Readers’ Choice: The Top 10 Most Shelved Books in September

Many of our longtime Off the Shelf subscribers have already discovered “Your Shelf” on our website. If you’re new here, you can create your own reading list from books you find on OfftheShelf.com with our “Your Shelf” feature.

To start building “Your Shelf,” simply sign up for an Off the Shelf account. Then, when you see a book you want to add to your reading list, click “Add to Your Shelf” below the book cover, and we’ll save your favorites for you.

These are the 10 “most shelved” books on Off the Shelf right now.

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The Wild Inside

by Christine Carbo

Fourteen-year-old Ted Systead and his father were camping beneath the rugged peaks and starlit skies when a grizzly bear attacked Ted’s father and dragged him to his death. Now, 20 years later, as Special Agent for the Department of the Interior, Ted gets called back to investigate a crime that mirrors the horror of that night. THE WILD INSIDE is a gripping debut novel about the perilous, unforgiving intersection between man and nature.

Get more recommendations from best-selling author William Kent Krueger.

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I'll Be Gone in the Dark

by Michelle McNamara

I'LL BE GONE IN THE DARK is the haunting true account of the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California during the 70s and 80s. And there's more—it's also the story of the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case, which was just recently solved in April 2018.

Need more book club suggestions? Here are the 5 best books we read in 2018.

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Swimming Lessons

by Claire Fuller

As Gil, a famous author, is dying from cancer, he finds hidden notes from his wife who disappeared suddenly 12 years before. Everyone assumed that she drowned—everyone except Flora, Gil’s daughter, who returns to care for him and finally uncover what happened to her mother. You won’t be able to put this book down until you, too, figure out what really happened.

But before you dig into the highly anticipated new novels of fall, revisit some old favorites.

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Outlander

by Diana Gabaldon

A time-traveling British nurse finds romance and adventure in eighteenth-century Scotland in this addictive modern classic that spans centuries and continents.

Read, recommend, and repeat these Great American Reads.

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Indianapolis

by Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic

On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was sailing through the Philippine Sea after having completed a top-secret mission when suddenly, it was sunk by Japanese torpedoes. After days in the water, only 300 of the 1,200 men aboard returned home. But the story didn't end there. Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic, who have been fascinated by the decades-long tale of the ship's crew and their fight to exonerate their wrongfully blamed captain, masterfully weave one of the last incredible tales of the Greatest Generation in a book that rivals any classic war film.

Dig into these epic non-fiction books this fall.

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The Secret History

by Donna Tartt

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donna Tartt established herself as a major talent with her acclaimed debut. Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a new way of thinking and living. A murder committed by one of their own leads to blackmail and betrayal and, ultimately, the group’s destruction.

There’s something slightly sinister about the seemingly idyllic institutions in these boarding school novels.

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Three Things About Elsie

by Joanna Cannon

Eighty-four-year-old Florence has fallen in her flat at Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly. As she waits to be rescued, she thinks about her lifelong friend Elsie and wonders if a terrible secret from their past is about to come to light. Is the charming new resident who suddenly appeared who he claims to be? Why does he look exactly like a man who died 60 years ago? And why will no one listen to her concerns?

Discover these novels with older characters you’re sure to love.

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Stay with Me

by Ayobami Adebayo

Ayobami Adebayo brings polygamy to the forefront in her debut novel STAY WITH ME. As Yejide and her husband struggle to conceive years into their marriage, the addition of a new (and more fertile) wife threatens to tear their once peaceful life apart. To save their relationship, Yejide must get pregnant and must go to extreme lengths to do so. STAY WITH ME paints an astonishing portrait of marriage, motherhood, and sacrifice.

Add these Sarah Jessica Parker-approved books to your shelf, now!

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Lilac Girls

by Martha Hall Kelly

An ode to the bravery and boundless determination of women, LILAC GIRLS follows three incredibly different yet equally inspiring women during World War II as they navigate the changes in their lives and surroundings. A young German doctor trapped in a field dominated by men and secrets, a Polish courier grasping for the ends of her innocence and youth as she falls further into the resistance, and an American socialite learning to prioritize duty over love are all thrust into the harrowing realm of war and its consequences.

Don’t miss these must-read novels for fans of THE GUERNSEY LITERARY POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY.

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A Simple Favor

by Darcey Bell

When Emily asks her best friend, Stephanie, for a simple favor—to pick her son up from school—and then suddenly vanishes, Stephanie's life is turned upside down. As the mystery of her friend's disappearance unravels, Stephanie begins to see that nothing—not friendship, love, or even a small favor—is as simple as it seems. This remarkable psychological thriller stars Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick as the calamitous pair of friends.

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Check out our Most Shelved Books in August.

Get more recommendations from best-selling author William Kent Krueger.

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