It’s almost time. We’ve almost entered the book season, when some of the biggest titles by the most popular authors come out. And, as usual, readers are bolstering their TBRs. One reader population in particular that is preparing is Goodreads members. Now, Goodreads is not without its faults, but it is the largest social network for readers and has served as such for nearly 20 years. With its more than 150 million registered members, it also serves as a great way to see what people are actually reading or excited to read.
For the most part, Goodreads members are excited for releases that most of the industry is excited for—there’s new R.F. Kuang, Deesha Philyaw, and Tananarive Due. There are many standalones, as well as sequels to already existing series, and a few newcomers, though most of the BIPOC authors who’ve made this list are bestsellers and award-winners.
The Most Anticipated BIPOC Books of the Fall, According to Goodreads
Literary Fiction
Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang
An R.F. Kuang release is always an event. I love that for her as much as I love it for us, and I especially love that her latest is a bit different from what I’ve seen of her so far. In this contemporary coming-of-age novel, we see through Chinese American college freshman Lily Chen how homegoing isn’t always quite like what you think it will be. When Lily sets off for Taipei and the intensive Chinese language summer course she enrolled in, she’s hoping to feel closer to the culture her parents were born into, but that she never fully grasped. But then everything seems to just crumble. Her roommate sucks, her classes are a little too intense, and there’s a piece of nasty gossip floating around about her. Then her grandfather dies, and suddenly, the search for who she is takes a different turn. —Erica Ezeifedi
The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw
Maybe you heard me screaming when I learned that we’re getting a Deesha Philyaw novel this year. I’ve talked at length about my love for Philyaw’s short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, and I am so excited to more deeply immerse myself in a Philyaw tale, especially a juicy one about the secret past of a powerful megachurch pastor’s wife. I have the galley and thank goodness because I can’t bear to wait out the fall release. —S. Zainab Williams
More Lit Fic:
Mystery/Thriller
Heart of Glass by Jennifer Hillier
For fans of fictional serial killers, recanting in an old case, and childhood best friends
Twenty-five years ago, Barb, Nicolette, and Lorelei were best friends hanging out with a man working at the local amusement park, Wonderland. Now the serial killer who had once confessed to Lorelei’s murder has recanted, the amusement park is set to reopen, and Barb and Nicolette are left to face the past.
This is a standalone thriller in the same setting as Wonderland. —Jamie Canaves
In Reading Color
A weekly newsletter focusing on literature by and about people of color!
Romance
The Keeper by Ana Huang
This is the third in Huang’s Gods of the Game series, and it follows goalkeeper Noah Wilson, who is a little gruffer than most. He’s focused on the upcoming World Cup and taking care of his daughter, but he can’t seem to find a good nanny to help him. Then he meets Carina, who is great at her job and just as focused on her goals as he is. Thing is, the more he sees her, the more he wants to see her—even if maybe he shouldn’t.
Horror
Mazywood by Tananarive Due
Tananarive Due’s 2023 horror novel The Reformatory has an average rating of 4.43 on Goodreads and is one of the best-written horror novels of the past several years. Due’s latest horror novel follows three generations. Filmmaker Johnny Washington inherits Mazywood, a remote mountain retreat, from his grandmother Mazelle, who was a famous actress in the 1940s and 50s. Now, 50 years after Mazelle’s death, Johnny takes a trip to her cabin only to encounter an evil creature in the woods. —Emily Martin
More Horror:
Off the Reservation by Stephen Graham Jones (sequel to The Only Good Indians)
Nonfiction
The Savage Mind: An American Legacy by David Treuer
So much of the settler mindset is still front and center in American politics, and here, Treuer uses personal story and collective history to lay it bare. Specifically, the idea of the “frontier” as a concept has been a guiding, violent force for the formation of this country, and not only has it survived in the Americas, it has spread overseas. —Erica Ezeifedi
More Nonfiction:
YA
Hawk & Sparrow by Ayana Gray
This Gilded Age-set novel has a little mystery, magic, and romance. In it, Vesper Evans is covering a bougie society gala when she sees a dead man—a man she’d just been speaking to moments prior. He had a few enemies, but everyone thinks industrialist Maximilian Kite actually killed him, which is why Max hires Vesper to find the real killer. Ves will have to swallow her distaste for the bourgeoisie, solve the case, and take his money if she’s to save her newspaper. The fact that Max is as arrogant as he is only a slight inconvenience…kind of.
More YA:
For more of the list, head to Goodreads.
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