The Reviews Are In! Best Reviewed Books of August 2024

Taking risks is a high-stakes game that not everyone wins. For those who want to roll the dice regardless of the consequences, Nate Silver is here to make sure you’re as ready as you can be. These case studies cast a light on our society as a whole, and the gaps that divide us.

Autocracy has never been more relevant than it is today. This exhaustive investigation into why autocracies come to be, as well as what democracy can do to combat it, is necessary reading for anyone interested in the political state of the world.

Bitter and bold, Liars takes a loving marriage and flips it on its head, one painful revelation at a time. This is perfect for fans of Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch and Miranda July’s All Fours.

We love immersive books you can read in one sitting, and Jessica Anthony’s novel of a housewife at her wits end packs a punch. The clever premise and unflinching narrative voice might remind you of The Swimmer by John Cheever.

A beautifully written, sometimes surprising story about connection and memory, diaspora and home.

The full scope of bookstores in America, taking readers into the sights and sounds of browsing the shelves. It’ll make you want to go visit your favorite, that’s for sure.

A collection of short stories with a cutting edge, Mystery Lights will surprise (and shock) readers. Explore big fears and bigger curiosities in the vein of Carmen Maria Machado and Ottessa Moshfegh.

The author of the acclaimed Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance (one of our former Fiction Monthly Picks) cordially invites us to the Cornwell Inn. With a tender heart and a wry sense of humor, this is a thoughtful gem of a story.

The author of A Study in Drowning and former Monthly Pick Juniper & Thorn has returned with a fictional profile of a complex woman. Ava Reid reintroduces us to Lady Macbeth, in all of her gothic glory.

How far would you go for the people you love? White lies turn into fraudulent schemes in this gripping true story about the decadence — and dangerous downfalls — of the art world.

A sharp novel about finding oneself in a world where loneliness and isolation overwhelm, and technology doesn’t always help connect us.

A girl, an old house, and one haunting poem. This story of mothers, daughters and family mythologies is perfect for readers of Paul Harding and Ann Patchett.