5 Exciting Books to Look For This Fall

Be sure to check out our full 2025 Fall Arts Guide to live music, movies, art, theater, festivals and more in the Bay Area.

Speaking of fall this soon might be sacrilegious to many readers, especially when San Franciscans are finally catching a break from Karl to enjoy some uninterrupted sunlight. Whether you’re in your swimsuit or under a blanket, here are five of the most exciting new releases to take with you to the beach this fall. From a local murder mystery series to a ’90s party memoir, we’ve got you covered.

‘Mounted: On Horses, Blackness and Liberation’

By Bitter Kalli
Release date: Aug. 19, 2025

In this essay collection, author Bitter Kalli — a former urban equestrian — explores the shared history of horses and Blackness. Yes, this means there is some discussion of current cultural touchstones (like Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album and reclaimed cowboy imagery), but Kalli also draws from their experience as the only Black member of the Columbia University equestrian team. At the heart of this collection of essays, Kalli grapples with what it means for Black people to ride and tend horses in the context of a culture that has also used horses against them, especially through slavery and colonization. It promises to be a fascinating read, filled with complex ruminations at the intersection of identity, history and current affairs.

‘Night People: How to Be a DJ in ’90s New York City’

By Mark Ronson
Release date: Sept. 16, 2025

You may recognize Mark Ronson as the producer of Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black album and a co-writer of Lady Gaga’s Oscar-winning A Star Is Born track “Shallow.” He’s also the executive producer of the soundtrack that accompanied Greta Gerwig’s 2024 blockbuster Barbie. In his new memoir, Ronson writes about his teenage and early adult years in the booming New York City nightlife, when he found his community and carved his own path to stardom. Night People will transport you back in time to the venues that defined the ’90s party scene, courtesy of Ronson’s eyes and ears.

‘A Tour to Die For: A Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco Mystery’

By Michelle Chouinard
Release date: Sept. 23, 2025

Local author Michelle Chouinard returns with the highly-anticipated second novel in her mystery series, which revolves around Capri Sanzio, a (fictional) tour guide giving serial killer walking tours in the city. When one of Capri’s guests reports seeing something eerie on her tour, it unfolds into a whole new whodunit mystery — perfect for this tour guide (and her obsessive fans) to solve. Chouinard’s book tour will cover a lot of ground in Northern California, including appearances in San Francisco (Book Passage, Sept. 28), Sacramento (Wild Sisters Bookstore, Sept. 29), El Dorado Hills (Face in a Book, Sept. 30), Capitola Library (Oct. 4), Hollister (Hill’s Books, Oct. 5), Sunnyvale (Leigh’s Favorite Bookstore, Oct. 11), and Walnut Creek (Barnes & Noble, Oct. 12).

‘Gone Before Goodbye’

By Harlan Coben & Reese Witherspoon
Release date: Oct. 14, 2025

It’s not news to anyone that one-time Stanford student Reese Witherspoon’s book club and film production studio have earned her the title of the ultimate girlboss. Now, the Oscar-winning actress is expanding her literary empire with the help of mystery author Harlan Coben. A collaborative work of fiction, Gone Before Goodbye is marketed as “the story of a woman trapped in a deadly conspiracy — where uncovering the truth could cost her everything.” That description of a woman in search of answers is so reminiscent of the character Witherspoon portrays on The Morning Show that it’s hard to picture anyone else playing the lead role whenever the novel is inevitably turned into a limited series.

‘The Land of Sweet Forever: Stories and Essays’

By Harper Lee
Release date: Oct. 21, 2025

Could you never get enough of To Kill a Mockingbird? You’re in luck, the estate of Harper Lee decided to release eight short stories and essays found in the author’s New York City apartment when she passed away in 2016. These stories predate Lee’s 1960 novel, now one of the most celebrated works of 20th-century literature; they were written at a time when she was submitting her fiction work to journals and periodicals in an effort to get published. The pieces cover the Alabama schoolyards of Lee’s youth, along with the luncheonettes and movie houses of mid-century Manhattan, covering ever-resonant discussions of politics, class, creativity and love.