Fall Must-Reads

Really what is better in the fall then curling up with a good FREE e-book under a pile of blankets (while hungover from college football maybe..) as chili cooks in the crockpot? Yeah, not a whole lot. The books below are amazing. Just read them. And then talk to me about them because I loved these books and everyone is tired of hearing me talk about the characters like they're my friends.

1. The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis: This. Is. Everything. I heard her on the Kojo Show (I know, nerd alert) talking about the million times this book got rejected by publishers and now she's been selected by Oprah Book Club. Doesn't that in itself make you want to read it?? Anyway, the New York Times likens her writing a mix of Toni Morrison and Louise Erdrich so, duh, must read. My co-riders on the S4 think I'm crazy because they saw me miss my stop and cry twice reading this one. You journey with Hattie and her family starting in the 1920's with her migration to the north, and see the world through all twelve (YES TWELVE) of her children's eyes. I don't know how else to say this, but this is such an important book.
2. The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel: This reads like a grandma retelling a story about the good ole days. It's based on articles and journals from the wives of the first astronauts who were actually the original mainstream celebrities stalked by paparazzi. Fun facts: one of the wives built their house with no windows on the front so paparazzi couldn't CLIMB THROUGH HER WINDOWS, Jackie O was a size 10 (how did I not know that?)
3. The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf: I read this in one sitting. It follows a family the day their daughter goes missing. Drama, suspense, romance, justice...what else could you ask for?
4. Love Does by Bob Goff: All my friends were reading this and like "you have to read this!" and now I read it and I'm like "you have to read this!" to everyone else. Bob Goff, the founder of Restore International (a nonprofit human rights organization operating in Uganda and India), lives the most "whimsy", free life ever. This is his hilarious, insightful and heartwarming story. After reading it you're going to want to go do something crazy and "whimsy" (his word throughout the book) like save the world. I highlighted about 80% of this book, meaning it is REAL good. Sidenote: he talked at my church and he is absolutely as nutty sounding as he is in the book. I just want to be him.  
5. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson: Sooo this is actually a American history lesson that includes the story of a serial killer, so you can't stop reading AND learn a little too. Sidenote- I didn't know the World's Fair was actually a thing? And it inspired Disney World! 
6. Midwives by Chris Bohjalian: Take a little trip to "The Kingdom" of Vermont, because this writing makes you feel like you're there. This chronicles the daughter of a modern-day midwife as her mom stands trial for the death of a mother in her care. I read it in about two sittings, and I'm ready to read anything this guy pumps out.