The back-to-school feeling is in the air, and there’s nothing quite like curling up with a really great new book. Except a new pair of reading glasses to go with it, so you can actually see the words. Below, we picked out the five books we can’t wait to read this fall. From Colson Whitehead’s new 1960s noir to Sally Rooney’s highly awaited new coming-of-age novel, our books and readers edit will leave you giddy as a schoolgirl.
Colson Whitehead’s Harlem Shuffle is a hotly anticipated new release, full of historical intrigue set in Harlem. The protagonist, Ray Carney, might seem to be an upstanding furniture salesman – but he’s actually the latest in a long line of crooks and criminals. Expect page-turning heists and unforgettable characters, a lot like these leopard-print-and-pink peepers or this retro-inspired pair of cat eye tortoise specs.
Speaking of hot new releases, Sally Rooney is back after her previous novels Conversations With Friends and Normal People took the literary world by storm. Her newest is called Beautiful World, Where Are You is about four young people: two men and two women. They’re young but they’re not that young, and it’s about break-ups, make-ups and everything in between. Slip into something appropriately Irish (like Rooney) in these emerald green glasses or go classic in a round pair.
Looking for something more serious? Lauren Groff’s previous novel Fates and Furies was a deep, detailed look into a marriage that Barack Obama said was one of his favorites. Her newest is called Matrix, and it’s an historical epic that follows 17-year-old Marie de Fance when she’s sent to England to be the prioress of an impoverished abbey. Go for a classic black pair of Caddis Miklos frames, or get thrust out of your comfort zone like Marie in a bright red pair.
Shop the rest of our back to school books and readers below:
All of our recommendations are curated by Susan & the In The Groove editorial team. In some, but not all cases, we receive a small commission for leading you to what, how and where to buy all this wonderful stuff.