The Wedding People by Alison Espach

September is wedding month here on Nantucket, and the island becomes the setting and backdrop for hundreds of beautiful Nantucket nuptials and newlyweds. I have always loved a good wedding novel. There is no better scene for drama, family secrets, and reflection than a wedding, and The Wedding People is one of the latest and greatest. Last month’s Read With Jenna pick is one of those gems that is hilarious, witty, and quick-moving. Set in Newport, Rhode Island, it’s an incredibly thoughtful look at starting over, friendship, and connection—you won’t soon forget Phoebe and Lila.



Make sure to take this one along for any wedding weekends you are attending this month, but don’t miss the ceremony while you’re lost in its pages.

Mrs. Frisby and The Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien

Not only is September wedding month, but it is also the time when kids all over the country are headed back to the classrooms. In honor of school being back in session, I always like to feature one of my favorite books as a young bookworm. Last year I spotlighted Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls, and this year I present Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. I sometimes can’t believe that one of my favorite children’s books stars a cast of rodents, considering I have a self-prescribed phobia of them, but it’s true.



This winner of the 1972 Newbery Award is about the mouse Mrs. Frisby, who lives with her family in the field of Mr. Fitzgibbon’s farm. When her youngest mouse pup, Timothy, falls ill and needs to be moved to avoid the spring plough, Mrs. Frisby seeks the help of the magical rats of NIMH. This adventure is classically told, and I will never forget all the farm animals in its pages. I recommend reading this one together as a family this month!

When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman

On shelves September 17

Alice Hoffman writes, “In the year I was twelve, I discovered many of the books that have meant the most to me, books that changed my life. The book that affected me more than any other was The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.” When We Flew Away is Alice’s fictionalized but highly researched take on Anne Frank’s life before the diary and before the Frank family went into hiding.



We see Anne like we have never seen her before. She is experiencing life out in the world as a sister, daughter, and friend, trying to exist as the Nazi occupation closes in around her and her family. Anne experiences firsthand the transformation of ordinary people into horrific and violent Nazis. Published in cooperation with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, this book is for any age, but it’s another perfect recommendation for your child’s silent reading time in school. Do they still have those? I sure hope so.

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

On shelves September 17

I am a gigantic fan of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club series. We Solve Murders introduces a new group of detectives solving a brand-new case of murders. Meet Amy Wheeler, a bodyguard to billionaires; her father-in-law and ex-cop Steven Wheeler; and Rosie D’Antonio, Amy’s current client and the world’s bestselling crime author.



These characters will keep you on your toes as you laugh at their quirks and eccentricities, and work together with the trio to try and solve the case in its pages. I think what makes Osman’s books go immediately to the top of my reading pile is his trademark wit. Every sentence and word that Osman puts in his characters’ mouths puts an immediate smile across my face and keeps me turning to the next page.

Entitlement by Rumaan Alam
On shelves September 17

Rumaan Alam is the New York Times bestselling author of Leave the World Behind, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and a major motion picture starring Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali. Alam is back on bookshelves this month with a novel of money and morality—Entitlement!



It’s a fascinating tale of need and worth, race and privilege, following Brooke, who works for an octogenarian billionaire and assists him in his quest to give away a vast fortune. BookPage writes, “If you miss HBO’s Succession, put Entitlement on your TBR list,” and I agree it fulfills the void, but it elevates the themes from that show even more. You may see a bit of yourself in this social novel, and you might not like it.

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

On shelves September 24

A new Sally Rooney novel is always cause for celebration, and what better way to settle into the fall season than with Intermezzo. I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I am obsessed with this one. Playing with a chess metaphor in the novel, Irish author Sally Rooney gives us her signature exquisite character development featuring a cast of queens, kings, rooks, and bishops who make moves back and forth, challenging each other and their own existences.

Intermezzo is about two brothers, Peter, a successful lawyer, and Ivan, a competitive chess player. They are both grieving the loss of their father and attempting to juggle despair and desire with newfound relationships. It’s a novel of grief, love, and family, but done only as Sally Rooney can do it.