25 Books to Recommend to Readers This Fall

Greetings, bookish blog readers! Though you might currently be using a handy paperback to fan yourself in the heat of summer, fall is approaching fast. Perhaps that signals a downshift in activity at your library, or perhaps it means kicking into high gear. In either case, here are the 25 books you'll want to recommend to readers this fall.

If your library subscribes to LibraryAware, you'll get these titles, and many more, sent directly to your patrons' inboxes as part of NextReads newsletters. NextReads is also an easy way for library workers to stay up to date! NextReads are curated by the human book experts at NoveList. They’re linked to your catalog and go out automatically to interested readers. 

Mysteries, thrillers, and suspense 

Fans of these three genres are in for several treats this autumn, with new books from Attica Locke (Guide Me Home), Michael Connelly (The Waiting), and Jesse Q. Sutanto (You Will Never Be Me), as well as Maureen Johnson (Death at Morning House) and Karen M. McManus (Such Charming Liars) for Young Adult (YA) readers. 

Kids, tweens, and teens 

Young readers will be excited to discover fresh books from popular authors like Annie Barrows (Stella & Marigold) and Kwame Mbalia (Jax Freeman and the Phantom Shriek). Several middle-grade authors have picture books to offer this fall as well, such as Meg Medina (No More Señora Mimí), Veera Hiranandani (The Greatest), and Katherine Arden (The Strangest Fish). 

And autumn is the peak season for big-name teen lit. Look out for Twenty-Four Seconds from Now... by Jason Reynolds, Heir by Sabaa Tahir, and When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson. 

Notable authors 

Notable names are plentiful for adult readers this fall. Lovers of literary fiction can look forward to The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich, Playground by Richard Powers, and Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst. Meanwhile, those who prefer speculative stories may be excited by offerings from Nnedi Okorafor (She Who Knows), Gabino Iglesias (House of Bone and Rain), and Catherynne M. Valente (Space Oddity). 

Travel and romance mix 

Tourism and true love make delicious combinations in some of this fall’s featured romances, such as Casey McQuiston’s The Pairing and Adam & Evie's Matchmaking Tour by Nora Nguyen.  

Biography and memoir 

Those who love personal stories will enjoy a fall packed with high-profile authors, including Connie by Connie Chung, Lovely One: A Memoir by Ketanji Brown Jackson, Who Could Ever Love You by Mary L. Trump, and Farewell Yellow Brick Road by Elton John. 

Start planning your fall book displays

Now that you have a list of great books to recommend to readers of all ages, it's time to put a fall book display on your calendar. Here's a free sign to draw attention to the display and entice readers to cozy up with a book as the leaves fall.

Rebecca Honeycutt is the Senior Readers' Advisory Librarian for NoveList. She is reading Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell.