The Best New Books to Read for Fall 2026
Fall makes me want to put a pot of soup on the stove, pour a cup of tea, and curl up with a good book. Add a soft throw and an afternoon with nowhere I need to be, and I’m perfectly content.
I’ve gathered some books that have caught my eye for fall, and I’d love to hear what you’re reading. Many of you are voracious readers, and I always look forward to your recommendations. Please add your favorites in the comments so we can all find our next good read.
The Best New Books to Read for Fall: 2026 New Book Releases
The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon
The Pirate Queen tells the story of Grace O’Malley, the legendary Irish woman who became known as the Pirate Queen, and her fight to protect her family and her land in sixteenth-century Ireland. With history, adventure, and a fascinating woman at the center of the story, this sounds like such a fun escape. I love discovering stories about women from history that I don’t know much about, so this one is high on my list.
The Thoroughbreds by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham
If you read The Academy last year, Elin Hilderbrand and her daughter Shelby Cunningham are back with the second book in the series. The Thoroughbreds returns to Tiffin Academy for senior year, where college applications, complicated relationships, old secrets, and plenty of boarding school drama are all competing for attention. It sounds like one of those books where everyone has something going on, and naturally, very little stays secret for long.
Our Noble Selves by Kate Atkinson
Set in London in 1951, Our Noble Selves follows former war correspondent Harry Flynn as he becomes involved in the disappearance of a Frenchwoman while working on the Festival of Britain. It combines postwar history with a mystery and Kate Atkinson’s trademark dry humor.
Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley & Agatha Christie
A luxurious hotel in the Swiss Alps, a snowstorm, and a murder make Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel sound like a fun new mystery for fall. Miss Marple is enjoying a rare holiday when a guest is found dead and everyone is suddenly stranded at the hotel.
The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke
Six authors are invited to a remote Scottish island to finish the final novel of a famous writer, with a major publishing deal at stake. When the writer is found dead, they have to figure out what happened while also trying to finish his book. The book within a book premise of The Ending Writes Itself is one I haven’t seen before and am intrigued by.
Partita by Barbara Kingsolver
Partita follows Livia Cable, a talented young pianist from Tennessee whose life takes her in a very different direction than she imagined. The story moves between her younger years and later life as she reflects on love, music, family, and the choices she made along the way.
We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman
If you loved Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, you may want to add We Chase Shadows to your fall reading list. This latest mystery follows Amy, Rosie, and Steve as they investigate a murder at a private villa in the Italian hills, with the case taking them across Europe and beyond.
Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult
Hollow Bones follows Molly Fitzgerald, whose mother died on September 11 when Molly was just two months old. Now working in emergency preparedness, Molly has built her life around preparing for the unexpected, until an event of her own forces her to confront the past. This sounds like a more emotional read, but Jodi Picoult is always an author I’m looking out for, so if you’re in the mood for a something a little more serious, this may be worth adding to your list.
Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty
If you loved Big Little Lies, you’ll want to know that Liane Moriarty is bringing Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie back in Big Little Truths. Twelve years have passed, their children are now teenagers, and a new mystery brings the women back into each other’s lives. I’m so excited to see where these characters are after all this time. I’ve been waiting for this one!
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
The Things We Never Say follows Artie Dam, a beloved teacher in a small Massachusetts community, and the people whose lives become connected to his. The story explores family, friendship, loneliness, and the things we often leave unsaid. With its New England setting and quiet, thoughtful story, this feels exactly like the kind of book for fall.
More Books to Read for Fall 2026:
- Entitlement follows the intertwined lives of two families from different backgrounds as they navigate the challenges of ambition and privilege.
- The Dead Romantics is about a romance novelist who returns to her hometown after some unexpected twists in her life. There, she encounters a witty ghost that helps her navigate love and rediscover her creative spark in the most unusual way.
- If you’re looking for a feel-good story, check out The Keeper of Happy Endings. It’s about a talented seamstress whose creations have the magical ability to connect people seeking love and second chances.
Looking for More Book Recommendations?
I’m never short on books I want to read. Time to read them all is another matter entirely. If you’re looking for more to add to your stack, take a peek at my favorite new books from spring 2026 and summer 2026.
For something a little different, I’ve also shared travel books that will inspire your wanderlust and some books on healthy aging and self-development.
Be sure to read the comments on those posts, too. You ladies always leave terrific recommendations, and I’ve added more than a few of them to my own list.
What’s the latest book you’ve read that you couldn’t put down?
Loved The Things We Never Say – and have you read The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett ? I adored it !!!
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout. Loved this book so chose it for my book club. I think it’s her best book.
Great list! I recommend Theo of Golden and The Correspondent.
Louise Penny’s series about Armand Garmache which takes place in Three Pines, Canada….great books!
I love that series!
Marriage at Sea. At first, I thought it was fiction and it wasn’t till the end of the book when I realized it was a true story. It’s a pretty amazing story of a couple who survive a long period living on the ocean.
If you like the Ariel Lawhon book, consider her book, “The Frozen River”. Our book club really enjoyed it.
Barbara
If like the Ariel Lawhon book, consider her book, “The Frozen River”. Our book club really enjoyed it.
Barbara
I have read The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout. It was a great read and such an insight to America
Always such great suggestions from everyone! I’m currently listening to Judge Stone by James Patterson & Viola Davis, who also reads it. It’s quite interesting and thought provoking. I’m also reading Claire McCardell, The Designer Who Set Women Free. She was a designer in the early/mid 1900s. We can thank her for easy to wear separates and pockets!
I loved The Things We Never Say! Another wonderful book is This Is Happiness. A beautiful book by an Niall Williams. It was recommended by Anne Patchett in her New to You videos.
Louise Penny has a new Chief Inspector Gamache book out this month: Miss Wolcott’s Ghost. Number 21 in the series. I can’t wait – I already pre-ordered it from Amazon!
I love that series! Thanks Sue
Thank you for the amazing book suggestions
Appreciate all you do
All these suggestions are wonderful. My list for future reads has grown by leaps and bounds. Once I finish a book, it becomes hard to choose the next read without good recommendations. My mother would sit for hours reading books. My sister would load books onto her Kindle, and she would read away. I am going to check out the past post to add to my list.
Thanks again for the wonderful post.
The Pirate Queen is next in my stack!
I’ve read and enjoyed several of the books listed, but my favorite recent read is Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth.
Yes, cooler temps and shorter days make me want to curl up with a book. Reading is such a great pleasure.
Oh, I love to hear what other people are reading. I really enjoyed Isola by Allegra Goodman and I am currently reading Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy.
Thanks for sharing.
Gretchen
I recently finished Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See. I’ve read several of her books about Chinese women set in various historical times. This one is set in Los Angeles in the 1870’s. I’m looking forward to reading Liane Moriarty’s new book!
The Orchard by Peter Heller
For Halloween: Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
My Friends by Stephen Bakman
I recommend Good People by Patmeena Sabit. It’s up to the reader to decide what happened!
Great list of books! I am reading big little truths by Liane Moriarty. I’ve read all her books and they are all good. I really like Elizabeth Strout. There is just something simple and straightforward about her writing. Also Elin Hilderbrand is great too.
I just loved Whistler by Ann Patchett. I loved it so much that when I finished I flipped it over and read it again. It’s a lovely story about the persistence of love.
Wow, that’s quite an endorsement Terry.
I didn’t re-read, but totally agree. Loved this book! I can still imagine the world Ann Patchett created as if I’d walked around in it myself.
I recently read and loved “The Calamity Club.” Go-to authors include Susan Isaacs, Tana French, Richard Russo (“Bridge of Sighs” will break your heart), Ann Patchett. Also the Gamache mystery novels by Louise Penny (best read in order). I’m delighted to learn there’s a new Kate Atkinson!
A book I really enjoyed recently was Buckeye by Patrick Ryan. Looking forward to reading some of your suggestions!
You have some wonderful suggestions! Love anything by Liane Moriarty. I read the recent one and then went back and reread “Big Little Lies” to reacquaint myself with all the ladies in the book since it had been years since I read the book. I would strongly suggest reading the Lady Sherlock Series by Sherry Thomas. There are 9 books in the series (so far). I read them all in order which I think helps with the characters. The first one is A Study in Scarlet Women. This book has a young woman who creates Sherlock Holmes and then fills in for him since a young woman could not possibly be as intelligent as a man. It’s set in Victorian England. Fantastic series!
It sounds like a great series.
Thanks for the book suggestions. I have a few of my own that were good: This Book Made Me Think of You, Broken Country, Heartwood, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, Door to Door Bookstore.
Thanks so much, Jennifer and everyone! Excited and grateful to have such a rich list of books as we head into autumn and winter in New England.
Yes! I love hearing everyone’s suggestions.
Added to AMZN cart: Things We Never Say; The Ending Writes Itself (as a gift for a friend who loves mysteries); and The Pirate Queen (I had previously read a review of it and seeing your mention here reminds me). In fact, I had thought of going as Grace O’Malley to neighborhood Halloween party but alas, we will be out of town for that!
If you like big books (656 pages!), I recommend American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee. I’m halfway through and completely loving it. It’s the kind of book where you look up from the page and have no clue where you actually are — a soup-burning kind of book, LOL.
That sounds amazing Annie
Great list, Jennifer. I can highly recommend The Things We Never Say. Artie Dam is everyone.
That’s a new one to me. Thanks Kathy.
I have a MUST read for everyone. “THEO OF GOLDEN” by: Allan Levi. I read a lot and it was one of my favorite! 😊
I just finished the 8th book in the Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion series and cannot wait for the 9th to be released. Didn’t expect to like it as much as I do, but I got sucked in almost immediately.
Sounds great!!
Loved, loved that series by Emma M. Lion!
Thanks for the reading list suggestions, they have been added to my list.😊
A book I read recently and have shared is by Australian author Pip Williams. “The Dictionary of lost Words” is historical fiction, beautifully written. It is about the compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary and how words were chosen for inclusion, mainly by men.
Women’s words? Not so much. Did that mean words had different meanings for men and women?
All this at the time of world war 1 and the women’s suffrage movement in the UK.
This book has made me think about all the words we use today and what has been lost or changed.
That sounds fascinating
Thanks for all the book recommendations! One book I recently enjoyed reading is The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. I predict that this book will be made into a movie.
Try All That’s Unseen: An Appalachian Memoir by Emilee Hackney. True story that I could not put down!
The best book I’ve read in a long time is “The Calamity Club” by Kathryn Sockett (who wrote “The Help”). I didn’t want it to end.
I loved The Help.
I agree with you Jennifer. A cup of tea, soup on the stove and a good book sounds like a great way to spend a fall day. I just finished Hollow Bones and it’s still on my mind. I’ve also read The Thoroughbreds and the sequel. I enjoyed them, but not Elin Hildebrand’s best books in my opinion. I’d add Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth to that list. Loved this book and the quirky Mabel. As an avid reader, I appreciate all the suggestions. Thank you.
It’s a perfect day for me
I loved Mad Mabel!
Thanks for bringing these books to my attention. My reading stack keeps expanding. I recently finished reading The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford and can’t stop thinking about it. Multi-layered, entertaining, and an element of time travel.
Love having these book recommendations. I will definitely check out the new book from Ariel Lawhon as I enjoyed “The Frozen River” I’ve just finished reading “The Passing Bells” by Phillip Rock. Book one of a trilogy. Passing Bells was recommended to me by my sister-in-law. The book felt a bit like Downton Abbey at the start – which isn’t really me – but I persevered and found it to be quite good although sad in places as it takes the characters through WW1. I’m now on book two which starts in 1921.