By Abby Hardison
Rowan Public Library

Autumn is an exciting time for readers, authors and everyone in the publishing business. Often the most popular authors release their newest books around that time, perfect to take on lengthy plane rides or car trips to visit family, or to surprise eager readers when unwrapped as gifts.  David Baldacci, Diana Gabaldon, Lee Child, Jodi Picoult, Michael Connelly, and hometown favorite and bestseller Kristy Woodson Harvey all have titles releasing this fall and RPL patrons and staff cannot wait to get their hands on them.

Baldacci writes several different series, most are action thrillers with compelling protagonists, and all extremely popular with readers. Amos Decker is a police detective who, after receiving a serious head injury, develops a near perfect memory. John Puller is a decorated combat veteran and military investigator. Will Robie is the world’s greatest government assassin. In 2018, Baldacci introduced the tough FBI agent Atlee Pine. Pine, a survivor of a childhood kidnapping that saw her twin sister taken, chases down several villains including her sister’s kidnapper over the course of the three previous books. Pine doggedly pursues any hint at what happened to her sister all those years ago, and in “Mercy,” out Nov. 16, Pine discovers that she might still be alive, somewhere. This installment has been described as the finale of the series, as the different plotlines all come together in a harrowing tale told at a breakneck pace.

Diana Gabaldon’s “Outlander” series was adapted into a popular TV show on the cable channel Starz, introducing many new fans to the long-running book series. It is a triumph in book-to-screen adaptations, lovingly crafted by a creative team and actors who are true fans of the Gabaldon’s tale of a time traveling nurse and her brave Scottish Highlander. The latest book in the series, “Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone,” comes out Nov. 23, and it finds our heroic couple, Jamie and Claire Fraser, on the cusp of the American Revolution. Even in the rural North Carolina backcountry, the growing unrest amongst their community becomes undeniable and loyalties between neighbors and families will be tested.

These are just a few of the exciting new titles coming to shelves near you this fall. And if you just can’t wait for your library hold to come available, you can check out a Friends of Rowan Public Library rental book for a small fee or support our local bookstore, South Main Book Company. If you are a fan of digital books, be sure to download the Libby App and read ebooks and e-audiobooks purchased for our patrons by RPL and our library partners around the state.

Abby Hardison is adult services supervisor at Rowan Public Library.