September Reads
By Georgia Wells, Steph Carroll and Annie Ku
The River Runs South by Audrey Ingram
5 September 2023, Crooked Lane Books
After the sudden death of her husband, Camille Taylor's carefully crafted life in Washington, D.C. crumbles. A year of struggles propels her to relocate to her Alabama coastal hometown with her daughter. There, she finds solace in the gentle coastal ambiance. However, her encounter with local fisherman Mack Phillips exposes a troubling reality: pollution from an abandoned development jeopardizes the waters.
Mack, taking legal action against the developers, including Camille's father, kindles her concern for Mobile Bay's ecosystem. Joining her father's defence team, Camille grapples with her allegiances as she delves deeper into the case. Simultaneously, an attraction blossoms between her and Mack, whose unwavering principles captivate her. Confronted with moral ambiguity, Camille navigates the uncertain course of her future.
The River Runs South thoughtfully addresses Alabama's delicate environment while exploring themes of love, loss, and community. A poignant choice for readers of southern fiction, it resonates with the nostalgia of Sweet Home Alabama.
Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score
5 September 2023, Bloom Books
Things We Left Behind is the highly anticipated third book in the Knockemout series by bestselling author, Lucy Score. Things We Never Got Over and Things We Hide from the Light became big TikTok sensations, and this new spicy-sweet romance is sure to sweep you off your feet.
On this return to Knockemout, Virginia, we follow the story of Lucian, a lean, mean vengeance-seeking mogul and feisty librarian, Sloane. Lucian is determined to build his own empire, wanting to erase the mark his abusive father left on the family name. For Lucian, the more money and power he acquires, the safer he feels.
Sloane and Lucian are tied together by a dark secret from the past and it’s clear that Sloane does not trust Lucian. However, things begin to change between the two when their constant bickering and mutual disdain turns into burning flames of desire that they cannot put out, no matter how hard they try.
Sloane knows that she wants to start a family, but these enemies-to-lovers aren’t on the same page. But Lucian soon realises that leaving Sloane is absolutely impossible, so whatever the cost may be, he’ll do everything he can to keep her safe.
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
5 September 2023, Penguin Books
Zadie Smith, best-selling and critically acclaimed author of White Teeth and On Beauty, has written her first historical novel: The Fraud.
In Victorian England, everyone is captivated by The Tichbourne Trials, where an aristocratic family, the Tichbornes’, and a poor Australian immigrant who claimed to be their long-lost heir, battle over the Tichborne title and estate. The case gripped Britain because it highlights the social divide: the wealthy institutions support the Tichborne family who want nothing to do with this claim, and the common man supports the claimant, Arthur Orton.
Andrew Bogle finds himself as a key witness, and growing up enslaved on the Hope Plantation, Jamaica, he knows that for every human luxury, there must be an equivalent human price. He knows that the rich deceive the poor. And that people are more easily manipulated than they realise.
Zadie Smith writes this story with satire and wit, blending together real-life facts and filling in the blanks with fiction. Split between several narratives and timelines across Britain and Jamaica, the societal power distribution is called into question and the public must decide which side they are on. What is the truth when the world is a façade for deception?
Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown
12 September 2023, HarperCollins Publishers
Amidst the shadows of wartime London of 1942, a tender love blossoms.
In the heart of the East End enclave of Bethnal Green resides the spirited Nellie Morris, an eighteen-year-old with a spirit untouched by the raging war that surrounds her. Within this close-knit community, whispers teasingly spread between her friends and family that she will marry air raid warden Billy, the boy next door who has always had a little thing for Nellie.
Yet, as fate would have it, the arrival of Ray, a dashing American airman stationed nearby, casts doubt upon the path Nellie had envisioned for herself. Ray’s presence leaves her feeling uncertain about everything she once felt confident about.
Tragedy strikes when an air raid shatters their world, leaving Nellie and her loved ones reeling from the devastation that war so callously bestows, proving that not even the closest of families are immune to its indiscriminate reach. As the shroud of secrets surrounding that fateful night begins to lift, the fragile bonds holding Nellie and her cherished kin together are perilously tested, treading a delicate line that could either bind them eternally or sever their connections irreparably.