A New Look at Carolyn Bessette Kennedy is One of the Best Books of Fall 2023

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This season, you have no excuse for being without something good to read. Offerings include explosive novels, revealing memoirs, brilliant biographies, and everything in between. No matter what you like to read, there's a title coming out this fall that's sure to be just what you're looking for.

David Netto

In this first monograph, the celebrated designer and T&C contributor David Netto shares 20 of his projects—from the city to the seashore—along with illustrations by Mita Bland to showcase the warmth and wit that have become his calling card, both in houses and on the page. Until you can get the man himself inside your own abode, pouring over this must read just might be the next thing.

Slim Aarons: The Essential Collection

You may already have more than a few Slim Aarons tomes decorating your coffee table, but as the title of this latest promises, this one is essential to add to the stack. First, it’s comprehensive, featuring more than 100 never-before-published photographs. It also provides a deeper look at the man himself, with biographical essays (including one by T&C contributor Lesley Blume) charting his incredible five-decade career, from his early days as an army photographer to his peak as master chronicler of the jet set.

CBK: Carolyn Bessette Kennedy: A Life in Fashion

It's been more than two decades since her tragic death, but Carolyn Bessette Kennedy remains as legendary for her mystique as for her timelessly elegant style. With a foreword by Gabriela Hearst and a preface by Edward Enninful, this book is a photographed compilation of her most iconic looks, peppered with personal remembrance notes from the likes of Michael Kors, Tory Burch, and Calvin Klein.

No Crying in Baseball: The Inside Story of A League of Their Own: Big Stars, Dugout Drama, and a Home Run for Hollywood

Since it was released in 1992, A League of Their Own has loomed large in pop culture. The film, about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1940s, is memorable not just for its all-star cast, but it's humor and heart. Here, T&C contributor Erin Carlson delves deep into the making of the film, interviewing the stars and creators, to tell the story of how the cinematic touchstone came to be and why it's had such incredible staying power.

Archive Sofia Coppola

At nearly 500 pages, this collection of ephemera—including scripts, photos, notes, and more—offers a behind-the-scenes look at the work and process of Sofia Coppola across her oeuvre, and just before her next film, Priscilla, hits theaters.

In a Time of Witness

Will any coffee table this fall feel complete without a copy of In a Time of Witness? The book pays tribute to the collection at the University of Iowa's Stanley Museum of Art, and doesn't just show off work by the likes of Isamu Noguchi, Grant Wood, and El Anatsui but also features text written by more than 30 alumni—including Rita Dove, Carmen Maria Machado, Yiyun Li, and Adam Haslett, among others—inspired by the artwork.

Ann Lowe: American Couturier

A definitive look at the life and work of a great American fashion designer who has never gotten her due—until, perhaps, now. Lowe might be best known for designing Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress, however this tome (released around a major exhibition at the Winterthur Museum) shares more of her important, impressive work and helps put the design legend into her rightful place in history.

The Once Upon a Time World: The Dark and Sparkling Story of the French Riviera

The story of how the French Riviera, as the glamorous one percenter's paradise we know today, was born a century ago—thanks to American socialites Gerald and Sara Murphy, who turned the winter destination into a summer hotspot—is well-known by now, but this fascinating account goes back much, much farther than that. Consider this a whirlwind history tour of the region, from its Roman Empire beginnings, to the influx of royals in the Belle Epoque to the Murphy era in the 1920s and beyond, with plenty tales of scandal, corruption, and greed in between.

Mario Buatta: Anatomy of a Decorator

Stuffed with never-before-seen archival material, correspondence, scrapbooks, and late-career projects, this tribute to the late Mario Buatta, known as the Prince of Chintz, is a must have for any design aficionado. But it isn't for expert eyes only, the tome also includes tips from Buatta's practice and details how the man himself shot to international acclaim without following the field's traditional path. Whether you're overhauling a room or plotting your own meteoric rise, this is just the inspiration you might need right now.

Art in Flower: Finding Inspiration in Art and Nature (Pre-order) Lindsey Taylor with a foreword by Deborah Needleman

In her popular, long-running Wall Street Journal column “Flower School,” floral arranger and garden designer Lindsey Taylor chose works of art and translated elements of their composition into floral arrangements. Taylor has expanded on this idea in her new book, Art in Flower, which features 40 of her exquisite creations paired with the artwork from which the were inspired and accompanied by thoughtful descriptions of her process.

Linda Evangelista Photographed by Steven Meisel

Steven Meisel first photographed Linda Evangelista in 1987, and what came after was the sort of relationship about which legends are made. This book features more than 180 images shot over 25 years and charts the incredible relationship between the photographer and the model, serving not only as a guide to their careers but a romp through the eras in fashion and culture that they helped define. Consider this required reading before the September 20 premiere of the new Apple TV+ series The Super Models.

The Night House

There's a reason the Oslo-based Nesbø's thrillers have sold more than 55 million copies around the world: he knows how to be scary. This new novel follows Richard, a recently orphaned outsider who arrives in a new town with suspicious timing—he's barely there before another kid goes missing. Richard might not be to blame, but he is set on getting to the bottom of what went wrong—no matter how terrifying the experience may be. Consider your Halloween-adjacent reading sorted.

The Art of David Webb: Jewelry and Culture

“Why Not Hang Gems?” the American jeweler David Webb asked in a 1963 essay. He believed in jewels as cultural artifacts, as integral to history and decorative arts as painting or sculpture, and also deeply connected to both mediums. In The Art of David Webb: Jewelry and Culture, writer Ruth Peltason uses illuminating and often unexpected juxtapositions to outline his point and to celebrate the impact this belief system had on his work. Webb’s jewelry is never timid, and Peltason reveals his equally bold inspirations: a carved coral chrysanthemum brooch paired with Hokusai’s 19th-century print of a chrysanthemum; a coiled dragon brooch fueled by a Scythian gold animal pommel (6th century BCE); the hammered gold and gemstone Tree of Life necklace evoking the Gustav Klimt masterpiece of that name; a banded gold cuff reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum. Jewelry is often dismissed as mere adornment; Webb insisted it should never be. This book makes his case.

Elon Musk

Have we all heard enough about Elon Musk to last a lifetime? Perhaps. But if we're going to listen to anyone's take on the firebrand executive, it should be Walter Isaacson, whose previous biographies have shed important light on the likes of Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein. The result of two years of unparalleled access to Musk, this book promises to reveal the inner workings of the Tesla kingpin and perhaps help explain how we've found ourselves living in a world where he is, like it or not, an unavoidable main character.

The Vaster Wilds

Lauren Groff's fifth novel is a mesmerizing tale of a servant girl who escapes a Jamestown-esque settlement in early America to the wilderness. It's a stupendous imagining of early colonial America, and about the resilience of one young girl to survive despite all odds.

Lee Miller & Man Ray: Fashion, Love, War

Lee Miller was an artist, writer, and something of an international woman of mystery. This new book explores not only her work as a photographer but that of her collaborator and sometimes paramour Man Ray, comparing and contrasting the two great talents and exploring the way they documented the rapidly changing world around them. Read this now before Kate Winslet takes her turn as Miller in the upcoming biopic Lee.

Flower Love: Lush Floral Arrangements for the Heart and Home

We first fell for Kristen Griffith-Vanderyacht on The Big Flower Fight, a competition series about—what else?—floral arrangements. Now the expert designer is putting all the style, knowhow, and advice that made the series so impactful into a gorgeous book aimed at helping the amateur arranger conquer the art. Come for the dozens of arrangement ideas (which come with photos and step-by-step instructions) and stay for the tips, hacks, and expert advice that'll help even the most hopeless home floral designer.

Cartier Design: A Living Legacy

What does it mean to have a real legacy? It's a question this latest tome, a sparkling visual journey through la maison Cartier, asks—and answers. Rather than simply being a book of nostalgia, Cartier Design explores how its most iconic creations and ideas, from Jeanne Toussaint's feline designs to the sparkling crocodiles made for Maria Félix, have continuously evolved and been reinvented in fresh, modern ways.

Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton, and Me

Bernie Taupin is already a legendary writer. He's the man who penned the lyrics for hits like "Tiny Dancer," "Bennie and the Jets," and "Candle in the Wind," but now Elton John's creative partner is putting his skills to use writing a memoir of life in and around the spotlight. Taupin tells the story of how he and John developed the sound that would make them superstars and honestly chronicles life in the spotlight—for better and worse—giving readers a singular look behind the curtain of both incredible artistry and global superstardom.

Thicker Than Water

The year of celebrity memoirs continues with Kerry Washington's Thicker than Water, which recounts her upbringing and career as an actress and activist. "Writing a memoir is, by far, the most deeply personal project I have ever taken on," she said. "I hope that readers will receive it with open hearts and I pray that it offers new insights and perspectives, and invites people into deeper compassion — for themselves and others."

Palm Beach Style: The Architecture and Advocacy of John and Jane Volk

How did Palm Beach get its distinctive look? There's no one correct answer—except, perhaps, John and Jane Volk. This new book celebrates the style that the architect and preservationist helped champion in the tony Florida enclave, and explores how their shared passion helped influence the way money looks for generations to come.

The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn, and the Transformation of Journalism

As a general rule, newspapers are supposed to report the news and not make it. But things don't always work out that way, especially at the New York Times. Here, longtime Times staffer Adam Nagourney charts more than 40 years of history at the paper of record—wins, losses, scandals, triumphs, and all—that have added to its legend and mystique, and helped formed what is today one of the world's most important news organizations.

Lou Reed: The King of New York

There's a feeling about someone like Lou Reed that the songs they've written give us a sense of their lives. And while so many of Reed's songs have that ability to feel confessional and profoundly true, the best way to learn about the late genius is undoubtedly Will Hermes's new biography, which draws extensively from the NYPL's archive and never-before-heard recordings. He follows Reed's life from before his role in the Velvet Underground shot him to international fame through until his role as a sometimes-irascible icon.

How to Say Babylon: A Memoir

Safiya Sinclair won the Whiting Writers’ Award and numerous other prizes for her 2016 collection of poetry Cannibal. In this penetrating new memoir she describes her childhood in Montego Bay, Jamaica, growing up under the increasingly paranoid eye of her strict Rastafarian father who forbade her and her siblings access to what he deemed the corrupting and oppressing influences of Western culture. Books of poetry given to her by her mother provided Sinclair an escape and ultimately served as inspiration for communicating her own perceptions of the world.

Leading Lady

It should come as no surprise that the man who penned both The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife and Vampire Lesbians of Sodom (as well as T&C fave Psycho Beach Party) can really write a memoir. In this look back at his fascinating life, the award-winning playwright and performer Charles Busch examines his unusual childhood and his creative awakening, and tells unforgettable tales from life on and off stage that'll undoubtedly appeal to existing fans and win over plenty of new ones as well.

King of Diamonds: Harry Winston, the Definitive Biography of an American Icon

Famed American jeweler Harry Winston's son, Ronald Winston, has teamed up with author William Stadiem, for a definitive biography of his father. Harry's is a quintessential American story: The son of poor Jewish immigrants, he built a luxury empire, and was called the "King of Diamonds." After his death, his sons Ronald and Bruce were locked in an intense legal battle for control of the company, with Ronald eventually buying out Bruce.

Roman Stories

Jhumpa Lahiri's newest short story collection since Unaccustomed Earth (2008) explores Rome. Written in Italian, and translated by Jhumpa and by Knopf editor Todd Portnowitz, the nine stories in the aptly titled Roman Stories grapple with contemporary life in the Italian capital.

Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss's Glossier

Beauty isn't so different from any other giant business. That much is clear in Glossy, a fascinating, revealing, and deliciously dishy new book about the rise of Glossier. T&C contributor Marisa Meltzer dives deep into how founder Emily Weiss launched the massively popular beauty brand, and the wild ride on which it took Weiss and nearly everyone around her. It's a story about ambition and drive, and what happens to a dream when big money gets involved; hint: things go a bit sideways.

Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life

Champion bodybuilder, Hollywood star, governor of California, and now avid philanthropist: Arnold Schwarzeneger knows a thing or two about reinvention. In this new book he outlines life strategies and guiding principles that he believes helped him—and will help others—achieve goals major life goals. The starting point? A phrase Schwarzenegger’s father repeated to him through his childhood: “Be useful.”

Remember Love: Words for Tender Times

We might credit Cleo Wade for turning an entire generation of millennials (not to mention celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, and Meghan Markle) into fans of poetry. In her latest collection, Wade tackles topics like heartbreak, loss, and isolation, offering her characteristically soothing voice to mantras on self-love and acceptance—things we all really need to hear right now.

Tremor: A Novel

Twelve years after the publication of his well-received novel Open City, PEN/Hemingway Award–winner Teju Cole makes a much-anticipated return to fiction with a new book set on a New England campus. Cole, a professor at Harvard and a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine, has also published essay collections, including Known and Strange Things and an experimental photo book titled Blind Spot.

Madonna: A Rebel Life

It’s hard to imagine a time when Madonna, who turned 65 earlier this year, was not at the center of some sort of musical innovation or cultural controversy. It’s also hard to conceive that there are new things to be learned about this omnipresent superstar. But Mary Gabriel, whose book Love and Capital was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, reintroduces us to the singer in this exciting new biography by offering insights into major decisions she made during her career and contextualizing how her music and activism shaped our culture.

Head Over Heels

We learned quite a bit about Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in the past year, thanks not only to Newman's posthumously released memoir but also The Last Movie Stars, the six-hour documentary series about the couple. This latest peek inside their life comes from perhaps the best source of all, their daughter Melissa Newman. The book offers a trove of portraits of the couple, some never before seen, as well as handwritten notes, personal snapshots, and other exceedingly rare ephemera. It's a love letter to one of the world's most recognizable pairs written by one of the people who knew and loved them the best.

The Fraud

When a trial captivates Victorian England—after all, a serious inheritance is at stake—it brings together people whose paths might not otherwise cross. Zadie Smith's spellbinding new novel follows both a Scottish housekeeper (an intimate of a once-great novelist) and a formerly enslaved man from Jamaica, both of whom find their fortunes changed by the courtroom drama—giving readers a look inside a long-gone period, and a chance to think about how its struggles can still persist today.

Think You'll Be Happy: Moving Through Grief with Grit, Grace, and Gratitude

It would be easy for any of us to be derailed by the kind of tragedy Nicole Avant has seen; the diplomat, filmmaker, and philanthropist's mother was killed in 2021 during a home invasion. But in her beautiful and moving new memoir, Avant writes clearly about experiencing trauma and moving through grief, living for all of those who can't. Is it an easy book to read? Not always. But its message is vital, and no one who reads this memoir will put it down unchanged.

Bright Young Women

If you couldn't put down Luckiest Girl Alive, Jessica Knoll's bestselling 2015 debut, you're also going to be riveted by her latest novel. Part true crime and part psychological thriller, Bright Young Women is about two protagonists, who live on opposite coasts but find themselves bound by the heinous crimes of the same man, one papers refer to as All-American Sex Killer, and set out to find answers and, ultimately, justice.

Charlie Chaplin vs. America

Charlie Chaplin was born in England and started out as a stage actor before he moved to California in the early 1900s and took the brand new silent film industry by storm. He starred in a long string of hit movies and became one of the world’s most beloved performers. But the American public’s view of him changed at the start of the Cold War. He was accused of having communist sympathies and criticized for his relationships with much younger women. Biographer Eyman expertly chronicles Chaplin’s fall from public affection and examines how his story reflects broad political and cultural shifts after WWII.

Sonic Life

This isn't the first memoir by a founding member of the influential rock band Sonic Youth, but it's a story that bears being told from multiple points of view. After all, Thurston Moore's book isn't simply about starting a band, instead its about art, style, fame, power, love, money, and just what happens when you get everything you've ever wanted. It's a roadmap through a New York City golden age and a cultural revolution, and also a remembrance of a bygone era.

Zilot & Other Important Rhymes

Yes, the author of this charming book of children's poems is the Bob Odenkirk, Emmy-winning star of the gritty crime drama Better Call Saul. Odenkirk began writing poetry with his kids when they were young, compiling them into a homemade book. Fast forward two decades: while the family was sheltered at home during the pandemic, the actor and his daughter, Erin, had the idea to revisit them, with her illustrating his whimsical poems. Hollywood's very own Shel Silverstein!

300,000 Kisses

Works by Homer, Sappho, Ovid, and Catullus live beside those from lesser known writers in this collection—translated by poet Seán Hewitt and illustrated by Luke Edward Hall—of queer Greek and Roman love stories. It's at once a compilation of ancient stories and a completely contemporary piece of art about love across time.

My Name Is Barbra

At long last, Barbra Streisand's memoir is coming this fall. Clocking in at over 1,000 pages (yes, you read that right), Streisand's memoir will detail her childhood in Brooklyn, her breakout Funny Girl performance, her music career, and much, much more. More details on My Name Is Barbra here.

Harry Styles

When a David Hockney exhibition opens at the newly renovated National Portrait Gallery in London this fall, among the must-see paintings will be one of the musician Harry Styles, which made international headlines when an image of the artist and subject was first released. It's no wonder there was such a rumpus; Styles is one of the most popular and influential artists of the day, and his influence (like that of other top-tier musicians right now) goes way beyond the radio or concert stage. This new book compiles not only more than 100 images of Styles, but also includes insightful essays from sharp cultural observers on his work.

The Sisterhood

In the late 1970s a group of Black women writers, including Toni Morrison, Ntozake Shange, and Alice Walker, began having monthly meetings at an apartment in Brooklyn to discuss their work. “The Sisterhood,” as they called themselves, quickly expanded and the event became a vital gathering spot for artists and activists. In her well-researched new book, Courtney Thorsson, an associate professor of English at the University of Oregon, combines first-hand accounts from attendees about the gatherings with analysis of how Sisterhood members went on to change the literary scene and American culture.

Class

In 2019 Stephanie Land made headlines when Barack Obama selected her memoir, Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive, for his annual summer reading list. The book became a New York Times bestseller and was adapted into a Netflix series starring Margaret Qualley. Her new memoir, Class, describes a later period in her life when she worked at earning a college degree and becoming a published author all while holding down low-paying jobs and raising a child.

Flight of the WASP

In his previous books, journalist and author Michael Gross has investigated the founding of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, gone behind the mystique of 740 Park Avenue, and delved into the sordid world of fashion photography. Here, he puts his considering skill to use with a deeply researched history of America's relationship with the WASP, from the earliest days through the present. It's a thoughtful deep dive into the history of the country and who has wielded power here, but is kept lively thanks to Gross's ability to spin yarns that make even the Pilgrims feel exciting.

Endgame

Royal correspondent Omid Scobie looks at the royal family in the aftermath of the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. The book promises to go behind the scenes "on an institution in turmoil—exposing the chaos, family dysfunction, distrust and draconian practices threatening its very future." More details on Endgame here.

Alice Sadie Celine

For those of us who grew up in the 1990s, the idea of seductive parents has always been lurking around the edges of the popular unconscious; just ask Stifler's mom or Stacy's mom. This debut adult novel from Sarah Blakley-Cartwright takes the idea a step further, when Alice starts to feel distant from her longtime best friend Sadie and unexpectedly finds herself tangled up in a romance with, you guessed it, Sadie's mother. But this isn't a cougar-joke comedy, instead it's a heartfelt, smart, and keenly observed take on friendship and fulfillment, and what it means to start thinking of parents as actual people.

Land of Milk and Honey

In a not-so-distant future, climate change has led a cloud of smog to envelop the Earth, killing most of the planet's crops. A young chef decides to take a job at a mountaintop research community where the superrich dine on lavish meals. Zhang said Land of Milk and Honey is about "the sticky-sensual necessity of finding one's own pleasure in a world gone to shit. The joy of writing this was a lifeline in dark times; I hope it brings you joy to read, too." Deeply original and provocative, Land of Milk and Honey not to be missed.

The Vulnerables

Sigrid Nunez's ninth novel is set during the COVID-19 pandemic, when an unnamed New York City writer ends up taking care of a parrot named Eureka. It's a short, profound meditation on living through history, and what it means to write in the modern age.

Let Us Descend

Jesmyn Ward returns with a stunning historical fiction novel about an enslaved girl, Annis, who is sold further south. The title comes from Dante Alighieri's Inferno—"Let us descend now into the blind world"—and Ward's novel uses the structure of Dante to take readers through America's hell of slavery, as she brings the horrors of the past to vivid light. Ward said in a statement, "It took years to figure out how to look straight at her life and relay the harshness and terror of her days, but also to recognize her resistance, her tenderness, her imagination, her belief in who she is and what she is capable of, which she retains, even through the deepest darkness. It was a gift of an experience, and I hope that it is the same for readers, too."

The Fragile Threads of Power

V.E. Schwab returns to her bestselling Shades of Magic fantasy world in The Fragile Threads of Power, a set seven years after the events of A Conjuring of Light. Schwab's incredible world-building is once again on display as she takes readers through the intertwined locales of Red, White, Grey, and Black London, as characters must navigate new power struggles and the precarious nature of magic.

Family Meal: A Novel

In Family Meal, Bryan Washington's moving third novel, grief, family, and food are at the forefront. After Cam's boyfriend tragically dies, he turns to his hometown of Houston and reconnects with his former best friend, TJ. As Rumaan Alam writes, "This novel will break your heart twice over, with sadness, sure, but more unexpectedly, with joy. It takes a generous writer to show us the world in this way, and Bryan Washington is one of our best."

The Last Devil to Die

Richard Osman's delightful Thursday Murder Club (retirees solving murders at their retirement community) is back with a new cozy mystery. After an old friend has been killed and a package he was protecting went missing, the club sets out to figure out what happened.

The House of Doors

Just longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize, Tan Twang Eng's historical fiction novel, set in Penang, Malaysia, follows writer Willie Somerset Maugham and his friendship with Lesley, a society hostess who has secrets of her own. As Lesley narrates in the prologue, "A story, like a bird of the mountain, can carry a name beyond the clouds, beyond even time itself. Willie Maugham said that to me, many years ago..."

Love in a Time of Hate: Art and Passion in the Shadow of War

Art historian Florian Illies follows the influential artists, intellectuals, and cultural figures of the 1930s as Europe is descending to war. People such as Vladimir Nabokov, Simone de Beauvoir, and Pablo Picasso populate the pages of this cultural history, as Illies traces their romances and art before war breaks out.

The Spy Coast: A Thriller

A spy thriller from the author of Rizzoli & Isles, The Spy Coast follows retired CIA spy Maggie Bird who thought she was living peacefully in Maine, eager to leave her past behind her. But when a young woman turns up dead in her driveway, she knows she can't ignore what's happening. Maggie turns to her fellow retirees, the so-called "Martini Club," to help investigate.

Eyeliner: A Cultural History

Journalist Zahra Hankir sets her sights on eyeliner, and what results is a fascinating history of the beauty product. She begins with Queen Nefertiti in Ancient Egypt, before taking readers on a journey though Wodaabe people in Chad, Mexican Americans in California, drag queens in New York City, and geishas in Kyoto. If you've never given much thought to the beauty staple, Eyeliner will change that forever.

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