Fall Books I'm Excited About
I know I'm sorry for saying the F word!!!
Hey, everyone! Please don’t immediately panic and leave when I mention fall books - I know, we haven’t even hit summer yet. (Some days it feels like we haven’t even hit SPRING yet!)
But time moves a little differently here in Ye Olde Book World. For example, the book I just turned in last week, DASHED? Will soon get officially ‘launched’ in the publishing house (a fancy name for when my editor and team introduce it to everyone else so they can start talking cover, marketing, publicity, all that good stuff) and it won’t come out until (probably) summer 2024!
In the bookseller world, things don’t work quite as far in advance, but you’re still thinking several months ahead at all times. That’s why I’m currently going through the catalogues for all the major publishing houses fall collections, which is both terrifying and very exciting!
Fall is usually considered the ‘big’ season for books, because it leads into the December holidays and helps set books up for big selling numbers. (This isn’t exclusively true, of course - there are plenty of big, buzzy books that release year round - but there’s certainly a TON of them in the fall.) So my catalogues are all GIANT, which is why I’m glad I timed my book turn-in correctly so I could take a couple of weeks to exclusively do my fall ordering!
The real best part of fall, though, at least for me? Holiday books! I love love love holiday books. Christmas is still the biggest holiday for books, but there’s a great mix of other religions and traditions that make their way into the season as well. The wintery colors, the stories of family, the FOOD… I love it so much.
So even though it’s ENTIRELY seasonally inappropriate, I wanted to give you all a little sneak peek of some of the books I was most excited to discover on my fall lists so far! All the links are for preorders today, but hey, consider it a gift you’re giving to your stressed out October self when these books come in.
GWEN AND ART ARE NOT IN LOVE by Lex Croucher (11/28 release)
I love an Arthurian legend - who else was obsessed with the BBC show Merlin? The husband and I watched the entire thing together/apart when I was living in Florida after college graduation - we’d start the episodes at the same time and text during it, which was great except for how it meant I was alone on my floor sobbing at the finale. (I can’t!!!!)
This book is basically queer Camelot - what more do you want? It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.
They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen's childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom's only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.
Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, they make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen's royal brother. Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.
I mean, come on!!!
A CREATURE WAS STIRRING by By Heather S. Pierczynski, illustrated by Skylar Hogan (9/12 release!)
Is this not the most adorable little mouse illustration you’ve ever seen??? This mouse is hard-core stirring on the night before Christmas, and it’s just about the cutest thing ever. I realize I added in a full description for Gwen and Art, but come on. Take one look at this mouse’s giant ears and tell me honestly you need to know anything else about it.
Esperanza Caramelo, the Star of Nochebuena by Karla Arenas Valenti, illustrated by Elisa Chavarri (9/12 release!)
Again with the most beautiful covers ever! I know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I also know that anyone who says they’re not doing that is an outright liar. Besides, I love a beautifully illustrated book for a holiday gift - it’s the sort of thing you treasure for years to come, and ESPERANZA CARAMELO, THE STAR OF NOCHEBUENA 100% hits that description. On the night before Christmas, a spark of magic lights up Lita's Pastelería, and Esperanza Caramelo blinks open her eyes. Esperanza is a spun-sugar ornament, meant to sit atop the Nochebuena cake—but tonight she whirls through the bakery, singing and dancing, throwing a fiesta with all the other ornaments until . . . disaster strikes! Can the cake be saved in time for Christmas? The clock is ticking, but on Nochebuena, anything is possible—and Esperanza never gives up hope.
Christmas and food combined into one adorable picture book? Yes, please! I’m seeing this one paired with baking an actual nochebuena cake (for older kids, anyway) for an amazing day of holiday fun.
Let me know what you all think about getting such an early sneak peek of the books that are coming this fall! And don’t worry, there’s still plenty of spring and summer content heading your way… once I finish up all these orders, anyway.
Peace, love, and holiday cookbooks,
Amanda