What to Read & Watch This Fall: Books & Shows On My Radar

traitors tv show cast sitting around a table

Tonight is a big night in our household. Traitors is making its return to tv!! WOOT! I love this show for so many reason. Namely: Alan Cumming and his clothing choices which thrill me to no end. I loved the first season when it was just “regular joe” people as the cast and felt it sort of ruined it by brining in these over-the-top celebrities (read: annoying reality tv stars – except for you, Bob The Drag Queen, I loved you!) so I’m overjoyed that they are going back to having everyday people as the contestants. And as Mr. Cumming mentions, it’s the everyday people that will likely get even more cunning and cuthroat knowing the prize money could potentially change their lives. Sorry to anyone in my home who planned on watching the Detroit Lions game tonight… because, Traitors.

American Hostage is another one I’m looking forward to which premiers on MGM+ on September 20th. Newsflash to my husband, we’ll be subscribing to MGM+ in the next couple of days. Based on a true story, when a reporter is forced into giving an interview to a man holding another man at gunpoint. I love a good thriller and a long time fan of Jon Hamm.

A different world cast sitting on a couch

Okay, so maybe I’m even MORE excited for A Different World than I am for even Traitors. This takes me right back to sitting on the green couch in my Grandma’s living room, covered with her crocheted blanket, eating my favorite chocolate chip ice cream and spending the evening with her watching The Cosby Show and A Different World. To me, Lisa Bonet was the epitome of a cool, stunningly gorgeous, hip, strong woman. Man, I loved that show (and the fact that it plays such an important part of my childhood memories). So, when this premiers on Netflix on Sept. 24, you better believe I’ll be sitting on my own couch, under a blanket, with my favorite pile of ice cream. Hillman College, here we come!

If anything involves Florence Pugh, then count me in – I’m excited for East of Eden. Sidebar: Can I just say how refreshing it is that she hasn’t jumped on the bandwagon of these scary skinny women in Hollywood? It seems like an epidemic to be as thin as possible and I despise the message it’s sending to all our little girls and young women. Florence has remained true to herself as strong, healthy and wildly talented. Not to mention, I’ve loved Christopher Abbott ever since his days on Girls. Ok, that aside, I read East of Eden in high school, admittedly have very little memory of it other than some very intense themes about the powers of good and evil and how that plays into free will. Maybe I need to pick up the book between now and the Oct. 1 Netflix premiere.

One of my favorite authors is Julian Fellowes. I think I’ve read everything he’s written and have watched all seasons Downton Abbey three times over. The Gilded Age is no exception to my love of his writing (along with his co-writer Sonja Warfield). Everything from the gorgeous dresses to the strong female leads are worth you starting the first few seasons now, if you haven’t already done so. And a bonus? Carrie Coon’s voice instantly soothes me anytime I hear it. November 1st, on HBO MAX, cannot come soon enough.

Also on my list…

War, 10/1, HBO MAX

Tip toe, 10/2, starz

THe diplomat, 10/15, netflix

Nocturne, 10/30, Appletv

Good Daughter, 11/2, Peacock

Now, on to my true passion ~ reading. The stack of books waiting to be read that is currently on my nightstand is dangerously close to toppling over so it’s not like I NEED to add to the pile. But, I will. Of course I will. I’ve read that most of the best fiction (well… all books, really) are released in the spring and fall. Spring releases are geared more toward beach reads and September & October are usually when publishers drop what they anticipate to be their biggest hits (any publishers out there please feel free to set me straight if that’s not the case).

Today, even though it’s only Sept. 17, it is moody and brooding outside, and I’ve suddenly got thrillers and scary stories on the brain. I will admit that I’m not a romance or sci-fi girl, although I did love Project Hail Mary, so a lot of what you’ll see me recommend is literary fiction, thrillers & mysteries, memoirs, cookbooks and a splattering of non-fiction, usually in the self-help category.

As always, I encourage you to shop at your local independent bookstore. All the books I’m linking can be purchased through Bookshop.org, which is a socially conscious alternative to Amazon. When you buy a book, you can choose to support a specific independent bookstore and that store will receive the full profit margin. If you don’t choose a store, it goes into a pool that’s split among the independent bookshops twice a year. Let’s keep our local bookstores in business!! Here’s what I”m most looking forward to!

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The Witches of Cambridge

In 1950s Cambridge, Ava arrives at Radcliffe College and quickly forms an unlikely friendship with Lauren, the bold daughter of a prominent local family. The two are drawn into the Lilith Society, a secret group of witches with roots stretching back to colonial times, where they begin discovering their own power and the history that comes with it. But when members of the society start disappearing against the increasingly tense backdrop of McCarthy-era Cambridge, it becomes clear that the dangers faced by women centuries earlier may not be entirely in the past. Release Date: 9/8/26 SHOP NOW

The Thoroughbreds by Elin Hilderbrand

Senior year is underway at Tiffin Academy, an elite New England boarding school where college applications, parties and plenty of pressure are all part of the fall semester. But beneath the usual drama, fractured friendships, complicated relationships and a costly mistake threatening the school itself suggest there’s much more going on. Looming over it all is the death of Cinnamon Peters and the mysterious email attachment she sent just before she died. Release Date: 9/15/26 SHOP NOW

American Hagwong by Min Jin Lee

After a betrayal and the 1997 Asian financial crisis upend their comfortable life in Seoul, John and Helen Koh move their family first to Sydney and eventually to Southern California in search of a fresh start. As their children find new opportunities, John and Helen struggle to rebuild lives in a country where much of what they accomplished back home carries little weight, placing their hopes instead on giving their children every chance to succeed. Spanning years and generations, American Hagwon follows the Koh family and those around them as they wrestle with ambition, sacrifice, family ties and the deeply held belief that education can offer a path to a more secure future. Release Date: 9/29/26 SHOP NOW

The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman novel cover

True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw

Scharisse Freeman has come a long way from her humble beginnings, building a successful business empire while living in the very public world of her powerful megachurch-pastor husband. Just before her 40th birthday, an invitation to compete in the First Lady USA pageant finally gives her a chance to win over the circle of pastors’ wives who have never quite accepted her. But when a scandal brings long-buried secrets from her past into the spotlight, Schar is forced to confront what’s real, what’s been carefully curated and what it might take to finally live life on her own terms. Release Date: 9/29/26 SHOP NOW

Friends and Family by Natalie Baszile

Babs and Nora have spent a decade building a close friendship, sharing everything from neighborhood gossip to the challenges of raising their children. But when a police encounter involving Nora’s adopted Black son, Nathan, leaves him shaken, questions of race, identity and parenting begin to expose a divide between the two women. As Nathan increasingly turns to Babs and her family for the conversations and sense of community he’s been missing, Babs faces a choice that could permanently change both families and her friendship with Nora. Release Date: 10/6/26 SHOP NOW

Roll The Calls by Ari Emmanuel

How to Be Less Useful by Priyanka Mattoo

Somewhere between our 30s and 40s, life can start to feel like one long exercise in being productive, efficient and responsible, with the things we once did simply because they were fun quietly falling away. In How to Be Less Useful, Priyanka Mattoo looks at her own efforts to step away from that constant need to optimize and make room again for pleasure, connection and the occasional pointless indulgence. Funny and self-aware, it’s a book about finding more joy in everyday life without having to completely overhaul the life you already have. Release Date: 11/3/26 SHOP NOW

All Hours by Kwame Onwuachi

Chef Kwame Onwuachi brings his restaurant creativity home with a collection of recipes made for just about any time of day, from lazy mornings and quick snacks to dinner with friends and late-night cravings. All Hours mixes familiar comfort food with the bold, cross-cultural flavors he’s known for, including everything from Corn Milk French Toast and Drunken Noodles alla Vodka to Berbere Chicken and his famous Cosmic Brownie. It’s an approachable take on restaurant-worthy cooking, with plenty of unexpected combinations and Onwuachi’s own spin on classics. Release Date: 9/22/26 SHOP NOW

How Bright the Path Grows by Marcia Chatelain

The 1963 March on Washington is remembered largely through the men who stood at its podium, but behind the historic day were Black women whose work and influence helped make it possible. In How Bright the Path Grows, Marcia Chatelain tells the stories of thirteen of those women, including familiar names like Rosa Parks, Josephine Baker and Mahalia Jackson alongside lesser-known figures whose contributions have often been overlooked. Together, their stories offer a broader look at the women who helped organize, shape and give voice to one of the defining moments of the Civil Rights Movement. Release Date: 9/29/26 SHOP NOW

Well, fam, it’s almost time for me to tackle dinner so I can be cleaned up, showered and in my jammies for the start of Traitors in a couple of hours. Hope you find something great to watch or read this fall!!

What I’m Reading and Watching This Fall