Our Guide to the Fall's Hottest Reads

Chicago
BOOK: Egyptian expats negotiate post-9/11 life in this novel by Alaa al Aswany. OCT. 7
PRO: The big cast of characters reveal lesser-known facets of the Arab immigrant experience.
CON: The multiple storylines may make it hard to care about any one character.

George, Being George
BOOK: The late editor of The Paris Review is remembered by 200 friends and enemies in an oral history reminiscent of his treatments of Edie Sedgwick and Truman Capote. NOV. 4
PRO: Plimpton seemed to live his life as a series of printworthy anecdotes; the voices collected here present a portrait not just of the bon vivant editor, but of New York literary life in the mid-20th century.
CON: It's hard to tell Plimpton's relevance at this point. Colorful stories abound, but those looking for an intimate portrait will be disappointed.

Home
BOOK:Marilynne Robinson's follow-up to "Gilead," about a pair of siblings who return home to care for their ailing father. SEPT. 2
PRO: Robinson took 24 years to write her second book, but this one, her third, came quickly. Maybe she's on a roll.
CON: If you didn't like "Gilead," you won't warm to "Home."

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