10 novel ideas for fabulous fall reading
Reese Witherspoon, Michelle Obama, John Grisham, Stephen King and others lead the list of big names.
Fall is always the biggest season of the year for books, and publishers aren’t holding back in 2018. Big names abound: Michelle Obama, Reese Witherspoon, John Grisham, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling (writing as Robert Galbraith) … to name a few. USA TODAY zeroes in on the 10 coolest books for fall.
1“Fear: Trump in the White House” by Bob Woodward (Simon & Schuster, nonfiction, on sale Sept. 11) What it’s about:
The Washington Post veteran (and author of numerous books about U.S. presidents, starting with Richard Nixon) will reveal “the explosive debates that drive decisionmaking in the (Trump) Oval Office, the Situation Room, Air Force One and the White House residence,” according to the publisher.
Cool factor: 2018 has been a busy year for books promising (and delivering) “explosive” revelations about the Trump White House, from Michael Wolff’s blockbuster “Fire and Fury” to Omarosa Manigault Newman’s best-seller “Unhinged.”
2“Whiskey in a Teacup” by Reese Witherspoon (Touchstone, nonfiction, on sale Sept. 18)
What it’s about: A cheeky lifestyle guide/cookbook from the actress celebrating her Southern roots and her love of sweet tea, “hot rollers,” red lipstick and refresher cocktails. Cool factor: Multitasker Witherspoon (“Big Little Lies,” “Shine on With Reese”) finds time to write her first book, which includes a chapter on book club menus (red and white wine!) from the woman who has helped create best-sellers with her own book club.
3“Lethal White” by Robert Galbraith (Mulholland Books, fiction, on sale Sept. 18) What it’s about:
In the fourth book in the Cormoran Strike series, a troubled young man comes to the British P.I.’s office asking for help investigating a crime he thinks he witnessed as a child, then disappears.
Cool factor: The series was adapted for TV as “CB Strike” and aired this year on Cinemax; meanwhile, J.K. Rowling is delivering a new Robert Galbraith (her pseudonym) thriller the same month “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” celebrates the 20th anniversary of its U.S. publication.
4“In Pieces” by Sally Field (Grand Central, nonfiction, on sale Sept. 18)
What it’s about: A very personal memoir, beginning with her childhood, from the actress who graduated from TV’s “Gidget” to become an Academy Award-winning (twice) film star.
Cool factor: Field, 71, gets her turn after onetime beau Burt Reynolds lamented losing “the love of my life” in his 2015 autobiography.
5“Every Breath” by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central, fiction, on sale Oct. 16)
What it’s about: A 36-year-old woman returns to her family cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, where she meets a safari guide from Zimbabwe summoned to America by a letter from a man claiming to be his dad.
Cool factor: I have to admit the author of “The Notebook” and other best-selling romances had me a bit weepy when he spoke at BookExpo America about the inspiration for “Every Breath” – a real mailbox on a deserted beach in North Carolina stuffed full of letters left by passers-by.
6“Unsheltered” by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper, fiction, on sale Oct. 16)
What it’s about: In Vineland, New Jersey, the story of a financially struggling couple in present-day America alternates with that of a Utopian community in Vineland in the late 19th century that faced its own divisive struggles.
Cool factor: This is the novelist's first book since 2012’s wonderful “Flight Behavior”; “Kingsolver (is) at the top of her game,” Publishers Weekly says of “Unsheltered.”
7“The Reckoning” by John Grisham (Doubleday, fiction, on sale Oct. 23)
What it’s about: In 1946 Mississippi, a decorated World War II vet walks into his Methodist church one morning and calmly shoots and kills his friend and pastor for no apparent reason; since this is Grisham, a trial and many twists follow.
Cool factor: And since this is Grisham, is there any reason to doubt that "The Reckoning" will be a No. 1 USA TODAY best-seller, like 23 other Grisham titles, including two from last year (“The Rooster Bar” and “Camino Island”)?
8“Elevation” by Stephen King (Scribner, fiction, on sale Oct. 30)
What it’s about: A man who is mysteriously losing weight battles with the lesbians next door over their dog; but when the residents of Castle Rock, Maine, avoid the women's restaurant, he rallies to the couple's side.
Cool factor: The prolific horror master, who’s already had one hit in 2018 with the fat thriller “The Outsider,” slims down with this 160-page novella.
9“Nine Perfect Strangers” by Liane Moriarty (Flatiron, fiction, on sale Nov. 6)
What it’s about: Frances Welty, a romance writer whose career and love life are on the downswing, hopes to “heal” at a remote wellness resort called Tranquillum House, where the nine guests soon wonder what they’ve signed on for.
Cool factor: This Aussie writer known for her page-turners widened her American fan base with the HBO adaptation of her novel “Big Little Lies,” which is returning for a second season.
10“Becoming” by Michelle Obama (Crown, nonfiction, on sale Nov. 13)
What it’s about: The former first lady reflects on her life, “from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address,” her publisher says.
Cool factor: Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama scored a joint book deal worth a reported $60+ million for their memoirs, and “Becoming” arrives first.