Oh the weather outside is frightful(ly hot), but the bookshops are so delightful. August is just a few days away, bringing with it a plethora of stunning new releases.
Adventures await you, with award-winning storytelling, thrillers so chilling you could use them as fans, tales of a gentler nature overflowing with friendship and healing, and a mass of fantasy and superhero badassery. Whatever floats your boat, these titles are sure to keep you sailing.
Washington Black | Esi Edugyan
Expected August 31st
Esi Edugyan’s second novel Half-Blood Blues was shortlisted for both the Man Booker and the Orange Prize. Washington Black is due to be published at the end of August and is already longlisted for the Man Booker. This gripping historical fiction carries us away on an adventure through a sugar plantation in Barbados, up to the skies in a flying machine, and along the east coast of America, as young ‘Wash’ and his master run from a bounty and a life in chains. This is a journey of slavery and freedom, betrayal and trust, ‘where two people separated by an impossible divide can begin to see each other as human’.
Catwoman: Soulstealer | Sarah J. Maas
Out August 7th
This is one of August’s most anticipated Young Adult novels. From the formidable pen of international, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Sarah J. Maas comes the third instalment of the D.C Icons series, Catwoman: Soulstealer. Once a resident of the city’s slums, Selina Kyle returns to Gotham wealthy and under an assumed name. In Batman’s absence, Batwing (also known as Luke Fox) is attempting to keep the public safe. But he finds himself outsmarted by Catwoman (also known as Selina), especially when she’s in league with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn.
Heretics Anonymous | Katie Henry
Expected 7th August
Described as The Breakfast Club meets Saved!, Katie Henry’s debut novel is bound to leave you laughing, whatever you believe. Michael’s an atheist – the last place he wanted to be was a strict Catholic school. But he finds an unusual and accepting group of friends who, like him, do not agree with everything they are being taught. There’s Lucy, the Catholic feminist; Avi, who is gay and Jewish; Eden, the practising Pagan and Max, who wants to wear what he wants. Together they are Heretics Anonymous, and they’re going to challenge their school any way they can. YA novels don’t normally discuss religion and belief in such open, tolerant terms, so it is exciting to see one that is willing to dare.
21 Lessons for the 21st Century | Yuval Noah Harari
Out August 30th
Yuval Noah Harari has two previous and very successful non-fiction books. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind answered where we have come from. Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow looked at where our advancements might lead us next. Unsurprisingly, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is interested in where we are right now. Fans of non-fiction should definitely keep their eyes peeled for some other great August releases, including the trials of creating an artificial heart, a fight against injustice and the UK government, and a journey through mythology, history and so much more. Take your brain on an adventure this summer.
Rust and Stardust | T. Greenwood
Expected 7th August
The true story of Sally Horner’s kidnap inspired the controversial and twisted novel Lolita. This in turn has inspired the creation of Rust and Stardust. As dark as the real events, and humming with terrible suspense, T. Greenwood’s novel gives Sally’s story back to her. Frank LaSalle convinces 11-year-old Sally that he’s an FBI agent who will arrest her for theft if she doesn’t obey him. For the next two years, Sally is forced to endure his mental and physical assaults. This must-read for thriller and crime addicts has been described as a ‘glowing dark ruby of a novel’.
Good Luck With That | Kristan Higgins
Out August 7th
If you’re more interested in heartwarming than heartstopping, you’ll love this contemporary romance from Kristan Higgins. Emerson, Georgia and Marley met as teenagers at a weight-loss camp. They remain as best friends into adulthood, still carrying their fears and body issues. When Emerson dies, her final wish is for Georgia and Marley to deal with their individual battles and learn to love themselves. With body issues more prevalent now than ever, this gentle story of friendship and love might just be the story we need to hear.
The Silence of the Girls | Pat Barker
Out August 30th
Books love to hunt us in packs – and this year’s predators are the rewrites and retellings. July delivered a modern take on Beowulf, and now August wants us to reconsider The Illiad, and more specifically the Trojan War at the centre of it. This is not a modern setting, but a switch of perspectives. History has loved to ignore the female voices, so here Pat Barker allows them to speak for themselves. Briseis is stripped of her throne, her freedom and her home. Along with many other women, she is claimed as a prize and given away to the Greek warriors who conquered her city. But this is not the end of her story.
Flights | Olga Tokarczuk (translated by Jennifer Croft)
Translation published August 14th
A convergence of narratives is to be expected from this original Polish novel. These tangled voices are seemingly unconnected, yet all have much to say on big ideas like the meaning of home, time and space and mortality. Flights, winner of the Man Booker International Prize, is poised to take you on quite the journey.
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