New Books to Read in August

Set in Jaffa between 1947 and 1951, this “fable-like historical novel of young love…darkly humorous and touching…” (Oprah Daily) is based on a true story during the beginning of the destruction of Palestine and displacement of its people.

The original “Julia Child of plant-based cooking” teams up with her daughter to offer a multigenerational celebration of the power of a plant-based lifestyle–with 125 recipes. Full of life, captivating energy, and delicious food, this cookbook brings readers to the Esselstyn family table, where plants and joy are at the center.

A sharply crafted and unflinchingly honest memoir about gangs, drugs, cooking, and living life on the line–both on the streets and in the kitchen–from one of the most exciting stars in the food world today.

A riveting psychological thriller with a killer twist about a woman forced to confront the darkest moment in her childhood in order to move on from her past and open her heart to love. At once a propulsive, heart-pounding mystery and an affecting exploration of love and the familial ties that bind us, The Lost Kings will transport, move, and shock you.

Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, must face her greatest fears in this chilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

From renowned scholar Dr. Victor Ray, On Critical Race Theory explains the centrality of race in American history and politics, and how the often mischaracterized intellectual movement became a political necessity. In succinct, thoughtful essays, Ray presents, analyzes, and breaks down the scholarship and concepts that constitute this often misconstrued term. He explores how the conversation on critical race theory has expanded into the contemporary popular conscience, showing why critical race theory matters and why we should all care.

The Rabbit Hutch is a stunning debut novel about four teenagers–recently aged out of the state foster-care system–living together in an apartment building in the post-industrial Midwest, exploring the quest for transcendence and the desire for love.

From a stunning new voice comes a powerful debut novel, Perish, about a Black Texan family, exploring the effects of inherited trauma and intergenerational violence as the family comes together to say goodbye to their matriarch on her deathbed.

Some women would do anything for their children. This provocative novel “goes straight for the jugular of modern motherhood” (Lindsay Cameron, author of Just One Look) – from the author of the “addictive” (People) thriller, Precious You. Taut, complex, and compulsively readable, Such a Good Mother is a razor-sharp take on the myth of having it all.

In the waning days of the turbulent 1970s, in the wake of unsolved child-killings that have shocked Detroit, the lives of several residents are drawn together with tragic consequences. From one of America’s most renowned storytellers–the best-selling author of Blonde–comes a novel about love and deceit, and lust and redemption.

“Witty, witchy, and wonderfully romantic, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches will warm your heart with its endearing characters, grumpy-sunshine love story, and gorgeously sparkling magic.” –India Holton, author of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels

Aphhrodite Du Bell has always resented her name. While the members of the ton, and even the queen herself, praise her warm brown skin, perfect curls, and exquisite features, Aphrodite can’t help but think that living up to the literal goddess of beauty is asking a bit much. Her renowned loveliness certainly didn’t stop the love of her life from jilting her and marrying another woman four years ago. When Aphrodite’s mother summons her back to London to aid in her sister’s debut, she has no choice but to acquiesce. But she is determined to ignore one man in particular: Evander Eagleman, the Duke of Everely, the man who devastated her all those years ago. Yet why does her heart still flutter at the sight of him?

From the bestselling, award-winning author of The Sense of an Ending, a magnetic tale that centers on the presence of a vivid and particular woman, whose loss becomes the occasion for a man’s deeper examination of love, friendship, and biography.

Tang Yitian has been living in America for almost a decade when he receives an urgent phone call from his mother: his father has disappeared from the family’s rural village in China. Though they have been estranged for years, Yitian promises to come home. An epic, mesmerizing debut novel set against a rapidly changing post-Cultural Revolution China, A Map for the Missing reckons with the costs of pursuing one’s dreams and the lives we leave behind.

In the propulsive debut novel from the host of the #1 true crime podcast Crime Junkie, a journalist uncovers her hometown’s dark secrets when she becomes obsessed with the unsolved murder of her childhood neighbor–and the disappearance of another girl twenty years later. Twisty, chilling, and intense, All Good People Here is a searing tale that asks: What are your neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching?

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of All Over but the Shoutin’, the warmhearted and hilarious story of how his life was transformed by his love for a poorly behaved, half-blind stray dog. Written with Bragg’s inimitable blend of tenderness and sorrow, humor and grit, The Speckled Beauty–now in paperback–captures the extraordinary, sustaining devotion between two damaged creatures who need each other to heal.

A transformational guide to getting yourself right in order to accomplish the work you were meant to do, from speaker, former U.S. Air Force officer, and member of the Ottawa tribe D.J. Vanas. More than an empowerment manual, The Warrior Within is a call to accomplish the world-changing work you were meant for by tapping into the power of the warrior spirit.

A moving, unflinching memoir of hard-won success, struggles with addiction, and a lifelong mission to give back–from the late iconic actor beloved for his roles in The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, and Lovecraft Country. Imbued with poignance and raw honesty, Scenes from My Life is the story of a performer who gave his all to everything he did–in his own voice, in his own words, as only he could.

In this urgent, authoritative book, Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging, practical–and accessible–plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe. Now in paperback!

Amy Foster found her place quickly with her neighbors Liz, Jess, and Melissa, snarking together from the outskirts of the PTA crowd. One night, the crew concoct a plan for a clubhouse She Shed in Liz’s backyard–a space just for them, no spouses or kids allowed. But the night after they christen the She Shed, they realize Liz’s home-improvement project released a demonic force that turned their quiet enclave into something out of a nightmare. And that’s before the homeowners’ association got wind of it. Together, Amy, Jess, and Melissa must fight the evil spirit to save Liz and the neighborhood…before the suburbs go completely to hell.

In Radical Curiosity, Goldenberg argues that because we value knowing above learning and prioritize doing over thinking, curiosity has become an endangered species. This is a bold manifesto arguing that the most complex challenges we face today–as individuals, businesses, and a society–require us to ask deeper questions, not seek easier answers. By asking us to relearn how we learn, reengage in dialogue, revive our youthful sense of wonder, and rethink what we value, it reignites the curiosity needed to imagine and build a better world.

A scathing history of twenty-five years of Republican attempts to hold on to political power by any means necessary, by a hugely popular Washington Post political columnist. Following the questionable careers of party heavyweights Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove, Mitch McConnell, and Rudy Giuliani, and those of many lesser known lowlights, Dana Milbank recounts the shocking lengths the Republic Party has gone to maintain its grip on the American people.

One morning, a man wakes up to find himself transformed. Overnight, Anders’s skin has turned dark, and the reflection in the mirror seems a stranger to him. Soon, reports of similar events begin to surface. Across the land, people are awakening in new incarnations, uncertain how their neighbors, friends, and family will greet them. Some see the transformations as the long-dreaded overturning of the established order that must be resisted to a bitter end, for others it is a chance at a kind of rebirth–an opportunity to see themselves, face to face, anew. The Last White Man powerfully uplifts our capacity for empathy and the transcendence over bigotry, fear, and anger it can achieve.

A lyrical and evocative collection of personal stories from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Under the Tuscan Sun, in which the queen of wanderlust reflects on the comforts of home. A Place in the World explores Mayes’s passion and obsessions with houses and the things that inhabit them–old books, rich food, beloved friends, transportive art. It captures the adventure of moving on while seeking comfort in the cornerstone closest to all of us–home.

Now in paperback, Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth is at once a literary hoot, a crafty whodunit, and a scathing indictment of political and social corruption. It is a stirring call to arms against the abuse of power from one of our fiercest political activists, who also happens to be a global literary giant.

From the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature, a sweeping, multi-generational saga of displacement, loss, and love, set against the brutal colonization of east Africa.

80 easy-to-follow recipes and loads of know-how, troubleshooting guidance, and bread science intel for baking your best naturally leavened loaves–from sourdough whisperer Tara Jensen. With Tara by your side, artisanal bread at home is totally achievable…and fun!

From a brilliant new voice comes an electrifying novel of a young immigrant building a life for herself–a warm, dazzling, and profound saga of queer love, friendship, work, and precarity in twenty-first century America.