Skip to main content

September 25, 2026

I shocked myself yesterday and told my husband that we should close the pool. Usually, I approach the pool closing with great regret and pleas for a delay on it. But I realize that a big old storm is going to be tearing through here this weekend, and with the trees dropping leaves, I would see myself doing more skimming than swimming or floating.

The Booker Prize 2026

The shortlist for the Booker Prize 2026 has been announced. It features two previous winners, a previous shortlistee, and three authors new to the prize. The winner will be revealed on November 9th at a ceremony at Old Billingsgate in London.

The prize has rewarded and celebrated world-class talent for over 55 years, shaping the canon of 20th and 21st century literature. This year’s selection celebrates the best works of long-form fiction by writers of any nationality, written in English and published in the UK and/or Ireland between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026.

September 22, 2026

In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of September 21st and September 28th that we think will be of interest to Bookreporter.com readers, along with Bonus News, where we call out a contest, feature or review that we want to let you know about so you have it on your radar.

This week, we are calling attention to our Suspense/Thriller Author Spotlight of the newly released THE MUNICH AFFAIR, along with our review. An upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On pick, this fascinating thriller from James Patterson and David Ellis is set in motion by the murder of Adolf Hitler's young lover by his own hand.

September 22, 2026

This Bookreporter.com Special Newsletter spotlights a book that we know people will be talking about this fall. Read more about it, and enter our Fall Reading Contest by Wednesday, September 23rd at noon ET for a chance to win one of five copies of WHATEVER HAPPENED TO LORI LOVELY? by Sarah McCoy, a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick that is now available in paperback. Please note that each contest is only open for 24 hours, so you will need to act quickly!

James Patterson and David Ellis, author of The Munich Affair

Spanning a century, this suspenseful thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling authors James Patterson and David Ellis is set in motion by the murder of Adolf Hitler's young lover by his own hand.

September 19, 2026

I think that I have used this headline in the past to describe September. Where I live, we always went back to school in September. I know that the schedule varies around the country (I think July is the only month where everyone is off from school), but for me September has always taken on a tone of returning to schedules. For many, that means back to their book group.

Kate Atkinson, author of Our Noble Selves

When crime correspondent turned war reporter Harry Flynn returns to Britain from Singapore in 1945, he takes a quiet job with the Festival of Britain, a government-funded endeavor aimed at celebrating the nation’s creativity, grit and ingenuity. There, he joins a team of misfits and eccentrics as they help to ready the Festival for launch. When a Frenchwoman goes missing, Flynn becomes the central suspect in her disappearance --- and possible murder. He was the last person to see her alive, yet he has no memory of the evening they spent together. As evidence against him mounts, Flynn begins to wonder if he actually might be to blame. To make matters worse, he is surrounded by people who have their own secret agenda.

Richard Osman, author of We Chase Shadows: A We Solve Murders Mystery

At sunrise, high in the Italian hills, a body is found on the steps of a beautiful private villa. On the body is a threatening note, signed by a mystery man. Back at We Solve Murders HQ, Amy, Rosie and Steve leap at the chance to take on their first proper case. So what if their new client seems to have his own reasons for avoiding the police? All they need to do is uncover who left the note and then find them. Simple. But once they start digging, the suspects keep piling up: there’s Sweden’s most-wanted criminal, a canny ex-wife and a fierce business rival --- yet the murderer keeps evading them. And as the trio chase a villain through the shadows, danger travels closer to home.

Isabel Allende, author of Story Telling: A Writing Life

In this deeply personal and insightful book, Isabel Allende delves into her creative process, reflecting on nearly half a century of writing that has captivated millions of readers worldwide. For Allende, writing is more than a craft. It is an addiction, a means of preserving memory, and a way to make sense of life. She offers readers an intimate glimpse into her creative world, where stories take shape through intuition, discipline and deep connection to the human experience. It is also a glimpse into the life of a writer who views literature as a portal to understanding the chaos of life.

Emily St. John Mandel, author of Exit Party

Los Angeles, 2031: The first spring after the collapse of the United States, peacekeeping troops withdraw from the city, the Jacaranda trees blossom, and the curfew is finally lifted. Ari Waker and her roommate pass the gauntlet of bomb-sniffing dogs, the shanty towns, and the Red Cross tents as they walk across Silverlake to a party. The mood is ecstatic. But then a bewildered twin, an uncanny doppelgänger, stumbles through the crowd and out into the night, and Kareem, the party’s host, vanishes into thin air. As Ari unravels the mystery of this inexplicable night, Emily St. John Mandel unfurls a story that takes us from a future America splintered by civil war to the seaside cliffs of Greece where weapons dealers hide in an elegant resort, and from the domed city of Paris to a colony on the moon.