Fall 2012 is a book lover's dream, featuring new releases from an overwhelming number of literary heavyweights. The coming election has further compressed the book release window for most big titles into September and October.
Whether you browse at your local bookstore, buy books online or are searching for something to top up your ereader, choosing what to read in the coming months will be a daunting prospect.
Zadie Smith, Junot DÃaz, Michael Chabon and Emma Donoghue will each release much-anticipated works of fiction, and J.K. Rowling's very first adult novel, about which little has been said, will finally see the light of day.
Posthumous works by Roberto Bolaño, David Foster Wallace and Kurt Vonnegut are sure to make a big splash, too.
There are also non-fiction titles by Stephen Colbert, John Meacham, Neil Young and Talking Heads frontman David Byrne that might pique your interest.
In other words, plenty to read. Here's our guide to the big names, the lesser-known titles and the main themes that will get booklovers buzzing between now and December.
ALSO: Click here to see our best books of the year so far!
Check it out!:
"Blasphemy: New and Selected Stories" by Sherman Alexie
Publisher: Grove Press, $27.00 Date: October 2, 2012 Fiction Summary: The famous chronicler of Native American life, best known for his placement among banned books lists, publishes new and old stories.
"Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures" by Emma Straub
Publisher: Riverhead, $26.95 Date: September 4, 2012 Fiction Summary: Straub's second book focuses on an old Hollywood's star's attempt to balance family and her successful career.
"NW" by Zadie Smith
Publisher: Penguin, $26.95 Date: September 4, 2012 Fiction Summary: Four Londoners struggle to thrive in the world outside of their childhood town.
"Doing Psychoanalysis in Tehran" by Gohar Homayounpour
Publisher: MIT Press, $19.95 Date: September 2012 Memoir Summary: An Iranian Western-trained psychoanalyst returns to her home country in an attempt to employ her practices on Iranian people, whose lives, she says, revolve around stories.
"How Music Works" by David Byrne
Publisher: McSweeney's, $30.00 Date: September 12, 2012 Non-fiction Summary: Talking Heads' frontman delves into the philosophies behind his life's work.
"Lament in the Night" by Shosôn Nagahara
Publisher: Kaya Press, $16.95 Date: October 31, 2012 Fiction Summary: These two early noir novellas about Japanese culture in the underbelly of Los Angeles in the 1920s were recently found, have been translated into English for the first time, and are a gripping read.
"Future Perfect" by Steven Johnson
Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover, $26.95 Date: September 18, 2012 Non-fiction Summary: Johnson applies the success of the hyper-connected Internet to organizational structures such as classrooms and systems of government.
"Lullaby (Watersong Novels)" by Amanda Hocking
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, $17.99 Date: November 27, 2012 YA Fiction Summary: A young girl, Harper, attempts to rescue her sister Gemma from a dangerous clique of girls in this second book of publishing phenomenon Hocking's "Watersong" series.
"This is How You Lose Her" by Junot DÃaz
Publisher: Riverhead, $26.99 Date: September 11, 2012 Fiction Summary: DÃaz's iconic Yunior discusses his family history and laments the lovers he has lost due to infidelity.
"The End of Men: And the Rise of Women" by Hanna Rosin
Publisher: Riverhead, $27.99 Date: September 11, 2012 Non-fiction Summary: Rosin reveals the ways in which women have pulled ahead of men, and pays close attention to the "matriarchy" of the professional world.
"Joseph Anton: A Memoir" by Salman Rushdie
Publisher: Random House, $30.00 Date: September 18, 2012 Memoir Summary: Rushdie reveals the story of how he was sentenced to death for his anti-Islamic writings, his life of secrecy and the threats placed upon him and his family as he lived under the alias, Joseph Anton.
"San Miguel" by T.C. Boyle
Publisher: Viking, $27.95 Date: September 18, 2012 Fiction Summary: Boyle chronicles two families' difficult pursuits of freedom on a small Californian island.
"Both Flesh and Not" by David Foster Wallace
Publisher: Little, Brown, $26.99 Date: November 6, 2012 Non-fiction Summary: The late writer's humor and ability to deftly examine a broad range of topics comes across in this collection of essays never before published in book form.
"Vagina: A New Biography" by Naomi Wolf
Publisher: Ecco, $27.99 Date: September 11, 2012 Non-fiction Summary: This scientific and historical examination of female genitalia sheds light on the broader topic of understanding women.
"Mortality" by Christopher Hitchens
Publisher: Twelve, $22.99 Date: September 4, 2012 Non-fiction Summary: While battling cancer, the great polemicist Hitchens wrote these final observations about life, death, religion and philosophy.
"Listening In: The Secret White House Recordings of John F. Kennedy" by Ted Widmer
Publisher: Hyperion, $40.00 Date: September 25, 2012 Non-fiction Summary: As the title implies, this book is a survey of the best samplings from 265 hours of Oval Office tapes recorded during Kennedy's presidency. An pre-publication embargo suggests some headline-grabbing content.
"Life After Death" Damien Echols
Publisher: Blue Rider Press, $26.95 Date: September 18, 2012 Memoir Summary: Charged with the murder of three young boys in Arkansas, Echols and his friends were sentenced to death and life in prison, but were released last year. Echols shares his story of the trial and his tribulations in prison.
"Why Have Kids?: A New Mom Explores the Truth About Parenting and Happiness" by Jessica Valenti
Publisher: Amazon Publishing/New Harvest, $23 / $9.99 ebook Date: September 4, 2012 Non-fiction Summary: New mom Jessica Valenti faces up to the reality of parenthood - and it's far from a traditional cloying text about the joys of being a mother. A highly skilled writer, who the<em> New York Times</em> described as a 'third-wave feminist', Valenti says it's time to rethink the American Dream of having a family.
"The Innocence of Objects" by Orhan Pamuk
Publisher: Abrams, $35.00 Date: October 1, 2012 Non-fiction Summary: This photo book chronicles the objects in Pamuk's Istanbul museum he designed to accompany his last book, "The Museum of Innocence."
"The Casual Vacancy" by J.K. Rowling
Publisher: Little, Brown, $35.00 Date: September 27, 2012 Fiction Summary: Rowling's much-awaited first book for adults is about the death of a small-town city council member and the conflict created by it.
"America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't" by Stephen Colbert
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, $28.99 Date: October 2, 2012 Humor Summary: Colbert's trademark wit and sarcasm offers tongue-in-cheek advice on how to end our economic woes.
"Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot" by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
Publisher: Henry, Holt and Co., $28.00 Date: October 2, 2012 Non-fiction Summary: The follow-up to O'Reilly's bestseller "Killing Lincoln," this book describes the events surrounding JFK's death.
"Red Rain: A Novel" by R.L. Stine
Publisher: Touchstone, $24.99 Date: October 9, 2012 Fiction Summary: 'Mr Goosebumps' Stine's first adult horror book in a while, this tale of a travel writer caring for twins abandoned by a South Carolina hurricane promises to be a haunting read.
"The Twelve" by Justin Cronin
Publisher: Ballantine Books, $28.00 Date: October 16, 2012 Fiction Summary: The second installment of Cronin's trilogy about a virus that turns its victims into vampires examines pockets of survivors and their safety tactics.
"Back to Blood" by Tom Wolfe
Publisher: Little, Brown, $30.00 Date: October 23, 2012 Fiction Summary: Wolfe's latest foray explores the ins and outs of Miami's immigrant culture.
"Telegraph Avenue: A Novel" by Michael Chabon
Publisher: Harper, $27.99 Date: September 11, 2012 Fiction Summary: Two buddies who are co-owners of a jazzy record shop fight to keep their Oakland store alive. An enhanced ebook with music and extras might also tempt readers.
"Ancient Light" by John Banville
Publisher: Knopf, $25.95 Date: October 2, 2012 Fiction Summary: Part of a loosely connected trilogy by the Booker Prize winner, this book examines an aging actor's past relationship with a much older woman.
"Have You Seen Marie?" by Sandra Cisneros
Publisher: Knopf, $21.00 Date: October 2, 2012 Fiction Summary: This story by the author of "The House on Mango Street" chronicles a woman's search for a lost cat just after she has lost her mother.
"There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra" by Chinua Achebe
Publisher: Penguin, $27.95 Date: October 11, 2012 Non-fiction Summary: This memoir by the author of "Things Fall Apart" examines what it is like to grow up in a breakaway country in the middle of a civil war.
"Letters" by Kurt Vonnegut
Publisher: Delacorte, $35.00 Date: October 20, 2012 Non-fiction Summary: His posthumous correspondence reveals further multitudes of the author, in turns playful and grave, as he shared details of his life with loved ones.
"Astray" by Emma Donoghue
Publisher: Little, Brown, $25.99 Date: October 20, 2012 Fiction Summary: The author of the haunting "Room" brings us 14 connected stories of travel from the 1930s to the 1960s.
"Elsewhere: A Memoir" by Richard Russo
Publisher: Knopf, $25.95 Date: October 30, 2012 Memoir Summary: Russo's memoir tells of a childhood in the New England mill town that inspired the author's Pulitzer-winning novel, "Empire Falls."
"Sweet Tooth" by Ian McEwan
Publisher: Nan A. Talese, $26.95 Date: November 13, 2012 Fiction Summary: The author of "Atonement" shares a tale of a bookish girl confronted with a choice between romance and her undercover life in England during The Cold War.
"Object Lessons: The Paris Review Presents the Art of the Short Story"
Publisher: Picador, $16.00 Date: October 2, 2012 Anthology Summary: This anthology couples classic short stories with nuggets of advice gleaned from them by modern literary stars, such as Lorrie Moore, Dave Eggers and Jeffery Eugenides.
"Waging Heavy Peace" by Neil Young
Publisher: Blue Rider Press, $30.00 Date: October 2, 2012 Memoir Summary: Young describes his life from LSD-laced years in 1960s Los Angeles to his more recent musical forays.
"The Heart Broke In" by James Meek
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $28.00 Date: October 2, 2012 Fiction Summary: Wood's novel examines how a traditional family reacts when the father is assassinated.
"The Middlesteins" by Jami Attenberg
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, $24.99 Date: October 23, 2012 Fiction Summary: Attenberg's novel examines the limits of marital love and our cultural fixation with food, as a woman becomes obese.
"The Fifty Year Sword" by Mark Z. Danielewski
Publisher: Pantheon, $26.00 Date: October 16, 2012 Fiction Summary: Cult "House of Leaves" author returns with more unique formatting to showcase his eerie tales. This book was originally published as a limited release for $1,000 a pop, but is now being made available for fans willing to pay a more reasonable price.
"Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries" by Jon Ronson
Publisher: Riverhead, $26.95 Date: October 30, 2012 Non-fiction Summary: The author of the successful pop science book, "The Psychopath Test" and "The Men Who Stare At Goats" explores the strange beliefs that sane individuals are willing to collectively believe in, in this collection of his journalism.
"Hush Hush: Stores" by Stephen Barthelme
Publisher: Melville House, $16.95 Date: October 23, 2012 Fiction Summary: The brother of Donald and Frederick, and the coauthor of "Double Down: Reflections on Gambling and Loss", shares stories of loss, be it monetary or romantic.
"My Share of the Task: A Memoir" by General Stanley McChrystal
Publisher: Portfolio, $29.95 Date: November 12, 2012 Memoir Summary: The controversial general explains why weapons and funding are less vital than strategy for military success.
"The Elephant Keepers' Children" by Peter Høeg
Publisher: Other Press, $27.95 Date: October 23, 2012 Fiction Summary: Høeg wrote <em>Miss Smilla's Feeling For Snow</em>, but this novel is a very different beast. It examines religious fundamentalism versus religious freedom in this highly enjoyable farce about an unusual Danish family.
"Borges and Memory: Encounters with the Human Brain" by Rodrigo Quian Quiroga
Publisher: MIT Press, $24.95 Date: October 2012 Non-fiction Summary: A neuroscientist explains how the findings for his research were discovered while reading a 50-year-old story by the Argentinian writer, Jorge Luis Borges.
"Dear Life: Stories" by Alice Munro
Publisher: Knopf, $26.95 Date: November 13, 2012 Fiction Summary: Munro's latest collection includes her signature deft descriptions of rural Canadian life.
"Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version" by Philip Pullman
Publisher: Viking, $27.95 Date: November 8, 2012 Fiction Summary: The author of the <em>His Dark Materials</em> trilogy re-imagines fairy tales originally written by The Brothers Grimm.
"Woes of the True Policeman" by Roberto Bolaño
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Date: November 13, 2012 Fiction Summary: Bolaño's unfinished novel was worked on until the author died in 2003, and tells the story of a Chilean university professor's life after fleeing to Spain and Mexico.
"Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power" by Jon Meacham
Publisher: Random House, $35.00 Date: November 13, 2012 Non-fiction Summary: Mecham won a Pulitzer Prize for his 2008 biography of Andrew Jackson. Here he takes on another controversial American president.
"Flight Behavior" by Barbara Kingsolver
Publisher: Harper, $28.99 Date: November 6, 2012 Fiction Summary: This is the story of an Appalachian woman who gave up her dreams to remain in her insular town after becoming pregnant at age 17.
"The Testament of Mary" by Colm TóibÃn
Publisher: Scribner, $19.99 Date: November 13, 2012 Fiction Summary: TóibÃn's novel imagines the life of a much older Mary as she attempts to look back and comprehend the events that would come to comprise the New Testament.
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Posted: 08/17/2012 8:57 am EDT Updated: 10/18/2012 5:31 pm EDT