.png)
Books in September - Book Recommendations
- The Little Bookshop
- Sep 1
- 8 min read
Back to school/work is always better with a great list of new books! And gosh, again, some great new titles are waiting for you. I already can’t wait for many of them. Oh, just so you know: the smaller paperback of Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang is pushed to the 25th of September. And I was waiting for this one :O Yes yes, I keep on “talking” but I bet you want to see our little list of books right now. So let’s take a look, shall we?
Contemporary
Out of the Drowning Deep by A.C. Wise (2 September)
Because this one is for the fans of Becky Chambers and ‘This is How You Lose the Time War’.
Scribe IV is an obsolete automaton living on the Bastion, a secluded monastery in an abandoned corner of the galaxy. When the visiting Pope is found murdered, Scribe IV knows he has very little time before the terrifying Sisters of the Drowned Deep rise up to punish all the Bastion’s residents for their supposed crime. Quin, a recovering drug addict turned private investigator, agrees to take the case. Traumatized by a bizarre experience in his childhood, Quin repeatedly feeds his memories to his lover, the angel Murmuration. But fragmented glimpses of an otherworldly horror he calls the crawling dark continue to haunt his dreams. Meanwhile in heaven, an angel named Angel hears Scribe IV’s prayer. Intrigued by the idea of solving a crime with mortals, xe descends to offer xyr divine assistance. With the Drowned Sisters closing in, Scribe IV, Quin, and Angel race to find out who really murdered the Pope, and why. Quin’s missing memories may hold the key to the case - but is remembering worth what it will cost him?
Uncharmed by Lucy Jane Wood (18 September)
Because I know you all love her previous book ‘Rewitched’!
Annie Wildwood is the perfect witch, her life a haze of pink, magic and impossibly high standards. The proud owner of Celestial Bakehouse, a bustling London bakery, she devotes her powers to pleasing others, and while perfection exacts a magical toll, it’s a price Annie is more than willing to pay. But, when she is tasked by her coven with mentoring a troubled teenage witch, Annie’s charmed existence is thrown into chaos. She and fiery, stubborn Maeve couldn’t be more different, and Hal, the gruff, handsome owner of their temporary lodgings, is not best pleased to find the coven has offered up his woodland cottage home to two headstrong witches. As the unlikely trio slowly bond, outside forces begin to take an interest in Maeve’s extraordinary powers – will Annie risk everything to protect the true magic she’s finally found?
The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman (25 September)
Because I looooove these four characters sooo much!
Who's got time to think about murder when there's a wedding to plan? It’s been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favourite criminal. But when Elizabeth meets a wedding guest who’s in trouble, kidnap and death are hot on their heels once more. A villain wants access to an uncrackable code, and will stop at nothing to get it. Plunged back into action once more, can the gang solve the puzzle and a murder in time?
The Lamb by Lucy Rose (25 September)
Because we’re getting closer to Halloween season!
Margot and Mama have lived by the forest since Margot can remember. When Margot is not at school, they spend quiet days together in their cottage, waiting for strangers to knock on their door. Strays, Mama calls them. Mama loves the strays. She feeds them wine, keeps them warm. Then she satisfies her burning appetite by picking apart their bodies. But Mama’s want is stronger than her hunger sometimes, and when a white-toothed stray named Eden turns up in the heart of a snowstorm, little Margot must confront the shifting dynamics of her family, untangle her own desires and make her own bid for freedom. With this gothic coming-of-age tale, debut novelist Lucy Rose explores how women swallow their anger, desire and animal instincts – and wrings the relationship between mother and daughter until blood drips from it.
YA Books
Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley (4 September)
Because I know you like Angeline Boulley’s previous books as well!
Ever since Lucy Smith’s father died five years ago, “home” has been more of an idea than a place. She knows being on the run is better than anything waiting for her as a “ward of the state”. But when the sharp-eyed and kind Mr. Jameson with an interest in her case comes looking for her, Lucy wonders if hiding from her past will ever truly keep her safe. Five years in the foster system has taught her to be cautious and smart. But she wants to believe Mr. Jameson and his “friend-not-friend”, a tall and fierce-looking woman who say they want to look after her. They also tell Lucy the truth her father hid from her: She is Ojibwe; she has – had – a sister, and more siblings; a grandmother who’d look after her and a home where she would be loved. But Lucy is being followed. The past has destroyed any chance of normal she has had, and now the secrets she’s hiding will swallow her whole and take away the future she always dreamed of.
Empty Heaven by Freddie Kolsch (11 September)
Because like they say: “Empty Heaven is a propulsive and original love story, a darkly funny tribute to the power of queer found family, and a haunting exploration of the hidden horrors of beautiful places.”
Darian Sabine Arden is haunted by a monster who claims to love her. Her only respite is the New England village where she spends summers with her three best friends. Kesuquosh is serene and idyllic, and the townsfolk’s odd worship of a godlike scarecrow only adds to the charming local color. But when Darian pays a surprise Halloween visit to her summer crush—a beautiful, unreadable girl named KJ—just in time to see her swept up in a bizarre harvest ritual, she’s forced to admit that Good Arcturus is more than a quaint superstition. He’s terrifyingly real. Something ancient and sinister lurks behind the dying sunflower fields and glowing windows of Kesuquosh… and in the hearts of the people who live there. Something that doesn’t take kindly to its paradise being threatened. To save KJ—and themselves—Darian and her friends must question everything they thought they knew about their home. And Darian will have to tell the awful truth about the monster that’s been with her all along.
Dangerous Girls by Lisa M. Sylvan (11 September)
Because it’s “an atmospheric gothic fantasy romance for fans of Ninth House” and I looove Leigh Bardugo!
Imogen Brine is undeniably strange. Some would even say dangerous. She can make poisonous flowers grow from her fingertips and her "gift" is becoming harder to control. When she is invited to a secret island to be with other girls – girls with dangerous gifts of their own – it feels like the chance to finally beherself. Somewhere she will fit in. However, not long after her arrival, a deer is found dead with poisonous flowers growing from its corpse. And all eyes are on Imogen. Imogen knows she's been set up. Something on the island feels wrong – and it isn't just the friction with the other girls or the growing tension between her and the son of the island's head of security, Jack. As strange occurrences continue to rock the island, some more dangerous than others, Imogen realizes she will have to work quickly to learn what's causing them. Because things are about to turn deadly. And not all dangerous girls want to be friends.
Fake Skating by Lynn Painter (30 September)
Because this is the author of ‘Better Than the Movies’!
Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar—and maybe snag him as a prom date—even befriend Wes Bennet. The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in. But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love—and rethink her own ideas of what Happily Ever After should look like.
Children’s Books
Turtle Moon by Hannah Gold (11 September) age 8+
Because Hannah Gold always writes beautiful stories.
Silver Trevelon’s parents aren’t happy. They haven’t been happy since the nursery they decorated started gathering cobwebs, waiting for the baby brother or sister that never came. So when Silver’s dad is invited to paint at a turtle rescue centre in Costa Rica, she hopes it’ll be just the adventure the family needs. Under the hot tropical sun, Silver settles into life at the animal centre. She even witnesses a rare sighting of a leatherback turtle nesting on the beach. But when the turtle’s eggs are stolen, events take a dark and dangerous turn. Can Silver and her new friends track them down before it's too late? It’ll mean journeying into the heart of the jungle…
The Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good by Kirsty Applebaum (11 September) age 9+
Because we all love a good mystery!
"Dear readers, when it comes to magical wishes, the results are not always quite what the wish-maker expects. Magic has ideas all of its own." Fran doesn’t want to stay with her aunt and uncle and her annoying cousin, Imogen. Imogen is rude and unfriendly and, it turns out, she’s missing. Stranger still, no one seems to know where Imogen is, or even remember that she existed. Not even her own parents. It’s up to Fran to convince Imogen’s best friend, Bex, to help her find out what happened to the girl nobody, including Bex, can remember. All Fran knows is that it’s got something to do with the hidden garden at Stillness Hall and the twelve statues that belong there...
Lockett & Wilde: The Ghosts of London by Lucy Strange (25 September) age 9+
Because I just discovered this series and it looks intriguing!
Matilda and Edgar are in London's haunted theatre-land, where Matilda is rehearsing the all-new Signora Valentina show and Edgar is training to become a poltergeist. Spooks are everywhere in this city, and it isn't long before Lockett & Wilde are called upon to investigate strange happenings at a local curiosity shop. Soon they are drawn into the unsolved case of the infamous gold thief, Bullion Bill, and Matilda finds herself investigating the story of her own parents' death. The ghosts of London know the truth, and Lockett & Wilde won't rest until they find it out. Classic spooky mystery reimagined for fans of cosy crime. You'd have to be DEAD not to love it…
Scarlet Morning by ND Stevenson (25 September) age 8+
Because we’re all ready for new graphic novel adventures, aren’t we?
Viola and Wilmur have been waiting for their parents for fifteen boring years in the colorless town of Caveat. Their lives are a drudge of salt, trash, pirate stories, and what-ifs . . . until one very stormy night, when Captain Cadence Chase breaks down their door. They cut a deal with the captain: Chase can take their most prized possession, a mysterious book, but only if she takes them, too. After all, if their parents aren’t coming, Viola and Wilmur might as well have a grand adventure to find them. Setting sail into the treacherous and beautiful world beyond Caveat, the two inseparable friends must uncover the facts behind legend—and the key to saving all of Dickerson’s Sea from obliteration—before the truth tears them apart.
We hope you enjoyed our little list and that it gave you some book inspiration!
Looking to pre-order one of these books? Just follow the path! 👇
This blog post is written by The Little Bookshop, your bookshop for English books in Rennes.
