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Must-Read Books September 2026 |
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| A Lady's Handbook to Gadgets and Guile by Angela BellIn 1895 London, Margaret Kingsley expertly creates gadgets for the Daughters of Genius Society's covert team of lady inspectors. Margaret, who has chronic pain and often needs a wheelchair, goes into the field for the first time when her expertise is needed to find out who's stealing patents. This fun, faith-filled series starter mixes historical romance and cozy mystery with elements of steampunk. For fans of: Roseanna M. White's Imposter series; Jen Turano's Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency novels. |
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| With Friends Like You by Amy ChozickBlending dark humor, sharp social satire, and psychological suspense, this novel follows Emily, a lonely new mother, who reconnects with her long-lost college roommate Daisy. Their exclusive mothers' club offers friendship and escape, but mounting secrets and shifting loyalties force Emily to question whether Daisy is saving her or destroying her. |
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Lady X
by Molly Fader
After her Hollywood actor husband cheats, devastated Margot heads to Pittsburgh with her teen daughter to escape the press. In her childhood home, she finds information about 1970s vigilante Lady X, including a blurry news photo. In troubled 1977 New York City, Ginger and her two roommates stick together, so when one is assaulted, they get a bit of payback. Signing their handiwork Lady X, they inspire copycats. For fans of: atmospheric dual-timeline novels; fast-paced stories of fed-up women.
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The Winged Game
by Sophie Kim
In this romantasy-sports mashup, a downtrodden former athlete must team up with -- and fake a romance with -- the player who destroyed her career in order to have any hope of regaining her stardom. When the beasts that they play on start falling ill, an investigation into the cause may bring the two rivals even closer. For fans of: unconventional and unique romantic genre blends with snarky, likeable characters and slow burn enemies-to-lovers romance.
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| Runner by Ashton LattimoreIn 1923 Martha's Vineyard, a mysterious shipwreck kills Lena Jameson's father and his crew, so Lena takes over his rum-running business instead of attending college. With help from her brother, her on-and-off boyfriend, and Dee, a glamorous young woman with secrets, Lena branches out to Boston and Harlem while also investigating what caused her dad's shipwreck. For fans of: suspenseful Prohibition-era novels; atmospheric historical fiction featuring ground-breaking Black women. |
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McKenna's Guy
by Mike Lawson
Roger Smith seems like an ordinary civil servant nearing retirement -- until he kills a hired assassin who breaks into his home. As a determined detective uncovers ties to a secret passport-forging operation, Roger and his longtime associate John McKenna must stay one step ahead of relentless killers in this clever, propulsive thriller.
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The Intrigue
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
In 1940s Mexico, handsome Ulises charms lonely women to get their money. He newest mark, middle-aged Perla, is the owner of a small-town boardinghouse in picturesque Veracruz. But things don't go as Ulises planned: Perla has a niece who wants in on his scheme. The two team up, but there's still trouble since Perla isn't the needy spinster Ulises thought. For fans of: atmospheric, pulp-inspired historical noirs with multiple points of view.
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| Misery's Wife by Joan TierneyElixane was too young to remember much about her elder sisters before they were each stolen away to wed the magical beings known as the King of the Air, the King of the Sea, and the King of Misery. But now that she's older, she sets off on a journey, determined to save them with all the luck and courage she can muster. This queer and cli-fi influenced retelling of a Portuguese folktale is a great choice for fans of J.R. Dawson's The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World and Rose Sutherland's A Sweet Sting of Salt. |
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The Death Row Club
by V. A. Vazquez
Following the public unmasking of her father as a serial killer, Nicola Fischer is isolated, disgraced, and struggling to rebuild her life. An invitation to an exclusive retreat for the children of killers offers a chance at understanding and belonging -- until a newcomer’s disappearance and a sudden death turn the group’s fragile trust into suspicion and fear.
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| The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate WestburyIn 1951 Oxford, England, Gin Bishop is a clever student with no plans to marry the well-to-do man her aristocratic father has selected, while Sidney Braithwaite, a veteran and former spy, studies Latin and Greek. At first, Gin and Sidney annoy each other, but when a kindly librarian is murdered and they learn he had been tracking a Soviet agent, they team up to investigate in this "cracking good debut" (Kirkus Reviews). For fans of: Susan Elia MacNeal. |
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| The Spy Keeper of Marseille by Roseanna M. WhiteIn Nazi-occupied France, newly widowed Zelie Bellerose joins the Resistance, becoming a leader against all odds. She works with pianist Marcel Laurent, who gathers intelligence from loose-lipped music patrons and airs coded messages during radio performances. Zelie and Marcel grow close, but their world is steeped in danger. "Profound and masterful," raves Booklist. Read-alikes: Elizabeth Musser's From the Valley We Rise; Sarah Sundin's Until Leaves Fall in Paris. |
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| Etna by Paul YoonAfter Etna is selected from his farm by Soojin, who can communicate with animals, he becomes a United States military dog, sniffing out bombs and more amid an unnamed war in an unnamed country. The conflict ends after four years, and Etna quietly leaves one evening to try to find his way back home. Traveling a desolate land, he encounters others, human and animal, trying to restart their lives. For fans of: The Odyssey; thought-provoking stories narrated by dogs. |
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| All That's Unseen: An Appalachian Memoir by Emilee HackneyAfter a devastating betrayal that called her Pentecostal faith into question, debut memoirist Emilee Hackney left her small Appalachian town in Virginia for Harvard. Amidst the culture shock, Hackney realized that leaving home was the right move for her. But it also made her see that home in a new light, and she found herself defending the land of her birth against those quick to dismiss and stereotype the South and its people. For another coming-of-age memoir about feeling pulled in opposite directions, try Between Two Trailers by J. Dana Trent. |
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London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth
by Patrick Radden Keefe
In his richly detailed latest, award-winning journalist Patrick Radden Keefe (Say Nothing) chronicles the shocking death of 19-year-old Zac Brettler in 2019 London, revealing how Brettler's secret life posing as the son of a Russian oligarch spurred his involvement in the city's seedy underworld. For fans of: Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade by Walter Kirn.
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| The Biggest Lie: The Prehistory of American Fascism, 1818-1915 by Joseph KellyHistorian Joseph Kelly's well-researched revisionist account explores the origins of American fascism in the Antebellum South, detailing how the 1818 Missouri Compromise helped advance the ideology. Further reading: The Secret War Against Hate: American Resistance to Antisemitism and White Supremacy by Steven J. Ross. |
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Story Rug
by Sophie Blackall; illustrated by Phoebe Wahl
When a "braiding CRAZE" takes hold of classroom 203, the whole class begins contributing fabric scraps to plait and sew while Ms. Morena reads out loud. But what can they do with the epic braid they create? Find out in this gentle story about the joy and comfort of community crafting.
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Thornbird
by E. Kennedy
Ryan Mayfair’s assumed name separates her from her father, serial killer Gabriel Thorn. She’s back in her hometown, where Thorn’s crimes loom large. As his execution draws near, the search for his victims intensifies, pulling Ryan in. Read-alikes: April Henry’s In the Blood; Sami Ellis’ Dead Girls Walking.
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| Nest of Tongues by Randy RibaySiblings Lily and Caleb are Bay Area teens with a big secret: they’re vampires. When a monster hunter targets Caleb, the two seek to uncover the hunter’s identity before it’s too late. This page-turning horror novel is rooted in Filipino vampire mythology. |
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| The Skeleton and the Cat by Brandon James ScottIn five bite-sized stories, young readers will get to know an irresistible duo: Skeleton, who lives alone in her cheerful, cozy home; and Cat, who patiently charms his way into Skeleton's quiet life. For fans of: the gentle, quirky vibes of classic easy reader series such as James Marshall's George and Martha or Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Michigan City Public Library
100 E. 4th Street
Michigan City, Indiana 46360
219-873-3044mclib.org/ |
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