Find that quiet place to get lost in a book
Local meteorologists are forecasting cooler temperatures later this week. Crisp autumn air, apple cider, and flannels are in the near future for those of us in East Tennessee. A new season means new books, and Fall is the busiest and most important publishing season of the year.
I have culled through the long list of upcoming releases and made a list of my most anticipated reads.
Contemporary Fiction
The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw
- September 29, 2026 by Mariner Books
- 432 pages/13 hours 46 minutes
- Debut
- A popular megachurch pastor’s wife looks for acceptance and just when she believes she is within reach, a scandal erupts.
Historical Fiction
The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon
- September 8, 2026 by Doubleday
- 528 pages/18 hours 27 minutes
- The fabled Pirate Queen is Grace O’Malley, an Irish noblewoman who becomes a sea captain to protect her homeland.
Hollow Bones by Jodi Piccoult
- September 15, 2026 by Ballantine Books
- 464 pages/15 hours 39 minutes
- The main character’s mother died on 9/11 and she grew up trying to circumvent life’s disasters. The story begs the question, “How does a person prepare for catastrophe?”
Partita by Barbara Kingsolver
- October 6, 2026 by Faber & Faber
- 408 pages/14 hours 13 minutes
- The story is set in Appalachia in East Tennessee and written by Barbara Kingsolver. What else needs to be said?
Queen of Lombard Street by Lisa Kleypas
- October 20, 2026 by Avon
- 448 pages/15 hours 14 minutes
- I am a Lisa Kleypas completist and she has not published a novel since 2021. As a queen in the Romance genre, her books are always highly anticipated and readers have waited five long years. Queen of Lombard Street is in the Historical Fiction genre but I expect some romance. Kleypas took inspiration from some Victorian women that history forgot to tell a story about a female economist who wants to open a bank in 1880.
Memoir
Dear Dealer: A Memoir by Nadia Bowers
- September 15, 2026 by Gallery Books
- 352 pages/11 hours 35 minutes
- The author writes a letter to the drug dealer who sold the deadly dose of fentanyl to her sister. It expands on her 2018 NPR This American Life I used an Audible credit for this one earlier today.
Death of an Ordinary Man by Sarah Perry
- October 6, 2026 by Jonathan Cape, Ltd.
- 208 pages/5 hours 12 minutes
- The author describes the love and care she and her husband give to her dying father in law.
Thriller
Mr. Disappear by Virginia Trench
- November 10, 2026 by Crown
- 320 pages/10 hours
- Three women come together to catch a con artist.
I have shared only eight books in four genres today. My actual spreadsheet has many more so expect to read about others throughout the remaining -mber months of 2026.
What I am Reading: Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray
What I am Listening to: All That’s Unseen: An Appalachian Memoir by Emilee Hackney
What I am Watching: Lucky
Look for books at Knox County Online Library or your local independent bookstore each week.
Linda Sullivan is an avid reader and wants to inspire you to become one, too. For more recommendations or to talk books, reach out to her at thebookwhisperertn@gmail.com. She can also be found @thebookwhisperertn on Instagram.
Enjoyed this article. Read more Book Whisperer reviews by Linda Sullivan.
Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn. Get all KnoxTNToday articles in one place with our free newsletter. Comments may be sent to news@knoxtntoday.com.
