Fall 2026 Book Preview with Catherine Gilmore | Ep. 234

Sarah and Catherine of Gilmore Guide to Books are back with 16 of their most anticipated books publishing from mid-August through December.

This post contains affiliate links through which I make a small commission when you make a purchase (at no cost to you!).

CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.

Want More Book Preview Picks?

• Paid members of our Patreon Community or our Substack Community (both $7/month with the same member benefits) get even more seasonal recommendations with Book Preview Extras! In each episode, Catherine and Sarah share at least 4 additional books they're excited about that didn't make the main Book Preview. Join on Patreon or Substack to listen — and get access to all our other bonus podcast episodes and paid-member content.

Highlights

• A lightning round of some big fall releases that are NOT their personal Preview picks.
• Catherine came in determined to have "no chunksters" this fall … only to discover that 2 of her picks are actually over 500 pages.
• Catherine's theme for fall is "intrigue" — the verb, not the noun — with picks she can't wait to see unfold.
• Sarah's list includes one actual chunkster, several books that fit into her recent Micro Genres, and 3 debuts.
• Stick around to the end to hear their #1 picks for fall!

Big Fall Releases

• Ply by Hernán Diaz (Sep 29) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [1:02] 
• The Thoroughbreds (The Academy, 2) by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham (Sep 15) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [1:06] 
• Story Telling by Isabel Allende (Sep 15) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [1:17] 
• Hollywood, Ending by John Green (Sep 22) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [1:20]
• Big Little Truths (Big Little Lies, 2) by Liane Moriarty (Aug 25) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [1:30] 
• Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult (Sep 15) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [1:37] 
• Under Story by Chloe Benjamin (Sep 1) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [1:43] 
• Life Out of Order (The Time Traveler's Wife, 2) by Audrey Niffenegger (Oct 6) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [1:49] 
• Switzy by Emma Cline (Sep 8) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [2:08] 
• I Never Knew You At All by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza (Oct 13) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [2:14] 
• The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon (Sep 8) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [2:41] 
• The Weight of Angels by John Boyne (Sep 29) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [2:48] 
• Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel (Sep 15) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [3:13] 
• The Radiance by Ayad Akhtar (Sep 29) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [3:16] 
• Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus (Oct 13) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [3:18] 
• Blacktail by Scott Hawkins (Sep 1) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [3:28] 
• Our Noble Selves by Kate Atkinson (Sep 15) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [3:42] 

Other Books Mentioned

• Trust by Hernán Diaz (2022) [1:05] 
• The Academy (The Academy, 1) by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham (2025) [1:15] 
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (2012) [1:28] 
• Big Little Lies (Big Little Lies, 1) by Liane Moriarty (2014) [1:36] 
• The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin (2018) [1:47] 
• The Time Traveler's Wife (The Time Traveler's Wife, 1) by Audrey Niffenegger (2003) [1:53] 
• The Girls by Emma Cline (2016) [2:12] 
• The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (2023) [2:45] 
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (2022) [3:21] 
• The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (2015) [3:31] 
• Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (2013) [3:45] 

Fall 2026 Book Preview

September

Sarah's Picks

• The Barman of the Ritz by Philippe Collin (September 1) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [8:16] 
• See You Next Tuesday by Kate Stayman-London (September 8) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [13:53] 
• The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw (September 29)| Amazon | Bookshop.org  [19:01] 
• American Hagwon by Min Jin Lee (September 29) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [26:00]
• Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason (September 29) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [31:18]

Catherine's Picks

• The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman (September 8) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [11:17]
• Female Life on Planet Earth by Laleh Khadivi (September 22) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [16:10]
• Empire (Heir Duology, 2) by Sabaa Tahir (September 22) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [24:03]
• The Birthing Tree by Amanda Peters (September 1)† | Amazon | Bookshop.org [29:30] 

Other Books Mentioned

• The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater (2025)* [9:56] 
• Mistress of the Ritz by Melanie Benjamin (2019) [10:03] 
• One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London (2020) [14:00] 
• The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (2020) [19:11] 
• Dominion by Addie E. Citchens (2025) [23:24] 
• Heir (Heir Duology, 1) by Sabaa Tahir (2024) [24:25] 
• All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir (2022) [25:40] 
• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (2017) [26:24] 
• Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee (2007) [26:32] 
• The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters (2023) [30:38] 
• Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (2020) [31:32] 

*The WWII hotel book Sarah talked about. 
†New publication date.

October

Sarah's Pick

• Bad Words by Ríoghnach Robinson (October 6) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:58] 

Catherine's Picks

• The Scarlet Ball by Nghi Vo (October 6) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [34:04]
• Fair Ones by Lydia Millet (October 6) | Amazon | Bookshop.org  [39:56]
• Mystery Play by Elizabeth Kostova (October 13) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:25]
• The Bookshop Book by Mark Lawrence (October 20) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [50:38] 

Other Books Mentioned

• The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo (2021) [34:47] 
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925) [34:51] 
• The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (2005) [47:26] 
• The Book That Wouldn't Burn (The Library Trilogy, 1) by Mark Lawrence (2023) [50:40] 

November

Sarah's Pick

• Whale Harbor by Mary Beth Keane (November 3) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:54]

Other Books Mentioned

• Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane (2019) [42:58]
• The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane (2023) [42:59]  

December

Sarah's Pick

• Lina & June by Genevieve Wheeler (December 8) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [48:23] 

Other Books Mentioned

• Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler (2024) [48:26] 
• The Girls of Corona del Mar by Rufi Thorpe (2014) [49:03]