Ten Paperbacks for Fall 2015

Does it strike you as odd that while the majority of books sold are paperbacks, most websites and almost all newspapers and magazines devote their coverage to books in hardcover?

It did to me when I started BookBrowse 17 years ago next month, which is why from the beginning we've made sure to give coverage to books in both hardcover and paperback.

Even if you read ebooks it's still good to know when the paperback releases as that usually coincides with a price drop on the electronic version. Book club members should also keep an eye on paperback release dates as by the time the paperback comes out (usually 6-12 months after the hardcover) there are a wealth of buying and borrowing options to suit all members of the club.

In fact, even if you borrow from the library it can come in handy to be reminded of paperback publication dates, as the mad dash to request a limited supply of library copies when a book first releases usually dies down after a few months, so seeing a book is out in paperback can prompt to you put in a request at a time when many fewer are ahead of you in the line to read.

Here are 10 notable books publishing in paperback this Fall, split equally between fiction and nonfiction (with plenty more to explore on BookBrowse.)

Thanks for reading!

Davina, BookBrowse editor

A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon Jones Paperback Sep 2015. 784 pages. Riverhead Books One of the many strengths of Seven Killings is its resolute insistence on authenticity. It is obvious that James has no patience for tired cliches about Jamaica (you won't find the word mon here, except as ironic device). It's perhaps one of the reasons the narrative is equipped with such a diversity of voices and points of view. Piece them all together and you get something entirely breathtaking and maybe, just maybe, a glimpse of truth. (Reviewed by Poornima Apte, full review 652 words) More info

Gutenberg's Apprentice by Alix Christie Paperback Sep 2015. 384 pages. Harper Perennial Gutenberg's Apprentice is my favorite kind of historical novel, the kind that inspires me to stop every couple of chapters and ponder. Alix Christie's extraordinary book made me want to ponder the tremendous ruthlessness of History (capital H intended), how it takes no prisoners when its gears begin to churn out global change. We see it today in so many ways, but seldom reflect on the individual lives of those who were chosen to mete out those changes. Changes without which nothing in our daily lives would be possible. I mean it. Nothing. (Reviewed by Donna Chavez, full review 799 words) More info

The Same Sky by Amanda Eyre Ward Paperback Sep 2015. 304 pages. Ballantine Books The Same Sky puts a human face on the recent stories of children crossing the border illegally - the desperation and brutality they experience. It reminds us that they are children who need our compassion and understanding. (Reviewed by BookBrowse First Impression Reviewers) More info

Lila by Marilynne Robinson Paperback Oct 6, 2015. 272 pages. Picador Lila is quiet and contemplative, deeply profound, filled with universal, ethical and philosophical questions about the nature of existence that thoughtful readers will relate to: why are we here, does life have meaning and purpose? I recommend it to thoughtful readers who like their novels deep and emotionally rich. (Reviewed by Sharry Wright, full review 927 words) More info

Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera Hardcover Sep 2014. 224 pages. Thomas Dunne Books Munaweera's writing is exquisite...She presents vividly the breathtaking beauty found in Sri Lankan nature and the heart-wrenching joys and sorrows found in human relationships. Matter-of-factly interspersed are intense, brutal, numbing depictions of the unnatural and inhuman actions of civilian warriors...I look forward to more of her work. (Reviewed by BookBrowse First Impression Reviewers, full review 812 words) More info

The Human Age: The World Shaped By Us by Diane Ackerman Paperback Sep 2015. 352 pages. W.W. Norton & Company Taking into consideration the latest technologies, the vast amount of information available online, and the advances in medicine and abilities to improve the human body, Ackerman sets out to answer whether or not it's still possible to fix the mess we've gotten ourselves into. This is a heavy question, but her overriding view is that while we human beings have created serious and threatening environmental chaos that urgently needs to be reined in, she remains enormously hopeful, reminding us that we are thinkers, builders, rearrangers, and inventors. (Reviewed by Sharry Wright, full review 661 words) More info

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott Paperback Sep 2015. 528 pages. Harper Perennial Karen Abbott's latest foray into history, Liar Temptress, Soldier, Spy, introduces readers to four remarkable women who were active participants in the United States' Civil War, fighting -- figuratively and literally -- for what they perceived as an important cause. Each, in her own way, played a vital role during the conflict, risking life and limb for victory. The author deftly illustrates that their contributions to the struggle were significant and did, indeed, alter the progress of the war; these women weren't merely bit characters in the bloody drama, but important players who impacted the course of history. (Reviewed by Kim Kovacs, full review 981 words) More info

The Last Unicorn: A Search for One of Earth's Rarest Creatures by William deBuys Paperback Oct 6, 2015. 368 pages. Back Bay Books The Last Unicorn is an enthralling and sobering account of a modern-day quest with a mythic underpinning, a tale filled with grace and eloquence and despair. It deals movingly with a brink that is much less celestial but more consequential – for the creatures of the world, and for ourselves. (Reviewed by James Broderick, full review 906 words) More info

Internal Medicine: A Doctor's Stories by Terrence Holt Paperback Oct 12, 2015. 288 pages. W.W. Norton & Company. In a way, Holt, looking back on his residency with the subsequent experiences of a full-fledged doctor, has a beneficial hindsight. It is clear that he has taken in what's important to him from his career experiences, and, after looking thoughtfully at each piece, shows them to us. By this method, Holt carefully and gracefully sculpts his words and stories to the very marrow of their meaning. Under the surface of the simple language he employs, there is enormous impact that makes us sit back and think about these stories long after. (Reviewed by Rory L. Aronsky, full review 581 words) More info

Ten Million Aliens: A Journey Through the Entire Animal Kingdom by Simon Barnes Paperback Dec 2015. 480 pages. Atria Books. The book is informative and thought-provoking and sure to please those who are looking to expand their knowledge about the world around them.The chapters are relatively self-contained - that is, they don't build on one another and there's no storyline – so it's easy to pick it up and read any part at any time. Also, the book is very densely packed with information; I don't exaggerate when I say I learned something new and fascinating on nearly every page that I wanted to burn into my memory, and at least for me that was an impossible task for a single read-through. Generally "densely packed with facts" would equate to dull and dry, but the author's familiar tone and engaging style kept things moving along at a good clip and it never got tedious; there's simply a lot of information presented over a very small space. (Reviewed by Kim Kovacs, full review 633 words) More info