5 Books of Fall

Fall is here and though it is still (unbearably) hot and sunny in Hawaii, I’m excited for cooler weather and rain just around the corner. To be honest, whenever I see pictures of orange and yellow leaves or steaming mugs of coffee, I get a bit jealous. I love nothing more than cozying up with a good book in our loft and reading to my heart’s content. The world is on the brink right now, which is more reason than ever to escape into books. Here are five books releasing this fall that are on my radar. Enjoy!
 
RESCUE YOU
By Elysia Whisler
​
Rescue You is my feel good pick on this fall reading list. Take a look at the blurb from...guess who?  “Smart, sexy, and full of heart, Rescue You is one of those warm and fuzzy books you want to stay up reading all night. Elysia Whisler has crafted an unforgettable story of loss and love and the power of finding your own strength. If you love dogs and a great, slow burn romance, this one is for you!” –USA TODAY bestselling author Sara Ackerman
 
She needs a fresh start. He’s got scars that haven’t healed. With the help of some rescue dogs, they’ll discover that everyone deserves a chance at happiness.
 
After a year of heartbreak and loss, the only thing keeping Constance afloat is the dog rescue she works at with her sister, Sunny. Desperate for a change, Constance impulsively joins a new gym, even though it seems impossibly hard, and despite the gym’s prickly owner.
 
Rhett Santos keeps his gym as a refuge for his former-military brothers and to sweat out his own issues. He’s ready to let the funny redhead join, but unprepared for the way she wiggles past his hard-won defenses.
 
When their dog rescue is threatened, the sisters fight to protect it. And they need all the help they can get. As Rhett and Constance slowly open up to each other, they’ll find that no one is past rescuing; what they need is the right person—or dog—to save them.
 
THE NESTING
By CJ Cooke

The title of this book is what first caught my eye, and then when I read what it was about, I quickly added it to my TBR list. As the daughter of an architect, and being half Norwegian myself, I thought how can I not? And truth be told, I love to be terrified. In fact, I often think about trying my hand at a thriller. Stay tuned!

"An original and haunting thriller, filled with secrets, ghosts, and Norse folk tales. The Nesting is an evocative and chilling tale that will keep you guessing, and is best read with the lights on."—Alice Feeney, New York Times bestselling author of Sometimes I Lie  

Architect Tom Faraday is determined to finish the high-concept, environmentally friendly home he’s building in Norway—in the same place where he lost his wife, Aurelia, to suicide. It was their dream house, and he wants to honor her with it.

Lexi Ellis takes a job as his nanny and immediately falls in love with his two young daughters, especially Gaia. But something feels off in the isolated house nestled in the forest along the fjord. Lexi sees mysterious muddy footprints inside the home. Aurelia’s diary appears in Lexi’s room one day. And Gaia keeps telling her about seeing the terrifying Sad Lady. . . .

Soon Lexi suspects that Aurelia didn’t kill herself and that they are all in danger from something far more sinister lurking around them.
 
THE SEARCHER
By Tana French

I love anything by Tana French. Her writing is rich and highly addictive. Throw in a bucolic Irish village and you’ve got me hooked. 
 
A spellbinding, propulsive new novel from the bestselling mystery writer who "is in a class by herself." (The New York Times)
 
Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a bucolic Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens. But when a local kid whose brother has gone missing arm-twists him into investigating, Cal uncovers layers of darkness beneath his picturesque retreat, and starts to realize that even small towns shelter dangerous secrets.
 
"One of the greatest crime novelists writing today" (Vox) weaves a masterful, atmospheric tale of suspense, asking what we sacrifice in our search for truth and justice, and what we risk if we don't.

ANXIOUS PEOPLE
By Fredrik Backman
 
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove comes a charming, poignant novel about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.
 
Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world.
 
Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.
 
Rich with Fredrik Backman’s “pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature” (Shelf Awareness), Anxious People is an ingeniously constructed story about the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope—the things that save us, even in the most anxious times.

MAGIC LESSONS
By Alice Hoffman

One of my most revered authors. Her lyrical writing is what led me down the path of becoming an author myself. I’m so excited to travel back in time and learn how it all began.
 
“In Hoffman’s luminous prose, all characters, even the villains, are not only vividly, but also compassionately, rendered... Hoffman adeptly highlights that how one uses a talent, selflessly or selfishly, has a sweeping impact on many lives, meaning that one should always choose courage, and that love is the only answer.” --Booklist

We first met the Owens in the glorious novel Practical Magic. We discovered the tragedy of the Owens siblings in Rules of Magic. Now we learn how it all began... with a baby abandoned in a snowy English field in the 1600s. Under the care of gentle Hannah Owens, little Maria learns about the 'Unnamed Arts'. Maria has a gift for them - a gift that may well prove her undoing.
 
When Maria is abandoned by the man she loves, she invokes the curse that will haunt her family for centuries. Because magic has rules, and they must be followed. This is the lesson that Maria will carry with her for the rest of her life, and pass on to her children and her children's children. 
 
Aloha,
Sara