WEST HEART KILL by Dann McDorman

A whodunit murder mystery is one of my favorite types of stories no matter the medium. Think Agatha Christie novels, the Knives Out or Scream films, any Law & Order or Only Murders in the Building episode, or a fun night of playing the board game Clue. West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman takes the genre in a completely meta direction by putting you directly into the story with every turn of the page. All the ingredients are here for the perfect whodunit recipe. A remote, old-money hunting lodge. A locked room. Three corpses. A cast of monied, scheming characters from which you must figure out who can be trusted. All written in a unique subversive narration with multiple breaks of the fourth wall that turns every reader into a sleuth. The reveal at the end is still making my head spin for its ingenuity and fresh take on the murder mystery ending. When you finish it, direct message me @timtalksbooks to discuss.

Available October 24.

HAPPINESS FALLS by Angie Kim

Angie Kim’s Miracle Creek was a favorite book of 2019 for me, and I could barely contain my excitement with the announcement of her sophomore novel, Happiness Falls. It starts with a banger of a first sentence: “We didn’t call the police right away.” What follows is a close-up of a Korean American family in crisis following the disappearance of their patriarch. The best mystery stories are the ones that are so much more than just a mystery, and this one dives into what connects us all: family, love, language, race and the pursuit of happiness.

ALL THE DEMONS ARE HERE by Jake Tapper

Who knew that 1977 was such a memorable year, but CNN’s head anchor turned bestselling novelist Jake Tapper puts it all on the page and takes us back there in All the Demons Are Here. This thrilling narrative peppers real-life people and actual events together with fictional characters Ike and Lucy Marder. It’s all here—Watergate, disco, ’70s music, UFO sightings, Evel Knievel and tabloid journalism—for an adventure like no other. I was so impressed with Jake’s writing chops and can’t wait to go back and read his first two novels, The Hellfire Club and The Devil May Dance. If you like history and mystery, and you like to learn something while having a blast turning the pages, then Tapper’s books are for you!

Don’t miss our Books, Beach, & Beyond podcast episode with Jake Tapper where Elin Hilderbrand and I get into it all. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or head over to booksbeachandbeyond.com.

SUMMER OF THE MONKEYS by Wilson Rawls

September means “back to school” for students across the country, and I wanted to recommend a book that was one of my favorites as a young bookworm. If any student is looking for a book for an English Literature class this semester, isn’t ready for summer to be over or loves a grand adventure classically told, then pick up Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls. From the beloved author of Where the Red Fern Grows (another favorite of young yours truly), this is the story of Jay Berry Lee and a tree full of monkeys that he finds have escaped from a traveling circus. Originally published in 1976, this adventure stands the test of time and still gives me all the excitement and heart it did when I first read it 30 years ago.

P. S. You don’t have to be a student, child or back in school to enjoy this tale of monkey trouble in the Ozark Mountains of Oklahoma.

THE BREAKAWAY by Jennifer Weiner

Break away from your normal schedule this month to binge-read Jennifer Weiner’s latest novel. Weiner is known for novels with heart, humor, love and friendship, and all of those components are expertly cycled across the page in The Breakaway. This novel is a trip, quite literally. Our leading lady Abby Stern leads a cycling trip from New York City to Niagara Falls and let’s just say the journey isn’t without its divots in the road. She runs into a past fling, her mother surprisingly joins the group at the last minute and the other cast of bikers add drama, laugh-out-loud dialogue and deeper themes on the nature of loving yourself and others. Don’t miss this entertaining romp that gives you the same endorphins as a late summer bike ride.

OF TIME AND TURTLES: MENDING THE WORLD, SHELL BY SHATTERED SHELL by Sy Montgomery

I revere nonfiction books about animals and have featured many in this column over the last eight years. I think human beings can be enlightened if we open our eyes to other life around us. Just last month, I highlighted a book about owls, but this time around I spotlight the turtle. Sy Montgomery has written some of my favorite books on animals—The Soul of an Octopus, The Good Good Pig, The Hummingbirds’ Gift to name a few—and Of Time and Turtles is the latest in her animal collection. The turtle’s lineage stretches back to the time of the dinosaurs, and this book focuses on the Turtle Rescue League in southern Massachusetts as well as drawing on other cultures and numerous studies to understand these fascinating and surprising creatures. The turtle may just help us answer the eternal question, how can we make peace with our own time?

Available September 19.

WELLNESS by Nathan Hill

Similar to Jack and Elizabeth who notice each other on the first page of Nathan Hill’s new novel, it was love at first sight for me when reading Wellness. The autumn might be my favorite time of year to get lost in a book, and you can so easily slip into this story and the people who live in it. All I kept hearing was “just wait until you read Wellness” and it truly lives up to the hype. By the author of The Nix, the book presents a modern-day love story. However, this isn’t a romance novel but is instead a commentary and a complete investigation into one relationship from its beginning that we can all relate to and see ourselves in. It’s about connection, with your spouse, the world around you, the internet, art, your body, your home and your heart. It’s one of those novels that reminded me why I love reading.

Available September 19.