September brings with it a whole lot of highly-anticipated books. Some are the conclusions to series that are long in the works; others are debuts; still others are insightful looks at literature and history. What follows are some of the books we’re most excited about for the month that’s just begun.

The Story of the Lost Child, Elena Ferrante
(September 1, Europa Editions)

The conclusion to one of the most talked-about and acclaimed literary events to the last few years, as well as exhibit A in terms of works in translation finding a receptive audience in the States. Really, we’re waiting for the inevitable Crisis on Infinite Earths-esque moment where Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels and Knausgaard’s six-part work cross over, with the protagonists fighting the literary version of the Anti-Monitor or something.

Dryland, Sara Jaffe
(September 1, Tin House)

When the author of an acclaimed debut novel was also a member of one of our favorite bands of the last decade, we’ll pay particularly careful attention. And between this and Will Chancellor’s A Brave Man Seven Storeys Tall, watersports appear to be having their literary moment right now.

The Incoming Tide, Cameron Pierce
(September 1, Broken River Books)

We ran an excerpt from this last year, and we’re happy to see that it’s out in the world. Pierce’s new novel falls into the same memorably surreal overlap of surreal imagery, bodies of water, and crime that he’s made his own.

South Towards Home: Travels in Southern Literature, Margaret Eby
(September 8, W.W. Norton)

If you’re a reader with a penchant for writers with ties to the South–think Flannery O’Connor, think Harry Crews, think Richard Wright–then you’ll likely find plenty to enjoy in this book, which delves deeply into history, culture, and literature.

Negroland: A Memoir, Margo Jefferson
(September 8, Pantheon)

In a time of innovative nonfiction that includes reflections both societal and deeply personal, Margo Jefferson’s memoir is an impressive addition. Her book is at once an exploration of growing up in postwar Chicago, a look at her own evolution as a writer, and a broader examination of race and class in the late 20th century.

The Suicide of Claire Bishop, Carmiel Banasky
(September 15, Dzanc Books)

Carmiel Banasky’s ambitious debut novel incorporates a narrative on multiple timeframes with observations on the creation of art, the nature of time, and problematic family legacies.

Step Aside, Pops, Kate Beaton
(September 15, Drawn & Quarterly)

Hey, it’s the second collection of Kate Beaton’s terrific Hark! a Vagrant. Do you like smart, often hilarious takes on history and literature? If so, this is well worth checking out.

Scrapper, Matt Bell
(September 15, Soho Press)

Matt Bell’s second novel delves into a much more realistic vein than his debut while still retaining Bell’s expert dissection of his preferred themes. It follows a troubled man salvaging scrap metal from abandoned homes in contemporary Detroit. When he saves a child’s life, the event sets him on a troubling path, and awakens a set of unsettling memories.

The Story of My Teeth, Valeria Luiselli
(September 15, Coffee House Press)

Last year brought with it the one-two punch of Luiselli’s Sidewalks and Faces in the Crowd, showing her abilities as a writer of both fiction and nonfiction. Her latest novel was written in collaboration with workers at a juice factory, and explores a number of facets of life in Mexico City.

Meatspace, Nikesh Shukla
(September 15, The Friday Project)

Doubles, doppelgangers, and mistaken identity populate this novel, which moves from incisive and comic to deeply moving and back again at a moment’s notice. (There’s some excellent literary satire in the mix as well.)

I Must Be Living Twice: New and Selected Poems 1974-2014, Eileen Myles
(September 29, Ecco)

It’s new and collected poetry from Eileen Myles. That’s pretty much reason enough, right? It’ll be released on the same day as a new edition of Myles’s novel Chelsea Girls.

Gold Fame Citrus, Claire Vaye Watkins
(September 29, Riverhead)

Claire Vaye Watkins’s Battleborn was one of our favorite collections of 2012. Are we eager to see what its author does in her first novel? We most certainly are. That it’s set in a bleak near future has us even more curious.

The Glacier, Jeff Wood
(September 29, Two Dollar Radio)

Jeff Wood’s new book, described as “a novel in screenplay form,” looks at the current state of civilization, and its possible ending.

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