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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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 : a Flavia de Luce novel
Bradley, C. Alan
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * 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...
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 extraordinary third in the Two Rivers series. Fierce winds, dark secrets, deadly intentions.
Sharpe's triumph : Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Assaye, September 1803
Cornwell, Bernard.
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, the second installment in the world-renowned Sharpe series, chronicling the rise of Richard Sharpe, a Private in His Majesty's Army at the siege of Seringapatam. "The greatest writer of historical adventures today." ...
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 and Incredibly Close : A Novel
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
KEN FOLLETT'S INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER- September 1939. England is at war with Nazi Germany. In Southampton, the world's most luxurious airliner-the legendary Pan Am clipper-takes off for its final flight to neutral America. Aboard are the cream of society and the dregs of humanity, all fleeing the...
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
The long flight home
Hlad, Alan.
Paper Book
It is September 1940 -- a year into the war -- and as German bombs fall on Britain, fears grow of an impending invasion. Enemy fighter planes blacken the sky around the Epping Forest home of Susan Shepherd and her grandfather, Bertie. After losing her parents to influenza as a child, Susan found...
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
Jonasson, Jonas
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.
Ebook
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...
Lake of tears
Logue, Mary.
Paper Book
"Logue writes beautifully about rural Minnesota life while telling a good mystery. For fans of J.A. Jance and Margaret Maron." --Library Journal Deputy Sheriff Claire Watkins has had an easy summer in Fort St. Antoine, Wisconsin; the only problem is that her daughter Meg is...
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...
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, passed down through the generations, connects two women who learn that the weight of the world is made bearable by the love we give away ... September 1911. On Ellis Island in New York Harbor, nurse Clara Wood cannot face returning to Manhattan, where the man she loved fell to his...
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
From the author of the classic multimillion bestseller The Shell Seeker, comes Rosamunde Pilcher's September, a story of homecomings and heartbreaks, friendships, betrayals, forgiveness, and love. The basis for the TV mini-series of the same name, now available on...
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...
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 Lily adler mystery series, book 3
Schellman, Katharine.
Ebook
The tortured spirits of the dead haunt a Regency-era English manor--but the true danger lies in the land of the living in the third installment in the Lily Adler mysteries, perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn. Regency widow Lily Adler is looking forward to spending the autumn...
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
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY: Vox * The Paris Review * NPR * Vanity Fair / A FINALIST FOR THE L.A. TIMES BOOK PRIZE FOR FIRST FICTION  James Frankie Thomas's Idlewild is a darkly funny story of two adults looking back on...
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...
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...
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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