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Big Books of the Week

Black Dog by Stuart Woods (Putnam) leads holds this week.

Other titles in demand include:

Reckoning by Catherine Coulter (Morrow)

Husband Material by Alexis Hall (Sourcebooks Casablanca)

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford (Atria; LJ starred review)

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan (Avon)

These books and others publishing the week of Aug. 1, 2022 are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Awards & August Booklists

Age Book of the Year 2022 shortlists are announced.

Nib Literary Award 2022 longlist is announced.

The 2022 Mike Resnick Memorial Award finalists are announced.

Time has 12 books to read in August.

The Millions previews the most anticipated books for August.

Lambda Literary has "August’s Most Anticipated LGBTQIA+ Literature."

Amazon picks the “Best Books of August,” spotlighting Things We Do in the Dark by Jennifer Hillier (Minotaur).

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

Four LibraryReads and twelve Indie Next picks publish this week:

Shutter by Ramona Emerson (Soho Crime)

“Rita Todacheene, a crime scene photographer for the Albuquerque PD, can communicate with the dead. Her latest job involves a woman who allegedly killed herself... but she won't leave Rita alone. A cinematic thriller set on the edge of the Navajo Nation, Emerson's debut is a must-read.”—Erin Downey Howerton, Wichita Public Library, Wichita, KS

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Rita Todacheene has seen ghosts since she was a child growing up in the Navajo Nation. Now a forensic photographer, Rita’s life is upended by spirits seeking justice for their murders. This thrilling mystery left me hoping for more of Rita.”—Lia Lent, WordsWorth Books, Little Rock, AR

Husband Material by Alexis Hall (Sourcebooks Casablanca)

“Luc has grown up and feels the pressure to get married. Oliver is still a devoted boyfriend, but his problems are now acknowledged. It's great to see character development even in minor characters, and how they've progressed in the two years since Boyfriend Material.”—Claire Sherman, Clearwater Countryside Library, Clearwater, FL

It is also an Indie Next pick:

“Achingly romantic and laugh-out-loud funny. Luc and Oliver, who fell in love in Boyfriend Material, reach the stage where everyone seems to be getting married. Will social pressure unite them, or drive them apart? A delightful read!”—Carol Schneck Varner, Schuler Books, Okemos, MI

The Hookup Plan by Farrah Rochon (Forever)

“Dedicated pediatric surgeon London looks to de-stress through a no-strings- attached hookup with her former high school nemesis (and current millionaire) Drew. But Drew wants more than a one-night stand. London jumps off the page with her vibrant personality, and it’s fun to see a man pursuing a woman in an enemies to lovers tale. For fans of Abby Jimenez and Talia Hibbert.”—Hannah Spratt, New York Public Library, New York, NY

The Couple at Number 9 by Claire Douglas (Harper Paperbacks)

“Pregnant Saffy and her partner Tom are thrilled when her ailing grandmother gives them a cottage to make their home–until they find two bodies buried on the property. Featuring multiple points of view and realistic characters, the latest twisty thriller from Douglas will appeal to fans of taut page-turners like The Turn of the Key and The Guest List.”—Amy Medeiros, Westport Free Public Library, Westport, MA

Indie Next:

The Wild Hunt by Emma Seckel (Tin House)

“Moody and atmospheric, the islanders are forced to confront tradition, ancient superstition, and the secrets submerged to preserve their normalcy. A taut tale full of otherworldly activities and the tension of daily existence.”—Bill Cusumano, Square Books, Oxford, MS

Bookish People by Susan Coll (Harper Muse)

“Coll captures the loveable mix of quirky customers, booksellers, and writers who bring a bookstore to life. Fast-paced, hilarious, and insightful — it’s sure to appeal to anyone who works, owns, or shops in an indie bookstore.”—Jan Danielson Kaiser, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines, IA

Delphi by Clare Pollard (Avid Reader Pr.: S. & S.)

“Delphi is my first, surprisingly urgent, foray into the new ‘Covid World’ genre. Written in snapshot chapters, Delphi shows us a world from our nightmares through a lens of classical mythology. Sharp, labyrinthine, and unputdownable.”—Scott Lange, The Bookman, Grand Haven, MI

The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias (Mulholland Books; LJ starred review)

“The best authors are guides. If I’m going somewhere as dark and terrifying as this story, I’m glad Gabino Iglesias is taking me there. If you’re new to his work, get ready; he’s got both hands on the wheel and knows exactly what he’s doing.”—Chelsea Bromley, Snowbound Books, Marquette, MI

The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty (Knopf; LJ starred review)

“The Rabbit Hutch is an inventive and lyrical tale of Midwestern decay, environmental destruction, and toxic masculinity. John Brandon meets Lauren Groff with the occasional experimental aside. An ambitious and assured debut.”—Matt Stowe, Greenlight Bookstore, Brooklyn, NY

Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra (Hogarth)

“Mercury Pictures Presents is an utterly satisfying novel, full of rich characters and a beautifully choreographed plot told with wry humor, great love, and writing so smart you’ll want to underline every paragraph. Read it!”—Kris Kleindienst, Left Bank Books, St. Louis, MO

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean (Tor Books; LJ starred review)

“How far will a mother go to protect a son that is hungering for more than books? Sunyi Dean’s work of fantasy is frighteningly real. Think Hannibal Lecter: sit back, grab ‘a nice dry Chianti,’ and get ready to devour this debut masterpiece.”—Bill Reilly, The River’s End Bookstore, Oswego, NY

The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid (Riverhead; LJ starred review)

“I loved this book! Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West stands up as one of my favorites, even years later. His newest delivers just as brilliantly. Themes of race and bigotry, couched in almost fable-like storytelling, feel timely, yet enduring.”—Rebekah Rine, Watermark Books & Café, Wichita, KS

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford (Atria; LJ starred review)

“Jamie Ford explores the relationship of mind, spirit, and personal history in this gorgeous, multigenerational novel. The descendants of Afong Moy dig into their inherited pasts with astonishing results. A hopeful, beautiful read!”—Beth Mynhier, Lake Forest Book Store, Lake Forest, IL

Properties of Thirst by Marianne Wiggins (S. & S.; LJ starred review)

“Words don’t do this book justice. A family tale, a moral novel of a shameful time in our history, and a love story built with care and humor. You won’t want to leave the Rhodes family when the novel ends. Grab this and fall under its spell.”—Anne Whalen, Brown University Bookstore, Providence, RI

In the Media

People’s book of the week is The Kingdoms of Savannah by George Dawes Green (Celadon). Also getting attention are The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda (Scribner/ Marysue Rucci Books), and When We Were Bright and Beautiful by Jillian Medoff (Harper). A “New in Paperback” section highlights Don't Look Back: The 343 FDNY Firefighters Killed on 9-11 and the Fight for the Truth by Joe Calderone (Post Hill Pr.), Fox and I: An Uncommon Friendship by Catherine Raven (Spiegel & Grau), and We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza (Atria). The “Staff Pick” is Big Thrift Energy: The Art and Thrill of Finding Vintage Treasures-Plus Tips for Making Old Feel New by Virginia Chamlee (Blue Star Pr.).

August’s Costco Connection is out featuring interviews with Jamie Ford, The Many Daughters of Afong Moy (Atria;LJ starred review), and Richard Osman, The Man Who Died Twice (Pamela Dorman: Viking), both are buyers’ picks for the month.

Reviews

NYT reviews Yoga by Emmanuel Carrère, trans. by John Lambert (Farrar): “Even as Carrère regards his own meditation practice with ironic detachment, he has a genuine feeling for his tai chi and Iyengar masters. He gnaws at that contradiction in ways that bear, with humor and wit, on his own literary project.” And, Acceptance: A Memoir by Emi Nietfeld (Penguin Pr.): “Nietfeld’s story is a detailed critique of the American fantasy that poverty, illness or any other adversity can be conquered through sheer grit and bootstrapping ingenuity; and of how and to whom our society apportions help.”

USA Today updates July’s best-reviewed rom-coms.

Briefly Noted

NYT asks "Will the Biggest Publisher in the United States Get Even Bigger?"

The New York Times Magazine has a wide-ranging interview with Neil Gaiman about making sense of the world. Gaiman’s The Sandman premieres on Netflix August 5.

OprahDaily has a preview and cover reveal of Geena Davis’s forthcoming memoir, Dying of Politeness (HarperOne), due out October 11th.

Tordotcom previews the forthcoming anthology, New Suns 2: More Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color ed. by Nisi Shawl (Solaris), due out in March 2023.

Publishers Weekly reports on the growth of ComicsPlus, a service offered by LibraryPass.

USA Today picks five books for the week.

CrimeReads suggests 10 books out this week.

Parade suggests how to read all of Kristin Hannah's books in order. 

B&N posts books from this summer’s #BookTokChallenge.

Buzzfeed recommends 8 queer fantasy books.

CrimeReads compiles a list of nautical mysteries.

"Nichelle Nichols, Legendary 'Star Trek' Star, Dies At 89." Shadow&Act reports. A children's book based on her life, To Boldly Go: How Nichelle Nichols and Star Trek Helped Advance Civil Rights by Angela Dalton (Harper Collins), is set to be published January 2023. 

Authors On Air

NPR’s Morning Edition talks with Alora Young about her new book, Walking Gentry Home: A Memoir of My Foremothers in Verse (Hogarth).

NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday chats with Megan Miranda, The Last to Vanish (Scribner/ Marysue Rucci Books), about finding clues and inspiration in the woods.

David Grann's forthcoming The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder (Doubleday), is being adapted for film with Martin Scorsese to direct and Leonardo DiCaprio to star. THR reports. 

Jenna Bush Hager will adapt The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson (Viking), for the small screen. Deadline reports.

LitHub has “The Literary Film and TV You Need to Stream in August.”

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