It is fall once again! Our favorite part of fall is always the great books coming in the next few months. We don’t necessarily love it getting dark earlier and earlier… but all of the beautiful new books kind of make up for it.

Here is a partial list of Big Fall Books. It includes the books we are most looking forward to, some already in the shop, the rest available to pre-order:

• “Fairy Tale” by Stephen King. A spellbinding novel about a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher–for that world or ours. September 6, 2022.
• “Marple: Twelve New Mysteries” by Agatha Christie, Naomi Alderman, Leigh Bardugo, Alyssa Cole, Lucy Foley, Elly Griffiths, Natalie Haynes, Jean Kwok, Val McDermid, Karen M. McManus, Dreda Say Mitchell, Kate Mosse, Ruth Ware. September 13, 2022.
• “Less Is Lost” by Andrew Sean Greer. Chosen for IndieNext. September 20, 2022.
• “Lucy by the Sea: A Novel” by Elizabeth Strout. Chosen for IndieNext. September 20, 2022.
• “The Bullet That Missed: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery” by Richard Osman. A decade-old cold case–their favorite kind–leads them to a local news legend and a murder with no body and no answers. September 20, 2022.
• “The Winners: Beartown #3” by Fredrik Backman. This breathtaking new novel returns to the close-knit, resilient community of Beartown for a story about first loves, second chances, and last goodbyes. Chosen for IndieNext.  September 27, 2022.
• “Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel” by Anthony Doerr. Now in paper. Chosen for IndieNext.  September 27, 2022.
• “Leech” by Hiron Ennes. Chosen for IndieNext. September 27, 2022.
• “Our Missing Hearts: A Novel” by Celeste Ng. Chosen for IndieNext. Great review in The New York Times here. October 4, 2022.
• “Mad Honey: A Novel” by Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan. Chosen for IndieNext.  October 4, 2022.
• “The Whalebone Theatre: A Novel” by Joanna Quinn. Chosen for IndieNext. Staff recommended! October 4, 2022.
• “Hester: A Novel” by Laurie Lico Albanese. Chosen for IndieNext. October 4, 2022.
• “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America” by Maggie Haberman. To understand his political and cultural ascent, Haberman, a New York Times journalist, looks to his childhood in Queens, N.Y.; to the culture of 1980s New York real estate; and to his coterie of advisers, including Roy Cohn and Rudy Giuliani. October 4, 2022.
• “Project Hail Mary: A Novel” by Andy Weir. Now in paper. Staff recommended! October 4, 2022.
• “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The Illustrated Edition #5” by K. Rowling, Mr. Jim Kay (Illustrator), Neil Packer (Illustrator). Finally! After a 3 year wait! October 11, 2022.
• “Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions” by Temple Grandin, PhD. A landmark book that reveals, celebrates, and advocates for the special minds and contributions of visual thinkers. October 11, 2022.
• “The Last Chairlift” by John Irving. Chosen for IndieNext. October 18, 2022.
• “It Starts with Us: A Novel (It Ends with Us #2)” by Colleen Hoover. Hoover tells fan favorite Atlas’s side of the story and shares what comes next in this long-anticipated sequel to the bestseller “It Ends with Us.” October 18, 2022.
• “Demon Copperhead: A Novel” by Barbara Kingsolver. Chosen for IndieNext. October 18, 2022.
• “Liberation Day: Stories” by George Saunders. With his trademark prose–wickedly funny, unsentimental, and exquisitely tuned–Saunders continues to challenge and surprise: Here is a collection of prismatic, resonant stories that encompass joy and despair, oppression and revolution, bizarre fantasy and brutal reality. October 18, 2022.
• “Unstoppable Us, Volume 1: How Humans Took Over the World” by Yuval Noah Harari. From world-renowned historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari, the bestselling author of “Sapiens,” comes an exciting, brand-new illustrated book for middle-grade readers that looks at the early history of humankind. October 18, 2022.
• “And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle” by Jon Meacham. The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer chronicles the life of Abraham Lincoln, charting how–and why–he confronted secession, threats to democracy, and the tragedy of slavery to expand the possibilities of America. October 18, 2022.
• “The Boys from Biloxi” by John Grisham. The author returns to Mississippi in his most gripping legal thriller yet, the riveting story of two sons of immigrant families who grow up as friends, but ultimately find themselves on opposite sides of the law. His trademark twists and turns will keep you tearing through the pages until the stunning conclusion. October 18, 2022.
• “Inciting Joy: Essays” by Ross Gay. In these gorgeously written and timely pieces, the prize-winning poet and author considers the joy we incite when we care for each other. Staff favorite author! October 25, 2022.
• “The Passenger” by Cormac McCarthy. The Pulitzer Prize- winning author returns with the first of a two-volume masterpiece: “The Passenger” is the story of a salvage diver, haunted by loss, afraid of the watery deep, pursued for a conspiracy beyond his understanding, and longing for a death he cannot reconcile with God. Look for “Stella Maris,” the second volume, on sale December 6th, 2022. October 25, 2022.
• “The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams” by Stacy Schiff. A revelatory biography from a Pulitzer Prize-winner about the most essential Founding Father– the one who stood behind the change in thinking that produced the American Revolution. October 25, 2022.
• “No Plan B: A Jack Reacher Novel” by Lee Child, Andrew Child. A woman dies under the wheels of a moving bus. The death is ruled a suicide. But Jack Reacher saw what really happened: A man in a gray hoodie and jeans, moving stealthily, pushed the victim to her demise–before swiftly grabbing the dead woman’s purse and strolling away. Reacher is unaware that it is a part of something much larger and more far-reaching… and they don’t consider Reacher a threat… October 25, 2022.
• “The World We Make: The Great Cities #2” by K. Jemisin. The “Great Cities Duology” is a masterpiece of speculative fiction from one of the most important writers of her generation. November 1, 2022.
• “The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times” by Michelle Obama. The former First Lady shares practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in today’s highly uncertain world. November 15, 2022.
• “The Lost Metal: A Mistborn Novel #7” by Brandon Sanderson. Return to the Mistborn world of Scadrial as its second era, which began with “The Alloy of Law,” comes to its earth-shattering conclusion in “The Lost Metal.” November 15, 2022.
• “Musical Tables: Poems” by Billy Collins. From the former United States Poet Laureate comes a collection of more than 125 small poems, all of them new, and each a thought or observation compressed to its emotional essence. Collins writes about his trademark themes of nature, animals, poetry, mortality, absurdity, and love–all in a handful of lines. Neither haiku nor limerick, the small poem pushes to an extreme poetry’s famed power to condense emotional and conceptual meaning. November 15, 2022.
• “Tread of Angels” by Rebecca Roanhorse. Celeste, a card sharp with a need for justice, takes on the role of advocatus diaboli , to defend her sister Mariel, accused of murdering a Virtue, a member of the ruling class of this mining town, in a new world of dark fantasy from the bestselling author of “Black Sun.” November 15, 2022.
• “A Book of Days” by Patti Smith. A deeply moving and brilliantly idiosyncratic visual book of days by the National Book Award-winning author, featuring more than 365 images and reflections that chart Smith’s singular aesthetic–inspired by her wildly popular Instagram. November 15, 2022.
• “A World of Curiosities: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel #18” by Louise Penny. It’s spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge. But something has. [We can’t wait!!] November 29, 2022.

And here is our blog post with all of the above [and more!] – you may order/pre-order any of these titles!

Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept. 15-Oct. 15. We have a lovely window display full of amazing books. A partial list is also here.

Another really great list: October is Cookbook Month! So many lovely new titles so far this year and more coming soon. The blog here  — we will add to it as we go.

Edmonds Bookshop Events

Book Club

Wednesday morning Oct.19, 2022: 9-10 a.m. We are hybrid again in October! We are still doing Zoom meetings, but also – welcoming back some to join us in person. Send us an email here to inquire about attending in person.

The October book is “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston.

A beloved classic — one of the most important American novels of the 20th century — follows the fortunes of Janie Crawford, a woman who was married three times and had been tried for the murder of one of her husbands in the Black town of Eaton, Florida…

A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick

More information about the book and our book club is here.

Send us an email here to register your email for book club membership. We will send you an invitation with a Zoom meeting link as each book club meeting is scheduled. Once you accept the invitation it will show up in your calendar.

Third Thursday Art Walk: Oct. 20, 6-7 p.m.

Meet authors Suzanne Elshult and Guy Mansfield to celebrate their new book, “A Dog’s Devotion: True Adventures of a K9 Search and Rescue Team.” Just published Oct. 1. Huge congratulations!

Walk in the shadows of disaster, crime, adventure and tragedy with search and rescue K9 Keb and her human companions Suzanne and Guy, as they search the Pacific Northwest wilderness for the lost and the dead. Experience the trials, successes, and failures of real-life search and rescue in Washington State and beyond, where a wrong turn can mean life or death.

Added bonus! Friend of the Bookshop and local author Laura Moe will join us, and be in conversation with Suzanne and Guy.
And if all goes according to plan, K9 Keb will be joining us as well. This is sounding like an incredible evening! Join us in person or online on our Facebook page.

All the information on our website here.

More recent book releases of note:

“Hell and Back: A Longmire Mystery” by Craig Johnson. Our sheriff is taken to the very limits of his sanity to do battle with the most dangerous adversary he’s ever faced: himself.

“Dinner in One: Exceptional & Easy One-Pan Meals: A Cookbook” by Melissa Clark. 100 all-new super-simple and incredibly delicious one-pot, one-pan, one-sheet–one-everything!

“Ithaca” by Claire North.  This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before. Chosen for IndieNext.

“Solito: A Memoir” by Javier Zamora. A young poet tells the unforgettable story of his harrowing migration from El Salvador to the United States at the age of nine in this moving, page-turning memoir. Chosen for IndieNext.

“A Song of Comfortable Chairs: No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency #23” by Alexander McCall Smith.

“Back to the Garden” by Laurie R. King. A fifty-year-old cold case involving California royalty comes back to life–with potentially fatal consequences–in this gripping standalone novel from the bestselling author.

“The Marriage Portrait” by Maggie O’Farrell. An unforgettable fictional portrait of the captivating young duchess Lucrezia de’ Medici as she makes her way in a troubled court. Chosen for IndieNext.

“Killers of a Certain Age” by Deanna Raybourn. Four trained assassins are readying for their retirement … their bosses have planned a rather more permanent end to their careers, so the women must go rogue and take on their former employers to find out why they’re been selected as targets.

For Young Readers  “Spy School Project X” by Stuart Gibbs.

“Sentence” by Louise Erdrich. Now in paper.

“April in Spain” by John Banville. Now in paper. Staff recommended.

“Matrix” by Lauren Groff. Now in paper. Chosen for IndieNext.

“Blowback” by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois. A brilliant American president is also a psychopath. He has his finger on the red button.

“Nona the Ninth: Locked Tomb #3” by Tamsyn Muir. Chosen for IndieNext.

For Young Adult Readers  “I’m the Girl” by Courtney Summers. The next searing and groundbreaking queer young adult novel from the bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author.

“Bliss Montage: Stories” by Ling Ma. Chosen for IndieNext.

“Lessons” by Ian McEwan. From the best-selling author comes the epic and intimate story of one man’s life across generations and historical upheavals.
“

Like a Rolling Stone: A Memoir” by Jann S. Wenner with Ben Fong-Torres. The Rolling Stone founder, co-editor, and publisher offers a “touchingly honest” and “wonderfully deep” memoir from the beating heart of classic rock and roll.

“What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions” by Randall Munroe.

“Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization” by Neil deGrasse Tyson. Astrophysicist Tyson unabashedly wades into the political and cultural fray, using a “cosmic perspective” to weigh in on some of the topics that consume the majority of Americans today.

For Young Readers “Odder” by Katherine Applegate and illustrated by Charles Santoso. A touching and lyrical tale about a remarkable sea otter, from the Newbery Medalist.

“Drunk on Love” by Jasmine Guillory. An intoxicating and sparkling new romance. In paperback.

“Shrines of Gaiety” by Kate Atkinson. The award-winning author of “Life after Life” transports us to a restless London in the wake of the Great War–a city fizzing with money, glamour, and corruption–in this spellbinding tale of seduction and betrayal. On the PNBA bestseller list.

“The Golden Enclaves: The Scholomance #3” by Naomi Novik. Saving the world is a test no school of magic can prepare you for in the triumphant conclusion to the bestselling trilogy. Staff recommended series. On the PNBA bestseller list.

For Young Readers   “The Little Book of Joy” by The Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. A picture-book edition of the bestseller co-authored by the Nobel Peace Prize winners.

For Young Adult Readers  “Foul Lady Fortune” by Chloe Gong. The first book in a captivating new duology following an ill-matched pair of spies posing as a married couple to investigate a series of brutal murders in 1930s Shanghai. Chloe Gong adds in magic, romance, and supernatural killings for an amazing cross-genre work. A fast-paced, tightly-plotted delight of an espionage novel.

A few more books of note being released in October:

”An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville” by Reza Aslan. This erudite and piercing biography proves that one person’s actions can have revolutionary consequences that reverberate the world over. “…a stirring reminder of the power of idealism, hope, and courage in the face of tyranny and injustice. The story of Howard Baskerville is as important today as it was in his lifetime, and Aslan’s lucid prose and compelling narrative introduces him to a new generation who will find inspiration in his deeds.” —Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of “The Sympathizer.”  October 11, 2022.

“My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy” by Clint Hill. Never-before-told stories of Secret Service Agent Clint Hill’s travels with Jacqueline Kennedy through Europe, Asia, and South America. Featuring more than 200 rare and never-before-published photographs.  October 11, 2022.

“The Family Game” by Catherine Steadman. A rich, eccentric family. A time-honored tradition… Or a lethal game of survival? One woman finds out what it really takes to join the 1% in this riveting psychological thriller. October 18, 2022.

“The Journey: Big Panda and Tiny Dragon” by James Norbury. This lovely new book continues the adventures of two unlikely traveling companions as they embark on a path that brings them farther from home, and closer to each other and themselves.  An inspiring story of friendship and discovery for readers of all ages. October 26, 2022.

Some great blog posts/lists:

The New York Times recommends books coming in October.   On our blog here.

The Washington Post recommends 10 books to read in October. On the blog here.

NPR favorites so far this year, here.

We will keep posting our favorite reads, along with links to all kinds of book-related interesting things! In all the places: on our website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

You may pre-order any forthcoming title by visiting our website.

Stay safe. Enjoy the little things. And as always: Happy reading.

— By Elaine Mattson

Edmonds native Elaine Mattson has worked at The Edmonds Bookshop off and on since she was 12 years old, and has also worked at a book wholesaler, a book publisher, and for the book publishing division of a large local software company (yes, that one). “I was raised a book lover [thanks, Mom!],” Mattson says. “We got book lights by our beds as soon as we were old enough to read. And then I probably got in trouble for reading too late the very next night. And I still read too late!”