10 Books You Need To Read In September

Labor Day might be the unofficial end of summer, but the calendar says we’ve still got a few weeks left. That means you’ve still got time to fit in some quality beach reads — and there sure are some good ones out right now!
To help you round your summer reading list off right, we’ve put together a list of 10 must-reads — a mix of picks from Patch staffers and Amazon editors. There’s drama, romance, action and everything in between. If you like reading, you’re going to love to these books.
#1 “Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree” by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

For one young a girl growing up in a Nigerian village, a new pair of shoes, a university degree and a husband are the ultimate dream. With a government scholarship just around the corner, it seems like this girl will soon have the opportunity to pursue these goals. But when the terrorist group Boko Haram attacks her village in the middle of the night, everything turns into a nightmare. The girl is taken into the forest and forced to follow her captors’ radical beliefs. Despite this, she refuses to give up. “Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree” is a poignant novel based on the interviews of young women who were kidnapped by Boko Haram; it includes an afterward by award-winning journalist Viviana Mazza.
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#2 “Small Fry: A Memoir”by Lisa Brennan-Jobs

For most of Lisa Brennan-Jobs’ childhood, her father Steve Jobs was a distant, mythical figure she very rarely saw. As she got older, though, her famous dad began taking an interest in her life. For Lisa, this meant an exciting foray into Silicon Valley, mansions and private schools. But Steve Jobs’ reentry into his daughter’s life wasn’t exactly what she hoped for. In “Small Fry,” Lisa reflects on her unique childhood and what she learned from her father and his often unconventional approach to life.
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#3 “Tailspin” by Sandra Brown

Rye Mallett is a fearless pilot charged with flying cargo to all sorts of locations. He’ll fly through the worst weather, day or night, and always gets the goods delivered. When he’s asked to deliver a mysterious black box to a Dr. Lambert into a completely fogbound Georgia town, he agrees without hesitation. As he approaches the isolated landing strip, though, an attempt to sabotage his plane forces him to crash land. He’s then met by Dr. Brynn O’Neal, a woman who claims Dr. Lambert sent her to retrieve the box. Rye usually stays out of other people’s business, but he’s intrigued by Brynn and the contents of the black box. Soon the unlikely duo find themselves in a treacherous 48-hour race to deliver the black box that everyone from law enforcement to hired thugs want to get their hands on.
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#4 “Rabbit: The Autobiography of Ms. Pat”by Patricia Williams

Patricia Williams was born in raised in Atlanta at the height of the crack epidemic. She watched her mother struggle to get by, and at age 7, Pat herself was taught to roll drugs for money. By 12, she’d been targeted for sex by an older man, and by 13, she was pregnant. At 16, she found herself alone with two young children. She was determined to make a better life for her kids, but with an eighth grade education and no job skills, her options seemed limited. Ms. Pat knew she was funny, though, and that was her ticket out of poverty. “Rabbit” is the hilarious, heartbreaking and moving success story of a woman who made it despite the odds and never lost her sense of humor.
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If you haven’t seen “Crazy Rich Asians” — the summer movie everyone’s talking about — do yourself a favor and buy a ticket. The international romantic comedy is based on Kevin Kwan’s book of the same name, and it’s a riveting read filled with clashing cultures, drama, jealousy, money and more. “Crazy Rich Asians” is a funny, heartwarming, insightful page-turner that’ll stick with you long after you’ve read it.
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#5 “Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan

#6 “The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel” by Heather Morris

In 1942, a Slovakian Jew named Lale Sokolov is forced into the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover he speaks several languages, he’s forced to work as the tattooist, marking his fellow prisoners upon entry to the concentration camps. During his two-and-a-half-year imprisonment, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and unspeakable cruelty — but he also sees incredible acts of bravery and compassion. He risks his own life to help his fellow prisoners survive, and despite the circumstances, he falls in love with an incoming prisoner. Lale promises her that they will find a way to survive the concentration camp and eventually marry. This book, inspired by a true story, is a testament to love and the strength of the human spirit even in the darkest of times.
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#7 “Lake Success: A Novel” by Gary Shteyngart

Barry Cohen is a high-strung hedge-fund manager who oversees $2.4 billion in assets. Faced with the pressure of an SEC investigation and his young son’s recent diagnosis of autism, he decided to flee New York on a Greyhound in search of a simpler life with his former college girlfriend. His wife, a brilliant woman who thought money would bring happiness, has her own demons to battle. “Lake Success”is the page-turning story of a privileged couple with a set of problems money truly can’t fix.
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#8 “The Wildlands: A Novel” by Abby Geni

The McCloud family lost everything when a Category 5 tornado ravaged Mercy, Oklahoma. The orphaned McCloud siblings Darlene, Jane and Cora made national headlines, which their brother Tucker deeply resented. Soon after, Tucker abandoned his sisters and left town. He doesn’t reemerge until three years later, when a cosmetics factory outside of Mercy is bombed and all the lab animals are released. Tucker comes back and seeks the help of his now 9-year-old sister Cora. Before she realizes what she’s doing, Cora becomes the unwitting accomplice to her dangerous brother. Her sister Darlene works with the police to find her, which culminates in a showdown at a zoo in Southern California. “The Wildlands” is a fascinating thriller examining what happens when a family finds themselves trapped between human and animal worlds.
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#9 “Unclaimed Baggage” by Jen Doll

Three very different people find themselves working a summer job at a store where they catalogue and sell other people’s lost luggage. In doing this, the unlikely trio become friends, unpacking some of their own emotional baggage in the process. “Unclaimed Baggage” is the engaging, entertaining and at times eye-opening read you need to finish the summer off right.
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#10 “Washington Black: A Novel” by Esi Edugyan

George Washington Black, or “Wash,” is an 11-year-old field slave on a Barbados sugar plantation who is terrified to be chosen as a manservant to Christopher Wilde. To Wash’s surprise, Christopher is an abolitionist, and despite all odds, the two men form a friendship. But when a man is killed and a bounty is placed on Wash’s head, he and Christopher have to flee. They fly along the eastern coast of America, and eventually to a remote outpost in the Arctic. What brought the men together ultimately tears them apart, sending Wash on a worldwide journey in search of his true self and the real meaning of freedom.
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Looking for even more great books? Check out last month’s reading list!