, bitter truths about her wealthy family. 

 

The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 

When beautiful young Mexican actress Vera Larios is plucked out of obscurity to star in an epic film, she unwittingly draws the ire of Nancy Hartley, a white actress who has been struggling and failing to make it big and is convinced that Vera stole her star-making role. 

 

Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik 

These thirteen short stories span the worlds of several of Novik’s previous fantasy series and include a sneak peek at the land where her next novel will be set. 

 

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn 

In 1950 Washington, D.C. at an all-female boardinghouse called Briarwood, widow Grace March moves into the attic room, drawing her oddball collection of neighbors into unlikely friendship. But when a shocking act of violence tears the house apart, the women must expose the true enemy in their midst. 

 

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell 

Shiloh and Cary are teenage best friends who drifted apart. Years later, they crash back into each other’s lives at a friend’s wedding in this contemporary romance novel. 

  

All This and More by Peng Shepherd 

Marsh, a recently divorced paralegal, isn’t happy with her life, so she accepts an offer to star on a reality TV show that uses quantum technology, allowing contestants to rewrite their lives. But it might be too good to be true. This unique novel can be read straight through or in choose-your-own-adventure style. 

 

Five-Star Stranger by Kat Tang 

A New York gig economy worker who makes a living renting himself out as a pretend fiancé, wingman, or extra funeral mourner confronts his own longing for connection when a client blurs the line between what’s real and what’s fake. 

 

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt 

Recently widowed Tova Sullivan copes with her grief by taking a job at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, where she works the night shift and befriends a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus. Marcellus has little use for humans, but he likes Tova and wants to help her. Thirty years ago, Tova’s son disappeared on a boat somewhere in the Puget Sound, and Marcellus thinks he can figure out what happened.   

 

 

Mystery & Thriller 

  

Talking to Strangers by Fiona Barton 

While investigating the Valentine’s Day murder of Karen Simmons, Detective Elise King is derailed by aggressive reporter Kiki Nunn, who sees this case as her opportunity to boost her career and is willing to go up against not only Elise, but also the killer himself to do it. 

 

A Very Woodsy Murder by Ellen Byron 

Divorced sitcom writer Dee escapes Hollywood and embarks on a road trip turned renovation project with her first ex-husband. But when a disrespectful guest is murdered at their ramshackle mountain motel, Dee must navigate meddling park rangers, prowling bears, and her showbiz past to uncover the killer before they strike again. 

 

What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena 

When the body of Diana Brewer is discovered in a hayfield by a local farmer, the small, friendly town of Fairhill, Vermont becomes a place where everyone is a suspect, and everyone wants answers. 

 

Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight 

When her mother Kat, a successful corporate lawyer, goes missing, Cleo discovers Kat is her firm’s fixer. To find her, Cleo must follow shocking clues involving infidelity, blackmail, and death threats, not realizing that as she is drawn deeper into the details of her mother’s life, she too may be in danger. 

  

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman 

Investigator Steve Wheeler comes out of retirement when his daughter-in-law, Amy, needs help finding out who left a dead body on a remote island in this new series launch. 

 

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen 

Eight-year-old Rose, whose parents are in the middle of a contentious divorce, witnesses the death of her nanny. Attorney Stella Hudson is appointed to serve as Rose’s representative in the custody case, but she finds a whole house full of secrets—and suspects. 

 

Where They Last Saw Her by Marcie R. Rendon 

From the award-winning author of the Cash Blackbear series comes a novel of a Native American woman who learns of the disappearance of one of her own and decides enough is enough. 

 

Look in the Mirror by Catherine Steadman 

When her late father leaves her a vacation home she never knew existed, Nina wonders what else he was hiding. She soon finds out the hard way that what you inherit can end up costing your life. 

 

You Will Never Be Me by Jesse Q. Sutanto 

Influencer Meredith helped fellow mom Aspen grow her social media reach, but when Aspen ditches her after hitting it big, Meredith is determined to retaliate. 

 

 

Nonfiction & Biography 

  

Connie: A Memoir by Connie Chung 

Chung, a groundbreaking broadcast journalist, offers a behind-the-scenes account of her life in news, writing about moving up through the newsroom, reporting big stories, and facing sexism. 

 

Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King: Bill Gates and His Quest to Shape Our World by Anupreeta Das 

From the finance editor of The New York Times comes an examination of Bill Gates, one of the most powerful, fascinating, and contradictory figures of the past four decades, and an eye-opening exploration of our national fixation on billionaires. 

 

Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II by Elyse Graham 

Written like a spy thriller, this book details how the U.S. Office of Strategic Services, a precursor to the CIA, recruited academics as spies at the start of WWII. Librarians, humanities professors, and more were trained in tradecraft and undertook missions that helped defeat the Nazis. 

 

We Are Experiencing a Slight Delay: Tips, Tales, Travels by Gary Janetti 

Sharing stories from and personal meditations on his various trips around the world, Janetti tackles the absurdity and glory of travel. He recounts trips both wonderful and disappointing and delivers practical advice on all aspects of a traveler’s life in this sharp-witted and often touching collection. 

 

Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future by Jeremy Kahn 

Tech journalist Khan examines the current AI landscape and offers predictions about AI’s dramatic impacts over the next decade. He examines both the exciting and promising possibilities as well as the disruptive and potentially devastating effects, and ultimately argues that AI should be carefully designed and vigilantly regulated. 

 

Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-than-Human World by Brandon Keim 

Science journalist Keim examines the science of animal intelligence and communication, pushing back against the long-held scientific consensus that animals lack consciousness. In this well-researched account, Keim invites readers to develop empathy and begin to consider animals as our “neighbors” with whom we have much in common. 

 

Alexander at the End of the World: The Forgotten Final Years of Alexander the Great by Rachel Kousser 

This biography of Alexander the Great’s final years focuses on his seven-year journey through the unknown eastern borderlands of the Persian empire to reach Afghanistan and fulfill his quest to rule the world. Meticulously researched and grippingly written, this is an unforgettable tale of daring and adventure and an inspiring portrait of grit and ambition. 

 

Tiger, Tiger by James Patterson 

This biography chronicles the life of Tiger Woods, whose phenomenal success, despite potentially career-ending injuries and multiple public scandals, led to his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame, becoming a lasting influence who continues to inspire every rising generation. 

 

Into Unknown Skies: An Unlikely Team, a Daring Race, and the First Flight Around the World by David K. Randall 

For two decades after the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, the idea of long-distance flight was dismissed as fanciful, until the remarkable 1924 race to circumnavigate the globe for the first time. Through larger-than-life characters, treacherous landings, disease, and triumph, Randall brings to life the race that pitted a team of four underdog American pilots against the best aviators in the world. 

 

Never Saw Me Coming: How I Outsmarted the FBI and the Entire Banking System – and Pocketed $40 Million by Tanya Smith 

A tech genius shares her deeply personal story of how she pulled off an ingenious white-collar scheme, stealing $40 million dollars, and how, after receiving an outrageous prison sentence, she orchestrated her own release. 

 

The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity by Timothy C. Winegard 

This riveting narrative of the horse’s enduring reign across human history shows how this noble animal revolutionized the way we hunted, traded, traveled, farmed, fought, worshipped, and interacted, from the thundering cavalry charges of Alexander the Great to the Great Manure Crisis of 1894 and beyond.