Fall into Autumn’s New Book Releases

Fall is a busy season for many: students are returning to class, third quarter tax payments are due, and many Door County businesses are preparing for the peninsula’s autumn festivals. Autumn is also an eventful season for book publishers – it is the season typically reserved for big-name, big-buzz books. This year is no exception; there are a slew of books scheduled for publication over the next few months that are certain to generate excitement and discussion. Here are eight of the season’s riveting new releases.

The Grand Tour by Adam O’Fallon Price

The Grand Tour portrays jaded author Richard Lazar in decline and his biggest fan, a shy and despondent college student. The misfit duo embarks on a hilariously disastrous book tour interspersed with excerpts from Lazar’s novel, putting a literary twist on a road novel that examines books, America and men.

This cross-country novel was published on Aug. 9.

Avid Reader by Robert Gottlieb

Potentially the most celebrated editor of his time, Robert Gottlieb served as the editor in chief at Simon and Schuster, Catch-22 and The American Way of Death having come across his desk. After moving on to Knopf, Gottlieb worked with authors such as Toni Morrison, John le Carré and Michael Crichton. Gottlieb’s is a life founded upon reading, but his account goes beyond the incredible arc of his career to examine the relationship between editor and writer, great friendships and collaborations, and the glory days of publishing.

Gottlieb’s memoir came out Sept. 13.

Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard

Leap into a rip-roaring adventure about Winston Churchill’s experiences in South Africa during the Boer War. Arriving as a journalist in 1899, Churchill and the soldiers he was accompanying were ambushed and taken prisoner. He manages to escape, but must then travel hundreds of miles out of enemy territory with only a wad of cash, four slabs of chocolate, and his wits. Hero of the Empire reveals the makings of a man who would profoundly impact 20th century history.

Millard’s intense biography hit stores Sept. 20.

Truevine by Beth Macy

This devastating narrative tells the true story of George and Willie Muse, two African American brothers born into a sharecropper family. In 1899, the brothers are kidnapped and forced into the circus, acting as supposed cannibals, “sheep-headed men” and “Ambassadors from Mars.” Meanwhile, their mother struggled for 28 years to bring the boys home. Truevine explores whether the brothers were better off living a life of poverty in the Jim Crow South or presenting racist caricatures as international stars.

Macy’s stunning work will be released Oct. 18.

The Comet Seekers by Helen Sedgwick

Róisín and François, an Irish astronomer and a French chef respectively, are inexplicably drawn to each other when they first meet at a research base on the icy continent of Antarctica. What they don’t realize is that their destinies have long been intertwined by the skies in a connection that stretches back centuries. The Comet Seekers reflects on the unknown bonds of the universe in a tale of past, present and future.

The Comet Seekers will be released Oct. 11.

The Terranauts by T. C. Boyle

In the Arizona desert, eight scientists – four men and four women – are sealed inside E2, an artificial ecological system and prototype for a possible off-earth colony. Scrutinized by a skeptical media and curious visitors, the survivalists must face a plethora of disasters, both natural and of their own making, all the while rallying around their motto, “Nothing in, nothing out.” The Terranauts is a story of science, society and survival that is sure to grip you from the beginning.

Snag a copy of Boyle’s newest book on Oct. 25.

Moonglow by Michael Chabon

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay comes a moving and inventive tale examining the destructive power of lies and keeping secrets. A deathbead confession by the narrator’s grandfather reveals the secret history of a man who lived through America’s long 20th century. It’s a story of love, desire, madness, war and adventure. Moonglow takes inspiration from Chabon’s own experience with his terminally ill grandfather, who shared untold stories from his past and of a life long forgotten.

Chabon’s Moonglow will be available Nov. 22 wherever books are sold.

Searching for John Hughes by Jason Diamond

Jason Diamond has been obsessed with John Hughes’ movies for as long as he can remember. This infatuation incites him to write Hughes’ biography – something he has no qualifications or experience doing. In Searching for John Hughes Diamond reflects on his quest that is equal parts hopeless and hilarious. This memoir is a coming-of-age story about big dreams, big failure and the films that gave Diamond comfort in his youth.

Diamond’s uproarious memoir makes its way to bookshelves on Nov. 29.