PEOPLE's Best Books of September 2024: Oscar Wilde’s Life Reimagined and New Fiction from Rumaan Alam
We've got you covered on the best new fiction and nonfiction to read this month
Juicy historical fiction, hold-your-breath suspense and the dark side of philanthropy — see PEOPLE's picks for the best books of Sept. 2024.
'The Third Gilmore Girl' by Kelly Bishop
Actress Kelly Bishop has lived quite a life on both stage and screen. She won a Tony Award for her groundbreaking role in the Broadway musical A Chorus Line, played Jennifer Grey's mother in Dirty Dancing and, of course, became beloved for her time as matriarch Emily Gilmore on the drama-comedy series Gilmore Girls.
In her new memoir, Bishop is looking back on those roles as well as the experiences that have shaped her beyond show business, including failed relationships, life-altering decisions and personal loss. This warm and witty read is an ode to following your heart.
'The Wildes: A Novel in Five Acts' by Louis Bayard
“He kept assuring me my suspicions were the idlest feminine fancies.” So says Oscar Wilde’s wife, Constance, after discovering that her playwright husband and his poet friend Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas are sharing more than first drafts. Scandal, estrangement and Wilde’s imprisonment for “gross indecency” follow. Bayard (Jackie & Me) maps the fallout for the couple’s sons and posits an alternate outcome in a more enlightened world. It’s all spellbinding. — Kim Hubbard
'Here One Moment' by Lianne Moriarty
Imagine this: You’re on a flight when a woman starts pointing at passengers, predicting how and when each one will die. From that shivery beginning Moriarty (Big Little Lies) spins an intricate tale about fate, superstition and seizing the day. Great fun. — Kim Hubbard
'Entitlement' by Rumaan Alam
Starry-eyed Brooke Orr is eager to help her elderly billionaire boss Asher Jaffee bestow his foundation’s wealth on worthy causes. But as they grow closer and boundaries blur, she starts seeing herself as the worthiest cause of all. A resonant novel about inequality and designing a meaningful life. — Kim Hubbard
'So Thirsty' by Rachel Harrison
Sloane and Naomi’s girls’ trip goes horribly awry after a night out with strangers alters their lives forever. A bloodthirsty romp with thrills, laughs and sisterhood.
'Where They Last Saw Her' by Marcie R. Rendon
All her life on the Red Pine reservation Quill hasn’t felt safe. When she looks into a series of crimes, she learns more than she bargained for in this stunning novel.
'William' by Mason Coile
If you don’t fear rapidly evolving AI technology yet, read this one. Come for the creepily smart robot, stay for the expertly executed horror tropes — and one heck of a twist.
Related: Terrifying Literary Horror Novels to Sink Your Fangs Into (Exclusive)
'Who's That Girl' by Eve
Grammy-winning rapper, actress and talk show host Eve has made history with her music, from her 1999 debut album Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady to her acclaimed single in collaboration with Gwen Stefani, "Let Me Blow Ya Mind." In her new memoir, the star is opening up about that career, along with motherhood, infertility issues mental health and more.
“The book is about a woman who went through a lot,” she tells PEOPLE. “That’s a lot of us. If I can help someone feel less alone, that’s what I care about.”
'Tell Me Everything' by Elizabeth Strout
A Maine murder mystery is the backdrop for Pulitzer winner Strout’s latest, a stunner that unites beloved characters from her previous books. Attorney Bob Burgess defends the suspect, a loner accused of killing his mother. Meanwhile, Burgess’s friendship with writer Lucy Barton enters a deeper phase and Lucy strikes up a bond with Olive Kitteridge, now living in a retirement home. Strout’s musings on life and the importance of storytelling are downright profound. — Claire Martin
Related: See PEOPLE’s Must-Read Books of Fall 2024: Best Fiction, Thrillers, Memoirs and More
'We Came to Welcome You' by Vincent Triado
Sol and her wife, Alice, are excited to buy a home in the gated community of Maneless Grove, but when they get there, they discover strangely identical lots, unexplained events, creepy kids and nosy, pushy neighbors. The suburbs have never been scarier. — Rennie Dyball
'Colored Television' by Danzy Senna
Struggling L.A. novelist Jane has written a hefty “history of mulatto people in fictional form.” But when her agent rejects the book, she decides to try TV instead— which turns her world upside down. A sharp, hilarious page-turner about art, identity and the cost of success. — Kim Hubbard
'Lovely One' by Ketanji Brown Jackson
This inspiring memoir charts the rise of the first Black woman appointed to the Supreme Court, from her family’s fighting segregation to her confirmation to the highest bench in the country. An accessible, uplifting read.
'Who Could Ever Love You' by Mary Trump
A heart-wrenching memoir from Donald’s niece of what she saw as a family torn apart by greed and poisoned by its overbearing patriarch. Devastating and beautifully painted.
'By the Fire We Carry' by Rebecca Nagle
Connecting the 1830s removal of Native Americans from their lands and a 1990s murder that reaffirmed their sovereignty, this powerful, important story is a must-read addition to any American's historical education.
'Small Rain' by Garth Greenwell
This propulsive autofiction novel is set in the ICU, where our narrator spends 11 days for an injury to his aorta that mystifies his doctors and terrifies his partner (they were set up by colleagues as the only two gay poets in Iowa City). As he tries to understand what is happening, he bonds with one caretaker over medieval music and recoils from another’s frighteningly incompetent care as we’re immersed in his dazzling mind. — Marion Winik
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