Fall brings with it mixed feelings. On one hand, no more 90-degree days where any type of movement outside of an air-conditioned room results in misery. On the other hand, we’re creeping closer and closer to the season of parkas and polar vortexes.
But first, it looks like we’re actually going to have a bit of fall this year, and there’s no better time to cozy up with a book. We picked a few recently released or soon-to-be released titles to add to your reading list, based on your emotional state this season.
IF YOU’RE FEELING …
… CUBS, CUBS, CUBS!
Cubs by the Numbers
By Al Yellon, Kasey Ignarski
and Matthew Silverman
Sept. 6, $14.99, Sports Publishing
This one’s for the die-hards, and there are a ton of you out there all of a sudden. But if you bleed true Cubbie blue year-round, or know someone who does, then likely you’ll find this book more interesting than most. Instead of other books that detail the history of the Cubs and Wrigley in chronological order (pre-1908/post-1908 seems to be the B.C./A.D. on the North Side), this one arranges the info by jersey number, all the way up to the 2015 roster.
… NOSTALGIC
Disco Demolition: The Night Disco Died
By Steve Dahl with
Dave Hoekstra and Paul Natkin
Aug. 30, $34.95, Curbside Splendor
Thirty-seven years ago, an anti-disco promotional event at old Comiskey Park turned into a riot that resulted in thousands of fans crashing the gates and storming the field. This book is an “oral history” of the event, what
led up to it and the fallout and
fame/infamy that came afterward. Co-author Steve Dahl is the legendary Chicago DJ who MC’d Disco Demolition, but other voices (including that of Bob Odenkirk, who wrote the foreward) chime in on how this event shaped their lives.
… LIKE A NETFLIX MARATHON
TV: The Book
By Alan Sepinwall
and Matt Zoller Seitz
Sept. 6, $19.90, Grand Central
Years ago, Sepinwall and Zoller Seitz worked together at the Newark Star-Ledger, where they wrote a TV column. Though they went on to have careers elsewhere (Sepinwall with Hitflix and Zoller Seitz at RogerEbert.com, New York magazine and Vulture), they return to their roots with “TV: The Book,” in which they pick the top 100 “greatest American shows of all time.” Prepare to either embrace or villify their picks, which encompass everything from “M*A*S*H*” to “Mad Men.”
… SEXY
The Jane Austen Kama Sutra
By Jane Austen,
edited by Joelle Herr
Oct. 4, $14.95, Cider Mill
Talk about twisting someone else’s words. This book takes Austen’s own prose and interprets it into various imaginative sex positions, complete with drawings of figures in period costume acting those positions out. Too bad this version of Jane Austen wasn’t around when you were trying to pass English lit.
… RESTLESS
The Best Things in Life are Free
By Lonely Planet
Aug. 16, $22.99, Lonely Planet
If you’ve got a few vacation days left to burn but not a lot left in your bank account, this guide from Lonely Planet travel experts gives you tips on how to visit one of more than 60 cities across the world on the cheap. The main focus is on things to do and places to visit for free, and how to make the most of your budget with other tricks and recommendations.
… FOREVER YOUNG (ADULT)
A Torch Against the Night
By Sabaa Tahir
Aug. 30, $19.95, Razorbill
This is the second book in Tahir’s New York Times best-selling “An Ember in the Ashes” series. (If you haven’t read the first, please get on that STAT.) The series focuses on the Martial Empire in an ancient Rome-esque world. When her brother is arrested for helping the resistance, 17-year-old Laia is willing to do anything to help rescue him. She finds herself unlikely allies with Elias, a soldier-in-training who has rebelled against the regime. Don’t be fooled by the YA tag—this series has got more in common with “Game of Thrones” than “Divergent” or “The Hunger Games.”
… SERIALLY OBSESSED
Adnan’s Story
By Rabia Chaudry
Aug. 9, St. Martin’s Press, $26.99
If you’re looking to revisit the story of Adnan Syed and the case that enthralled millions of listeners for the first season of “Serial,” look no further than this book from Rabia Chaudry, a friend of the Syed family who first brought the case to “Serial” host Sarah Koenig’s attention. An attorney who’s been committed to clearing Syed’s name, Chaudry presents evidence that she says should have taken apart the case against him, while also giving insight on Syed’s life behind bars. The book includes an update following the vacated conviction and order of a new trial for Syed.
… PUMPED FOR PSLs
Literary Starbucks
By Jill Poskanzer, Wilson Josephson and Nora Kataz
Aug. 23, $14.99, St. Martin’s Griffin
Like so many books these days, what started as a Tumblr blog-gone-viral is now a book. Both blog and book imagine what famous authors (and sometimes their characters) would order if they walked into our modern-day Starbucks, so this is perfect literary-ish light reading (most entries are just a paragraph long) as you settle in with your first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season—or continue your streak of never drinking those ever.
… FUNNY
The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo
By Amy Schumer
Aug. 16, $28, Gallery
Warm up for the wave of celebrity-penned books coming in November (Anna Kendrick, Lauren Graham and Trevor Noah, just to name a few) with this already-out collection of stories and essays from all-around funny woman Amy Schumer. She’s brought her unapologetic brand of humor to the big and small screens as well as the stand-up stage, so it’s only fitting that it’s now been immortalized in book form, too, as she recounts stories from the earlier days of her career and revisits old journal entries with footnotes from present-day Amy.
… STRESSED
[Bleep] Off, I’m Coloring
By Dare You Stamp Co.
Sept. 6, Cider Mill, $10.95
Yes, the coloring book craze seems to be finally fading, but if you’ve come to depend on them for de-stressing or you’re looking for something to doodle on during holiday travel, here’s one that will help channel all your frustrations into pretty—and profane—works of art. Each page features a nature-y scene surrounding a motivational and/or just plain-out sweary word or phrase, from “YOLO” to “DON’T GIVE A [BLEEP],” and they’re organized by whatever crappy situation you might find yourself in, from breakups and bad days to general anger at the world.
