Dark mysteries, complicated relationships, big questions about life and books that bring creativity back to life. This is September’s reading list, with something for every taste.
Autumn is high season for everything we don’t quite find time for the rest of the year – or rather, make time for. Long dinners, new routines, Sundays without plans and, not least, books. When the evenings get darker and the sofa once again feels like a perfectly legitimate place to spend the weekend, few things beat a story you can’t put down.
Whether you want to feel your pulse rise, shed a secret tear or simply unplug from the screen, we’ve gathered a selection of books that deserve a place on your bedside table this autumn.
For those who love complicated relationships
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Sally Rooney has practically made it her speciality to write about everything we feel but rarely manage to say out loud. In Intermezzo we meet the brothers Peter and Ivan, who are trying to find their way back to each other after their father’s death. At the same time, they each become entangled in their own complicated love affairs.
This is a calmer and more mature Rooney than many know from Normal People. The novel is about grief, desire, family and all the small misunderstandings that can create great distance between people. Perfect if you prefer characters who feel irritating, vulnerable and completely real.
The book costs NOK 299 HERE (Adlink)
For those who want both humour and heartache
My Friends (Mine venner) by Fredrik Backman
Fredrik Backman writes books that make you laugh on one page and cry on the next. My Friends is a story about art, friendship and the people who shape us, often without realising how much they come to mean.
The novel follows a group of friends through a decisive summer, while the story moves forward in time and shows how memories from youth continue to leave their mark. Warm, funny and just sentimental enough. This is the book you’re guaranteed to recommend to others before you’ve even finished it yourself.
The book costs NOK 229 HERE (Adlink)
For those who want a modern classic
James by Percival Everett
What happens when one of American literature’s best-known stories is told from the perspective of the character who never got to own his own story?
In James, Percival Everett writes his way into Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, but puts the runaway slave Jim at the centre. What we’re left with is an intelligent, brutal and surprisingly funny novel about freedom, language and power. You don’t need to have read the original to be gripped. This is a book that both entertains and challenges, and stays with you long after the last page.
The book costs NOK 169 HERE (Adlink)
For those who like dark mysteries
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
A teenage girl disappears from a summer camp in the Adirondack Mountains. What’s unsettling isn’t just that she’s the daughter of the family who owns the camp, but that her brother disappeared from the same area several years earlier.
Liz Moore builds the suspense slowly and surely, while exploring family relationships, class differences and the secrets people protect at all costs. This isn’t a traditional thriller full of cheap shocks, but an atmospheric mystery for those who like crime fiction with both depth and literary quality.
It costs NOK 219 HERE (Adlink)
For those who want something different
Butter by Asako Yuzuki
A female journalist gains access to a convicted serial killer who allegedly seduced her victims with lavish meals. To get closer to her, the journalist has to start taking an interest in the same things as the inmate: food, pleasure and appetite.
Butter is at once a psychological thriller, a socially critical novel and a sensual story about the expectations placed on women. It examines who is allowed to take up space, eat well and live without making themselves smaller. Strange, dark and utterly absorbing. It’s best read with something delicious on your plate.
You can get the book for NOK 219 HERE (Adlink)
For those who need a creative boost
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
You don’t need to be a musician, artist or writer to get something out of Rick Rubin’s reflections on creativity. The legendary producer writes about how ideas arise, why perfection often gets in the way of the good, and how we can get better at noticing the world around us.
This isn’t a traditional self-help book with rigid recipes and morning routines. Rather, it works as a collection of small reminders to be curious, present and open. Read a few pages at a time when your motivation needs a little nudge.
The book costs NOK 379 HERE (Adlink)
For those who like strange and beautiful worlds
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Piranesi lives in an enormous house filled with endless corridors, classical statues and seas that wash through the halls. He knows only one other person, but gradually discovers signs that his world is not what he thought.
It’s hard to say much about Piranesi without giving away some of the magic. The novel is short, mysterious and unusually beautiful. It’s a bit like a dream you’re still trying to understand after you’ve woken up. A good choice if you want to read fantasy but usually steer clear of dragons, long family trees and 800-page books.
The novel costs NOK 227 HERE (Adlink)
For those who want to understand their own brain
Why We Remember by Charan Ranganath
Why do we remember certain random moments from childhood but forget what we did last Tuesday? Neuroscientist Charan Ranganath explains how memory works, and why forgetting isn’t necessarily a flaw in the system.
The book shows how our memories influence identity, choices and relationships. The science is conveyed in a way that feels relevant to everyday life, without becoming heavy or textbook-like. This is non-fiction for those who like to learn something new but still want to be entertained.
It costs just NOK 179 HERE (Adlink)
For those who just want to get cosy
The Thursday Murder Club (Torsdagsmordklubben) by Richard Osman
Four friends in a luxurious retirement village meet every Thursday to investigate old, unsolved murder cases. When a real murder happens right nearby, the group finally gets the chance to test their skills.
Richard Osman’s crime series is smart, warm and genuinely funny. Here you get mysteries without the heaviest Nordic noir mood, charming characters and just enough suspense that “just one more chapter” suddenly turns into half the night. The perfect autumn book when what you want most is a pleasant time with a book.
It costs NOK 234 HERE (Adlink)
And remember: one book is better than none
The nice thing about this autumn’s reading list is that it doesn’t have to become yet another project to complete. You don’t need to read all the books, establish an advanced reading routine or swap your phone for Dostoevsky overnight.
Find one book that sparks your curiosity. Put it on your bedside table, in your bag or next to your coffee cup. Read ten pages when you have time. Suddenly, you may have found the story that turns the darker evenings into something to look forward to. Happy reading!