August 2025 list by Donalee Jacobs
 
All the Words We Know
by Bruce Nash

Rose may be in her eighties and suffering from dementia, but she's not done with life just yet. Alternately sharp as a tack and spectacularly forgetful, she spends her days roaming the corridors of her assisted living facility, musing on the staff and residents, and enduring visits form her emotionally distant children and granddaughters. But when her friend is found dead after an apparent fall from a window, Rose embarks on an eccentric and determined investigation to discover the truth and uncovers all manner of secrets, even some from her own past.

American Mythology
by Giano Cromley

A charming, comic debut novel about a quirky ensemble who embark on an epic quest to find bigfoot. Every month in western Montana, a meeting is convened by the Basic Bigfoot Society's members--both of them--Jute and Vergil. But things are about to get exciting for the Basic Bigfoot Society. Primatologist Dr. Marcus Bernard, introduces himself after the Society's proceedings with a tantalizing proposition: to join their next expedition with an ambitious young documentarian, Vicky Xu. Thus begins the quest to find America's great cryptid. But strange things begin to happen that seem to defy rational explanation. Is this a hoax? Or are they on the precipice of the greatest anthropological discovery ever?

Archive of Unknown Universes
by Ruben Reyes Jr.

Ana and Luis's relationship is on the rocks, so Ana turns to The Defractor, an experimental device that allows users to peek into alternate versions of their lives, to save the relationship. What she sees leads her and Luis on a quest to uncover their family histories during the 1978 Salvadoran war. The result is an epic, genre-bending journey through inverted worlds—one where the war ends with a peace treaty, and one where it ends with a decisive victory by the Salvadoran government. What unfolds in Reyes' debut novel is a stunning story of displacement and belonging, of loss and love. It's both a daring imagining of what might have been and a powerful reckoning of our past.

The Art of Vanishing
by Morgan Pager

Frozen in time by his painter father, the legendary Henri Matisse, Jean observes the ebb and flow of museum guests as they take in the works of his father and other masters. His world takes a turn when Claire, a new museum employee, enters his life. In an extraordinary twist of fate, Claire discovers she can step through the frame of Jean's painting and into France in the throes of the First World War. She and Jean fall in love against the backdrop of the gallery's other paintings come to life, but their happiness is threatened by challenges both inside and outside the museum. Will their extraordinary connection defy reality, or shatter their carefully curated happiness?

The Blue Horse
by Bruce Borgos

A controversial wild horse round-up in the high desert of Nevada results in two murders and too many suspects for Sheriff Porter Beck to deal with. Now state and federal agencies are showing up looking for answers or at least a scapegoat. Meanwhile, Porter Beck's new girlfriend, Detective Charlie Blue Horse, arrives to help with the investigation, which leads them to Canadian Lithium mining operation near the round-up area that sets off Beck's mental alarm bells. With his personal life in turmoil, too many suspects and too many secrets, one wrong step could be deadly for the Sheriff.

The Convenience Store by the Sea
by Sonoko Machida

A quaint seaside town in Kitakyushu, Mojiko is full of hidden delights. And one unexpected treasure is the 24/7 convenience store, Tenderness. 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. An international bestseller, The Convenience Store by The Sea tells the delightfully quirky and heartfelt stories of the store’s customers and employees, offering us all a unique recipe for a good, fulfilling life.

Fade In
by Kyle Mills

When ex-navy SEAL Salam "Fade" al-Fayed steps in front of a sniper's bullet, he assumes his death wish has finally been answered. Instead, he wakes in a hospital, incapable of standing without assistance. When a shadowy organization offers him a new identity and next-generation medical care, he agrees. However, after rehabilitation, he's drafted into an elite paramilitary unit. When a dire threat explodes out of China, he realizes the world's wealthiest and most powerful people have decided they will rule the world. With panic rising and forced into action before he's fully ready, Fade finds himself on a mission to stop a menace unlike any he's faced before. If he fails, the consequences will be unimaginable. But what if he succeeds?

Girl in the Creek
by Wendy N. Wagner

Buried secrets only spread. Erin's brother Bryan has been missing for five years. It was as if he simply walked into the forests of the Pacific Northwest and vanished. Determined to uncover the truth, Erin heads to the foothills of Mt. Hood where Bryan was last seen alive. He isn't the first hiker to go missing in this area, and their cases go unsolved. When she discovers the corpse of a local woman in a creek, Erin unknowingly puts herself in the crosshairs of very powerful forces--from this world and beyond--determined to keep their secrets buried.

Give Me a Reason
by Jayci Lee

In this modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion, a K-drama actress gets her second chance at love. For ten years, Anne Lee told herself that Frederick Nam was her past. To save her father from bankruptcy, she dropped out of college to pursue an acting career in Korea, leaving Frederick behind. Frederick spent years lost without Anne until he followed his dream and became a firefighter. When they find themselves in the same wedding, Anne can no longer deny that she never got over him. As for Frederick, needing to take care of Anne is a habit he can't seem to kick, but that doesn't mean he cam forgive her and start over again.

Guess Again
by Charlie Donlea

Ten years after teen volleyball star Callie Jones vanished without a trace, former detective Ethan Hall is pulled back to his haunted hometown to uncover long-buried secrets forcing him into a dangerous investigation with ties to his own dark past.

History Lessons
by Zoe B. Wallbrook

As a junior professor, Daphne Ouverture spends her days giving lectures on French colonialism, writing her first academic book, and going on atrocious dates. Her small world suits her just fine. Until Sam Taylor dies. The rising star of Harrison University's anthropology department was never one of Daphne's favorites, despite his popularity. But that doesn't prevent Sam's killer from believing Daphne has something that belonged to Sam--something the killer will stop at nothing to get. Daphne embarks on an investigation to find out what connects her to Sam's murder. With the help of an alluring former-detective-turned-bookseller, she unravels a deadly cover-up on campus.

The Homemade God
by Rachel Joyce

During a sweltering European heatwave, four siblings gather at their family lake house to investigate the mysterious death of their renowned artist father—who vanished after remarrying a younger woman, leaving behind an unfinished masterpiece—while confronting long-hidden familial wounds and an enigmatic stepmother's influence.

Ink Ribbon Red
by Alex Pavesi

Anatol invites five friends to his family home in the Wiltshire countryside to celebrate his birthday. At his request, they play a game of his invention: Motive Method Death. The rules are simple: everyone chooses two players and imagines a scenario where one kills the other, then writes it down as a short story. Points are given for making the murders feel real. Of course, it's only natural to use what you know. Secrets. Grudges. Affairs. But once you've put it in a story, that secret is out. It's not long before the game has reawakened old resentments and brought private matters into the light of day. So with each fictional murder, someone new gets a very real motive.

The Killer on the Road
by Stephen Graham Jones

Sixteen-year-old Harper has decided to run away from home after she has another blow-out argument with her mother. However, her two best friends, little sister, and ex-boyfriend all stop her from hitchhiking her way up Route 80 in Wyoming by joining her on an intervention disguised as a road trip. What they don't realize is that Harper has been marked by a very unique serial killer who's been trolling the highway for the past three years, and now the killer is after all of them in this fast-paced and deadly chase novel that will have your heart racing well above the speed limit as the interstate becomes a graveyard.

Let's Make a Scene
by Laura Wood

When Cynthie Taylor gets her first real acting job she is over the moon. There is only one problem. Cynthie's arrogant and annoyingly handsome costar Jack hates her. While they may be at war behind the scenes, their on-screen chemistry is palpable, and the studio sees an opportunity, have the two young stars fake a romance. Thirteen years later, Cynthie and Jack have successfully kept their promise to stay away from one another, until an offer comes to make a sequel to the cult classic that launched their careers. But there's a catch: they must also rekindle their pretend relationship -- and this time there's a documentary crew following their every move.

The Letter Carrier 
by Francesca Giannone

In this epic novel, that spans decades, a woman arrives at a small Italian town in the 1930s, with her husband and baby, and is the permanent outsider. She decides to become the town postmistress, the first female to hold that position. 

The Lies They Told
by Ellen Marie Wiseman

In 1930s Virginia, Lena Conti, a young immigrant mother separated from her family at Ellis Island, builds a new life in the Blue Ridge Mountains but must resist a brutal eugenics campaign that targets her community and threatens to take her daughter.

Matchmaking for Psychopaths
by Tasha Coryell

When Lexie learns her fiancé and best friend are in love she throws herself into her job to escape her relationship troubles. While working as a matchmaker for psychopaths--a label that the clients themselves are unaware of--she finds herself entangled with two of her most recent clients. Both clients have mysterious pasts that inspire Lexie to breech work protocol and spend time with them outside of the office. When her ex-fiancé goes missing and threatening packages begin arriving at her doorstep, Lexie has to figure out who is targeting her. Can she trust her instincts as a matchmaker or has she set herself up with her enemy?

Mean Moms
by Emma Rosenblum

Meet Frost, Morgan, and Nell--a wealthy, gorgeous group of New York City moms. Their children attend the top private school in the city and their social lives revolve around elaborate parties. The arrival of Sofia, a mysterious new mom shakes up their world. Sofia quickly integrates into their clique, but inexplicably bad things start to happen to the women. Is someone at school out to get them? Another mom with a vendetta? Spanning the course of one eventful fall, Mean Moms is part satire of upper crust mom-ing and part mystery, interrogating the line between friendship and jealousy.

Never the Roses
by Jennifer K. Lambert

Oneira has fought and won endless wars for her queen and has finally exiled herself, seeking peace in a remote forest. But she has one last curiosity to satisfy and takes a trip to the most extensive library in existence: the collection of her rival, the sorcerer Stearanos. While there, a book on rare roses catches her eye and Oneira steals it. As she reads the book, she begins a correspondence with her once-enemy. When Oneira learns that Stearanos has been called to war against the queen she once served, she must accept a relationship with him is far too dangerous. But Oneira can't seem to stay away as Stearanos is the only person to fully understand her. 

The Peculiar Gift of July
by Ashley Ream

When fourteen-year-old July arrives in the isolated island town of Ebey's End, her uncanny ability to sense what people need begins quietly transforming the community, forcing its residents--and herself--to confront unexpected truths about their lives.

Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes
by Sandra Jackson-Opoku

When Savvy Summers opened Essie's soul food café, she never expected her customer-favorite sweet potato pie to become the center of a murder investigation. But when Grandy Jaspers, the 75-year-old neighborhood womanizer, drops dead at table two, she suddenly has to worry about maintaining her reputation and find who killed Grandy. But with a slimy investor harassing her to sell her name and business, customers avoiding her sweet potato pie like the plague, and her police sergeant ex suddenly back in the picture, will Savvy be able to clear the café's name and solve Grandy's murder before it all falls apart?

These Summer Storms
by Sarah MacLean

Alice Storm hasn’t been welcome at her family’s private island off the Rhode Island coast in five years, but the death of her father changes everything. Alice plans to pay her final respects and leave the minute the funeral is over. Unfortunately, her father had other plans. The eccentric patriarch left his family a final challenge—an inheritance game designed to upend their world. The rules are clear: spend one week on the island, complete their assigned tasks, and receive the inheritance. But a whole week on Storm Island is no easy task for Alice. Every corner of the old house is bursting with chaos. It will be a miracle if Alice manages to escape unscathed. 

Thrill of the Chase
by Kathryn Nolan

While on assignment in Santa Fe, reporter Harper Hendrix stumbles onto an even better story—the fate of the missing Blackburn Diamonds. With a promotion on the line, Harper will do anything to impress her editors. Even if that means finding the diamonds herself. Unless Eve Bardot gets there first. The cocky antiques salvager is the only thing standing in her way. It doesn't matter if their arguments make Harper's blood boil, or if Eve's grin makes her blush. With other treasure hunters hot on their trail—Harper and Eve are forced to search for the diamonds together. As they set off across the desert, there attraction begins to boil over and their quest heats up, raising the stakes even higher.

Totally and Completely Fine
by Elissa Sussman

Lauren Parker, a widowed single mother living in a small Montana town, is navigating her grief over the loss of her husband, Spencer, when she meets handsome actor Ben Walsh on the set of her brother's new movie. They have instant chemistry, and Lauren's rebellious spirit spurs her to dive headfirst into the attraction. An unexpected fling seemed simple--so when did everything get so complicated? And is there enough room in Ben's life for the woman Lauren wants to be? Alternating between Lauren's past with Spencer and her present with Ben, Totally and Completely Fine illuminates what it means to find life-changing love and be true to oneself in the process.

Where You're Planted
by Melanie Sweeney

After a hurricane damages her library, Tansy Perkins is forced to move her branch into the adjacent county botanic gardens, where Jack Reid, the world's grouchiest gardener, happens to be the assistant director. Jack and Tansy must call a truce when they are tasked with working together on the spring festival. Soon their newfound professional partnership gives way to the relationship they've both been silently craving. But Tansy has lost too much to risk her heart, and Jack has sworn off real love. When an opportunity arises for funding that both the library and gardens need, will their loyalties lie with the futures they'd always planned for, or the new spark they've found with each other?

The Winds from Further West
by Alexander McCall Smith

A dazzling and uplifting novel of new beginnings and endless possibilities, in which a slew of personal and professional disasters cause a young researcher to upend his seemingly stable life in Edinburgh and move to a remote island off the Scottish coast.

A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping
by Sangu Mandanna

After resurrecting her great-aunt and befriending a half-villainous talking fox, Sera Swan is exiled from the magical Guild and loses her magic, but an old spell book mentioned by a handsome historian may hold the key to restoring her power.

The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant
by Liza Tully

In this delightful, feel-good mystery, Olivia decides she doesn't want to be an assistant detective for the rest of her life. She's determined to learn everything she can from her mentor, renowned investigator Aubrey Merritt--but the latter is no easy grader. But Olivia feels she has finally found a worthy case when Victoria Summersworth falls over her balcony railing to her death. The police have ruled it a suicide, but Victoria's daughter, Haley, thinks it was murder. Olivia, desperate to prove her investigative skills, jumps in to investigate, but soon finds the Summersworth family drama is complicated and she might be in over her head -- or she might be unravelling a mystery even bigger than the one she started with.

You Belong Here
by Megan Miranda

When her daughter enrolls at the college Beckett Bowery fled after a deadly scandal two decades earlier, Beckett is forced to return to Wyatt Valley, where buried truths and old suspicions threaten to resurface against the backdrop of the picturesque Virginia town.