## Metadata
- Author: [[Emily Temple]]
- Full Title: The Ultimate Fall 2023 Books Preview
- Category: #articles
- Summary: As the fall season approaches, publishers are releasing many new and exciting books. The author has compiled a list of the most recommended books for Fall 2023 from various publications. The list includes popular titles like "The Fraud" by Zadie Smith and "Let Us Descend" by Jesmyn Ward.
- URL: https://lithub.com/the-ultimate-fall-2023-books-preview/
## Full Document
As the weather gets colder, the sweaters come out, the tea gets brewed, and the TBR stacks start being photographed next to pumpkins, it seems like pretty much everybody has a book recommendation for you. And why not? After all, it’s the biggest season in the literary universe, the time when publishers bring out their flashiest offerings—so there are plenty of good books to gush about. But which books are at the top of everyone’s lists? Well, as is [Lit Hub tradition](https://lithub.com/tag/ultimate-reading-list/), I have read all the lists to find out (and also done all the math for you).
This season, I read through a total of 40 lists from 33 publications, which collectively recommended a total of 533 books (of course, I never get *all*the lists, those things are like mushrooms—scroll down to find the list of lists included in this accounting). I then collated the results to find the 106 (!) books that were recommended three times or more, which I present here for you in descending order of popularity. If nothing else, it’s a place to start:
**25 lists:**
Zadie Smith, [*The Fraud*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780525558965)
**24 lists:**
Jesmyn Ward, [*Let Us Descend*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781982104498)
**16 lists:**
Lauren Groff, [*The Vaster Wilds*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593418390)
C Pam Zhang, [*Land of Milk and Honey*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593538241)
**13 lists:**
Alice McDermott, [*Absolution*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780374610487)
**12 lists:**
Stephen King, [*Holly*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781668016138)
**11 lists:**
Jessica Knoll, *[Bright Young Women](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781501153228)*Ayana Mathis, [*The Unsettled*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780525519935)
Bryan Washington, [*Family Meal*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593421093)
**10 lists:**
Mona Awad, [*Rouge*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781982169695)
John Grisham, [*The Exchange*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780385548953)
Viet Thanh Nguyen, [*A Man of Two Faces*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780802160508)
Barbra Streisand, [*My Name Is Barbra*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780525429524)
**9 lists:**
Angie Kim, [*Happiness Falls*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593448205)
Safiya Sinclair, [*How to Say Babylon*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781982132330)
Britney Spears, [*The Woman in Me*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781668009048)
**8 lists:**
Naomi Alderman, [*The Future*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781668025680)
Cassandra Clare, [*Sword Catcher*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780525619994)
Teju Cole, [*Tremor*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780812997118)
Michael Cunningham, [*Day*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780399591341)
Walter Isaacson, [*Elon Musk*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781982181284)
Benjamín Labatut, [*The MANIAC*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593654477)
Sigrid Nunez, [*The Vulnerables*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593715512)
**7 lists:**
Tim O’Brien, [*America Fantastica*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780063318502)
Richard Osman, [*The Last Devil to Die*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593299425)
Nita Prose, [*The Mystery Guest*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593356180)
**6 lists:**
Tananarive Due, [*The Reformatory*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781982188344)
Jhumpa Lahiri, tr. Todd Portnowitz, [*Roman Stories*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593536322)
Michael Lewis, [*Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781324074335)
Daniel Mason, [*North Woods*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593597033)
Molly McGhee, [*Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781662602115)
V.E. Schwab, [*The Fragile Threads of Power*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780765387493)
Tracy K. Smith, [*To Free the Captives: A Plea for the American Soul*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593534762)
**5 lists:**
Lydia Davis, [*Our Strangers: Stories*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9798987717103)
Tan Twan Eng, [*The House of Doors*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781639731930)
Diana Evans, [*A House for Alice*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593701089)
Mary Gabriel, [*Madonna: A Rebel Life*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780316456470)
Alix E. Harrow, [*Starling House*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781250799050)
Will Hermes, [*Lou Reed: The King of New York*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780374193393)
Nathan Hill, [*Wellness*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593536117)
Paulette Jiles, [*Chenneville*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780063252684)
Naomi Klein, [*Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780374610326)
Jean Kwok, [*The Leftover Woman*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780063031463)
Stephanie Land, [*Class*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781982151393)
Sandra Newman, [*Julia*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780063265332)
Ed Park, [*Same Bed Different Dreams*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780812998979)
Justin Torres, [*Blackouts*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780374293574)
Rebecca Yarros, [*Iron Flame*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781649374172)
**4 lists:**
Travis Baldree, [*Bookshops & Bonedust*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781250886101)
Martin Baron, [*Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and the Washington Post*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781250844200)
Gabriel Bump, [*The New Naturals*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781616208806)
Roz Chast, [*I Must Be Dreaming*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781620403228)
Curtis Chin, [*Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780316507653)
Alicia Elliott, [*And Then She Fell*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593473085)
Annie Ernaux, tr. Alison Strayer, [*The Young Man*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781644213209)
Ben Goldfarb, [*Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781324005896)
Myriam Gurba, [*Creep: Accusations and Confessions*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781982186470)
Michael Harriot, [*Black AF History*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780358439165)
Werner Herzog, tr. Michael Hofmann, [*Every Man For Himself and God Against All*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593490297)
Taylor Lorenz, [*Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781982146863)
Marisa Meltzer, [*Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss’s Glossier*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781982190606)
Jonathan Raban, [*Father and Son*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780375422454)
Courtney Thorsson, [*The Sisterhood: How a Network of Black Women Writers Changed American Culture*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780231204729)
Kerry Washington, [*Thicker Than Water*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780316497398)
**3 lists:**
Mitch Albom, [*The Little Liar*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780062406651)
Elena Armas, [*The Long Game*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781668011300)
Isa Arsén, [*Shoot the Moon*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593543887)
Kate Atkinson, [*Normal Rules Don’t Apply: Stories*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780385549509)
Mary Beard, [*Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780871404220)
Melissa Broder, [*Death Valley*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781668024843)
Kacen Callender, [*Stars in Your Eyes*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781538726037)
Ann Cleeves, [*The Raging Storm*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781250836779)
J.M. Coetzee, [*The Pole*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781324093862)
Marie Darrieussecq, tr. Penny Hueston, [*Sleepless: A Memoir of Insomnia*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781635901771)
David Diop, tr. Sam Taylor, [*Beyond the Door of No Return*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780374606770)
Anne Enright, [*The Wren, The Wren*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781324005681)
Ken Follett, [*The Armor of Light*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780525954996)
Lexi Freiman, [*The Book of Ayn*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781646221929)
Stephanie Garber, [*A Curse for True Love*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781250851208)
Roxane Gay, [*Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780063341463)
Tess Gerritsen, [*The Spy Coast*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781662515125)
Gregg Hecimovich, [*The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of the Bondwoman’s Narrative*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780062334732)
Mick Herron, [*The Secret Hours*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781641295215)
Homer, tr. Emily Wilson, [*The Iliad*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781324001805)
Leslie Jones, [*Leslie F\*cking Jones*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781538706497)
Sophie Kinsella, [*The Burnout*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593730393)
Amy Kurzweil, [*Artificial: A Love Story*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781948226387)
Jonathan Lethem, [*Brooklyn Crime Novel*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780062938824)
Yiyun Li, [*Wednesday’s Child: Stories*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780374606374)
Bettina L. Love, [*Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781250280381)
Cameron McWhirter and Zusha Elinson, [*American Gun: The True Story of the AR-15*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780374103859)
Tiya Miles, [*Wild Girls: How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781324020875)
Marie NDiaye, tr. Jordan Stump, [*Vengeance Is Mine*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593534243)
Margaret Renkl, [*The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781954118461)
Staci Robinson, [*Tupac Shakur: The Authorized Biography*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781524761042)
Ali Rosen, [*Recipe for Second Chances*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781662513701)
Etaf Rum, [*Evil Eye*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780062987907)
John Scalzi, [*Starter Villain*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780765389220)
Jada Pinkett Smith, [*Worthy*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780063320680)
Patrick Stewart, [*Making It So*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781982167738)
Sly Stone with Ben Greenman, [*Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780374606978)
Vauhini Vara, [*This Is Salvaged: Stories*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780393541731)
Martha Wells, [*System Collapse*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781250826978)
Henry Winkler, [*Being Henry: The Fonz…and Beyond*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781250888099)
Adrienne Young, [*The Unmaking of June Farrow*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9780593598672)
Ghassan Zeineddine, [*Dearborn: Stories*](https://bookshop.org/a/132/9781959030294)
\*
**List of Lists Surveyed:**
Vulture’s [24 Books We Can’t Wait to Read This Fall](https://www.vulture.com/article/new-books-releases-what-to-read.html) • TIME’s [The 36 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2023](https://time.com/6306503/best-books-fall-2023/) • The New York Times’ [34 Works of Fiction to Read this Fall](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/04/books/new-fiction-fall.html) and [33 Nonfiction Books to Read This Fall](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/04/books/nonfiction-books-fall.html) • The Washington Post’s [29 Books to Read This Fall](https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/09/01/fall-books-preview/) • The Los Angeles Times’ [30 Books We Can’t Wait to Read This Fall](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2023-08-28/30-books-we-cant-wait-to-read-this-fall-2023) • People’s [List of Must-Read Books for Fall 2023](https://people.com/see-people-s-list-of-must-read-books-for-fall-7964172) • Town & Country’s [The 60 Must-Read Books of Fall 2023](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/g44735770/best-books-fall-2023/) • Oprah Daily’s [The Five Novels You Need to Read This Fall](https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/g44753264/best-new-fall-books-to-read/) • Amazon Book Review’s [Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2023](https://www.amazon.com/amazonbookreview/read/B0CFX4J8JW?) • Observer’s [The Most-Anticipated Must-Read Books of Fall 2023](https://observer.com/2023/08/best-books-of-fall-2023/) • Cosmopolitan’s [The 8 Books You Need to Read This Fall](https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/books/g44868234/fall-books-2023/) • The Week’s [6 Books to Get Cozy With This Fall](https://theweek.com/book-list/1026113/fall-books-to-read) • Goodreads’ [Readers’ 55 Most Anticipated Books of Fall](https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2617-readers-55-most-anticipated-books-of-fall?content_type=all) • The Boston Globe’s [20 Books We’re Excited to Read This Fall](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/24/arts/here-are-20-books-were-excited-read-this-fall/) • The Guardian’s [What to Read This Autumn: 2023’s Biggest New Books](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/aug/26/what-to-read-this-autumn-2023s-biggest-new-books) • Country Living’s [28 Best Fall Books to Put at the Top of Your Reading List for 2023](https://www.countryliving.com/life/entertainment/g44620810/fall-books-2023/) • Bustle’s [The 35 Best New Books of Fall 2023](https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/best-fall-books-2023) • Good Housekeeping’s [13 Most Anticipated Fall Books of 2023](https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/g3835/best-fall-books/) • The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s [40 New Books for Fall Reading](https://www.stltoday.com/life-entertainment/local/books/40-new-books-for-fall-reading-choices-for-everyone/article_cc02650e-3d0e-11ee-b7b0-6b781505d7a4.html) • The Toronto Star’s [30 (Plus!) New Reads We Can’t Wait to Cosy Up With This Fall](https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/our-books-editor-on-the-30-plus-new-reads-we-can-t-wait-to-cosy/article_f0913cc9-6146-52b3-b383-fe0b292cfa67.html) • AARP’s [The Big Fall 2023 Book Preview](https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/books/info-2023/fall-book-preview.html) • SheReads’ [Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2023](https://shereads.com/most-anticipated-books-of-fall-2023/) • Library Journal’s [Fall Book Preview](https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/Fall-Book-Preview-The-Titles-to-Read-in-2023) • Kirkus’ [10 Fiction Must-Reads](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/fall-preview-2023-10-fiction-must-reads/) and [10 Nonfiction Must-Reads](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/fall-preview-2023-10-nonfiction-must-reads/) and [150 Most Anticipated Books of Fall](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-lists/150-most-anticipated-books-fall-2023/) • The Walrus’ [The Best Books of Fall 2023](https://thewalrus.ca/best-books-2023/) • Libby Life’s [Fall Books Preview 2023](https://www.libbylife.com/2023-08-21-fall-book-preview-2023-books-to-watch-out-for-this-season) • BookPage’s [Most Anticipated Nonfiction](https://www.bookpage.com/features/fall-2023-preview-most-anticipated-nonfiction/) and [Most Anticipated Fiction](https://www.bookpage.com/features/fall-2023-preview-most-anticipated-fiction/) and [Most Anticipated Mystery and Suspense](https://www.bookpage.com/features/fall-2023-preview-most-anticipated-mystery-and-suspense/) and [Most Anticipated Romance](https://www.bookpage.com/features/fall-2023-preview-most-anticipated-romance/) and [Most Anticipated Science Fiction and Fantasy](https://www.bookpage.com/features/fall-2023-preview-most-anticipated-sff/) • Southern Living’s [20 New Books to Put On Your Fall Reading List](https://www.southernliving.com/culture/activities-and-entertainment/books/new-fall-books) • The Seattle Times’ [A Dozen Must-Read New Books for Fall 2023](https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/our-critic-recommends-a-dozen-must-read-books-this-fall/) • BookBub’s [The 22 Best Books of Fall](https://www.bookbub.com/blog/best-books-fall-2023) • The San Diego Union-Tribune’s [Top Book Picks for the Season](https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/books/story/2023-09-10/fall-arts-preview-2023-our-top-book-picks-for-the-season) • Bibliolifestyle’s [The Fall Reading List 2023 Minimalist Edition](https://bibliolifestyle.com/the-2023-fall-reading-list/) • and of course, Lit Hub’s [25 Novels You Need to Read This Fall](https://lithub.com/25-novels-you-need-to-read-this-fall/). (Whew.)