Book Club Picks for September 2026
It’s time to check out the book club picks for September 2026!
Summer just flew by for us. Despite the super hot temps, fall is just around the corner. And with that, comes a TON of new books releasing.
With September fast approaching, it’s time to check out some great book club selections for the month. There are so many new books publishing in just September alone. Get ready, your TBR is about to be packed, ha.
Several buzzy new releases include Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty (just published on August 25th), The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon (pub date: September 8), and Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult (pub date: September 15). You can find each of these selections on my big book club list for 2026, which covers the entire year.
Now back to my monthly list. Each month, I put together a list that features new releases and older titles. So a mix of the old with the new.
Let’s get into September!
New Releases
Tear the City Down by Andre Hardy
Tear the City Down by Andre Hardy is a hard-hitting, gut-wrenching crime novel that brilliantly blends elements of jazz, football, and a gritty portrait of a city divided.
I attended Andre Hardy’s book launch event in San Diego earlier this month and it was amazing! Andre is passionate about this book and a lot of heart went into writing it. I’m really looking forward to reading Tear the City Down.
Under Story by Chloe Benjamin
In 2018, Chloe Benjamin published The Immoralist. She returns with her latest novel that I’ve heard is incredibly moving. The book is already optioned by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Under Story tells the story of two gifted young scientists, Laurel and Eli. It covers their love story and what forced them apart. It’s said to be a sweeping odyssey of scientific discovery. I’m quite curious about this one.
Mother Daughter Sister Stranger by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan returns with her latest story, Mother Daughter Sister Stranger. This novel explores what if your own family history turns out to be a terrifying lie? Every family has its story, and this one’s deadly. Two sisters. One secret. And a race against time to find the explosive truth in this twisty and captivating thriller.
I’m ready for a twisty thriller! For more about the story and to get to know Hank more, check out my Q&A with her here.
Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang
I enjoyed R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface, which was certainly an original story! Taipei Story will be a very different novel from Yellowface, and it sounds just as intriguing.
This is a coming-of-age novel that follows a Chinese American student spending the summer in Taipei. She hopes to connect with the culture she inherited, but life becomes more difficult than anticipated.
Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel
Exit Party is the first novel I’ve read by Emily St. John Mandel. It starts when a man disappears from a glittering Los Angeles party, and a woman searches for answers.
This story features fractured timelines, going from LA in 2031 to even a colony on the moon.
Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley
Publishing a little later in the month, September 22, is the highly anticipated new murder mystery by Lucy Foley (author of The Midnight Feast and The Paris Apartment). This is the first full-length Miss Marple mystery to be approved by Agatha Christie Limited since Christie’s own Sleeping Murder (1976) so it’s one for sure to have on your radar!
Set in the Swiss Alps in 1950, Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel unfolds at the glamorous Grand Alpine Hotel, where a postwar mix of guests gathers for a winter holiday—until a violent snowstorm traps them inside. When a guest is found dead in the hotel gondola, poisoned in a murder staged to look like a tragic accident, the hotel becomes a sealed world of suspects with nowhere to run.
I haven’t read a murder mystery like this in a while so I’m very excited to check this one out!
Hollywood, Ending by John Green
Acclaimed author John Green returns to fiction with two actors who are cast in a huge movie, finally receiving the big break they want, and also possibly falling in love too. However, the movie is a massive success and soon their lives are changed forever. Can they find out who they truly are, either together or alone?
Older Titles
Three Days in June by Anne Tyler
So a lot of the new releases are certainly big stories, right? So if you’re looking for more of a quiet one, check out Three Days in June by Anne Tyler.
Three Days in June is short—less than 200 pages—so you can breeze right through it.
But even though it’s short, it packs a lot into the story, and we really get to know the protagonist on a deeper level too. It’s a look into marriage, motherhood, identity and more.
Check out my full review here and my book club questions here.
The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont
Since we’re talking about Agatha Christie with Lucy Foley’s latest novel, I thought it would be good to highlight a compelling fictional story about Agatha Christie’s real-life disappearance. Since we never got the real story about what happened, this is where fictional writers come in.
The Christie Affair is thought-provoking and surprising. After reading it, you’ll never doubt what to read more about the real life inspirations.
Check out my review here and my book club questions here.
Which book do you plan to read in September? Happy reading!
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