Our Most Anticipated New Book Releases of July 2021

Fox and I
Catherine Raven
With a marvelous, resonant voice, an often upside-down vantage, and a passel of literary companions — Saint-Exupéry, Herman Melville, Lafcadio Hearn, Voltaire and Dr. Seuss — Catherine Raven’s tale of an intentional friendship with a wild red fox and how it indelibly changed her is a kaleidoscopic meld of quiet observation, sharp reflection, wry humor and poetry. It is a brilliant and surprising lesson in the deep responsibilities of companionship. We loved every moment.
 

Dear Miss Metropolitan
Carolyn Ferrell
Like The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, this extraordinary debut creates powerful art from great tragedy. We’re still thinking about this haunting and heartbreaking story of three young women, Fern, Gwin and Jesenia, held prisoner under horrifying circumstances — and the community’s response to the girls’ trauma. This is an indelible story about grief and rage, crime and punishment, that also asks us to think about what healing means, what it looks like for individuals and communities alike.
 

The Paper Palace (B&N Exclusive Edition)
Miranda Cowley Heller
Do you dream of do-overs? Do-overs at work, in love … Would you grab the chance if you could? When 50-year-old Elle returns to her family’s summer home and reconnects with her childhood love, she must decide what her future will look like. Miranda Cowley Heller’s astonishing debut novel is an utterly compelling story of love and desire, secrets and lies and paths not taken, perfect for reading at home or on the beach, like Commonwealth by Ann Patchett or The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer.
 

The Startup Wife
Tahmima Anam

 People say there’s no such thing as Utopia, but they’re wrong. In this marvelously modern novel about the collision of love and work, a newlywed couple creates a monstrously successful social media app — and become famous overnight. This screamingly funny, sharp-eyed story of marriage and partnership, startup culture and workaholism, will have you crying with laughter (and a lot of truth). A terrific recommendation for fans of Rumaan Alam’s Rich & Pretty or The Circle by Dave Eggers.

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead
Emily Austin
Hilarious and profound is a rare — and delightful — combination in a novel. This charming, big-hearted debut features a wonderful, plain-spoken and death-obsessed heroine named Gilda who readers will root for as she navigates accidental employment, mistaken identity (she can explain!), and finding your voice is a wonderful comfort read that will appeal to fans of Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.
 

The Final Girl Support Group
Grady Hendrix

 I wake up, get out of bed, say good morning to my plant, unwrap a protein bar, and drink a liter of bottled water. I’m awake for five full minutes before remembering I might die today. When you get old, you get soft. The author of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires — think Steel Magnolias meets Dracula­ — one of our favorite novels from last year, returns with a killer follow-up. (The Big Bad may think he’s found a new set of targets, but final girls never, ever give up…)

The Icepick Surgeon
Sam Kean
The Icepick Surgeon is a tale of doctors gone amok, crossing the line from experiment to crime, often wrong for all well-intentioned reasons, and what these stories reveal about historic times in which they took place. Sam Kean is an eclectic writer with an affinity for scientific subjects and their weird and darker paths, and he has an inimitable knack for transforming this passionate interest into astonishing story, punctuated with humor and rife with the absurd.
 

Trejo
Danny Trejo, Donal Logue
The actor who made his name playing tough guys in movies actually had it rough growing up in an abusive household. Danny Trejo got in trouble with the law, did drugs and ultimately did hard time in San Quentin and Folsom prisons in California. Today, he is sober and drug-free, a foodie and a restauranteur. He gives back to the community and is beloved by all of Hollywood. It’s a rags-to-riches story for a guy who is finally seeing some accolades for his film work.
 

Stories to Tell
Richard Marx
A discussion about the 80’s music scene would be incomplete without mentioning Richard Marx. His debut album went triple platinum, and his follow up album went quadruple platinum. While he was enjoying historic solo success, he was busy writing hit songs for who’s who stars like Luther Vandross, Natalie Cole and Kenny Rogers. This is a career filled with one amazing story after another.
 

Razorblade Tears
S. A. Cosby
We were so moved by S.A. Cosby’s Blacktop Wasteland. No one tackles the depths of friends and family amid crises better than S.A. Cosby. Razorblade Tears continues his work of smart thrillers that explore race, poverty and crime. “S. A. Cosby is a welcome, refreshing new voice in crime literature.” —Dennis Lehane, bestselling author of Since We Fell and Mystic River
 

Falling
T. J. Newman
This relentless thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat! Buckle up for one of the most original and shocking suspense novels we’ve read in a LONG time. We held our breath the whole way through! If you enjoyed Before The Fall by Noah Hawley, The Chain by Adrian McGinty, or Run Away by Harlan Coben, you have got to read Falling. “Stunning and relentless. This is Jaws at 35,000 feet.” —Don Winslow, The Border 
 

The Comfort Book
Matt Haig
From the author of the bestseller, The Midnight Library, is a book of encouragement and hope for anyone who needs a boost in mood or a friendly reminder that things will get better no matter how bad they seem at the moment. Matt Haig really does care about these things, as he wrote about his depression and anxiety in Reasons to Stay Alive. Many people championed that book as a life saver. The Comfort Book will be another helpful addition to their library.
 

While We Were Dating
Jasmine Guillory
Jasmine Guillory was one of the first to the rom-com market and continues to build on her world of young professionals looking for love — and laughs. It is our not-so-secret hope that she writes us one of her spectacular meet-cutes every year! Believe the hype and fall head over heels with While We Were Dating — featuring Ben Stephens, Theo’s brother from The Wedding Party.
 

This Is Your Mind on Plants
Michael Pollan
When it comes to what we eat, how we eat, and why we ingest, Michael Pollan has been an astute, careful and insightful guide, challenging us to look anew at the reciprocal relationship between humans and domesticated plants. “Food” as sustenance and healer, an avenue to well-being or the altering of consciousness, and now in This is Your Mind on Plants, plants as stimulant and depressive. Pollan plumbs history, medicine, science, culture and memoir for a thoroughly engaging dive into thorny tales of our attraction and antipathy to opium, mescaline and caffeine.
 

Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation
John Lewis
John Lewis’ Carry On is a last witness to the life and legacy of this fierce defender of justice and light. That Lewis felt an urgency at the end of his life to put to paper these principles he held dear is a gift, as well as an inspiring, urging call to stand up, imagine, and keep moving. “Keep the faith. Carry on.”