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Fall is the biggest new release season in publishing, and there are so many exciting new books to preorder (or place your library holds on). Strangely, publishers can’t seem to agree on the definition of seasons, so for the purposes of this list, I’m including upcoming books out in September, October, and November. Some of the biggest titles are out this week, so you don’t have long to wait!
These new books out in fall 2024 range from thought-provoking literary fiction to chilling horror, cozy fantasy, and engrossing dark academia reads. There’s something for everyone. If you want even more books to add to your TBR — any why else would you be here? — be sure to also check out The Biggest Book Club Books Coming Out This Fall, The 10 Buzziest New Queer Books Out in Fall 2024, and The Most Anticipated BIPOC Books of the Fall.
If you’re participating in Book Riot’s 2024 Read Harder Challenge, many of these check-off tasks. There’s still time to catch up if you’re behind! I’ve included five more fall new releases at the end of this post that are specifically relevant to Read Harder Challengers. Now, let’s jump into the books!
Entitlement by Rumaan Alam (Sept 17)
From the author of Leave the World Behind (now a Netflix movie) comes a new “novel of money and morality.” It follows Brooke, a woman looking to make a difference and make a name for herself. When she gets a job helping an elderly billionaire give away his fortune, she gets a taste of what it’s like to have proximity to the kind of wealth that can pull the rest of the world into its gravity. This looks like a thought-provoking and unsettling read about the “seductive distortions of money.”
A Sunny Place for Shady People: Stories by Mariana Enriquez, translated by Megan McDowell (Sept 17)
Mariana Enriquez’s haunting novel Our Share of Night solidified her reputation as one of the biggest names in Latin American literature right now. In this collection of short stories, ordinary people in Argentina find their lives upended when they encounter the supernatural, from ghosts and goblins to women who have turned into birds.
An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson (Sept 17)
Dark academia fans, this one is for you! Lennon’s life was falling apart when she was invited to Drayton College. There, she learns to control her supernatural powers of persuasion, bending others’ will to her own. She falls in love with the campus — and maybe with her intimidating mentor, Dante — but the longer she’s there, the more she discovers about the dark history of Drayton College and the danger of her newfound power corrupting her.
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Sept 24)
Do I really need to explain why Sally Rooney is on this list? Her books, like Normal People and Conversations with Friends, have gathered a passionate fanbase. Who else has multiple bookstores hosting midnight release parties these days? Her newest is about two brothers: Peter, a lawyer; and Ivan, a competitive chess player. As they both grieve the loss of their father, they find themselves tangled in unexpected romances.
The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich (Oct 1)
Louise Erdrich is a Pulitzer Prize-winning Ojibwe author of The Round House, The Night Watchman, The Sentence, and many more. As my colleague Erica Ezeifedi describes it, The Mighty Red “follows messy lives against a backdrop of resources being sucked dry through climate changes and the 2008 recession. Gary is a young man about to inherit two farms, and is set on marrying lapsed Goth Kismet Poe, while Hugo’s messy, red-headed behind wants to steal her for himself. Amidst the drama, the people of the Red River Valley try their best to survive, while things like visions of angels and drastic changes complicate things.”
Model Home by Rivers Solomon (Oct 1)
The author of genre-defying novels like An Unkindness of Ghosts and Sorrowland is back with a take on haunted houses like no other. The Maxwell siblings grew up the only Black family in their neighborhood, in a house haunted by unexplained phenomena. Their mother refused to give the house up, so they endured — but as adults, they avoid it at all costs. When their parents die, they’re forced to walk inside again to determine what led to their demise. Rivers Solomon draws on real-life horrors of racism and segregation in this unforgettable haunted house story.
Before We Forget Kindness (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #5) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Nov 5)
I left sequels off this list for the most part, but I had to make an exception for this beloved series. Start with the first book: Before the Coffee Gets Cold. In this volume, we meet four new guests, each looking for closure and comfort in their past so that they can move on. One woman holds a child with no name. Another guest is a boy who wants to show his smile to his divorced parents.
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong (Nov 5)
Speaking of comforting reads, this cozy fantasy book is a perfect pick-me-up. Tao is a traveling fortune teller running from her past. She only tells small fortunes: inconsequential details of your future, like when the cow will calve. She knows where dealing in big fortunes leads. When an ex-thief and ex-mercenary ask for her help in finding a lost child, she finds an unexpected community. They’re soon joined by a baker and a “slightly magical” cat. To protect her found family, though, she’ll have to face her past.
The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami, translated by Philip Gabriel (Nov 19)
Haruki Murakami is another author who needs no introduction: his surreal literary fiction books are international bestsellers. Here’s how fellow Book Riot editor Erica Ezeifedi describes it: “A new Murakami is always going to make waves, and this is his first in six years. Fans of the author will find the Town here familiar. It’s where a Dream Reader reviews dreams and where shadows go on their own way. There’s love, noir, pop culture, jazz, libraries, and the intriguing otherworldliness that we’ve come to expect from Murakami.”
Darkly by Marisha Pessl (Nov 26)
The author of Night Film is bringing her skill with puzzle-box plots to YA literature. Louisiana Veda was a game designer who gathered a cult following — and made a fortune — with her dark, mind-bending toys and games. Now, the Louisiana Veda Foundation has offered a summer internship to seven teens, including Dia. She quickly discovers the foundation and the other interns are hiding something, and there is a labyrinth of clues to uncover to put together what’s really happening.
This is just a taste of the new books out in fall 2024, but it gives you a head start in getting your most important library holds and preorders in!
Below, I have five more fall 2024 releases that check off tasks for the 2024 Read Harder Challenge, though many of the above do, too! For example, the Intermezzo midnight release parties would be perfect for task #14: Read a book by an author with an upcoming event (virtual or in person) and then attend the event. The books in translation might complete task #8: Read a book in translation from a country you’ve never visited. The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong is a great choice for task #1: Read a cozy fantasy book. But let’s not stop there: here are five more upcoming books that complete Read Harder tasks.
Fall 2024 Releases That Check Off Read Harder Tasks
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