September has always represented a fresh start to me. Maybe it's a lingering feeling from the empty notebooks and unsharpened pencils of childhood, but I've always found that September feels like a breath of fresh air. The perfect moment for a personal renaissance!
For this month's collaboration, we’re feeling those high school vibes. Whether you’re looking to learn about something new with a non-fiction text or excited to revisit a classic you may have read while in school, we have a recommendation for you! And please send us your review if you decide to add any of these novels to your September library list at voices@nhpr.org. - Zoë
Some of our favorite classics
Collected Stories of Vladimir Nabokov - “Though best known for his longer works, like Lolita, Nabokov’s short stories are worth checking out - each one is a little gem of prose. My personal favorite is ‘Signs and Symbols.’” - Sara Plourde
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston - “This is a perfect novel, as far as I’m concerned. Hurston’s poetic prose hits the reader in their tenderest of places. Read this one with a box of tissues close by.” - Zoë Kay
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - “A magical work of magical realism by the master of the genre. My favorite book of all time, and one of the few novels I’ve ever re-read.” - Jim Schachter
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - “The ultimate revenge fantasy played out in perfect detail. Don’t be intimidated by the length; it’s a total page-turner!” - Taylor Quimby
Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame - “Beautifully written, good-hearted story–funny, rollicking, poignant, bucolic, poetic–equally enjoyable to read aloud to the family or chuckle quietly to yourself.” - Susan Doran
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - “A few years back I was teaching middle school English and decided to pull this one out of storage. Rereading Bradbury’s dystopian masterpiece, I was struck by just how much I missed when I read it as a teenager. Bradbury published the novel in 1953 and somehow it is still wildly relevant. Reread this as an adult, you won’t regret it.” - Zoë Kay
Non-Fiction worth checking out
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell - “Sarah takes us on a road trip around America through the lens of presidential assassinations and it’s so much funnier than it should be.” - Sara Plourde
This is Chance! by John Mooallem - “A giant earthquake in Alaska. 24 hours of radio coverage by a woman named Chance.” - Christina Phillips
With Malice Toward None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen B. Oates. Recommended by Jane Harkins
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein - “A thorough and harrowing history of redlining and how racial discrimination defines and shapes our country today, from laws to housing policies to social structures.” - Sara Plourde
Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake - “Fungi are just wild! The audio book is narrated by Sheldrake and his voice is lovely.” - Olivia Richardson (This one also got a recommendation from Sara Plourde!)
Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner - “I’ve been meaning to read this book for ages, and 2023 seemed like as good a time as ever, with the Colorado River Compact back in the news as states agreed to cut water consumption in a historic re-negotiation. This book is a lively read, if somewhat dense at times, and offers deep historical context for the West’s water crisis, plus a lot of stories about dams that will make your jaw drop. I also learned more new vocabulary words from reading this book than I have since college.” - Genevieve Andress
How the Word Is Passed – A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith - “Smith writes with prose describing different historical sites of enslavement across America that can evoke the weight of the past and present. His reflections after visiting draw historical significance to the present day.” - Olivia Richardson
The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee - “I listened to this on audiobook when my uncle had just died of brain cancer, in the car driving home from his funeral in North Carolina, and somehow steeping myself in what is effectively a biography of the disease helped put me at ease and allowed me to more fully mourn. For anyone who is curious about science and the history of disease, like I am, but also for anyone who’s ever been touched by cancer.” - Sara Plourde
