september books

something to look forward to!

Hey! You’re here. Thank you!

How are we doing? We are eleven days away from the start of the -ber months and thirty three days from the autumnal equinox. My time is coming. Readers, our time is coming.

Listen, I’m not here to wish away summer. Let’s frolic in the sun every minute we can, but I’m just saying I smell cozy season coming around the corner and I, for one, am seated and ready.

my vibe

With that in mind, here is a list of September new releases I am looking forward to.

Before we begin, a caveat. I am not going to read all these books. There is no way!

It’s possible to be squashed under the tyranny of the TBR. TBR = To Be Read List if you are cool like that. Trust me, I get it. If you feel overwhelmed by the incredible new books coming out every week, I would invite you to settle into the abundance. We’re not going to read them all, but we have to trust the books we need will find us.

Or let yourself be overwhelmed by books, because in my experience that’s a whole heck of a lot better than all the other things we could be overwhelmed by… ha ha sob sob.

We’re Alone by Edwidge Danticat // Out September 3rd

I’ve read some of Edwidge Danticat’s nonfiction in bits and pieces over the years and so many readers I admire love and cherish her work. This essay collection is billed as “a book that asks us to think through some of the world’s most intractable problems…” which, you know, I don’t necessarily want to, but I think in the hands of this author I can try.

Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner // Out September 3rd

This novel is in the lucky, happy position of being longlisted for the Booker prize before she is even out in the world! You know those publishers are happy. Anyway, this one is a literary spy thriller about “a seductive and cunning American woman who infiltrates an anarchist collective in France.” I’ve seen some positive bookstagram buzz for this one so I am intrigued!

Colored Television by Danzy Senna // Out September 3rd

I haven’t read anything by Danzy Senna, but I am looking forward to starting with this novel billed as a “dark comedy about love and ambition, failure and reinvention, and the racial-identity industrial complex.”

Traci Thomas

has been championing this book for months now and in this house, we listen to Traci.

Rage: On Being Queer, Black, Brilliant… and Completely Over It by Lester Fabian Brathwaite // Out September 10th

I don’t know much about this one, but the title and the cover really say it all and I love that. I’m listening.

From the Ashes: Grief and Revolution in a World on Fire by Sarah Jaffe // Out September 10th

I am drawn to books about the personal experience of grief, but I have never read one specifically about public grief and the politics of grief and mourning. This one might be too academic for me, but the topic really peaked my interest.

Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout // Out September 10th

I love Elizabeth Strout’s work. I’m going to read it all. I love how she has built a world of interconnected characters and places that now span multiple novels. It’s like the worldbuilding in a complex high-fantasy series, expect it’s rural Maine. Apparently in this one Lucy and Olive finally meet? Legendary.

Entitlement by Rumaan Alam // Out September 17th

I didn’t read Alam’s previous novel, Leave the World Behind, but I know so many readers who couldn’t stop talking about it, so I don’t want to miss this one. Entitlement is billed as “a novel of money and mortality,” and those aren’t my favorite things, but let’s see what he does with it.

A Bit Much: Poems by Lyndsay Rush // Out September 17th

I first encountered

Lyndsay Rush

through her instagram @maryoliversdrunkcousin and I’ve been a fan ever since. That instagram handle really tells you all you need to know. The title of the collection comes from this poem, which is one I return to again and again.

The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop // Out September 17th

Okay I really buried the lede here. If we are being honest this is probably my most anticipated book of the year. If you have been following me for any amount of time you must know that the importance of Gilmore Girls to my mental wellbeing cannot be overstated. And I can tell on 834596737th rewatch, a person really learns to respect one Emily Gilmore, our original diabolical, demure queen.

We have so much to look forward to! I’m just glad I get to do it all with you.

Tell me - are you excited about any of these titles? What’s on your Fall TBR? How do you handle TBR overwhelm? Which Emily Gilmore moment is your favorite?

Be as good to yourself as you can.

Love,

Rosamond