September brings the unofficial start of the big fall reading season, with highly anticipated novels, returning favorites, and ambitious new stories arriving throughout the month. From literary fiction and family drama to thrillers and speculative fiction, these ten new releases are worth adding to your fall reading list.

The Best New Books To Read In September 2026

1. The Disappearers by Marlon James

Set against the vibrant and dangerous world of 1980s Jamaica, this sweeping novel explores queer identity, friendship, violence, and survival in the aftermath of a devastating attack.

2. Before You Were Anne by Emiko Jean

When a woman is murdered and her daughter disappears, detective Chelsey Calhoun uncovers a tangled legacy of violence and survival stretching from Japan to Seattle.

3. American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee

Spanning Korea, Australia, and the United States from the 1990s through 2008, this multigenerational family saga explores immigration, sacrifice, ambition, memory, and belonging.

4. The Strangers by Naomi Alderman

Following a novelist grieving her mother, this genre-bending story begins with the discovery of an entirely new animal species and expands into a provocative examination of humanity’s relationship with the natural world.

5. Ply by Hernan Diaz

In a far-future world where society is being reinvented, an orphan turned electricity thief finds herself drawn into an underground world of art, music, technology, and new forms of human connection.

6. The French Illusion by John Grisham

A romantic Paris honeymoon turns into a nightmare when a newlywed couple is kidnapped, launching an international investigation involving the FBI, CIA, and French intelligence.

7. The Weight of Angels by John Boyne

Boyne’s new novel delves into the complicated bonds between parents and children, examining the lasting consequences of family secrets and the burdens we carry through generations.

8. Under Story by Chloe Benjamin

Boyne’s new novel delves into the complicated bonds between parents and children, examining the lasting consequences of family secrets and the burdens we carry through generations.

9. The American Way of Killing by Malcolm Gladwell

Boyne’s new novel delves into the complicated bonds between parents and children, examining the lasting consequences of family secrets and the burdens we carry through generations.

10. Hollywood, Ending by John Green

Boyne’s new novel delves into the complicated bonds between parents and children, examining the lasting consequences of family secrets and the burdens we carry through generations.

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