Schrader's Chord
By: Scott Leeds
Release Date | September 5
Genre | Horror
I told you they were real.
After the mysterious death of his estranged father, Charlie Remick returns to Seattle to help arrange the funeral. There, he discovers his inheritance: two keys. One to the family record store and one to a strange black case with four antique records inside that, according to legend, open a gateway to the land of the dead.
Which is exactly what they do when Charlie, his sister, and their two friends choose to play the records, pulling them into a world of unspeakable horror where they see the dead and a malevolent force stalks them relentlessly. Time is running out and the only person able to help is Charlie's resurrected father who knows first hand the awesome power the records have unchained. But for Charlie and his friends, is it too late to silence Schrader's chord?
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The September House
By: Carissa Orlando
Release Date | September 5
Genre | Horror
It was a dream come true for Hal and Margaret to close the very reasonable sale on their new home. The large Victorian is beautiful - and haunted. When September arrives, the walls drip blood and the ghosts of former inhabitants wander the halls, terrified of something in the basement. Most homeowners would flee. Margaret is not most people.
This is her home. Her house. And she isn't leaving. But after four years, Hal can't stand living there any longer and he leaves without a word. Unable to contact him, Katherine arrives set on finding her missing father, completely unaware of the hauntings within her parent's home. To make things worse, it's almost September and after each attempt Margaret and Katherine make to find Hal, the hauntings become more harrowing. It's as if there are secrets the house must keep.
Suddenly a Murder
By: Lauren Muñoz
Release Date | September 5
Genre | Mystery
Suddenly a Murder is a new locked-room mystery, perfect for those who enjoy One of Us Is Lying and Knives Out. The 1920s themed party consists of partygoers Izzy Morales, her best friend Kassidy, and five friends celebrating their high school graduation at the glamorous Ashwood Manor. Together, they party dressed to the 20s - until Kassidy's boyfriend is found dead.
His death is declared murder, and now everyone is a suspect. From the girlfriend, the other girl, the old friend, the new friend, the enigma - and Izzy, the one who brought a knife - all are under investigation. Locked in an estate with no escape until the killer is found, they must navigate a gruelling interrogation where suddenly, the greatest luxury of the night is innocence.
Dreambound
By: Dan Frey
Release Date | September 12
Genre | Fantasy
Told through multiple mediums, Dreambound, follows the disappearance of Byron's twelve-year-old daughter whose note saying she was off to explore the Hidden World is the only clue to her whereabouts. Except, the Hidden World is a fictional place from a popular fantasy series, not a real place she could visit. But she is not the first child to vanish looking for the Hidden World and Byron - a cynic and reporter - is determined to discover where all the children have disappeared too, including his own.
Securing a coveted interview with the author of the series, Byron heads to Hollywood Hills for answers, but what he learns is more fantastical than believable. It seems the locations in the series are blurring into the real world and to find his daughter, Byron must put aside his doubts and immerse himself in the magic quickly finding himself on a journey, which if he isn't careful, could make him the next one to disappear.
The Stranger Upstairs
By: Lisa M. Matlin
Release Date | September 12
Genre | Horror
The Stranger Upstairs is another September debut written by Lisa M. Matlin, about a young social media influencer who gets more than she bargained for with her new purchase - a house known for the grisly murder-suicide that occurred within its walls.
For Sarah Slide, it is a way to start over. The home is an ideal fixer-upper to reach a new audience and a great distraction from her failing marriage. Even as she paints over the horrifying past, Sarah knows better than most that a new coat can't conceal every secret. Then the contractors begin acting erratically, unexplainable accidents start occurring, and it isn't long before Sarah realises that there may be a limit to her sleeping in the bedroom with a bloodstained floor in a house where mysterious footsteps come from the attic.
When menacing notes start appearing, Sarah becomes convinced someone - or something - is out to get her. The more she remodels the Black Wood House, the angrier it seems to become. Things begin to spiral further and further out of control, taking with it her sense of reality. And though she clings to the life she's created to protect her own secrets, she has to wonder if it was worth it or if the house will undo it all.
The Widely Unknown Myth of Apple & Dorothy
By: Corey Ann Haydu
Release Date | September 19
Genre | Fantasy
Although The Widely Unknown Myth of Apple & Dorothy is a middle-grade read, I couldn't pass on listing this as a to-read for this month. Why? Because it is a tale of greek gods with a beautifully enticing cover that begs to be opened!
Dorothy and Apple are descendants of the gods. Every winter solstice, all dependents are called to visit Mount Olympus to preserve their near-godly status. Until Dorothy's mother refuses, sealing her fate and dying shortly after. Her very human death ignites fury in the gods and they release an ultimatum: return to Mount Olympus and live as a god or stay on Earth and remain human.
Low on the totem pole as a descendent of Pandora, Dorothy decision could be easy but it is still one she must make despite the grief that threatens to consume her. On the other hand, Apple - daughter of Zeus and Hera, popular, and focused on maintaining the family name - must make the same decision, but with vastly different consequences. Their mothers were best friends, and now they begin to deepen their friendship, right before the looming solstice.
As it nears, the fear of losing Dorothy causes Apple to make a decision that changes everything. Will it ruin their friendship or can they fix their bond? Are they still on the same path? There are consequences to any decision, and The Widely Unknown Myth o Apple & Dorothy explore that story.
Black River Orchard
By: Chuck Wendig
Release Date | September 26
Genre | Mystery
The season is not the only thing changing within the town of Harrow. Rooted in an orchard are seven unusual apple trees, trees who bear apples so red they almost seem black. A single bite will make you crave another. And another. Each bite makes you stronger, more yourself, more vital, more gifted. Your appetite will continue to grow and your newfound peculiar gifts will become darker.
This is what begins to happen when the orchards' secret is discovered. It seems everyone is obsessed with the magical apples and honestly, what's the harm in taking a bite? Really, if they make you happier, more confident, more powerful - does eating one matter? But buried beneath their roots is a bloody history dating back to the beginning of Harrow. As the season continues to change and the daylight becoming shorter, the shift brings with it the arrival of a stranger - one who knows Harrow's secrets. It is time for harvest and soon the town will reap what it sowed.
The Changing Man
By: Tomi Oyemakinde
Release Date | September 26
Genre | Young Adult
If she could choose, Ife Adebola wouldn't attend Nithercott School. Even with a scholarship, her parents can barely afford the tuition and regardless of who wants to befriend her like her classmate, Bijal, or how desperately the school is trying to pull her in, she doesn't want to be there and she's determined to not get swept up by any of it.
When one of the students begins acting strange, Ife's first thought is that there is more to the school than she realises and that the legend of the Changing Man might have some truth to it. Does the legend also connect to her classmate, Ben's, missing brother? As the need for answers increases, Ife has no choice but to work with Ben and Bijal to answer those looming questions. Will they be fast enough to uncover the culprit before one - or all - of them fall victim to the Changing Man?
The Golem of Brooklyn
By: Adam Mansbach
Release Date | September 26
Genre | Fantasy
In Ashkenazi Jewish folklore, it is during times of crisis that the golem is created. Traditionally done by the rabbi with mud or clay and animated by secret prayers, the golem's sole purpose is to protect the Jewish people from the threat of violence. But that is not how Len Bronstein came to create one.
For starters, he isn't a rabbi. He's an art teacher who stole a bunch of clay, got super stoned, and somehow created a nine-foot-six golem who speaks only Yiddish. He knows little about Judaism or golems for that matter, and to communicate with his surprise creation, Len enlists the help of a bodega clerk and ex-Hasid, Miri Apfelbaum to translate.
Through a significant amount of LSD and Curb Your Enthusiasm, the Golem learns English and reveals he is a creature with an ancestral memory. The Golem remembers every iteration of himself making him a repository of Jewish history and trauma, and his creation has him demanding to know why he was created and more importantly, who he must destroy. When Miri shows him a video of white nationalists marching and chanting "Jews will not replace us," the answer is clear.
Penance
By: Eliza Clark
Release Date | September 26
Genre | Mystery
For the first time since the horrific murder of sixteen-year-old Joan Wilson almost a decade ago, the events of that night are finally being published. Written by journalist Alec Z. Carelli, Penance, is the 'definitive account' of the murder based on hours of interviews, research, and most notably, correspondence with the killers themselves. What results is a masterful story about a murder, the lives it affected, and the town that was left in turmoil.
The question is: how much of it is true?
From this list, what are you most excited to read this September?
I am excited for Schrader's Chord as the concept is not something I've seen before in horror and I'm really curious to see if music plays a significant role in the storyline, which I think it should! I think Suddenly a Murder sounds simply delicious to read, Black River Orchard feels horrifyingly intriguing, and The Golem of Brooklyn is a must-read for me. As always, I'm stoked for all of them and I hope you join me for a wonderful month of reading with one of the books from above!
