Fall’s new releases are flush with bold debut writers, big thinkers and best-selling novelists.

Books that will change your perspective

Five Manifestos For The Beautiful World, Christina Sharpe, $34

 

We all know our world is in trouble, but how many of us have actual ideas to fix it? Last November, Toronto’s York University and Knopf Canada brought together global big thinkers—from Canada to Kenya to Brazil—for the second annual Alchemy Lecture, a collaboration that fosters ways of getting us to a better future. In this volume, the lecture is reproduced so we can answer these calls to action.

+ 5 more topical tomes to open your mind

• Our Green Heart, Diana Beresford-Kroeger, $34
• Sky Full of Elephants, Cebo Campbell, $35
• The World in Books: 52 Works of Great Short Nonfiction, Kenneth C. Davis, $40
• At a Loss for Words, Carol Off, $37
• What She Said: Conversations About Equality, Elizabeth Renzetti, $34

Book that you won't be able to put down

Here One Moment, Liane Moriarty, $38

 

“Fate won’t be fought,” says the lady on the plane as she points to other passengers and predicts how and when they will die. Who is she? Is she psychic? Is it destiny? Liane Moriarty’s latest examines the insidious uncertainties of modern life as she chronicles, in alternating chapters, the life of the woman who made these declarations and the effects they have on the people she speaks to.

+ 6 more must-reads by best-selling writers

• The Night We Lost Him, Laura Dave, $37
• Karla's Choice: A John Le Carré Novel, Nick Harkaway, $36
• The Blue Hour, Paula Hawkins, $36
• Shock Induction, Chuck Palahniuk, $35
• Intermezzo, Sally Rooney, $38
• Counting Miracles, Nicholas Sparks, $37

Mini Trend: Social Climbing 

Dark-humoured novels centred on internet trolls and social media exchanges are on the rise! Watch for more like these new titles.

• Dear Dickhead, Virginie Despentes, $37
• Snake Oil, Kelsey Rae Dimberg, $37
• The Most Famous Girl in the World, Iman Hariri-Kia, $26
• Hate Follow, Erin Quinn-Kong, $24

Books we've been waiting for

The Last One at the Wedding, Jason Rekulak, $26

 

We often read about mother-daughter relationships, but in this new domestic suspense from acclaimed author Jason Rekulak, it’s a father and daughter at the fore. When down-to-earth Frank Szatowski receives a call from his estranged daughter, Maggie, inviting him to her wedding at an upscale resort, he’s determined to go and mend fences. When he arrives, however, he realizes not all is as it should be, and has to risk everything to find the truth about the family Maggie is marrying into.

+ 6 more buzz-worthy books from award-winning authors

• The Mighty Red, Louise Erdrich, $26
• Creation Lake, Rachel Kushner, $40
• The Boyfriend, Freida McFadden, $27
• The Grey Wolf, Louise Penny, $40
• Tell Me Everything, Elizabeth Strout, $40
• Real Ones, Katherena Vermette, $35

Books that will make your heart melt

Catch and Keep, Erin Hahn, $24

 

Does a relationship that’s easy mean it’s not deep and lasting? That’s the premise of Catch and Keep. In this charming romance, 33-year-old Maren has ditched her unsatisfying job and predictable boyfriend in favour of her inheritance: a rundown bait shop in northern Wisconsin. There, she meets resort owner Josiah and his two kids, and they’re in love before they know it. Now the question is, will this seemingly effortless love story stand the test of time? Scoop this one up and find out!

+ 6 more romantic romps to swoon over

• The Book Swap, Tessa Bickers, $25
• Tattered Stars, Catherine Cowles, $26
• Training the Heart, Paisley Hope, $25
• Stay, Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen, $26
• Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love, Katrina Kwan, $25
• I Did Something Bad, Pyae Moe Thet War, $24

Trend: Music to our Eyes

The music industry intersects with the book trade like never before this season. From love letters to the '90s music scene and romances about pop stars to novels by musicians (50 Cent!!) and soul-blaring memoirs, music is the jam right now. 

• Who's That Girl?, Eve with Kathy Iandoli, $37
• The Accomplice, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, $25
• Proof, Beverly McLachlin, $25
• Wild Eyes, Elsie Silver, $27
• A Love After Midnight, Sister Souljah, $39
• The Lightning Bottles, Marissa Stapley, $27
• Songs for the Brokenhearted, Ayelet Tsabari, $26
• Walking Disaster, Deryck Whibley, $39
• Make me a Mixtape, Jennifer Whiteford, $24

Books about silver-haired journeys

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, Anna Johnston, $26

 

In this warm debut novel, gentle, kindhearted Fred Fife is on the brink—broke, almost homeless and lonely. It seems too good to be true when he’s mistaken for a grumpy resident of the local nur­sing home. Now, living high on bland meals and an adjustable bed, he’s spreading good cheer to everyone, including suspicious caregiver Denise Simms. But the unlikely friendship that develops between these two down­-on­-their­-luck characters ends up heal­ing them both.

+ 5 more yarns featuring seniors with a new lease on life 

• Grounds for Murder, Betty Ternier Daniels, $27
• Our Evenings, Alan Hollinghurst, $32
• Moon Road, Sarah Leipciger, $26 
• How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund?, Anna Montague, $25
• We Solve Murders, Richard Osman, $40 

Books for the adventure-seekers

The Treasure Hunters Club, Tom Ryan, $25

 

Finding idyllic Maple Bay’s legendary lost pirate treasure is the cata­ lyst that brings together three strangers—Maple Bay native Peter Barnett, grieving teen Dandy Feltzen and not­-so­-successful writer Cass Jones—for the lively caper that is this debut adult novel. Digging into the family secrets, hidden messages, cryptic clues and bodies piling up, our three protagonists will have to put their heads together to solve the mystery and discover the loot.

+ 5 more epic adventures to binge 

• The Life Impossible, Matt Haig, $26
• The Examiner, Janice Hallett, $37
• The Capital of Dreams, Heather O'Neill, $35
• Why Mummy Drinks on Holiday, Gill Sims, $24
• The Puzzle Box, Danielle Trussoni, $40

Books that will transport you to another world

This Will Be Fun, E.B. Asher, $22

 

This adult fairy tale is indeed fun! When a group of friends have saved the world but returned home from the battles irrevoca­bly changed, it’s perhaps inevitable that they grow apart. But when Beatrice, Elowen and Clare are invited to the biggest wedding in the land, it’s time they put on their grownup pants and make nice with each other again. It’s a good thing, too, as unresolved feel­ings for each other need sorting out, and a dark evil rears its head again.

+ 6 more out-of-this-world flights of fantasy

• Fear The Flames, Olivia Rose Darling, $39
• Blood of the Old Kings, Sung-il Kim, $37
• The Last Dragon of the East, Katrina Kwan, $25
• Bringer of Dust, J.M. Miro, $40
• Heir, Sabaa Tahir, $30
• For She Is Wrath, Emily Varga, $27

Living Large

We called it last year—autumn is the season for memoirs and self-reflection.

• Heart on my Sleeve, Jeanne Beker, $35
• The Third Gilmore Girl, Kelly Bishop, $39
• Above the Noise, DeMar DeRozan, $33
• A Most Extraordinary Ride, Marc Garneau, $40
• Be Ready When the Luck Happens, Ina Garten, $45
• Dinner for Vampires, Bethany Joy Lenz, $40
• A Rosie Life in Italy, Rosie Meleady, $26
• Scam Goddess, Laci Mosley, $36
• Into the Uncut Grass, Trevor Noah, $35
• Unlike the Rest, Chika Stacy Oriuwa, MD., $35
• Home and Away, Mats Sundin, $40
• Laugh More, Debbie Travis, $36

Books from our favourite series

What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust, Alan Bradley, $36

 

Anyone who’s read Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series knows that the author’s superpowers are creating the pitch-perfect emotional vulnerability and mental prowess of his precocious pre-teen heroine, as well as depicting the sometimes-silly antics and logical deductions of this amazing girl. We’re ecstatic that Flavia has returned in this 11th entry in the beloved series. Here, Flavia must work with trusty Dogger and her “odious” cousin Undine to clear the name of Mrs. Mullet, who is accused of poisoning Major Greyleigh. Huzzah!

+ 6 more series entries we've been waiting for 

• Death at the Sign of the Rook, Kate Atkinson, $38
• Counted Among the Dead, Anne Emery, $25
• Vilest Things, Chloe Gong, $39
• Somewhere Beyond the Sea, T.J. Klune, $39
• The Sequel, Jean Hanff Korelitz, $26
• You Belong With Me, Mhairi McFarlane, $24

Books for the history buffs

The Tapestry of Time, Kate Heartfield, $27

Take two psychic sisters, 70 metres of embroidered linen and a myriad of secrets and you’ve got the basis of this enchanting Second World War blockbuster set in France. Kit and Ivy Sharp’s historian father believes the famed Bayeux Tapestry, depicting the conquest of England in 1066, is not just a record of events but a tool for divination; the Nazis believe it, too. In a thrilling race against time, the sisters must use their gifts to protect the tapestry and thwart the enemy’s plans to use its powers to guide their invasion of Britain.

+ 5 more gripping tales of the Second World War

• The Last Secret, Maia Caron, $25
• The Secret War of Julia Child, Diana R. Chambers, $27
• The Good Allies, Tim Cook, $36
• Book and Dagger, Elyse Graham, $26
• Betrayal at Blackthorn Park, Julia Kelly, $37

Blithe Spirits

It's that spooky time of year, when the witches, ghosts and shivers come out!

• I'll Be Waiting, Kelley Armstrong, $25
• Displeasure Island, Alice Bell, $24
• A New Lease on Death, Olivia Blacke, $37
• The Book of Witching, C.J. Cooke, $26
• The Queen, Nick Cutter, $37
• Bex Hex Ever, Nadia El-Fassi, $25
• The Specimen, Jaima Fixsen, $27
• The Witch of Colchis, Rosie Hewlett, $26
• The Witches of El Paso, Luis Jaramillo, $37
• Magical Meet Cute, Jean Meltzer, $24
• The House at Watch Hill, Karen Marie Moning, $37
• The Fate of Magic, Sara Raasch and Beth Revis, $29
• The Stone Witch of Florence, Anna Rasche, $26
• Haunt Your Heart Out, Amber Roberts, $40
• The Crescent Moon Tearoom, Stacy Sivinski, $26
• The Wedding Witch, Erin Sterling, $24
• If I Stopped Haunting You, Colby Wilkens, $24
• The Hitchcock Hotel, Stephanie Wrobel, $27