The end of July is upon us. (What a month it’s been, Dear Readers, what a wild, wild month.) And how better to usher in a new, hopefully less wild month than with new things to read and delight in? Below, you’ll find twenty new novels, story and poetry collections, memoirs, and general nonfiction to consider, all out today.
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If you like horses (I’m no horse girl myself, but more power to the equestrians), there are multiple options for you: Willy Vlautin’s novel, The Horse, which explores the healing power of animals, amongst other things, and a history of humankind’s transformative relationship with horses by Timothy Winegard. There’s a new biography of Geoffrey Chaucer (also, coincidentally, pictured on the cover riding a horse), as well as studies of eighteenth-century London’s libertine culture; Daisy Dunn with a women’s history of the world; Jessica Waite with a memoir about discovering her late husband wasn’t the person she thought she knew; and much, much more.
In poetry, you’ll find Marianne Chan’s evocative account of being a Midwestern Filipina in “Biddle City.” And, in fiction, there are many exciting books, including Dinaw Mengestu’s poignant novel of the transnational experience; Bret Anthony Johnston’s expansive reimagining of the Waco tragedies; Jessica Anthony with a novel take on marriage; Mai Sennaar’s globe-trotting They Dream in Gold; and much, much more.
Read and revel, and let your to-be-read lists grow and grow. They can never be too tall, right?
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Dinaw Mengestu, Someone Like Us
(Knopf)
“A moving, memorable novel….[Mengestu] defies standard immigrant-narrative tropes in which successes compensate for feelings of longing, displacement, and loss. But this time, it’s bleaker as Mengestu emphasizes his characters’ fears of deportation, of being pulledover by police, and their utter exhaustion as work and anxiety rob them of sleep.”
–Booklist
Bret Anthony Johnston, We Burn Daylight
(Random House)
“Symphonic and suspenseful, We Burn Daylight reimagines events at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco. In an epic act of empathy, Bret Anthony Johnston inhabits every point of view, from doomed devotees to perplexed law enforcement, and even manages to infuse the tragedy with moments of poignant, very human, humor.”
–Geraldine Brooks
Jessica Anthony, The Most
(Little Brown)
“The Most achieves the impossible: it says something new about marriage. In this thrilling novel, Anthony’s genius for structural and chronological invention is grounded in sensory richness and the most vividly idiosyncratic characters I’ve encountered in a while. This is a twenty-first century literary classic waiting to happen.”
–Kate Christensen
Mary Flannery, Geoffrey Chaucer: Unveiling the Merry Bard
(Reaktion Books)
“A lively gallop through Chaucer’s life and afterlife, enhanced by beautiful illustrations and plentiful textual quotation. Mary Flannery focuses on Chaucer as entertainer and humorist, exploring both what makes him fun, and why, in recent centuries, his geniality has become his defining trait.”
–Marion Turner
Timothy Winegard, The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity
(Dutton)
“They say that dogs are humankind’s best friend, but as Timothy Winegard makes clear in this sweeping book, it’s the horse that truly deserves that title—and not just that one. Horses were revolutionary political allies, tireless explorers, and our deadliest weapons of war as well. And if we’ve come so far, it’s only because the horse has carried us here, and this book masterfully maps each stage in that 5500-year epic journey.”
–Sam Kean
Daisy Dunn, The Missing Thread: A Women’s History of the Ancient World
(Viking)
“A sweeping history thrumming with energy….Dunn’s deft sleuthing uncovers long-overlooked realities….Wars, rivalries, and invasions made women central to political alliances, and Dunn details their adept machinations as they moved boldly or plotted secretly. Besides familiar names, such as Cleopatra, Fulvia, and Lucretia, [Dunn] introduces scores more of prodigious prowess and influence….Her erudition is impressive, and her narrative is consistently animated.”
–Kirkus Reviews
Marianne Chan, Leaving Biddle City
(Sarabande Books)
“In playful and lyrical leaps, the poems turn like pages in a photo album. Marianne Chan’s speaker meditates on the meaning of what it means to be ‘Mid-Western’ in conjunction with what it means to be ‘Filipina, ‘ and…the poems soar into ecstatic remembrances….Chan’s beautiful writing will persist as thoroughly as the poured concrete of foundations inscribed with names of family.”
–Oliver de la Paz
Mai Sennaar, They Dream in Gold
(Zando / SJP Lit)
“A symphonic feat of wisdom and breathtaking verve, They Dream in Gold is a revelation of a novel that readers won’t soon forget. Spanning continents and decades of sociopolitical changes, this wholly original, whirlwind story deftly illuminates the tensions of art and humanity with fresh language and vivid characters. Mai Sennaar is a rare, daring talent who wrings emotion and beauty from each page, each word, and leaves you thirsting for more still.”
–Thao Thai
Willy Vlautin, The Horse
(Harper)
“Like John Steinbeck and Raymond Carver before him, Vlautin excels at telling deeply felt stories about characters who are down on their luck. The Horse is a textbook Vlautin novel in all the best ways….Told in spare prose, unsentimental but sincere, The Horse is a moving paean to the healing power of animals and music—and a damn good yarn, too.”
–Esquire
Alison Espach, The Wedding People
(Holt)
“The Wedding People is so much more than a funny story (though it is very funny). Espach has penned a keenly observed novel about depression, love, the ways women make themselves small, and how one woman got over it. Fully realized and completely memorable.”
–Booklist
Jessica Waite, The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards: A Memoir
(Atria Books)
“Jessica Waite’s The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards is a hell of a ride. By turns emotional, hilarious, and always very, very human, Waite gives readers access to the secrets that spilled into her lap after her husband’s untimely death. Waite masterfully sets an example of how we might honor and cherish departed loved ones who enriched, damaged, and marked our lives forever. You will stay up all night reading this gem.”
–Christie Tate
Clara Bingham, The Movement: How Women’s Liberation Transformed America 1963 – 1973
(Atria / One Signal)
“Bingham celebrates the women who brought about change. Ranging across politics, health, employment, sports, and the arts, and including BIPOC and LGBTQ+ voices, this compilation effectively recreates a momentous decade.”
–Booklist
Jay Ellis, Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend (or Just Me)?: Adventures in Boyhood
(One World)
“Heartwarming, heartbreaking, and seriously hilarious, this book is an ode to imagination—that which dwells inside all of us, waiting to run free. Jay Ellis has written a brave, necessary book, filled with coming-of-age stories packed with solid life lessons. I wish I’d read this as a young person, but am even more grateful to have found it as an adult.”
–Mateo Askaripour
Damilare Kuku, Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow
(Harpervia)
“Damilare Kuku, queen of the banging book title, knows how complicated it is to be a Nigerian woman. This book explores themes weightier than any BBL, but never preaches. Kuku made me giggle and gasp. I loved it.”
–Nikki May
Soma Mei Sheng Frazier, Off the Books
(Holt)
“Beneath a budding romance and roadside banter, the story of the humanitarian crisis of the Uyghurs in China is masterfully presented, interweaving an international story with a more domestic one of what it means to be Chinese in the U.S. Frazier’s debut proves to be an enthralling ride, perfect for those who love an American road trip with a twist.”
–Booklist
Anamely Salgado Reyes, My Mother Cursed My Name
(Atria Books)
“A beautiful story woven with care from the fierce yet tender bonds of familial love, this entrancing novel burrowed its way into my heart, leaving me thoroughly charmed by the characters, writing, and concept. Like a grown up Encanto with a Gilmore Girls twist–what could be better?”
–Marissa Strapley
Julie Peakman, Libertine London: Sex in the Eighteenth-Century Metropolis
(Reaktion Books)
“The Georgians did not invent sex but they were the first to explore publicly all its permutations. To discover more, read Peakman’s frank and enticing study.”
–Penelope J. Corfield
Rob Jackson, Into the Clear Blue Sky: The Path to Restoring Our Atmosphere
(Scribner)
“Long years from now, Rob Jackson’s book will be remembered not for its amazing and comprehensive research, nor for its clear and concise explanations of the challenge to our existence and his specific battle plans for survival. Instead, it will be remembered for its heart. Here is a man who, possessing the deepest knowledge about the most dire of consequences, chooses action over paralysis and hope over despair….My own hope? That Into the Clear Blue Sky is read, and that Rob Jackson is heard.”
–Rick Bass
Philip V. McHarris, Beyond Policing
(Legacy Lit)
“McHarris opens with a history of policing in America, its exponential expansion, and the danger in recent reforms that depend on data and surveillance. Then…we get glimpses into the world that would actually keep us safe: one full of relationships, prevention, and strategic interventions. [The] book tears down the myth of policing and prisons as necessary and replaces it with a vision of safety that leaves none of us behind. [This] book makes the best case for what abolition could look like in practice.”
–Brea Baker
Chris Nashawaty, The Future Was Now: Madmen, Mavericks, and the Epic Sci-Fi Summer of 1982
(Flatiron)
“The Future Was Now takes us back to what now seems like an inconceivable moment in movie history—a summer in which eight sci-fi classics (well, seven plus Conan the Barbarian!) were released in rapid succession. Chris Nashawaty’s book is a vital, smart and energizing look at the electrifying combination of forces that got those movies made. It should be read not just by movie lovers but by anyone in Hollywood with the power to say yes.”
–Mark Harris
