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A few weeks ago, we shared a post in which we detailed the books we’d read that helped us punctuate the languid summer that now feels like a distant, rosé-induced fever dream. Leading on from that post, we thought we’d put together a list of our most anticipated upcoming releases this autumn, because if there’s one thing you need, it’s more additions to your to-be-read pile, right?
1. Normal People, Sally Rooney
…Okay, so this book was technically released last week, but we’ve been excited about it for so long, we just had to include it. The follow up to Rooney’s lauded debut novel Conversations with Friends, Normal People is a sparingly written yet exquisite love story about how one person can change another person’s life. Normal People has already been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2018, and we can’t wait to sit down, read it, and find out exactly why (although judging by how impeccably Rooney writes, we’ve already got a pretty good idea why).
2. Transcription, Kate Atkinson
This book only came out yesterday, so although it’s not technically an upcoming release, we won’t split hairs if you won’t. Transcription is the newest novel from award-winner Kate Atkinson, and follows Juliet Armstrong who finds herself in the world of espionage one decade, and television production the next. Juliet soon learns that the figures of her past are reluctant to stay there, and that there is never an action that doesn’t have a consequence.
3. XX, Angela Chadwick
XX is the debut novel from Angela Chadwick that imagines a world where women can have children without men. XX follows Rosie and Jules who jump at the chance to be involved in a ground-breaking clinical trial that enables two women to have a female baby, and soon they must navigate the toxic political climate and pervasive right-wing fear-mongering that threatens to split them apart. This sounds like an incredibly timely and controversial book, which is always enough to pique our interests.
4. Sincerity, Carol Ann Duffy
Sincerity marks Carol Ann Duffy’s final collection as the Poet Laureate, and promises to deliver a frank, disarming and deeply moving exploration of loss and remembrance in their many forms. …A tall order, some might say, but if anyone can deliver such a lofty promise, it’s Carol Ann Duffy. Also we know we shouldn’t judge books by their covers, but we definitely do, and this one is BEAUTIFUL. If the poems are half as stunning as the foiled pages that contain them, this will be a literary force to be reckoned with.
5. The House of Impossible Beauties, Joseph Cassara (paperback)
Okay, this book has technically been out since February, but it’s being released in paperback in October, so that totally counts, right? The House of Impossible Beauties is the debut novel by Joseph Cassara, and is inspired by the real House of Xtravaganza made famous by the seminal documentary Paris Is Burning. Set against the backdrop of New York City in 1980, the novel explores the glamour and energy of the burgeoning Harlem ballroom scene, and traces the origins of the House of Xtravaganza, the first all-Latino house in the ball scene.
6. Life Honestly, The Pool
Life Honestly: Strong Opinions from Smart Women is a guide to modern life from some of today’s most talented and insightful writers, including Bryony Gordon, Dolly Alderton, Natasha Devon, Lauren Laverne and Yomi Adegoke. Including stories that range from bad sex to bad boys, from workplace inequality to age milestones and friendship, Life Honestly promises to offer fresh perspectives on a multitude of pertinent topics from a diverse cohort of exceptional writers. We’re always on the look out for non-fiction that makes us feel empowered, engaged and supported, and we have a feeling that Life Honestly will offer us exactly that.
7. A Little Bird Told Me, Marianne Holmes
Finally, there’s no way we could’ve put this list together without including our very own A Little Bird Told Me, which is the stunning debut novel by Marianne Holmes that comes out next week on September 13th. A Little Bird Told Me is a dark and beautiful mystery about a young woman, her search for answers, and the tragic summer that continues to haunt her. This is a lyrical debut steeped in mystery and suspense, and we promise it’s one you won’t want to miss.
Thank you so much for reading, and be sure to tweet us @AgoraBooksLDN to let us know what upcoming books you’re most excited about!
