The 20 Best Books to Read This Fall

"Slightly bent" furniture salesman Ray Carney navigates crime and family in a beautifully rendered 1960s Harlem. Another triumph from Pulitzer winner Whitehead. — reviewed by Lynn Brown

(Sept.) FICTION

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A masterful, enchanting collection of stories illuminating the spectrum of human love — the platonic, the unrequited, the forbidden and the unconditional. — reviewed by Emma Dries

(Nov.) FICTION

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Moriarty (Big Little Lies) has an eye for the telling detail that rivals Anne Tyler's — and a knack for building suspense. This tale of a tennis mom gone missing will keep you guessing. — reviewed by Kim Hubbard

(Sept.) FICTION

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Heading for a new life in California in 1954, a Nebraskan and his little brother are detoured to unexpected adventures in New York. An enthralling odyssey from the author of A Gentleman in Moscow. — reviewed by Robin Micheli

(Oct.) FICTION

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Doerr connects seemingly disparate story lines — from the 15th century, modern Idaho and a spaceship in the future — with a Greek myth about the search for utopia. Epic and profound. — reviewed by Claire Martin

(Sept.) FICTION

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They grew up in the same South Side Chicago neighborhood. The author succeeds; her sister and best friend don't. A remarkable memoir about their bond — and Turner's refusal to leave them behind. — reviewed by Benilde Little

(Sept.) NONFICTION

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The beloved novelist and bookstore owner invites us into her world in 22 essays about family, friendship and the writing life, with guest appearances by Tom Hanks and Snoopy. — reviewed by Marion Winik

(Nov.) NONFICTION

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Babe Paley, Slim Keith, C.Z. Guest... they were the stars of '50s and '60s society. They were also the women Truman Capote loved, flattered — and betrayed. A fascinating look at their world. — reviewed by Judith Newman

(Oct.) NONFICTION

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With a show opening on Broadway and newborn twins in her arms, this MacArthur-winning playwright lost the ability to smile. Her long journey with Bell's palsy is recounted with humor and wisdom. — reviewed by Marion Winik

(Oct.) NONFICTION

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The author and her mother came to the U.S. as undocumented immigrants, hungry and terrified as they worked in a sweatshop in New York's Chinatown. Now she honors their long-buried story. — reviewed by Marion Winik

(Sept.) NONFICTION

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A suspicious death in her hometown sends Swedish cop Eira Sjödin back to a crime that haunted her childhood. Beautifully elegiac and intricately plotted, this is Nordic noir at its best. — reviewed by Ellen Shapiro

(Sept.) MYSTERY/THRILLER

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The septuagenarian sleuths of The Thursday Murder Club don't miss a beat as they track down stolen diamonds, tangle with killers and debate the merits of adopting a dog named Alan. — reviewed by Ellen Shapiro

(Sept.) MYSTERY/THRILLER

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This pulsating thriller — coauthored by a mystery master and the ultimate government insider — pits a novice Secretary of State against evildoers both worlds away and terrifyingly close to home. — reviewed by Ellen Shapiro

(Oct.) MYSTERY/THRILLER

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Mickie Lambert is creating a digital scrapbook for the owner of an L.A. curio shop. When the client dies, the objects she's left behind point in an ominous direction. A gripping original. — reviewed by Ellen Shapiro

(Sept.) MYSTERY/THRILLER

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This splendid, posthumously published finale to the spy writer's legendary career follows a bookstore owner caught in the machinations of a dysfunctional British intelligence service. — reviewed by Ellen Shapiro

(Oct.) MYSTERY/THRILLER

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When Frido's owner leaves for work, the party starts! A stylish day-in-the-life account of a peppy pup who knows how to entertain herself. — reviewed by Sue Corbett

(July) KIDS/TEENS, 3-5

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A pied piper (with a guitar) collects a band of kids, spreading kindness and promoting changes to the way we treat one another and the planet. — reviewed by Sue Corbett 

(Sept.) KIDS/TEENS, 4-8

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A monk finds a girl in a barn. She can't remember her name, but she can read, which means she belongs to someone rich and important. Could she be the girl prophesized to "unseat a king?" — reviewed by Sue Corbett 

(Sept.) KIDS/TEENS, 8-12

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A boy and his mom are stuck at the U.S.-Canada border when she insists their citizenship is "Blackfoot" and guards say it must be either Canadian or American. A timely graphic novel about identity. — reviewed by Sue Corbett

(Sept.) KIDS/TEENS, 8-12

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Seventeen-year-old Evie Parker is shattered by her father's unexpected death — and then by the shocking secrets she learns he had been keeping. — reviewed by Sue Corbett

(July) KIDS/TEENS, Young Adult

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