Our Most Anticipated New Book Releases of August 2022

We still think about Anthony Marra’s indelible debut, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. His newest novel, Mercury Pictures Presents, is an epic story of family secrets, love and war, loyalty and reinvention that cuts between Hollywood and Mussolini’s Italy in the 1930s and 40s, zipping along thanks to smart, sharp dialogue (think His Girl Friday starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell) and unforgettable characters like Maria Lagana, Artie Feldman, and Eddie Lu. This is a WWII story, a story of America and the Homefront, that readers haven’t experienced before, an often witty and always gimlet-eyed tale of exile and finding home in unexpected places. (Fans of Amor Towles’ novels won’t want to miss this one.) Tune into the Poured Over podcast this month as we discuss Mercury Pictures Presents with Anthony Marra. 

Magic and reality collide on an island off the coast of South Carolina in Sarah Addison Allen’s dreamy new novel, Other Birds. A young woman arrives at her dead mother’s apartment to find quirky neighbors, plenty of secrets, and three ghosts in this lovely and delightfully escapist read from the bestselling author of Garden Spells. “This story is so magical, beautiful and wise, with a wonderful cast of eclectic characters, and even a few ghosts. It filled my heart.” —Clare Pooley, author of The Authenticity Project, a B&N Fiction Monthly Pick in 2020. Tune into the Poured Over podcast this month as we discuss Other Birds with Sarah Addison Allen. 

Our reading glasses immediately steamed up after hearing about this follow-up to the 2021 hit The Love Hypothesis. It’s flirty, fun and full of the side of academics they don’t teach you about in school. *Winking emoji*

A fast-paced fantasy adventure you will not be able to put down. This one plays out an intense, sexy spin on the enemies-to-lovers trope with a sapphic romantic backstory. There’s fae, elves, magic, sword fighting, morally grey characters, as well as LGBTQIA+ and indigenous representation – what’s not to love?!

A dark academia standalone that dives into the power of language and evils of imperialism, student revolutions, and colonial resistance. Babel swirls with magic, lore, and Kuang’s signature attention to detail. Tune into the Poured Over podcast this month as we discuss Babel with R. F. Kuang.

Jennifer Egan + Denis Johnson = Tess Gunty. In a Midwestern town that’s run out of luck, a group of teenagers live together after they aged out of the foster care system; home is The Rabbit Hutch, an apartment complex that’s seen better days. Powerful and taut, this is a beautifully written story of community and loss, escape and healing, loneliness and hope. Readers won’t soon forget eighteen-year-old Blandine, the big beating heart of this novel. The writing is so assured, it’s hard to believe this is Gunty’s debut, and we can’t wait to see what she does next. Tune into the Poured Over podcast this month as we discuss The Rabbit Hutch with Tess Gunty. 

Armchair detectives, this book has your name on it. Disappearances, unsolved murders, justice — this thriller has it all. As with a true crime podcast, there’s no lack of wanting to hear and read such stories. Unpleasant, likely so, but when well written, as is the case of All Good People Here, we are allowed to skate that line of imagination and reality. Because don’t all of us just really want it to work out in the end? Authors such as Flowers help us with that hurdle.

Alexis Hall has kept us waiting from Boyfriend Material in 2020 to Husband Material in 2022 to find out Did he or didn’t he? Each title in these boy-meets-boy romances proposes to us, at first blush, that all was easy peasy in the courting department for Luc and Oliver. While you wait to find out the answer, we suggest that you say Yes, I do to both books.

Readers get the chance to learn how “the industry” really works, as Jeanette describes what it’s like as a child star, further fueling the narrative, of late, around how victimizing Hollywood can be. Jeanette is direct, honest and hilarious, and despite it all, delivers an inspiring story of resilience and recovery.

Raising Lazarus is Beth Macy’s necessary and page-turning follow-up to Dopesick, her bestselling book that bears witness to America’s opioid crisis and inspired Hulu’s hit streaming series of the same name (recently nominated for 14 Emmy Awards). Macy returns with another masterful work combining dogged reportage and deeply resonant storytelling that brings readers into the center of one of our country’s worst crises. This is a must-read narrative of public health, corruption and illegal acts, dark money, race and more, for anyone concerned about our society and where we might go from here. Tune into the Poured Over podcast this month as we discuss Raising Lazarus with Beth Macy. 

Best read with the lights on and the doors locked: this chilling story blends fact and fiction, transporting readers to the infamous WIllowbrook State School on Staten Island in the 1970s. A young woman goes looking for her missing sister and ends up in her own worst nightmare, mistakenly locked away in the last place anyone would chose to be. If you’re a fan of horror, historical fiction, or true crime—or just looking for the next selection for your book club, don’t miss this shocking mash-up of  Girl, Interrupted mixed with American Horror Story. 

True crime and modern dating! This is Alicia Thompson’s adult debut novel. Spoiler alert: Reading true crime might not actually help with your meet-cutes. But, on the other hand, you’ll never be at a loss for conversation topics. This rom-com gives whole new meaning to “suspicious minds.”

Witches! Romance! AND a bookstore setting … it’s a hat trick!! This cauldron of friends-to-lovers fun with paranormal elements adds up to the perfect summer read!

This unforgettable story picks up where Jessie Burton’s bestselling novel, The Miniaturist, left off. Thea Brandt is now 18, and with that comes all the challenges of adulthood. “The cost of keeping secrets and the danger of not being able to communicate with those closest to us thrums through this exquisite page-turner.” —Janet Skeslien Charles, author of The Paris Library  (P.S. The House of Fortune can be read as a standalone or as a sister novel to The Miniaturist.) Tune into the Poured Over podcast this month when Jessie Burton joins us to talk about her work. 

Beginning in September 2019 when ESPN’s The Undefeated website (now Andscape) kicked off a series of articles on the emergence of Black quarterbacks in the NFL with Jason Reid’s “Welcome to the Year of the Black Quarterback” and culminated with a television program in February 2020 with Reid as the host. This book expands on all that with intimate looks at the careers of beloved NFL players and will keep fans of the sport absolutely riveted.   

Path Lit by Lightning is the biography of Jim Thorpe, an athlete who excelled at every sport. Jim Thorpe was highly decorated, winning gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics, and All-American football player, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s first class, and played major league baseball for the New York Giants. And yet, for every success, there were also many struggles, and this book tells of the trials and triumphs of his life.   

We love the premise behind this book, that the key to unlocking your best life is through a solitary, 12-hour walk. This is clearly a different kind of personal growth book and one that ties into the hot topic of mind-body connection.

“I don’t know how, but as a young kid, I got it into my head that the sun and moon were my celestial parents.” Dr. Moiya McTier is an astrophysicist, folklorist, and science communicator in love with the universe, and her book, The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy is a delightfully accessible and profoundly moving look at the past, present and even the future of the galaxy we all call home. “McTier’s book is an entertaining introduction to come of the most profound features of our astrophysical neighborhood,” says Sean Carroll, bestselling author of Something Deeply Hidden and other books. Tune into the Poured Over podcast this month as we discuss The Milky Way with Moiya McTier.