Books Coming Out in August
Books Coming Out in August
Books Coming Out August 1:
Two Spies in Caracas by Moises Naim translated by Daniel Hahn
From the New York Times bestselling author of The End of Power comes an edge-of-your-seat political thriller about rival spies, dangerous love, and one of history’s most devastating revolutions.
The Apology Project by Jeanette Escudero
Life is about to get complicated for Amelia Montgomery, a prominent litigator in Chicago. She’s been fired for not compromising her principles in a high-profile case and then punching her partner in the nose for the misogynistic comment he made in retort (not her finest moment). Leaving a career that gave her purpose, Amelia can only ask, What next?
Let it be better than her epic failure of a fortieth birthday party: an open bar full of no-shows except for John Ellis, a total stranger and the new associate at her ex-firm. As it turns out, though, he’s very good company―and a wake-up call. With the help of John and a lot of champagne, Amelia considers the people she’s wronged, from old besties to former boyfriends to coworkers. Amelia resolves to make amends―to those who really deserve it.
One apology at a time, Amelia’s looking at the choices she’s made in the past, the new ones she’s making with John, and those she’s making for herself. What next? Maybe a second chance she never expected.
The Receptionist by Kate Myles
There’s something about the noir genre that’s unfailingly seductive: crime, style, and a cast of morally questionable (but oh so charming) characters. Kate Myles’ THE RECEPTIONIST (Thomas & Mercer; 8/1; available in trade paperback and Kindle eBook) is no exception, serving up the most delicious parts of the genre with a fresh new spin.
Emily is a top talent agent who rules the land of talk shows and reality TV. Whip-smart and brutally practical, she outmaneuvers all rivals as she builds her empire. But everything is different outside of the office, her personal life completely at the mercy of somebody else. Emily willfully ignores her CEO husband Doug’s philandering and lies in exchange for their glamorous one-percenter lifestyle, until a surprise pregnancy changes everything.
A TED-Talking business guru with a reckless streak, Doug embarks on an audacious relationship with Chloe, the stunning young receptionist at his market research firm. But Chloe has a secret: a volatile past she’s desperate to forget. Doug’s living in a house of cards, and Chloe has her pinky on the bottom row. Their chaotic entanglement sets off a chain of shocking scandals, plunging Emily into a scheming fight for survival.
As they Emily, Doug, and Chloe to fight their way to the top of this sordid love triangle, there’s only one question: How far will Emily go to protect her child and preserve her carefully curated life?
The Magic of Found Objects by Maddie Dawson
No, this isn’t a “he was under your nose the whole time” romance. That would have been too easy. After going through a heartbreaking divorce and forty-four hideous first dates, Phronsie is blind-sided when her best friend proposes that they forget about stupid romance and marry each other.
Judd would be a great match for Phronsie – he’s known her for decades, he can make her snort-laugh, he’s seen her at her worst, and he knows her entire crazy family history. Plus, he’s stable and he’s offering her a lifelong commitment. Isn’t it better to stop believing in some magical, unattainable kind of love, when the things that last – trust, respect, kindness – are right in front of her?
In Maddie Dawson’s THE MAGIC OF FOUND OBJECTS (Lake Union Publishing; on-sale August 1, 2021; available in trade paperback and Kindle e-book), Phronsie and Judd get happily engaged with a twist tie ring in a diner at midnight. Score one for practicality.
Phronsie was conceived at Woodstock in a serendipitous liaison between a free-spirited hippie and a farmer’s son, and she was born with magic flickering in her DNA and rationality knit into her bones. Now that she’s been betrayed by both love (and the mother she once idolized), she confidently sides with her even-keeled stepmother who knows that Judd is the perfect match for her.
It’s just that her mother is relaying messages from the universe to hold out for true love. Time is running out, and Phronsie has to figure out what’s really in her heart.
All Are Welcome by Liz Parker
For fans of Emma Straub, Camille Perri, and J. Courtney Sullivan comes a darkly funny novel from a fresh new voice in fiction about brides, lovers, friends, and family, and all the secrets that come with them. Tiny McAllister never thought she’d get married. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she didn’t think girls from Connecticut married other girls. Yet here she is with Caroline, the love of her life, at their destination wedding on the Bermuda coast. In attendance―their respective families and a few choice friends. The conflict-phobic Tiny hopes for a beautiful weekend with her bride-to-be. But as the weekend unfolds, it starts to feel like there’s a skeleton in every closet of the resort. From Tiny’s family members, who find the world is changing at an uncomfortable speed, to Caroline’s parents, who are engaged in conspiratorial whispers, to their friends, who packed secrets of their own―nobody seems entirely forthcoming. Not to mention the conspicuous no-show and a tempting visit from the past. What the celebration really needs now is a monsoon to help stir up all the long-held secrets, simmering discontent, and hidden agendas. All Tiny wanted was to get married, but if she can make it through this squall of a wedding, she might just leave with more than a wife.
Books Coming Out on August 3:
Murmuration by Sid Balman Jr.
Charlie Christmas, Ademar Zarkan, and Prometheus Stone are the best of America—united by war, scarred by displacement, and resolute in the face of the troubles that rip the nation apart over three decades. Christmas, a Somali translator with a split personality, and Zarkan, a Muslim sharpshooter who defies gender and religious constraints to graduate from West Point, are first brought together by Stone, a lapsed Jew and an Army captain, amidst war and famine in East Africa. Their ensuing journey—which takes them from the mean streets of Mogadishu to the high desert of West Texas, from the barren plains of Indian country to the rolling hills of Minnesota—is at turns tragic and uplifting. Charlie’s son, Amir, is the bookmark in their lives, and the struggle to raise him amid the predators of white supremacy and violent radicalism is their life’s work. With the help of Buck, the bomb-sniffing dog with a nose for danger, they prevail over Somali militias, pirates, white supremacists, and ISIS terrorists in a splintering world that has turned on itself like a serpent in the singularly obscene act of devouring its own tail. A sweeping novel that digs deep into the backstories of some of the beloved West Texas characters from Seventh Flag, Balman’s award-winning debut novel, Murmuration is a mesmerizing story of what it means to be American in the twenty-first century.
Get Real and Get In by Dr. Aviva Legatt
Getting into the right college has never been tougher. Competitive programs are admitting fewer and fewer students each year, while the Common Application has made it easy to apply to 30-40 schools in a single admissions cycle. Gen Y and Z workers are having trouble finding rewarding careers after graduating, and in the wake of the college admissions scandal, many are questioning if an ethical pathway into top-tier schools even exists. The struggle is real. Yet most college applicants still follow the traditional wisdom on getting in, like "have a perfect SAT score" or "become the president of ten clubs." Dr. Aviva Legatt has spent her career in higher education as a professor, counselor, and admissions officer in the Ivy League, and she wants to let students in on a secret: admissions boards are sick of seeing the same cookie-cutter applications. What were once considered best practices for "doing high school right" are now so commonplace that they have become a liability. Get Real and Get In rejects these obsolete methods, teaching readers to think outside of the box and focus on what admissions officers are really looking for--young people who dare to be their most authentic selves. Through engaging, accessible, and empathetic prose, this book forms an inspirational roadmap for readers to uncover their true passions and leverage them to create applications that truly stand out from the crowd. It also features a variety of useful exercises and candid stories from many influential figures from diverse backgrounds and careers, which teach students to look beyond just getting into a "good" college and focus more actively on identifying and attaining their long-range goals. Get Real and Get In is designed to ignite an essential mindset shift in students: stop trying to just "get in" and start figuring out exactly what you want from life and how to get it. Stop managing the impressions you make on admissions officers and start defying impressions. This is an essential guide to cutting through the noise of the admissions process and gaining the confidence to forge one's own path to success--in college and beyond.
The Long-Lost Jules by Jane Elizabeth Hughes
She thinks he’s either a stalker, a nutcase, or a harmlessly eccentric Oxford professor. He thinks she’s the long-lost descendant of Henry VIII’s last Queen, Katherine Parr. Amy is living a cautious life as a London private banker to wealthy oil sheikhs, but her quiet solitude is upended by the sudden appearance of two people: a half-sister who is virtually a stranger to her, and Oxford don Leo. Both need something from Amy, who has been emotionally frozen for years and isn’t sure she has anything left to give. She also harbors deep secrets—as does Leo. Even so, the two join forces to investigate the mystery of Queen Katherine’s lost baby, and soon long-suppressed emotions start to surface—and enemies start to close in. As they crisscross Europe in a quest for answers, Amy and Leo find themselves in danger of losing control of their secrets, their hearts—and maybe even their lives.
Sugar Birds by Cheryl Grey Bostrom
SUGAR BIRDS by Cheryl Grey Bostrom (August 3, She Writes Press) immerses readers in a layered, evocative coming-of-age story that paints a beautiful picture of the ties between humans and the natural world. When ten-year-old Aggie Hayes lights a devastating fire and hides in the Pacific Northwest wilderness, the guilt-ridden girl uncovers a dangerous plan that threatens the lives of two who are searching for her. In order to help, she must forgive herself and come out of hiding to intervene.
Piglet by Melissa Shapiro
In the tradition of the beloved New York Times bestsellers Marley and Me and Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love, a charming, inspirational memoir about empathy, resilience, kindness, and an adorable deaf blind pink dog.
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead
Told in dual timelines, this millennial thriller follows six friends at their ten-year college reunion, forced to confront the murder of their best friend ten years prior, as they uncover their most closely-guarded secrets to find out who actually killed her
21 Questions: A Novel by Alexandria Rizik
Set in beautiful Laguna Beach, CA, 21 Questions follows 16-year-old Kendra Dimes, who is struggling to manage her anxiety disorder while coping with the loss of her brother to a drug overdose. One thing that has helped her is training to compete in one of the biggest surfing competitions, USA Surfing Prime West, in her late brother’s honor. When Kendra meets new student Brock Parker, they have instant chemistry, but soon realize it may be an ill-fated match. Brock, the son of drug dealers, derails Kendra’s training and focus, struggling to keep his parents happy while also yearning for a life of normalcy with Kendra. When an accident threatens their hope for a brighter future, can they overcome their guilt and anger to help each other heal?
Em's Awful Good Fortune by Marcie Maxfield
Part dysfunctional marriage, part global romp, Em’s Awful Good Fortune is a deeply personal, marriage coming-apart-at-the-seams look at the struggle between a woman’s desire for partnership and her need for identity. Fueled by twin demons, love and rage, Em stomps her way around the world coming to terms with the fantasy of having it all: husband, kids, and a career. Em is not just married; it’s more like being handcuffed to her husband’s international career. Her life reads like a fantasy, bouncing between Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Seoul. But—the good fortune is all her husband’s: Em is just the tagalong wife. Maxfield’s compelling, non-linear story explores the expat lifestyle through the lens of a struggling marriage, while at the same time tracing the lasting impact of sexual assault and PTSD. Em’s journey exposes the dark corners of this seemingly privileged world: loneliness, depression, infidelity, and loss of career.
The Perfect Ruin by Shanora Williams
A brutal tragedy ended Ivy Hill’s happy family and childhood. Now in her twenties and severely troubled, she barely has a life—or much to live for. Until the day she discovers the name of the woman who destroyed her world: Lola Maxwell—the mega-wealthy socialite with a heart, Miami’s beloved “first lady” of charity. Accomplished, gorgeous, and oh-so-caring, Lola has the best of everything—and doesn’t deserve any of it. So it’s only right that Ivy take it all away . . .
Shadow by James Swallow
James Swallow's New York Times bestselling The Marc Dane series continues with Shadow
A ruthless far-right terrorist has broken out of captivity.
A mysterious bio-scientist with a terrible secret is abducted.
A lethal virus threatens millions of lives across Europe and the Middle East.
Ex-MI6 officer Marc Dane and his partner, Lucy Keyes, are bound together in a desperate search for the sinister organization plotting the release of a deadly virus on the world. In their frantic race against time, Dane and Keyes will be tested more than ever before as they seem to find themselves one step behind at every turn. It will take everything they have to expose the evil forces lurking in the shadows and put a stop to this unstoppable pathogen … and even everything might not be enough.
What price would you pay to stop a global catastrophe?
Fly Safe: Letters from the Gulf War and Reflections From Back Home by Vicki Cody
It is August 1990, and Iraq has just invaded Kuwait, setting off a chain reaction of events leading up to the first Gulf War. Vicki Cody’s husband, the commander of an elite Apache helicopter battalion, is deployed to Saudi Arabia—and for the next nine months they have to rely on written letters in order to stay connected. From Vicki’s narrative and journal entries, the reader gets a very realistic glimpse of what it is like for the spouses and families back home during a war, in particular what it was like at a time when most people did not own a personal computer and there was no Internet—no iPhones, no texting, no tweeting, no Facetime. Her writing also illuminates the roller coaster of stress, loneliness, sleepless nights, humor, joys, and, eventually, resilience, that make up her life while her husband is away. Meanwhile, Dick’s letters to her give the reader a front row seat to the unfolding of history, the adrenaline rush of flying helicopters in combat, his commitment to his country, and his devotion to his family back home. Together, these three components weave a clear, insightful, and intimate story of love and its power to sustain us.
Siege of the Seven Sins by Emily Colin
Rogue bellators Eva Marteinn and Ari Westergaard have escaped the restrictive world of the Commonwealth, and they would like nothing more than to leave it behind forever. But Eva is the formidable weapon the Commonwealth wants—and they’ll stop at nothing to get her back.
Starlight Enclave by R.A. Salvatore
From New York Times bestselling author R. A. Salvatore comes a new trilogy and adventure of Drizzt and fantasy’s beloved characters from Dungeons & Dragons’ Forgotten Realms.
When the Reckoning Comes by LaTanya McQueen
A haunting novel about a black woman who returns to her hometown for a plantation wedding and the horror that ensues as she reconnects with the blood-soaked history of the land and the best friends she left behind.
More than a decade ago, Mira fled her small, segregated hometown in the south to forget. With every mile she traveled, she distanced herself from her past: from her best friend Celine, mocked by their town as the only white girl with black friends; from her old neighborhood; from the eerie Woodsman plantation rumored to be haunted by the spirits of slaves; from the terrifying memory of a ghost she saw that terrible day when a dare-gone-wrong almost got Jesse—the boy she secretly loved—arrested for murder.
But now Mira is back in Kipsen to attend Celine’s wedding at the plantation, which has been transformed into a lush vacation resort. Mira hopes to reconnect with her friends, and especially, Jesse, to finally tell him the truth about her feelings and the events of that devastating long-ago day.
But for all its fancy renovations, the Woodsman remains a monument to its oppressive racist history. The bar serves antebellum drinks, entertainments include horrifying reenactments, and the service staff is nearly all black. Yet the darkest elements of the plantation’s past have been carefully erased—rumors that slaves were tortured mercilessly and that ghosts roam the lands, seeking vengeance on the descendants of those who tormented them, which includes most of the wedding guests.
As the weekend unfolds, Mira, Jesse, and Celine are forced to acknowledge their history together, and to save themselves from what is to come.
His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie
Afi Tekple is a young seamstress in Ghana. She is smart; she is pretty; and she has been convinced by her mother to marry a man she does not know. Afi knows who he is, of course—Elikem is a wealthy businessman whose mother has chosen Afi in the hopes that she will distract him from his relationship with a woman his family claims is inappropriate. But Afi is not prepared for the shift her life takes when she is moved from her small hometown of Ho to live in Accra, Ghana’s gleaming capital, a place of wealth and sophistication where she has days of nothing to do but cook meals for a man who may or may not show up to eat them. She has agreed to this marriage in order to give her mother the financial security she desperately needs, and so she must see it through. Or maybe not?
His Only Wife is a witty, smart, and moving debut novel about a brave young woman traversing the minefield of modern life with its taboos and injustices, living in a world of men who want their wives to be beautiful, to be good cooks and mothers, to be women who respect their husbands and grant them forbearance. And in Afi, Peace Medie has created a delightfully spunky and relatable heroine who just may break all the rules.
Books Coming Out on August 10:
The Good Widow by Jennifer Katz
What do we do when life ends? How do we honor the past while moving into an unimaginable, uncertain future? This tender, bracingly honest memoir explores how Jenny, a young widow, navigates the sudden loss of Tris, her beloved spouse of eighteen years.
With Tris gone, Jenny suddenly finds herself a single mom to a teen daughter and adult stepson. The newly splintered family finds ways to celebrate “milestone firsts” —including birthdays and other holidays that, without Tris, now feel hollow and bittersweet. Jenny finds herself drawn to new people, including other widows and psychic mediums, and becoming open to different kinds of connections based on sharing and spirituality. She also embarks on a halting quest for new romantic love. Initially, as she endures awkward first dates and unpleasant interactions with self-proclaimed “nice guys,” she resists her new reality —but over time, she finds someone unexpectedly comforting, blending the pain of loss with the pleasure of closeness. For readers who have also lost a loved one, The Good Widow offers both a comforting guide to grief and a form of companionship; for everyone, it’s a beautiful example of how even after death, love endures.
A Different Dawn by Isabella Maldonado
For nearly thirty years a serial killer has been hiding in plain sight. So has the key to an FBI agent’s dark past.
A family is murdered as they sleep. FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera and her new team are tasked with determining whether there is any link between this attack and another triple homicide from four years earlier and more than two thousand miles away. In the process, they’ll discover a serial killer so cunning that his grisly trail of death spanning nearly three decades has gone undetected. Each crime scene reminds Nina of the ghostly Latin folktale of La Llorona, which terrified her when she was an abandoned and vulnerable child. Now it’s back to haunt her.
Nina has known evil, but these macabre reenactments are as disturbing as they are baffling. Now she must uncover the meaning behind the rituals as the evidence leads her in an unexpected direction―far closer to home than anyone could have imagined. As the team narrows in on a suspect, the present collides with Nina’s past in a twist of fate that forces her to make the ultimate sacrifice.
The Other Me by Sarah Zachrich Jeng
Chicago artist Kelly steps through a door at a gallery opening on her 29th birthday and emerges in her Michigan hometown. Suddenly, she’s got 12 years of wrong memories and is married to a man she barely knew in her old life. Kelly is shaken and confused, but she plays along with this new life she seems to have been living. At first, Eric seems like the perfect husband―her devoted high school sweetheart―but she can’t shake the feeling that he’s somehow behind the switch. The more Kelly tries to prove that her old life in Chicago was real, the more she fears she may be losing her mind.
In All Good Faith by Liza Nash Taylor
In the summer of 1932, Americans are coming to realize that the financial crash of 1929 was only the beginning of hard times. May Marshall has returned from Paris to settle at her family home in rural Keswick, Virginia. She struggles to keep her family farm and market afloat through the economic downturn. May finds herself juggling her marriage with a tempting opportunity to revamp the family business to adapt to changing times.
Follow Me Always by Helen Hardt
He unleashed the darkness in her…but it might cost them both.
Billionaire Braden Black has one hard limit in the bedroom. He doesn’t talk about it, and he doesn’t engage in it. But when his lover, Skye Manning, begs him for it, he has to face facts―while he may be able to buy her anything, he can’t give her this. Though he loves her desperately, he’s starting to worry their relationship can’t continue.
Skye Manning has fallen down the rabbit hole and become captive to her needs. When Braden asks her why she desires something so dark, and she finds she can’t respond, she knows she’ll have to come up with those answers on her own. She’s willing, but she wants something in return―Braden’s complete honesty about his past.
Because Skye is convinced her needs, his limits...everything is tied to this one secret.
Write My Name Across the Sky by Barbara O'Neal
Write My Name Across the Sky is “like a masterfully executed painting… [an] intimate and satisfying study of how women make tough choices between love and creativity and family and freedom.” (Glendy Vanderah, Washington Post bestselling author of Where the Forest Meets the Stars). It’s perfect for fans of HBO’s hit series The Flight Attendant, Succession, and Hulu’s The Bold Type. Reconciling family secrets and facing past regrets can’t be easy, not even for seventy something influencer, Gloria Rose, who until now, has been able to curate a nearly perfect image of her life. When an ex is arrested for art theft and forgery, Gloria must decides she wants to flee because of her own part in his crimes. But, can she with her nieces Willow and Sam dealing with their own lives seemingly crumbling around them. Gloria, Willow and Sam will have to reconcile their interwoven traumas, past loves, and the looming consequences that could either destroy their futures or bring them closer than ever.
The Night We Burned by S.F. Kosa
A new psychological thriller from suspense powerhouse S.F. Kosa featuring a decades-old secret, a mysterious cult fire, and a woman looking to outrun the ashes of her past...until they come roaring back once more. Dora is always aware of the line between fact and fiction. As a fact checker at an online magazine, her job depends on it. And as a woman outrunning her secrets, so does her life. But when a colleague decides to pursue a story about a murder in her hometown, one linked to a deadly fire at a cult compound twenty years prior, suddenly all of Dora's carefully spun deceptions are at risk. And if she can't stop the story, her entire life is on the line.
Books Coming Out on August 17:
The Family Plot by Megan Collins
When a family obsessed with true crime gathers to bury their patriarch, horrifying secrets are exposed upon the discovery of another body in his grave in this chilling novel from the author of Behind the Red Door and The Winter Sister.
Battle Royal by Lucy Parker
Beloved author Lucy Parker pens a delicious new romantic comedy that is a battle of whisks and wits. In BATTLE ROYAL, Sylvie Fairchild charmed the world as a contestant on the hit baking show, Operation Cake, four years ago. Her ingenious, colorful creations captivated viewers and intrigued all but one of the judges, Dominic De Vere, the hottest pastry chef in London. Dominic is His Majesty the King’s favorite baker, the go-to for sweet-toothed A-List celebrities, and a veritable British institution. When Dominic and Sylvie learn they will be fighting for the once in a lifetime opportunity to bake a cake for the upcoming wedding of Princess Rose, the flour begins to fly as they’re both determined to come out on top. The bride adores Sylvie’s quirky style. The palace wants Dominic’s classic perfection. In this royal battle, can there be room for two?
How to Kill Your Best Friend by Lexie Elliott
If you suspected your best friend, the person you were closest to in the whole world, was a murderer, what would you do? Would you confront her? Would you help keep her secret? Or would you begin to feel afraid? Most importantly, why don't you feel safe now that she's dead? From the author of The French Girl comes a novel full of secrets, suspense, and deadly twists.
The Last Mona Lisa by Jonathan Santlofer
A gripping novel exploring the Mona Lisa’s very real theft in 1911 and the present underbelly of the art world, The Last Mona Lisa is a suspenseful tale, tapping into our universal fascination with da Vinci’s enigma, why people are driven to possess certain works of art, and our fascination with the authentic and the fake.
A Terrible Fall of Angels by Laurell K. Hamilton
A TERRIBLE FALL OF ANGELS introduces Detective Zaniel ‘Havoc’ Havelock, angel expert and member of the Metaphysical Coordination Unit, which investigates supernatural-related crimes. Zaniel is one of the team’s best assets because he has a direct connection to Heaven. Zaniel was an angel speaker, a human with the rare ability to see and receive messages from Celestial beings. He remains the only human ever to complete his training at the secretive College of Angels and then walk away from the calling.
When Zaniel is called to the murder scene of a college student, all signs point to a murderer from the angelic realm, but a cryptic message from an angel warns Zaniel that the killer is something else entirely. Something that not even the all-knowing angels have a name for. Now it’s up to Zaniel and his team to uncover what the murderer is—and how to stop it—before it can kill again. When Zaniel’s past begins catching up with him and old wounds reopen, he realizes that Heaven and the College don’t let go of their messengers easily.
56 DAYS by Catherine Ryan Howard
Oliver and Ciara meet in a grocery line in Dublin the same week that COVID-19 reaches the shores of Ireland, and as the country goes into lockdown, Oliver suggests that they move in together. Ciara, excited that she may have found “the one,” has no idea the secrets Oliver has kept about his identity – and Oliver can’t seem to find a good time to tell her. That is, until the police show up at Oliver's doorstep 56 days into lockdown and uncover a dead body in the house. Will the truth be revealed, or has quarantine provided the opportunity for the perfect crime? It’s twisty, it’s smart, and it’s perfectly revealed.
Hood Girl, Good Girl by Cynthia Marcano & Indian Spice
My name is Christianna Faith Leonard. I am named after a man of great honor. Yet, how deep I fall short from my namesake is immeasurable. From a distance, my life is a dream. My house in the suburbs is beautiful. Our picturesque family photo sits on the mantle of a fireplace looking as if it were ripped straight out of a magazine. I never miss choir rehearsal. My grades and volunteer work have earned me a scholarship to college. My polite manners are impeccable; quick to say please and thank you. But behind the facade of a good girl, I am a young woman covered in guilt, sin, and secrets. Shame is my childhood friend, never too far away like a loyal companion. Even still, my biggest dream is to just be loved and accepted for who I really am. You can call me Tianna. I am a good girl. I am a hood girl.
In Polite Company by Gervais Hagerty
In Polite Company by Gervais Hagerty is the next-best thing to a trip to Charleston, SC. Simons Smythe was born into the city's high society, but when she produces a news story about a close family friend's arrest and calls off her wedding, her upper-crust family is not amused. But Simons is tired of playing by the rules anyway, and far more interested in uncovering her beloved grandmother's long-held secret.
Books Coming Out August 24:
The Sensitive One by Susan Frances Morris
At age fifty, Susan Morris is diagnosed with breast cancer—and she’s floored. Desperate to pinpoint the cause, one night she decides to type a question into her search engine: “What are the risk factors of getting breast cancer?” She’s surprised to discover research showing that long-term exposure to stress and traumatic childhood experiences can both increase the risk of breast cancer.
The Sensitive One is a braided memoir that alternates between Morris’s childhood—as a sensitive child and then teenager who shouldered the burden of caring for her younger siblings as her dad’s alcoholism tore at the threads of their home life—and an adult who for a decade-plus has been living a trauma-free life with a caring husband and rewarding career in nursing . . . only to be diagnosed with breast cancer.
This is a story of redemption—of a woman who manages to escape harrowing circumstances and start anew—but it’s also a story of how our legacy lives within us, and how healing from the adverse effects of childhood can truly take a lifetime.
Riding High in April by Jackie Townsend
Inside the rising tech microcosms of Seoul, Singapore, Japan, and India, far from the mendacity of Silicon Valley, a serial tech entrepreneur pursues a last-ditch attempt to build something great: COMPASS, an open-source network platform that Microsoft has labeled “reckless.” At stake are his reputation, his dwindling bank account, and his fifteen-year relationship with the only woman he’s ever loved—a woman in the midst of reckoning with who she is and what really matters to her in the face of the narcissism and destructiveness of the technology world. She shows up in Seoul in a big, bold move to be with him—only to find that living in Asia reshapes her in intangible, unexpected ways.
Taut and richly layered, Riding High in April is a powerful evocation of our contemporary tech moment, a revealing exploration of resilience and the pursuit of something unattainable, and a moving story of love, friendship, and letting go.
Small Altars by Keli Stewart
In the traditions of Gwendolyn Brooks’ A Street in Bronzeville, Lucille Clifton’s Good Woman, and Nikki Giovanni’s Love Poems, Small Altars renders a self-portrait in spirals and snapshots—sometimes with humor, sometimes with sentiment and memory—about the body, desire, motherhood and place around the author's identity as a Black woman while awakening keen observations of her ancestors with a griot’s voice.
The Everyday Leader: 14 Marine Corps Traits to Unlock Your Leadership DNA by Hema Crockett and Michael Crockett
The Everyday Leader isn’t a magic wand to turn people into an incredible leader overnight. However, it does promise that if the advice that is given is followed and these 14 traits are put into practice and leadership traits are developed, then readers will evolve into the type of leader who succeeds in business and in life. The Everyday Leader also takes readers behind the curtain of the US Marine Corps and into the lives of the leaders who help protect their freedom every single day. Men and women who lead through war and times of peace, whose leadership traits and principles are taught from the moment they enter bootcamp, and whose values they carry long after they leave the military. These 14 leadership traits aren’t just concepts; these traits are meant to encourage leaders to establish their own leadership traits that convert to actions and actual strategies to lead confidently in the boardroom and in everyday life.
A Million Things by Emily Spurr
A MILLION THINGS (Berkley Trade Paperback Original; August 24, 2021) is a painfully beautiful and emotionally redemptive story that follows the life of ten-year-old Rae who must look at herself and her dog when her mother disappears. It transforms a gut-wrenching story of abandonment and what it's like to grow up in a house that doesn't feel safe into an astonishing portrait of resilience, mental health, and the families we make and how they make us in return.
Racing with Aloha by Fred Haywood
Racing with Aloha is an engaging adventure tale in which Fred Haywood shares the inspiring journey of growing up on Maui. He swam in an ocean pool and later became a national swim champion. He pioneered surfing in undiscovered Indonesia and windsurfed with champions, setting records, and putting Maui on the map for windsurfing.
Books Coming Out on August 31:
Jane of Battery Park by Jaye Viner
Jane is a Los Angeles nurse who grew up in a Christian cult that puts celebrities on trial for their sins. Daniel is a has-been actor whose career ended when the cult family members nearly killed him for flirting with her. Eight years after a romantic meet-cute in Battery Park, both search for someone to fill the gap they imagine the other could’ve filled if given the chance. Jane compulsively goes on dates with every self-professed expert in art, music, and food hoping they will teach her the nuances of the culture she couldn’t access in her youth. Daniel looks for a girlfriend who will accept the disabilities left from the cult attack. A loving woman will prove to Daniel’s blockbuster star brother, Steve, that he’s capable of a supporting role in Steve’s upcoming movie and relaunching Daniel’s career. When a chance encounter unexpectedly reunites them, Jane and Daniel not only see another chance at the love they lost, but an opportunity to create the lives they’ve always wanted. The only question is whether their families will let them.
Poison for Breakfast by Lemony Snicket
This true story—as true as Lemony Snicket himself—begins with a puzzling note under his door: You had poison for breakfast. Following a winding trail of clues to solve the mystery of his own demise, Snicket takes us on a thought-provoking tour of his predilections: the proper way to prepare an egg, a perplexing idea called “tzimtzum,” the sublime pleasure of swimming in open water, and much else. Poison for Breakfast is a classic-in-the-making that—in the great tradition of modern fables like The Little Prince and The Phantom Tollbooth—will delight readers of all ages.
THE RIVIERA HOUSE by Natasha Lester
In 1939, Éliane is not merely cataloging art in the Louvre museum, she is playing a dangerous game: as the Nazis steal national treasures for their private collections, Eliane is carefully decoding their notes and smuggling information to the Resistance.
Fast forward to present day, as Remy tries to forget the tragedy that has left her life in shambles by spending some time in a home she’s mysteriously inherited on the Riviera. While working on her vintage fashion business, she discovers a catalog of the artworks stolen during World War II and is shocked to see a painting that hung on her childhood bedroom wall. Who is her family, really? And does the house on the Riviera hold more secrets than Remy is ready to face?
House of Music: Raising the Kanneh-Masons by Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason
Seven brothers and sisters. All of them classically trained musicians. One was Young Musician of the Year and performed for the royal family. The eldest has released her first album, showcasing the works of Clara Schumann. These siblings don’t come from the rarefied environment of elite music schools, but from a state comprehensive in Nottingham. How did they do it? Their mother, Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, opens up about what it takes to raise a musical family in a Britain divided by class and race. What comes out is a beautiful and heartrending memoir of the power of determination, camaraderie and a lot of hard work. The Kanneh-Masons are a remarkable family. But what truly sparkles in this eloquent memoir is the joyous affirmation that children are a gift and we must do all we can to nurture them.
The Name Curse by Brooke Burroughs
From the award-winning author of The Marriage Code, Brooke Burroughs, comes an adventurous, heartfelt novel The Name Curse (Montlake, August 31). Main characters Bernie and Matthew embark on an Alaskan mountain trek in search of much-needed healing and inspiration. Instead, they find each other. In time, their annoyance with one another slowly starts to turn into a connection neither can deny. Described as Wild meets Legally Blonde, The Name Curse paints a beautiful, rugged picture of navigating loss, love, expectations, and getting out of your comfort zone.
The Offline Dating Method: 3 Steps to Attract Your Perfect Partner in The Real World
In this new, all-inclusive and expanded edition of the best-selling book, author Camille Virginia helps singles of ALL gender identifications and sexual orientations navigate a post-pandemic dating world where they can finally ditch the Zoom dates and attract their perfect partner in the real world.
