Go ahead and clutch that pumpkin spice latte in one hand, but leave the other free for a book. This fall brings new titles from literary heavy-hitters, plus long-awaited sequels and spooky reads to get you in the mood for Halloween. Here are some to look forward to this season.
• “Slay,” by Brittney Morris (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster, Sept. 24)
Morris wrote her snappy YA debut in 11 days after a transformative experience watching “Black Panther.” It’s about a feisty black teen who must defend the popular online gaming community she’s created from racist, violent trolls — without revealing her identity as the creator.
• “Rusty Brown,” by Chris Ware (Pantheon, Sept. 24)
The cartoonist Ware spent nearly two decades on this graphic novel set in a Nebraska parochial school in the ’70s. “Rusty Brown,” the first of a two-volume series, promises to showcase Ware’s sublime artistic vision, blending his trademark drawings with a lyrical exploration of weighty themes.
• “Imaginary Friend,” by Stephen Chbosky (Grand Central, Oct. 1)
Twenty years later, the author of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” delivers his long-awaited second novel — and it’s a departure, to put it mildly. In this epic horror story, Chbosky introduces a young boy who vanishes into the woods for six days and, upon return, is thrust into a good-vs.-evil battle that plays out over 700-plus pages.