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Must-Read Books August 2025 |
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Angel Down
by Daniel Kraus
After intense fighting in France's Argonne Forest during World War I, American Cyril Bagger is ordered along with four other misfits to "silence" the soldier stuck in No Man's Land producing unearthly screams -- but what they find is an injured angel wrapped in barbed wire, whom they agree to protect. Compelling and innovative in both structure and story, this is the buzzy latest by the author of Whalefall. Try this next: Chigozie Obioma's The Road to the Country.
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The convenience store by the sea
by Sonoko Machida
"Welcome to Tenderness! A quaint seaside town in Kitakyushu, Mojiko is full of hidden delights. And one unexpected treasure is the 24/7 convenience store, Tenderness. Sure, it's a bit odd that the incredibly handsome manager has his own fan club. And perhaps the customers are somewhat eccentric, if not entertaining. But there's a warmth about the store that draws you in. The truth is, Tenderness is different. Operating only in Kyushu, Tenderness stands firm and proud by its motto "Caring for People, Caring for You", no matter the cause. And for Mitsuhiko, dishing out delicious food is simply the appetizer to his unsolicited but hearty wisdom on the town's shenanigans"
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The game is murder
by Hazell Ward
"A fresh meta murder mystery that riffs on crime classics and puts the reader in the role of Great Detective, reinvestigating an infamous never-before-solved case. You are invited to a very special murder mystery party. The game is simple: Listen to the witnesses. Examine the evidence. Solve the case. Be careful. Trust no one. All might not be as it seems. If you agree to play the role of the Great Detective, you must undertake to provide a complete solution to the case. A verdict is not enough. We need to know who did it, how they did it, and why. Are you ready? Can you solve the ultimate murder mystery - and catch a killer? A word of warning: Unsolved mysteries are not permitted..."
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| How to Dodge A Cannonball by Dennard DayleVolunteering for the Union Army to escape his abusive mother, wily 15-year-old flag bearer Anders changes sides when he's captured. But after surviving the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg, the white teen passes as biracial and joins an all-Black Union regiment. Satirical and offbeat, this debut novel is "an American Candide...[and] channels the absurdity of Catch-22" (Publishers Weekly). For fans of: The Good Lord Bird by James McBride. |
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| The Country Under Heaven by Frederic S. DurbinFormer Union soldier Ovid Vesper, who acquired "the sight" from a dimension-tearing blast during the Battle of Antietam, travels the 1880s American West investigating -- and subduing -- supernatural threats. For fans of: cosmic horror/weird western mash-ups like Victor LaValle's Lone Women. |
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| These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLeanAfter their patriarch's death, the Storm family gather at their New England island. There, they are introduced to Jack, their father's right-hand man and daughter Alice's recent one-night-stand, who says they must all complete individual tasks or no one inherits anything. Bestselling historical romance author Sarah MacLean delivers a fun contemporary family novel that'll please fans of HBO's Succession. |
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In the veins of the drowning
by Kalie Cassidy
"The monster is always slain... Imogen Nel is in hiding. Hiding from a cruel kingdom that believes Sirens are monstrous, blood-hungry creatures. Hiding from a king and his captain who viciously hunt her kind. Hiding from her own alluring abilities. By keeping herself from the sea, Imogen's bloodlust is dulled, and her black wings remain concealed beneath her skin. When a neighboring king comes to visit, Imogen can no longer hide. He knows precisely what she is, and he believes she can save their kingdomsfrom an even greater monster. But Imogen's power threatens to violently reveal itself, and the two form a blood bond that protects them both. They flee together, traversing waters teeming with the undead. As the lines between duty to their people and desire for each other begin to blur, Imogen worries her ancestral powers may not be enough to kill what hunts her--the only way to defeat a monster may be to become one herself"
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| The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-GarciaA graduate student researching a mysterious horror author uncovers dark family secrets and a haunting past linked to witchcraft and disappearances spanning decades in this multi-timeline gothic novel rich with folklore, suspense, and power struggles, delivering a chilling tale of legacy, survival, and supernatural terror. For fans of: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. |
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| The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila MottleyIn the Florida Panhandle, young mothers support each other amid upheavals while others judge and put obstacles in their paths. Three of them narrate: de facto leader Simone, a 20-year-old mother of twins who's pregnant again; newcomer Adela, a champion teen swimmer in Indiana who's been sent to live with her grandmother; and determined Emory, who brings her infant to high school with her. Read-alikes: Sarai Johnson's Grown Women; Brit Bennett's The Mothers. |
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| A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel PennantIn the suburbs of 1960s Birmingham, England, Jamaican immigrant Miss Hortense co-founded a cooperative group to lend money and solve crimes for people who were ignored by officials. Pushed out of the group in the 1970s, she's roped back in when a old member is murdered as a new millennium dawns. This debut novel from a British playwright introduces an appealing older sleuth and includes recipes. For fans of: Uzma Jalaluddin's Detective Aunty. |
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| When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia SosaIn college, best friends Javier Báez and Marisol Campos promised they wouldn't date someone the other didn't approve of, until one night of passion between them torpedoed their relationship. Years later, Javier's finally ready to tell Marisol he loves her -- and then she introduces him to her fiancé, Alex. This feel-good homage to When Harry Met Sally and My Best Friend's Wedding will appeal to fans of Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell.
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| Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame by Neon YangYeva, the masked guildknight, has a gift for slaying dragons. Now, she must travel to the kingdom of Quanbao where dragons are not slain, but revered, to kill a dragon for her emperor. As Yeva searches for the beast, she finds herself opening up to the kingdom -- and its queen, Lady Sookhee. This emotional and character-driven queer fantasy novella "will be a hit with fans of dragons and slow-burn romantasy" (Library Journal). |
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| Misbehaving at the Crossroads: Essays & Writings by Honorée Fanonne JeffersNational Book Award-nominated poet and novelist Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois) makes her genre-defying nonfiction debut with this unflinching and insightful essay collection exploring various crossroads Black women have faced throughout history. For fans of: In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens: Womanist Prose by Alice Walker; Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry. |
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| Their Accomplices Wore Robes: How the Supreme Court Chained Black America to the... by Brando Simeo StarkeyLegal scholar Brando Simeo Starkey's (In Defense of Uncle Tom) richly detailed history explores the role the United States Supreme Court has played in the systemic oppression of Black people. Try this next: The Worst Trickster Story Ever Told: Native America, the Supreme Court, and the U.S. Constitution by Keith Richotte, Jr. |
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| It Rhymes with Takei by George Takei, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger; illustrated by Harmony BeckerIn his moving and uplifting graphic memoir, iconic Star Trek actor and activist George Takei offers candid reflections on his early childhood spent in Japanese American internment camps, discovering a love of acting after initially studying to become an architect, coming out publicly at age 68, and more. For fans of: the 2014 documentary To Be Takei. |
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| JFK: Public, Private, Secret by J. Randy TaraborrelliKennedy family biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli follows up his bestselling Jackie: Public, Private, Secret with a nuanced and well-researched portrait of America's 35th president, drawing upon interviews and previously unpublished materials to focus on his personal relationships. For more on John F. Kennedy's political life, check out the works of Robert Dallek. |
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A forgery of fate
by Elizabeth Lim
"Truyan Saigas didn't choose to become a con artist, but after her father is lost at sea, it's up to her to support her mother and two younger sisters. A gifted art forger, Tru has the unique ability to paint the future, but even such magic is not enoughto put her family back together again, or stave off the gangsters demanding payment in blood for her mother's gambling debts. Left with few options, Tru agrees to a marriage contract with a mysterious dragon lord. He offers a fresh start for her mother and sisters and elusive answers about her father's disappearance, but in exchange, she must join him in his desolate undersea palace. And she must assist him in a plot to infiltrate the tyrannical Dragon King's inner circle, painting a future so treasonous, it could upend both the mortal and immortal realms. . . ."
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Everyday Bean
by Stephanie Graegin
"A collection of vignettes showcasing the adventures of Bean (a baby hedgehog) and her grandmother"
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| Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. JacksonSharp-minded 12-year-old Brooklynite Kaylani is stuck spending the summer with wealthy family friends in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. It’s okay at first, but after a local teenager is found dead, Kaylani’s instincts push her to investigate. The dangerous results will keep you turning pages in this gripping thriller. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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