September Releases You Should Know About

I thought I'd share with you some of the books that have come out in September that have peaked my interest.

This first book was originally supposed to be released on September 13th 2016 but the illustrious Oprah chose it for her book club and bumped the release date up to August 2.  Since I didn’t get a chance to tell you about it earlier I’m including it here.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
 

Cora, a slave on a Georgia plantation, escapes via the “Underground Railroad” but in Colson Whitehead’s novel this not a figurative statement, it is a literal Underground Railroad with tracks and stations throughout the South. By taking this step away from reality Whitehead is able to incorporate many of the injustices that have been perpetrated on the African American people throughout history and give us a book that shows us that we still have along way to go to make things right. I am recommending this book to everyone, I think it is a must read for all Americans. (I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.)

Nine Island by Jane Alison

The protagonist of Nine Island is “J” a women in the second half of her life questioning her solitary life. She brings us in through her observations of her life and her neighbor’s lives in an aging Miami high rise and through her work translating Ovid’s stories of transformations (these are my favorite parts of the book) Nine Island is a meditation on love and aging. It asks the question “Can you be alone and happy?”. While addressing some deep age old questions Alison is able to also incorporate humor into the mix. A quiet introspective book I know I will find myself going back to again. (I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.)

Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch

I haven’t finished Dear Mr. M yet but from what I’ve read so far it is a complicated, literary psychological thriller. It’s a story that you learn very slowly who is telling it and where it’s going. It seems to be one that will take time and patience to get through but will be well worth it. I don’t want to put it down. (I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.)

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

I’m really looking forward to reading this one and it’s been suggested to me for book club. “Commonwealth is a meditation on inspiration, interpretation, and the ownership of stories. It is a brilliant and tender tale of the far-reaching ties of love and responsibility that bind us together.” from the back cover

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

I loved ROOM and have been looking forward to see what Emma Donoghue puts out next. The Wonder is it and from the reviews it looks like it’s a good one. I haven’t read anything of Emma Donoghue’s other than ROOM, so it will be interesting to see.

Mischling by Affinity Konar

The premise of this book sounds like a horror story too terrible to endure, the story of twins sent to Auschwitz to end up in Mengele's Human Zoo. However, according to Anthony Doerr, author of All The Light We Cannot See, it may be worth reading. "Mischling is a paradox. It's a beautiful novel about the most odious of crimes, it's a deeply-researched act of remembrance that somehow carries the lightness of a fairy tale, and it's a coming-of-age story about children who aren't allowed to come of age. If your soul can survive the journey, you'll be rewarded by one of the most harrowing, powerful, and imaginative books of the year."

The Hours Count by Jillian Cantor

Out in Paperback this month, The Hours Count sounds like a fascinating piece of historical fiction. “On June 19, 1953, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were executed for conspiring to commit espionage. The day Ethel was first arrested in 1950, she left her two young sons with a neighbor, and she never came home to them again. Brilliantly melding fact and fiction, Jillian Cantor reimagines the life of that neighbor, and the life of Ethel and Julius, an ordinary-seeming Jewish couple who became the only Americans put to death for spying during the Cold War. “ - amazon.com

Irena’s Children by Tilar J. Mazzeo

The fascinating true story of how one woman saved more than 2,500 children from the Nazis. 

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

This one sounds delightful and I can’t wait to read it. “A Gentleman in Moscow...skillfully transports us to The Metropol, the famed Moscow hotel where movie stars and Russian royalty hobnob, where Bolsheviks plot revolutions and intellectuals discuss the merits of contemporary Russian writers, where spies spy, thieves thieve and the danger of twentieth century Russia lurks outside its marbled walls. It’s also where wealthy Count Alexander Rostov lives under house arrest for a poem deemed incendiary by the Bolsheviks, and meets Nina. Nina is a precocious and wide-eyed young girl who holds the keys to the entire hotel, wonders what it means to be a princess, and will irrevocably change his life. Despite being confined to the hallway of the hotel, the Count lives an absorbing, adventure-filled existence, filled with capers, conspiracies and culture. Alexander Rostov is a character for the ages--like Kay Thompson’s Eloise and Wes Anderson’s M. Gustav, he is unflinchingly (and hilariously for readers) devoted to his station, even when forced to wait tables, play hide and seek with a young girl, or confront communism. Towles magnificently conjures the grandeur of the Russian hotel and the vibrancy of the characters that call it home. --Al Woodworth, The Amazon Book Review

Shelter in Place by Alexander Maksik

Set in 1990’s Pacific Northwest, this is the story of 21 year old Joseph March,who’s life is going along smoothly when he starts to suffer the symptoms of bipolar disorder and not long after his mother kills a man. A “literary novel about the hereditary nature of mental illness, the fleeting intensity of youth, the obligations of family, and the dramatic consequences of love.

Lady Cop Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart

Those of you who enjoyed the first Kopp Sisters Novel will be excited to hear the second one is out now. Constance is now fighting crime on the streets of New York and New Jersey. She’s making friends with women reporters and lawyers at a hotel for women. And of course a Kopp sisters novel wouldn’t be complete without Norma and her pigeons and Fleurette’s drama.

The Story of a Brief Marriage by Anuk Arudpragasam

I’ve heard alot of good things about this tiny little book. At only 208 pages and taking place in the period of one day, the story of Dinesh and Ganga’s arranged marriage, in war torn Sri Lanka, is “a meditation on the fundamental elements of human existence—eating, sleeping, washing, touching, speaking—that give us direction and purpose”. This debut novel may be small physically, but it’s big in truth.

The Nix by Nathan Hill

Another debut novel, this one is a big literary fiction novel about a mother and son reunited after more than twenty years. The last time they saw each other? 1988, when she walked out the door and abandoned him before he was eleven years old. She’s re-appeared having committed a crime that gotten media attention. The woman the media portrays and the mother he remembers are quite different, which version of his mother is true? His search to find out the truth uncovers an epic story.

The Loner by Teddy Wayne

“Loner turns the traditional campus novel on its head as it explores ambition, class, and gender politics. It is a stunning and timely literary achievement from one of the rising stars of American fiction.”- amazon.com

That's all I've got. I hope you found some books you are interested in.