What To Read

Every month, we share the books we can't wait to read. Our August staff picks include: a hotly anticipated speculative thriller; a novel tracking the journey of a drop of water over centuries by a Women's Prize winner; and an often overlooked story in the mesmerizing life of Elton John.

FICTION

The Rich People Have Gone Away by Regina Porter (Aug 6)

Selected by Fernanda Gorgulho

Until recently, I have avoided pandemic novels because they hit a little too close to home. I guess I'm finally feeling like my plague years are safely in the rearview mirror because I'm all in on this literary thriller about the search for a Brooklyn woman who goes missing in Upstate New York during those first nerve-wracking months of lockdown in 2020. While the pandemic looms large in the background, the book is more about the lives of the various quirky New York characters and the mystery surrounding the woman’s disappearance. Sounds like my perfect end-of-summer read; plus, I hear there’s a breathtaking twist at the end!

Peggy by Rebecca Godfrey (Aug 13)

Selected by Fernanda Gorgulho

This critically-praised historical novel about the art collector and heiress Peggy Guggenheim quickly shot to the top of my TBR after I read a New Yorker article where the book’s co-author, Leslie Jamison, described how she took over writing this novel after her late, beloved colleague and friend Rebecca Godfrey (who started the project a decade earlier) had passed away. The writing of the book has its own remarkable origin story to pair with the extraordinary life story of the mild-mannered heiress turned avant garde art star.

The Hypocrite by Jo Hamya (Aug 13)

Selected by Romina Raimundo

Imagine showing up at the theater as a proud parent to your adult child's play, to learn that she has publicly lampooned you in her theatrical debut. The play's protagonist (YOU) is exposed for sexism, old-fashioned mores, extramarital dalliances... although the playwright (YOUR DAUGHTER) insists it has nothing to do with you. I love the construct of this book! Plus, I'm new to Hamya's writing and intrigued that the publisher is calling her the next Rachel Cusk or Deborah Levy.

Hum by Helen Phillips (Aug 6)

Selected by Romina Raimundo

I, Robot is one of my all-time favorite books, and this dystopian thriller sounds like it's an Asmovian take on our AI age. The book follows May, who finds herself out of a job due to AI advancements, and begins volunteering for a cutting-edge experiment that renders her face unrecognizable to surveillance cameras. Seeking to escape their tech-dependent lives, May arranges a tech-free retreat in a local botanical garden. However, when her family’s safety is threatened, she is forced to ally with one of the Hums—intelligent robots that coexist with humans... Weaving in themes of climate change and modern parenting, the book sounds frighteningly realistic.

There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak (Aug 20)

Selected by Sam Haecker

The absolutely dazzling name of this book first drew me in, and it turns out to be my favorite kind of poetic epic. Starting all the way from the beginning with Gilgamesh and snaking across the Tigris to present-day London, There Are Rivers in the Sky traces a single drop of water that connects cultures across centuries. Looking forward to delving into my first read from this Women's Prize winner and Booker Prize finalist.

Freedom Is a Feast by Alejandro Puyana (Aug 20)

Selected by Sophia Nash

From guerrilla conflict to attempted coups to state violence and economic catastrophe, the past few decades of Venezuelan history have been painful to follow and hard to keep up with. I find stories to be the best way to really grasp the human experience of history, and the early reports on this book about love and revolution in Venezuela are glowing. Fellow authors are calling Puyana a major new talent and comparing him to Isabel Allende - I'm sold!

NONFICTION

Men Have Called Her Crazy: A Memoir by Anna Marie Tendler (Aug 13)

Selected by Iliyah Coles

I can tell from the devastating description of this book and its cover that this book will stand up as a dark portrait of womanhood in the 21st century: mental health crises, unrealistic expectations, insidious sexism and the weight of the world on our shoulders as women in this society — but yeah, call us 'crazy.' Hearing this author's story is going to hit home in all the most validating ways.

Shameless: Republicans' Deliberate Dysfunction and the Battle to Preserve Democracy by Brian Tyler Cohen (Aug 13)

Selected by Emmanuel Hidalgo-Wohlleben

If you haven't come across Brian Tyler Cohen's popular podcast or YouTube show, you're likely to start seeing him more and more for his commentary on MSNBC and other media. I'm interested to see how he applies his accessible style of commentary to the page with this first book - a deep dive into the Republican party's decades-long con to obfuscate its actions behind a wall of empty slogans and dishonest attacks.

Watford Forever: How Graham Taylor and Elton John Saved a Football Club, a Town and Each Other by John Preston and Elton John (Aug 13)

Selected by Emmanuel Hidalgo-Wohlleben

Anyone who knows me knows that soccer is not so secretly my greatest passion. As a long-time follower of the English Premier League, I knew that Sir Elton was a life-long fan of Watford Football Club, but what I didn't know was that in the mid-70s he bought his beloved club while they were languishing in the bottom of the lowest division in the English football pyramid and altered their destiny forever. I can barely wait to dig into this one ahead of the start of the new season in August.

An Honest Woman by Charlotte Shane (Aug 13)

This is a memoir-cum-cultural critique straight from the sex worker’s mouth. And not just any sex worker, but one who REALLY knows how to write beautifully. Charlotte Shane distills everything that she learned about sex work during two decades of doing it. The good, the bad, the ugly. Talk about a page-turner!