What To Read

FICTION

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo (August 1)

A beautifully intimate story of heritage and legacy following a Dominican-American family gathering for a wake for someone who hasn’t died yet, Family Lore is sure to be a new classic of the Latin American diaspora as it weaves together secrets, power, and community in uncertain times. — Sam Haecker

Mobility by Lydia Kiesling (August 1)

This book feels like it was made in a lab for me. A smart personal-is-political novel that is both a coming-of-age-in-crisis tale about a millennial – the generation stunted by double life-altering catastrophes – and a critique of fossil-fuel capitalism and empire? Swoon. — Erica Landau

The End of August by Yu Miri, and translated by Morgan Giles (August 1)

I loved Yu Miri's wonderfully inventive homeless-ghost story Ueno Station, which was a hit with critics and picked up the 2020 National Book Award for translated literature. The way Miri blends historical fiction with personal stories and supernatural themes really makes her a one-of-a-kind writer. I’ll be picking up her latest: a time-hopping family saga set between Japanese-occupied Korea in the ’30s and modern day Japan, that was inspired by the author’s own maternal grandfather, a champion long-distance runner whose career was cut short by World War II. — Fernanda Gorgulho

Witness: Stories by Jamel Brinkley (August 1)

My search for a summer short story book came to a quick end when I saw National Book Award finalist Jamel Brinkley was gifting us another collection set in New York City. Each narrative explores the feelings of fear, hope and longing through a series of taken (or not taken) actions. Can’t wait to read it. — Romina Raimundo

Hangman by Maya Binyam (August 8)

I read the beginning of Maya Binyam's debut novel in the Paris Review (where's she's an editor) and the story immediately pulled me in. It follows an unnamed narrator who gets a mysterious phone call telling him to board a flight — his bags are already packed and his ticket purchased — back to the homeland he left decades before. This novel promises to be a surreal yet thought-provoking meditation on life, belonging, and colonialism. — Laurann Herrington

I Hear You're Rich by Diane Williams (August 8)

Master of the form Diane Williams returns this year with a collection of 33 short stories. I would say I’m sure they’ll be extraordinary, but I don’t have to because reviews are pouring in, and they are – no surprise – through the roof. How high? Yes, that high. — Erica Landau

The Ferguson Report: An Erasure by Nicole Sealey (August 15)

Erasure can be a difficult world to traipse in, but the restrictions of working only with text always lead to illuminating, original new poetry. This looks to be a powerful reappraisal of the report that shook a community and a nation. Nicole Sealey has infused every removal with new contexts of terror and violence and shows the effects of language’s shortcomings held in high relief against the original text. — Sam Haecker

The Great Transition by Nick Fuller Googins (August 15)

This debut by Nick Fuller Googins has a cli-fi set-up that pulled me in immediately: Amid the ruins of post-apocalypse New York City, a daughter and her father desperately search for her mother, who has disappeared ... but also is maybe on the run for assassinating climate criminals. If it can live up to the publisher's comparisons to "Station Eleven" and "The Ministry for the Future," this will surely be one of the most talked about books in science fiction for years to come. — Emmanuel Hidalgo-Wohlleben

Under the Tamarind Tree by Nigar Alam (August 15)

This debut from Karachi-born Nigar Alam tracks the reverberations of Partition among a group of four friends across more than half a century and multiple generations. Partition has been explored in literature many times before, including by titans of the craft like Salman Rushdie, but this book offers the perspective of a new generation of South Asians, which I hope will help illuminate the ongoing impact of that truly monumental moment. — Emmanuel Hidalgo-Wohlleben

NON-FICTION

August Wilson: A Life by Patti Hartigan (August 15)

While I'm surprised it has taken this long for a biography to be published about one of the most celebrated Black playwrights of the 20th century, theater critic Patti Hartigan's latest is sure to be worth the wait for August Wilson fans like myself. — Laurann Herrington

How to Fix the Perfect Cocktail: 50 Classic Cocktail Recipes from the World's Leading Bartenders by Adam Elan-Elmegirab (August 15)

I've been recommending a lot of climate books lately, so I feel like a boozy drink is in order to balance out the dread. This book by former bartender and cocktail historian Adam Elan-Elmegirab explains the science of flavor in cocktails and includes 50 recipes created by him and/or other industry-leading bartenders. So catch me at the park this month reading Diane Williams' latest short story collection with one of Adam's drinks in hand. — Erica Landau

The Loom of Time: Between Empire and Anarchy, from the Mediterranean to China by Robert D. Kaplan (August 22)

Foreign affairs author Robert D. Kaplan returns with a compelling new survey and travelogue of the politics, history, culture and future of the Middle East. He’s known for his analysis of grand strategy and geopolitical commentary, but Kaplan’s prose is also a pleasure to read. I look forward to his insights on the future of a region which has played such a significant  role in shaping the world. — Emmanuel Hidalgo-Wohlleben