September Stories

September or Autumn settings in books often carry a charged atmosphere—summer is fading, routines are shifting, and the air feels restless with change. Stories set in this month tend to capture moments of transition: new school years, fresh starts, or the quiet melancholy of endings. Whether it’s the crispness of autumn creeping in or the lingering heat of summer, September settings frame narratives with a sense of possibility and reflection, making them perfect backdrops for tales of growth, nostalgia, and turning points.

Updated August 22, 2025
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Fond du Lac Public Library
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Poppy Redfern and the fatal flyers
Arlen, Tessa
Paper Book
It is the late autumn of 1942. Our indomitable heroine Poppy Redfern is thoroughly immersed in her new job as a scriptwriter. After weeks of typing copy Poppy is thrilled to receive her first solo script project: a ten-minute film about the Attagirls, and Poppy is enthralled to meet these glamorous...
To shape a dragon's breath
Blackgoose, Moniquill
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * WINNER OF THE ASTOUNDING, NEBULA, AND LODESTAR AWARDS * FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS AND BRITISH FANTASY NEWCOMER AWARDS * "My favorite book of the year . . . a coming-of-age story that is cozy and hair-raising in equal measure."--Charlie Jane Anders, The Washington Post
All that is hidden
Bowen, Rhys
Paper Book
"Retired" detective and police captain's wife Molly Murphy Sullivan tangles with Tammany Hall in the next in Rhys Bowen and Clare Broyles's New York Times bestselling historical mystery series. New York, Autumn, 1907: Former private detective Molly Murphy Sullivan is...
The golden tresses of the dead
Bradley, Alan
Paper Book
A finger in a wedding cake is only the beginning in this deliciously shocking mystery featuring Flavia de Luce, "the world's greatest adolescent British chemist/busybody/sleuth" (The Seattle Times). Although it is autumn in the small English town of Bishop's Lacey, the chapel...
Calendar girl. Volume three
Carlan, Audrey (Novelist)
Paper Book
Mia Saunders journey continues in the third wicked hot anthology of the Calendar Girl Series! In the next three months, Mia heads to Miami, Texas, and her hometown, Las Vegas. In July, she serves as the seductress in a music video to platinum selling hip hop artist Anton Santiago. Still...
An evil heart
Castillo, Linda
Paper Book
2024 SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARD WINNER Chief of Police Kate Burkholder investigates the brutal death of a young Amish man in An Evil Heart, the latest installment of the bestselling series by Linda Castillo. On a crisp autumn day in Painters Mill,...
The raging storm
Cleeves, Ann
Paper Book
Ann Cleeves--New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows--returns with The Raging Storm, the extraordinary third installment in the Matthew Venn series. Fierce winds, dark secrets,...
Sharpe's triumph : Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Assaye, September 1803
Cornwell, Bernard.
Paper Book
"The greatest writer of historical adventures today." --Washington Post Critically acclaimed, perennial New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell (Agincourt, The Fort, the Saxon Tales) makes real history come alive in his breathtaking historical fiction. Praised as...
Falling man : a novel
DeLillo, Don.
Paper Book
There is September 11 and then there are the days after, and finally the years. Falling Man is a magnificent, essential novel about the event that defines turn-of-the-century America. It begins in the smoke and ash of the burning towers and tracks the aftermath of this global...
Twenty years later
Donlea, Charlie
Paper Book
"Excellent...Donlea tells a propulsive tale." - The New York Times The New York Times Best Thrillers This Season | E! News Recommended Books | Overdrive Biggest Books of the Month Fans of Verity by Colleen Hoover won't want to miss this thrilling...
The September Society
Finch, Charles
Paper Book
In the wee hours of the morning one fall day in 1866, a frantic widow visits detective Charles Lenox. Lady Annabelle's problem is simple: her beloved son, George, has vanished from his room at Oxford. When Lenox visits his alma mater to investigate he discovers a series of bizarre clues, including a...
Extremely loud & incredibly close
Foer, Jonathan Safran
Paper Book
A funny, uplifting novel about a boy's journey through New York in the aftermath of September 11th from one of today's most celebrated writers. Nine-year-old Oskar Schell embarks on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs of New York. His...
Night over water
Follett, Ken.
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestselling author Ken Follett takes to the skies in this classic novel of international suspense. Set in the early days of World War II, Night over Water captures the daring and desperation of ordinary people caught in extraordinary circumstances--in prose as...
Gangster nation
Goldberg, Tod
Paper Book
"Sal Cupertine is back--and better than ever. I love this guy." --Lee Child "Gangster Nation is a razor. It will slice you open and reveal your insides. And like the best of Tod Goldberg's work, it'll show you everything you are at your core." --Brad Meltzer,New York Times...
A crime of a different stripe
Goldenbaum, Sally
Paper Book
When a body is discovered at Sea Harbor's opening reception for the autumn art series, the Seaside Knitters must take a break from stitching baby gear to unravel a series of secrets in Sally Goldenbaum's 15th Seaside Knitters Society mystery. While no-nonsense mother-to-be Cass...
Death by chocolate chip cupcake
Graves, Sarah
Paper Book
In the fifth Death by Chocolate Mystery by Sarah Graves, Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree and Ellie White, owners of the Chocolate Moose Bakery, are hired to cater a retired film star's party in what's rumored to be Eastport, Maine's most haunted house...   Jake and Ellie...
Deception on Sable Hill
Gray, Shelley Shepard.
Paper Book
A high-stakes mystery of romance and intrigue that takes place in the Gilded Age of Chicago. It's mid-September 1893 and Eloisa Carstairs is the reigning debutant of Gilded Age Chicago society. To outsiders she appears to have it all. But Eloisa is living with a dark secret. Several months...
Death and hard cider
Hambly, Barbara
Paper Book
Musician, sleuth and free man of color Benjamin January gets mixed in politics, with murderous results. "The historical backdrop is vivid, and the writing is exquisite. One of the best in a not-to-be-missed series" - Booklist Starred Review ...
Three can keep a secret
Hilliard, M. E.
Paper Book
Greer Hogan is a librarian turned sleuth, an avid reader of crime fiction who possesses an uncanny knack for deduction and now, she's drawn into another murder case as late autumn slowly turns to winter in the idyllic village of Raven Hill. When Anita Hunzeker, chair of the library board of trustees...
The long flight home
Hlad, Alan
Paper Book
"Tense, heartwarming and life affirming, The Long Flight Home gives a fresh slant on heroism in WWII."--Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author of In Farleigh Field, The Tuscan Child and the Royal Spyness novels ...
A deceptive composition
Huber, Anna Lee
Paper Book
October 1832. Kiera is enjoying the slower pace of the English countryside. She, Sebastian, and their infant daughter have accompanied her father-in-law, Lord Gage, home so that he can recuperate from the injuries he sustained in a foiled attempt on his life. But as the chill of autumn sweeps...
Autumn skies
Hunter, Denise
Paper Book
From the bestselling author of The Convenient Groom and A December Bride (now beloved Hallmark Original movies) comes the third and final novel in the Bluebell Inn series! When a mysterious man turns up at Grace's family-run inn, there's instant attraction. But she's already...
Through the autumn air
Irvin, Kelly
Paper Book
The third book in the beloved Every Amish Season series by bestselling author, Kelly Irvin. "Kelly Irvin's Through the Autumn Air is a poignant journey of friendship and second chances that will illustrate for readers that God blesses us with a true love for all seasons."...
The Prophet and the Idiot : A Novel
Jónas Jónasson.
Paper Book
Obsessed by what they are certain is the impending apocalypse, a mismatched trio sets off on a globe-trotting road trip in the latest feel-good adventure from the internationally bestselling author of The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared In the fading days...
Lilac girls : a novel
Kelly, Martha Hall
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * One million copies sold! Inspired by the life of a real World War II heroine, this remarkable debut novel reveals the power of unsung women to change history in their quest for love, freedom, and second chances. "Extremely moving...
Truly, madly, deeply : a novel
Kingsbury, Karen
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTELLER In love for the first time, a son's decisions about the future divides his family in this fearless and thought-provoking novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of life-changing fiction. When eighteen...
One Tuesday morning
Kingsbury, Karen.
Paper Book
Jake is a New York City fireman and devoted family man. Eric is climbing the corporate ladder at the expense of his wife and children. On a fateful Tuesday in September, two strangers meet for a startling moment in a smoke-filled stairway. Only one will leave the Twin Towers alive. Will he find...
Death in the great dismal
Kuhns, Eleanor.
Paper Book
Finding themselves in a slave community hidden within the Great Dismal Swamp, Will Rees and his wife Lydia get caught up in a dangerous murder case where no one trusts them. September 1800, Maine. Will Rees is beseeched by Tobias, an old friend abducted by...
All that is mine I carry with me : a novel
Landay, William
Paper Book
A mother vanished. A father presumed guilty. There is no proof. There are no witnesses. For the children, there is only doubt. From the bestselling author of Defending Jacob. . . .   "Gripping . . . a masterly piece of writing."--The New York Times ...
The boy in the field : a novel
Livesey, Margot
Paper Book
A New York Times Notable Book of the Year | An O Magazine Best Book of the Year The New York Times bestselling author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy delivers another "luminous, unforgettable, and perfectly rendered" (Dennis Lehane) novel--a poignant and probing psychological drama that...
Murder at Wakehurst
Maxwell, Alyssa
Paper Book
In the autumnal chill of Newport, Rhode Island, at the close of the nineteenth century, journalist Emma Cross discovers an instance of cold-blooded murder on the grounds of a mansion... Following the death of her uncle, Cornelius Vanderbilt, in September 1899, a somber...
The night gate
May, Peter
Paper Book
**THE BRAND-NEW THRILLER FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER** **"AN AUTHOR I'D FOLLOW TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH"- THE NEW YORK TIMES** **PETER MAY: OVER 5.5 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE** In a sleepy French village, the...
The usual rules
Maynard, Joyce
Paper Book
Set against the backdrop of global and personal tragedy, and written in a style alternately wry and heartbreaking, Joyce Maynard's The Usual Rules is an unexpectedly hopeful story of healing and forgiveness that will offer readers, young and old alike, a picture of how, out of the...
Deacon King Kong
McBride, James
Paper Book
Winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Fiction   Winner of the Gotham Book Prize One of Barack Obama's "Favorite Books of the Year" Oprah's Book Club Pick New York Times Readers Pick: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
A fall of marigolds
Meissner, Susan
Paper Book
A beautiful scarf connects two women touched by tragedy in this compelling, emotional novel from the author of As Bright as Heaven and The Last Year of the War. September 1911. On Ellis Island in New York Harbor, nurse Clara Wood cannot face returning to...
The witching tide : a novel
Meyer, Margaret
Paper Book
Named a best historical novel of the year by The New York Times Book Review and "reminiscent of both The Scarlet Letter and Hamnet" (Jezebel), The Witching Tide is a powerful debut inspired by the true events behind a deadly witch hunt in...
The wolf and the watchman : a novel
Natt och Dag, Niklas
Paper Book
ONE OF NPR'S BEST BOOKS OF 2019 "It's early to be pegging the year's best books, but The Wolf and the Watchman, Niklas Natt och Dag's stunning debut, is sure to be one of them." --The Washington Post "What's better than an ornate period piece...
Picture perfect autumn : a novel
Noble, Shelley
Paper Book
A Manhattan photographer finds inspiration and new possibilities in a Gothic Rhode Island beach house in this uplifting fall-set read from New York Times bestselling author Shelley Noble.  Dani Campbell is the latest darling of the Manhattan art scene. As a self-taught...
My father's house
O'Connor, Joseph
Paper Book
From inside the Vatican, Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty makes a daring attempt to smuggle thousands of innocents out of Nazi-occupied Rome in this World War II "literary thriller of the highest order" (The Guardian), the first in a series by New York Times bestselling author, Joseph O'Connor...
Blitz : a novel
O'Malley, Daniel
Paper Book
In this historical fantasy, a new recruit to the most powerful supernatural intelligence agency on Earth is accused of going rogue--and must go on the run to clear her name. September, 1940. Three women of the Checquy, the secret organization tasked with protecting Britain from...
Ocean state
O'Nan, Stewart
Paper Book
Set in a working-class town on the Rhode Island coast, O'Nan's latest is a crushing, beautifully written, and profoundly compelling novel about sisters, mothers, and daughters, and the terrible things love makes us do.  In the first line of Ocean State, we learn that a high school...
The September house
Orlando, Carissa
Paper Book
When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street - for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price - they couldn't believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former...
September
Pilcher, Rosamunde.
Paper Book
A place you will never forget Rosamunde Pilcher's Scotland...where the fields flourish with greenery, the bills bloom with purple, and the lochs glitter with the bright blue of the sky. A time you will never forget September...when the heather is in full...
The towers : a Dan Lenson novel of 9/11
Poyer, David.
Paper Book
After surviving the attacks on September 11, 2001, Dan Lenson finds himself quickly drawn into a covert SEAL team in search of the terrorists responsible. Their mission: kill Osama Bin Laden. On the morning of September 11, 2001...
Queen Charlotte
Quinn, Julia
Paper Book
Go beyond the original Shondaland series on Netflix, Queen Charlotte, with this lushly romantic Bridgerton prequel novel written by New York Times bestselling authors Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes as the marriage of Queen Charlotte and King George of England leads to an unexpected love...
The island
Ragnar Jónasson
Paper Book
The newest superstar on the Icelandic crime fiction scene has arrived with a superb followup to The Darkness. Shortlisted for the Crime Novel of the Year Award in Iceland Third Place, Novel of the Year Award 2016 in Iceland, selected by booksellers One of the...
A murderous relation
Raybourn, Deanna
Paper Book
Veronica Speedwell and her historian colleague Stoker are asked by Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk to help with a scandal so explosive it threatens to rock the monarchy. Someone has bought an expensive jewel for the portieres of London's most expensive club, a gift that's traced to Prince Albert Victor....
Voices of the fall
Ringo, John
Paper Book
Civilization had fallen. Everyone who survived the plague lived through the Fall, that terrible autumn when life as they had known it ended in blood and chaos.Nuclear attack submarines facing sudden and unimaginable crises. Paid hunters on a remote island suddenly cut off from any hope of support....
Some murders in Berlin
Robards, Karen
Paper Book
This pulse-pounding, brilliantly twisting new historical thriller is a gripping tale that will leave you questioning everything. September 1943: Berlin is the heart of darkness--and the last place Dr. Elin Lund wishes to be. An expert in psychological profiling, she's...
Our darkest night a novel of Italy and the Second World War
Robson, Jennifer
Paper Book
To survive the Holocaust, a young Jewish woman must pose as a Christian farmer's wife in this unforgettable novel from USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Robson--a story of terror, hope, love, and sacrifice, inspired by true events, that vividly evokes the most perilous days of World War II....
Chances are...
Russo, Richard
Paper Book
"[Russo's] first novel in ten years hits the ball out of the park. . . . You'll lap up this gripping, wise, and wonderful summer treat." --The Boston Globe "A cascade of charm. . . . Russo is an undeniably endearing writer, and chances are this story will draw you back to the...
Death at the manor
Schellman, Katharine
Paper Book
Regency widow Lily Adler is looking forward to spending the autumn away from the social whirl of London. But something odd is afoot in the small country village. A ghost has taken up residence in the Belleford manor, a lady in grey who wanders the halls at night, weeping and wailing. The matriarch...
Eternal
Scottoline, Lisa
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER   #1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline offers a sweeping and shattering epic of historical fiction fueled by shocking true events, the tale of a love triangle that unfolds in the heart of Rome...in the creeping shadow of fascism. ...
King of kings
Smith, Wilbur A.
Paper Book
The sequel to Wilbur Smith's worldwide bestseller, The Triumph of the Sun. An epic story of love, betrayal, courage and war that brings together two of Wilbur Smith's greatest families in this long-awaited sequel to his worldwide bestseller, The Triumph of...
Tell me everything : a novel
Strout, Elizabeth
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK * From Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout comes a "stunner" (People) of a novel about new friendships, old loves, and the very human desire to leave a mark on the world. "Tell Me Everything...
Idlewild : a novel
Thomas, James Frankie
Paper Book
Idlewild is a tiny, artsy Quaker high school in lower Manhattan. Students call their teachers by their first names, there are no grades, and every day begins with 20 minutes of contemplative silence in the Meetinghouse. It is during one of those meetings that an airplane hits the Twin Towers.
Psycho by the sea
Truss, Lynne
Paper Book
In the latest installment of this charming and quirky series, a trio of detectives are faced with the arrival of an escaped criminal with an unlikely penchant for boiling the heads of policemen. It's September in the British beach town of Brighton, and the city is playing host...
Black river orchard : a novel
Wendig, Chuck
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A small town is transformed when seven strange trees begin bearing magical apples in this masterpiece of horror from the author of Wanderers and The Book of Accidents. "This masterful outing should continue to earn Wendig comparisons to...
Such a perfect wife : a novel
White, Kate
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling author Kate White returns with a gripping story about a true-crime reporter uncovering the secrets that lie beneath the surface of a placid small town, perfect for readers of Jessica Knoll, Alafair Burke, and Liv Constantine. Blonde. Beautiful. A loving mother....
The unquiet bones : a novel
White, Loreth Anne
Paper Book
A shocking discovery of human bones reopens an almost fifty-year-old cold case--and rips apart the lives of a group of friends--in a riveting novel by Loreth Anne White, the Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author of The Maid's Diary. When human bones are...
Our woman in Moscow : a novel
Williams, Beatriz
Paper Book
"A captivating Cold War page-turner." -- Real Simple The New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives returns with a gripping and profoundly human story of Cold War espionage and family devotion. In the autumn of 1948, Iris Digby vanishes from her London home with her...
Last year
Wilson, Robert Charles
Paper Book
Two events made September 1st a memorable day for Jesse Cullum. First, he lost a pair of Oakley sunglasses. Second, he saved the life of President Ulysses S. Grant. In the near future of Robert Charles Wilson'sLast Year, the technology exists to open doorways into the past--but not...
A sunlit weapon
Winspear, Jacqueline
Paper Book
In the latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series, a series of possible attacks on British pilots leads Jacqueline Winspear's beloved heroine Maisie Dobbs into a mystery involving First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.  October 1942. Jo Hardy, a 22-year-old ferry pilot, is...

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