RECOMMENDS ROUND-UP: AUGUST BOOK PICKS
We like books. You like books. Maybe we should talk about books?
Or better yet, we’ll let Laura Jaye Cramer - person-who-reads-books - lead us both through the best and brightest of August’s release schedule. It’s a little bit literary beach-read (murder!) a little bit sexy, a little bit dystopian and absolutely chock full of female and non-binary identifying writers.
AUG. 4TH
The Death of Vivek Oji
Akwaeke Emezi
Faber & Faber
“They burned down the market on the day Vivek Oji died.” That’s no spoiler. It’s the first line (and entire first chapter) of a book that shifts back and forth throughout time to illustrate Vivek’s journey to discover their true sexual identity. The narrator shifts with each chapter, too, between various residents of Vivek’s Nigerian community. One thing quickly becomes clear: Nobody knew who the real Vivek was.
Luster
Raven Leilani
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Edie is doing anything she can to avoid making art. She works a mediocre jobs, lives in a crappy apartment, and has plenty of sex—some of it decent, much of it terrible. And when Edie, who is Black, stumbles into a relationship (and eventually into the home) of a married white couple, it’s surprising that the driving force of Luster isn’t drama. Instead, it’s the way Raven Leilani perfectly captures the dark hilarity that is being a 23-year-old afraid of reaching for their dreams.
Migrations
Charlotte McConaghy
Flatiron Books
Our heroine Franny is a lost woman. And in the world of Migrations, one where all animals and fish aside from housepets are extinct, she believes following Arctic terns on their final migration may lead her to an illusive something. She joins the crew of a ship to see if the birds, and she herself, will survive this one last journey.
True Story
Kate Reed Petty
Viking
It’s a premise far too familiar for comfort: Girl meets boys. Boys brag about assaulting girl. Girl shouldn’t have been drinking at parties and boys will be boys—especially if those boys happen to be star athletes. But even when the girl attempts to take her own life, will her predators understand the gut-wrenching sadness and infuriation of being violated, or stick to their side of the story?
AUG. 11th
A House is a Body
Shruti Swamy
Algonquin Books
An unknown American painter begins a relationship with one of India’s biggest stars. An exhausted mother watches a fire creep toward her home. These are just a few of the gems around which two-time O. Henry-prize winner Shruti Swamy constructs her observation on women’s place in society. In her debut collection of stories, Swamy uses this talent to highlight the female body, motherhood, and the feelings of home and belonging.
The New Wilderness
Diane Cook
Harper
In a smoggy and overcrowded not-so-distant future, there’s only one area left untouched by humans: The Wilderness State. Slowly, the government releases humans into the space via an experimental program to study how well they’re able to survive in the wild. Bea, her husband, and their sickly daughter join “The Community,” to see whether or not they have what it takes to transform themselves from city folks, into full-blown, spear-wielding, loincloth-wearing primal beings.
AUG. 25th
Against the Loveless World
Susan Abulhawa
Atria Books
From Palestinian-American writer and political activist Susan Abulhawa, we meet Nahr, a Palestinian refugee whose life as an impoverished sex worker has led her to political radicalization. Based off the true stories of a number woman, Nahr’s story is a sweeping, epic look at the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The best surprise? That she’s able to keep her sense of humor throughout it all.
Sisters
Daisy Johnson
Riverhead Books
Sisters July and September are closer than most siblings. So close, that even their single mother—who recently moved the small family to a remote town by the sea—feels like an outsider within their small family. But when something mysterious occurs, the deep bond the two shared begins to splinter. In Sisters, Man Booker Prize-nominee Daisy Johnson takes a classic coming-of-age story and weighs it down with events nefarious way beyond the ordinary.
The Woods
Vanessa Savage
Grand Central Publishing
Back in 2008, ugly duckling Tess and her perfect older sister wandered into the dark woods in an effort to ditch their father’s wedding reception. Only Tess returns. Years later, Tess’ memory is still fuzzy, and she’s still scrambling to figure out what really happened that night in this unputdownable thriller.
Laura Jaye Cramer is an outspoken advocate for Dolly Parton, baby orangutans, and free refills.
