Books on Deck: September 2024
Eight books I can't wait to read, plus one September I have already read and LOVED.
September means Fall Book Season. Just like Oscar season for movies, fall is usually a time when books that are said to be in the running for literary prizes are published. All bets are off this year with the publishing calendar because of the chaos around the election, but September looks like a pretty promising month (especially compared to July and August).
Below are eight books I’ve aggressively had my eye on all year. At the end of this post you’ll also find a handful of books I am hoping to dip into as the month goes on, but aren’t at the tip top of my list. This list is organized by pub date. Anything I have already read (or at least started) is in bold.
As a reminder, I try my hardest to keep this lists manageable and free to all. I am only sharing the books I am truly excited about for the month, and not just the buzzy books you can see on all the lists. If you like this list and want more bookish goodness in your inbbox, subscribe to Unstacked.
Here are my most anticipated books of September!
Colored Television by Danzy Senna (September 3)
Danzy Senna is easily one of my favorite writers these days. She is an incredible cultural critic, funny as hell, a little reckless with her characters. She is obsessed with what it is to be mixed (Black and white) in America, which is very me. All of this is present in Colored Television, her latest novel about a novelist who is trying to sell out and break into Hollywood.Guide Me Home by Attica Locke (September 3)
Book three in the Highway 59 trilogy is here! I love the way Locke explores power and race in her books. She gives you intrigue and plot and something to really chew on when it comes to how we relate to one another. In Guide Me Home, Darren Matthews is solving a missing woman case and trying to avoid getting into more trouble with the law.From the Ashes: Grief and Revolution in a World on Fire by Sarah Jaffe (September 10)
for putting this on my radar.
We are living in a moment that feels uniquely defined by loss, from COVID deaths to the slow death of our planet, and this book is exploring collective grief. I love reading about grief on an individual level, but taking that further to the politics of grief is thrilling to me. Shout out toThe Siege: A Six-Day Hostage Crisis and the Daring Special-Forces Operation That Shocked the World by Ben MacIntyre (September 10)
My kind of nonfiction, a high energy revisiting of a cultural/historical moment, with new interviews and perspective. This one is about a 1980 hostage situation at the Iranian embassy in London and the tense six day standoff that followed.Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell (September 10)
When I get a text message from Yahdon Israel, friend of the pod, telling me I gotta read a book, I take that very seriously. The central question of Sky Full of Elephants, a speculative fiction novel, is in a world without white people what does it mean to be Black?Entitlement by Rumaan Alam (September 17)
Brooke is tasked with helping her octogenarian billionaire boss get rid of his fortune before his death. That’s all I know but I loved his previous book Leave the World Behind and that premise is intriguing as hell.The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompson (September 24)
A book that attempts to rewrite the story of the murder of Emmett Till to fully account for those involved, the humanity of the Till family, and Mississippi. This has gotten raves from Kiese Laymon, Imani Perry, and Kaveh Akbar…so yeah, Imma read this.How to Tell When We Will Die: On Pain, Disability, and Doom by Johanna Hedva (September 24)
An essay collection about the inevitability of sickness and disability in life. I saw Hedva talk about this book earlier this year and fell in love with their voice, perspective and sense of humor which meant this got immediately added to the TBR.
And in case that wasn’t enough for you, here are a few more books I am curious about by coming out this month.
We’re Alone: Essays by Edwidge Danticat (September 3)
First in the Family: A Story of Survival, Recovery, and the American Dream by Jessica Hoppe (September 10)
What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures Ayanna Johnson (September 17)
Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I'd Known by George M. Johnson (September 24)
Now it’s your turn. Tell me what books are on your August must read list?
You can always see the forthcoming books I’m looking forward over on bookshop.org!
I need September to COME ON with the good releases! It's historically a good month for books. I read GUIDE ME HOME by Attica Locke and loved it. Ate it in two bites!
The Spy and The Traitor by Macintyre is one of my all-time faves but it's all I've ever read of his. Your mention of The Siege reminded me that I've got to read more. September, my birthday month, is just the best month! 😌