My Fall 2023 Possibility Pile (Ft. Lots of Pile, Less Possibility)

Oh yeeeah, it’s time for Fall TBRs. You know what that means! Spooky stories, cozy romances, weird paranormal stuff, and, most importantly, a fresh start with a group of books that, let’s face it, you’ll probably completely ignore in favor of all the books that weren’t on your TBR.

What? Just me? Pffft, I refuse to believe that. I see you out there, Susan. Your TBR has told me everything. Don’t even try to deny it!

By now, I’m usually all about the horror books, but so far in September, I’ve been on kind of a romance binge, soooo . . . this should be interesting! We’ll have to see how this plays out. I mean, half the fun is in the journey, right? Well, strap in, because it may get wild.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about our fall 2023 to-read list, and my possibility pile is absolutely rife with possibility: from spooky to heartwarming, from cozy to romantic, I’ve got a little bit of everything.

What can I say? I believe in being well-rounded when I read. That’s what I’m going with, and not the fact that I’m a terribly fickle, mood-reading bookwyrm who can’t make up her mind. Nope, definitely not that.

Since I’ve fallen a bit behind on my reading (and, well, life in general at this point), my fall possibility pile is a mix of backlist books I’ve been meaning to read and upcoming ARCs that I’m super fortunate to have gotten my hands on! In other words, ‘pile’ is absolutely an apt descriptor of it.

Wrath Becomes Her

Frankenstein meets Inglourious Basterds in this stunning Jewish historical horror novel from the award-winning author of The City Beautiful

Vera was made for vengeance.

Lithuania, 1943. A father drowns in the all-consuming grief of a daughter killed by the Nazis. He can’t bring Chaya back from the dead, but he can use kishuf — an ancient and profane magic — to create a golem in her image. A Nazi killer, to avenge her death.

When Vera awakens, she can feel her violent purpose thrumming within her. But she can also feel glimpses of a human life lived, of stolen kisses amidst the tragedy, and of a grisly death. And when she meets Akiva, she recognizes the boy with soft lips that gave warm kisses. But these memories aren’t hers, and Vera doesn’t know if she gets—or deserves —to have a life beyond what she was made for.

Vera’s strength feels limitless—until she learns that there are others who would channel kishuf for means far less noble than avenging a daughter’s death. As she confronts the very basest of humanity, Vera will need more than what her creator gave Not just a reason to fight, but a reason to live.

Why I want to read:

• I am utterly fascinated with (and maybe a teensy bit terrified by) Jewish mythology and lore.
• The only other book I’ve read with a golem was a children’s book based on a Jewish fable, and this sounds way more interesting.
• Aren’t we all just sort of looking for a reason to live?
• Golems are people too!
• Oh, this is absolutely going to destroy aaall my feels, without a doubt.

First Lines:

Dead Man’s Hand

On the streets of Boston, the world is divided into the ordinary Usuals, and the paranormal Unorthodox. And in the Department of Unorthodox Affairs, the Auditors are the magical elite, government-sanctioned witches with spells at their command and all the power and prestige that comes with it. Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby is…not one of those witches.

After flunking out of the Auditor training program and being dismissed as “not Department material,” Grimsby tried to resign himself to life as a mediocre witch. But he can’t help hoping he’ll somehow, someway, get another chance to prove his skill. That opportunity comes with a price when his former mentor, aka the most dangerous witch alive, is murdered down the street from where he works, and Grimsby is the Auditors’ number one suspect.

Proving his innocence will require more than a little legwork, and after forming a strange alliance with the retired legend known as the Huntsman and a mysterious being from Elsewhere, Grimsby is abruptly thrown into a life of adventure, whether he wants it or not. Now all he has to do is find the real killer, avoid the Auditors on his trail, and most importantly, stay alive.

Why I want to read:

• Very curious how similar the son’s work is to the father’s
• Grimsby sounds painfully relatable (mediocre witch? Ouch!)
• It’s been a long time since I read an urban fantasy, but I do so love them!
• This sounds pretty action-packed and thrilling.
• I have an ARC of the sequel, sooo . . . I should probably read the first book, you know, first

First Lines:

Last Girl Breathing

When the answers to a present-day murder lie in the past, one teen girl must examine a tragic event to prevent more lives from being lost. No one expected it to rain that much. But the rain kept coming, the dam broke, and lives were lost. One was Lucy Michaels’s little brother. She was there and while she saved the lives of many young boy scouts, despite being a child herself, she couldn’t save him.

Now eight years later, Lucy is preparing to graduate from high school and compete in the air rifle competition at the Olympics when her stepbrother goes missing right before his most important football game. The search is focused on the same plot of land where her younger brother died, and she can’t help but draw parallels.

When the search for a missing person becomes a murder investigation, Lucy knows the secrets she holds about what her stepbrother was up to that day could help find the murderer. The clues quickly connect Lucy’s ex-boyfriend to the murders, but he couldn’t be guilty… could he?

Why I want to read:

• Pretty sure this is the quintessential type of book to read at this time of year.
• I’ve also had the pleasure of not only meeting the author but listening to her speak on several occasions, and she is fabulous.
• Her work is also fabulous, so there’s that.
• This promises lots of twists and turns to catch the murderer!

First Lines:

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon

Spice trader Cinnamon’s quiet life is turned upside down when she ends up on a quest with a fiery demon in this irreverently quirky rom-com fantasy that is sweet, steamy, and funny as hell—perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes and The Dragon’s Bride.

All she wanted to do was live her life in peace–maybe get a cat, expand the family spice farm. Really, anything that didn’t involve going on an adventure where an orc might rip her face off. But they say the Goddess has favorite, and if so, Cin is clearly not one of them…

After saving the demon Fallon in a wine-drunk stupor, all Fallon wants to do is kill an evil witch enslaving his people. And, who can blame him? But he’s dragging Cinnamon along for the ride. On the bright side, at least he keeps burning off his shirt.

Why I want to read:

• Uh . . . did you even read that title? I have all the questions!
• Wait . . . have I ever saved a demon while I was drunk? Or sober. You know, like you do.
• Just saying, I would definitely drink more if there was at least some probability of summoning a demon. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
• Black romance protagonists, FTW!
• Cinnamon sounds eerily like my kind of people . . .
• Really, who would choose adventure over getting a cat?!
• (I mean . . . Fallon, apparently, but I’ll try not to hold that against him.)

First Lines:

Find Him Where You Left Him Dead

Four years ago, five kids started a game. Not all of them survived.

Now, at the end of their senior year of high school, the survivors―Owen, Madeline, Emerson, and Dax―have reunited for one strange and terrible they’ve been summoned by the ghost of Ian, the friend they left for dead.

Together they return to the place where their friendship ended with one find Ian and bring him home. So they restart the deadly game they never finished―an innocent card-matching challenge called Meido. A game without instructions.

As soon as they begin, they’re dragged out of their reality and into an eerie hellscape of Japanese underworlds, more horrifying than even the darkest folktales that Owen’s grandmother told him. There, they meet Shinigami, an old wise woman who explains the rules:

They have one night to complete seven challenges or they’ll all be stuck in this world forever.

Once inseparable, the survivors now can’t stand each other, but the challenges demand they work together, think quickly, and make sacrifices―blood, clothes, secrets, memories, and worse.

Why I want to read:

• Jumanji but Japanese-inspired? YES, PLEASE!
• I’m always a fan of deadly games (you know, as long as I don’t have to play them).
• Japanese mythology is freaking creepy, so I expect this to be delightful
• I absolutely cannot wait to learn more about Meido

First Lines:

The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic

Desperate to pay for college, Bridger Whitt is willing to overlook the peculiarities of his new job—entering via the roof, the weird stacks of old books and even older scrolls, the seemingly incorporeal voices he hears from time to time—but it’s pretty hard to ignore being pulled under Lake Michigan by… mermaids? Worse yet, this happens in front of his new crush, Leo, the dreamy football star who just moved to town.

Fantastic.

When he discovers his eccentric employer Pavel Chudinov is an intermediary between the human world and its myths, Bridger is plunged into a world of pixies, werewolves, and Sasquatch. The realm of myths and magic is growing increasingly unstable, and it is up to Bridger to ascertain the cause of the chaos, eliminate the problem, and help his boss keep the real world from finding the world of myths.

Why I want to read:

• I went on an accidental F.T. Lukens reading spree lately, and I am determined to see it through!
• Honestly, I’m not seeing the problem here. This sounds like a dream job.
• I’m very curious what myths will come into play here. Hmmm.
• Everything about this promises chaos and hilarity, and I am 100% on board for both.

First Lines:

Solitaire

The amazing novel that introduced Nick and Charlie from HEARTSTOPPER — and the unforgettable Tori Spring.

Tori Spring isn’t sure how to be happy again. Then she meets Michael Holden, and they try to unmask the mysterious Solitaire (and survive high school) in Alice Oseman’s stunning, unflinching, honest debut novel, which first introduced her fan-favorite Heartstopper characters Nick and Charlie.

Why I want to read:

• I’ve been a teensy bit obsessed with Heartstopper (and honestly, who could blame me?!)
• The next natural movre is to read everything Oseman ever wrote, obviously
• I’m so curious to learn more about the legendary Tori Springs
• Can confirm I’m getting this as a birthday gift, and it would be rude not to immediately drop everything and read it in one day
• Nick and Charlie!

First Lines:

Lose You to Find Me

Tommy Dees is in the weeds—restaurant speak for beyond overwhelmed. He’s been working as a server at Sunset Estates retirement community to get the experience he needs to attend one of the best culinary schools in the world. And to make his application shine, he also needs a letter of recommendation from his sadistic manager. But in exchange for the letter, Tommy has to meet three conditions—including training the new hire.

What he doesn’t expect is for the newbie to be an old crush: Gabe, with the dimples and kind heart, who Tommy fell for during summer camp at age ten and then never saw again. Unfortunately, Gabe doesn’t remember Tommy at all. The training proves distracting as old feelings resurface, and the universe seems to be conspiring against them.

With the application deadline looming and Gabe on his mind, Tommy is determined to keep it all together—but what if life isn’t meant to follow a recipe?

Why I want to read:

• This was on a comp list to Heartstopper, so . . . you know.
• I felt like I needed at least one adorably cozy romance book?
• Maybe I’m broken. Do I seem broken to you?!
• Since I can no longer actually eat food, I’ve been living vicariously through books about food, as you do.

First Lines:

The Last Sun

Rune Saint John, last child of the fallen Sun Court, is hired to search for Lady Judgment’s missing son, Addam, on New Atlantis, the island city where the Atlanteans moved after ordinary humans destroyed their original home.

With his companion and bodyguard, Brand, he questions Addam’s relatives and business contacts through the highest ranks of the nobles of New Atlantis. But as they investigate, they uncover more than a missing man: a legendary creature connected to the secret of the massacre of Rune’s Court.

In looking for Addam, can Rune find the truth behind his family’s death and the torments of his past?

Why I want to read:

• This has been recommended to me so many times that I’m a bit embarassed I haven’t read it yet.
• The cover alone looks freaking amazing
• Definitely seems like there’s some tongue-in-cheek humor going on

First Lines:

Ryan and Avery

From the New York Times bestselling author of EVERY DAY, this is a queer love story for the ages–told over the course of a couple’s first ten dates.

When a blue-haired boy (Ryan) meets a pink-haired boy (Avery) at a dance–a queer prom–both feel an inexplicable but powerful connection. Follow them through their first ten dates as they bridge their initial shyness and fall in love–through snowstorms, groundings, meeting parents (Avery’s) and not (Ryan’s), cast parties, heartbreak, and every day and date in between.

Why I want to read:

• Since reading Heartstopper (again), Libby has decided I need to read all the similar books, and who am I to defy our AI overlords?!
• Also, I lied: I need at least two cozy romances on this list.
• But seriously, does this not sound freaking adorable?
• I just want some cute, chaotic dating stories. Is that too much to ask?

First Lines:

Together We Rot

Wil Greene’s mom has been missing for over a year, and the police are ready to call the case closed–they claim she skipped town and you can’t find a woman who wants to disappear. But she knows her mom wouldn’t just leave…and she knows the family of her former best friend, Elwood Clarke, has something to do with it.

Elwood has been counting down the days until his 18th birthday–in dread. It marks leaving school and joining his pastor father in dedicating his life to their congregation, the Garden of Adam. But when he comes home after one night of after a final goodbye with his friends, already self-flagellating for the sins of drinking and disobeying his father, he discovers his path is not as virtuous as he thought. He’s not his father’s successor, but his sacrifice. For the woods he’s grown up with are thirsty, and must be paid in blood.

Now on the run from a family that wants him dead, he turns to the only one who will believe him: Wil. Together, they form a reluctant partnership; she’ll help him hide if he helps her find evidence that his family killed her mother. But in the end they dig up more secrets than they bargained for, unraveling decades of dark cult dealings in their town, led by the Clarke family.

And there’s a reason they need Elwood’s blood for their satanic rituals. Something inhuman is growing inside of him. Everywhere he goes, the plants come alive and the forest calls to him, and Wil isn’t sure if she can save the boy she can’t help but love.

Why I want to read:

• Oh, cults are always a good time, aren’t they?
• Bonus points if they involve satanic rituals.
• This cover is absolutely stunning.
• I am all sorts of curious about what’s going on here.
• Must. Uncover. All. The. Secrets.

First Lines:

Coyote Queen

Twelve-year-old Fud feels trapped. She lives a precarious life in a cramped trailer with her mom and her mom’s alcoholic ex-boxer boyfriend, Larry. Fud can see it’s only a matter of time until Larry explodes again, even if her mom keeps on making excuses for his behavior. If only Fud could find a way to be as free as the coyotes roaming the Wyoming countryside: strong, smart, independent, and always willing to protect their own.

When Larry comes home with a rusted-out houseboat, Fud is horrified to hear that he wants to fix it up for them to live on permanently. All she sees is a floating prison. Then new-neighbor Leigh tells Fud about Miss Black Gold, a beauty pageant sponsored by the local coal mine. While Fud doesn’t care much about gowns or talents or prancing around on stage, she cares very much about getting herself and her mom away from Larry before the boat is finished. And to do that, she needs money, in particular that Miss Black Gold prize money.

One problem: the more Fud has fantasized about escape, the more her connection to the coyotes lurking outside her window has grown. And strange things have started happening—is Fud really going color-blind? Are her eyebrows really getting bushier? And why does it suddenly seem like she can smell everything?

Why I want to read:

• No list is complete without middle grade!
• I’ve really enjoyed this author’s other works and can’t wait to try this one.
• Connections to coyotes are always a good thing.
• This one is for sure going to be an emotional read (a heavy but oh-so-important topic)

First Lines:

Knock Knock, Open Wide

Driving home late one night, Etain Larkin finds a corpse on a pitch-black country road deep in the Irish countryside. She takes the corpse to a remote farmhouse. So begins a night of unspeakable horror that will take her to the very brink of sanity.

She will never speak of it again.

Two decades later, Betty Fitzpatrick, newly arrived at college in Dublin, has already fallen in love with the drama society, and the beautiful but troubled Ashling Mallen. As their relationship blossoms, Ashling goes to great lengths to keep Betty away from her family, especially her alcoholic mother, Etain.

As their relationship blossoms, Betty learns her lover’s terrifying family history, and Ashling’s secret obsession. Ashling has become convinced that the horrors inflicted on her family are connected to a seemingly innocent children’s TV show. Everyone in Ireland watched this show in their youth, but Ash soon discovers that no one remembers it quite the same way. And only Ashling seems to remember its a small black goat puppet who lives in a box and only comes out if you don’t behave. They say he’s never come out.

Almost never.

When the door between the known and unknown opens, it can never close again.

Why I want to read:

• Horror meets Celtic myth is honestly the perfect combination for a chilly fall read
• Not sure, but this sounds like a psychological thriller, which is my favorite sort!
• Creepy TV shows as plot points give me goosebumps, but I love them
• Everything about this promises to be a spooky, thrilling ride!

First Lines:

Parenting Is Weird: Tails from the Litterbox

Twelve-year-old Fud feels trapped. She lives a precarious life in a cramped trailer with her mom and her mom’s alcoholic ex-boxer boyfriend, Larry. Fud can see it’s only a matter of time until Larry explodes again, even if her mom keeps on making excuses for his behavior. If only Fud could find a way to be as free as the coyotes roaming the Wyoming countryside: strong, smart, independent, and always willing to protect their own.

When Larry comes home with a rusted-out houseboat, Fud is horrified to hear that he wants to fix it up for them to live on permanently. All she sees is a floating prison. Then new-neighbor Leigh tells Fud about Miss Black Gold, a beauty pageant sponsored by the local coal mine. While Fud doesn’t care much about gowns or talents or prancing around on stage, she cares very much about getting herself and her mom away from Larry before the boat is finished. And to do that, she needs money, in particular that Miss Black Gold prize money.

One problem: the more Fud has fantasized about escape, the more her connection to the coyotes lurking outside her window has grown. And strange things have started happening—is Fud really going color-blind? Are her eyebrows really getting bushier? And why does it suddenly seem like she can smell everything?

Why I want to read:

• Anything that makes fun of parenting is always a win in my book.
• Also, maybe it’ll distract me from the fact that I’m about to be the parent of a teenager. x.X
• Funny, relatable comics are sort of my jam.
• Especially if they include adorable animals. Obviously.

Dark Moon, Shallow Sea

Raef wants revenge on the knights who killed his goddess, the moon. Her death darkened the night sky, stopped the tides, and left the shades of the dead without a path to the underworld.

Seeking revenge, Raef breaks into the knights’ temple and opens a box, expecting to find gold and jewels among the bones. Instead, he finds a living man, Kinos, sleeping inside.

Raef steals Kinos.

As they run from the knights and grow closer, Raef thinks he’s found a friend, love, and perhaps a secret that may lead to his goddess’s return. If they can’t solve the mystery of Kinos’s imprisonment, the moon will never rise again and the world will drown in ghosts.

Why I want to read:

• I preordered this beautiful beast. It’d be sort of rude not to read it.
• I’ve thoroughly enjoy Slayton’s other books.
• It’s comped to Mistborn. Duh!
• Well . . . except gay. Which means it’s better.
• Have I mentioned how much I love books that toy with mythology?

Do we have any titles in common? Are there books that I definitely need to add to my possibility pile this fall? Let me know in the comments!

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