It’s been a blazing hot summer and we firmly believe that best remedy for beating the heat is to escape with a book. Fill up your tote bag, head to your nearest beach (or the cool comforts of an air-conditioned library) and immerse yourselves in these new releases, selected by booksellers from indie bookstores all over the country.
Is your preferred beach read a romance with the vibes of a Wes Anderson movie? We got you! Something darker? There’s a thriller set in a summer camp in the Adirondacks. Looking for some magic? How about a mythological novel set in precolonial Africa? Whatever your literary taste is, you’ll find the book for you to fill those long sunny days right here.
Editor’s note: If you’re a bookseller interested in participating in a future edition of this feature, please email [email protected]
Holy City by Henry Wise, June 4th
“This dark suspense thriller set in Southside Virginia brings to life the gritty underside of residual racism and prejudice lurking in the small communities dotting a region known mostly for tobacco and peanuts. A classic setup—white sheriff arrests the convenient Black suspect for murder—spirals to a more complicated story where no one is completely innocent—or guilty. The relationships cross political, generational, and cultural demographics to weave a tightly told tale that holds surprises until the final page. Hot reading for a hot summer.” —Doloris Vest, Book No Further, Roanoke, Virginia
The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing, June 25th
“In The Garden Against Time, Laing takes us through a journey of historical and theoretical paradises, unearthing the elusive and dangerous dream of Eden: a utopian sanctuary, a haven of infinite pleasures. We often say we’re glad to be alive at the same time as such-and-such artist; it’s an incredible privilege to witness Laing’s evolution, book after book. She could write about any subject and I would read it, cherish it, and recommend it to everyone I know.”—Lorenzo Gerena, P&T Knitwear, New York, New York
Honey by Isabel Banta, June 25th
“Love, love, love this book! I was immediately drawn into the promise of a late ’90s/early ’00s dramatic story of love and rivalry between pop stars and this delivered above and beyond. In addition to beautiful prose and an enticing story, Banta’s depiction of women supporting women instead of tearing each other down stole my whole heart. This reimagines possibly true events and does it with a poignancy you’ll feel for days afterward.” —Andi Richardson, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, Virginia
Bear by Julia Phillips, June 25th
“Bear is a startling story about the signs we find meaning in, the selective nature of loving another person, and the lies we tell ourselves to survive. Mysterious and tense, this was everything I wanted from a Julia Phillips novel packaged in an unexpected way. Phillips is showing us that her writing skills can reach far while still delivering the incredible pacing, character development, and decadent descriptions of the natural world. Nature enthusiasts beware: you will want to yell at these characters everything you know about bear safety, but I promise that is the point. You will be deceived again and again until your heart just can’t take it anymore.” —Frances Metzger, Country Bookshelf, Bozeman, Montana
“Bear is an absolutely jaw-dropping book. I started it at about 10pm one night, and not only did I stay up until 2am to finish it, I could barely sleep afterwards thinking about it. It’s the story of two sisters, Sam and Elena, who live on a small island off the coast of Washington, struggling to make ends meet and care for their terminally ill mother. When a bear swims ashore one day and starts making appearances around the island, they have very different reactions to it: Sam finds herself frightened, full of trepidation and anxiety, but Elena is somehow drawn to the bear, in all its wildness and beauty. This is gorgeous, raw, entirely engrossing tale of sisterhood, grief, and love in all its many flawed forms.” —Shannon Guinn-Collins, Bookworks, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Hombrecito by Santiago Jose Sanchez, June 25th
“Hombrecito is a tender debut that follows Santiago as they grow up and migrate from Colombia to Miami to New York. This story feathers its wings with longing and captures the ache of being mid-flight, searching for home. Santiago’s personal experiences with immigration, queerness, and coming-of-age speak to universal yearnings for a place in the world and people to call your own. Sanchez’ writing is beautiful and behind every character, whether central or periphery, I could feel the heart aching within them. Sanchez is an author I will follow from now on; they understand how to bring light and shade and shadow to their writing and how much depth can be found in the gradients of each soul’s color.”—Mari Guzman, Politics and Prose Bookstore, Washington D.C.
Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi, July 2nd
“An incredibly impressive debut set in pre-colonial Africa and loosely (very loosely) following the Persephone/Hades myth. Òdòdó is a single woman, shunned along with her kin as witches, but she’s suddenly plucked from her life and whisked across the continent to take a seat as the bride of a warrior king. Political machinations ensue, enough to satisfy all those waiting for the next GoT novel while also pushing out the bounds of what kind of ‘historical’ narratives take precedence in our society. The novel is rich and Òdòdó is a thrilling main character—I hope we’ll be reading lots from Sangoyomi in the years to come.” —Drew Broussard, The Golden Notebook, Woodstock, New York
Evenings and Weekends by Oisin McKenna, July 2nd
“A masterclass in tension and character writing, Evenings & Weekends follows the messy interlocking lives of four individuals and takes place over the course of one sweltering summer weekend in London. This book is for literally anyone and everyone who loves long buried secrets, hard conversations, and complex characters.” —Kassie King, The Novel Neighbor, St. Louis, Missouri
Midnight Rooms by Donyae Coles, July 2nd
“Orabella Mumthrope stumbles into a marriage with the strange, wealthy Elias Blakersby. Orabella is an orphaned biracial woman, whose aunt and uncle never fail to make her feel like a burden. Orabella agrees and is whisked off to the Blakersby family estate—a decaying ancestral heap that’s rotting into its foundations, full of locked doors that she’s never meant to enter, a catatonic sister-in-law, and so much drugged tea. Nothing is as it seems. A gorgeous, rich, and claustrophobic gothic horror-mance that reads like a fever dream. This is a novel to be savored.” —Nino Cipri, Astoria Bookshop, Queens, New York, New York
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, July 2nd
“This is a complex and haunting story that takes place over several time periods about two missing children, their family, and the privileged campers staying at Camp Emerson. The structure of the book is interesting, too. From chapter to chapter, the reader jumps from the 1950’s to 1975 to a particular day of the ‘final’ investigation. No worries, though – it is masterfully written and presented. Of all the characters represented in this tale, my absolute favorite was Judyta, or rather, Investigator Lupstack. I wouldn’t mind hearing more from her! Seriously delicious read!”—Joanne Berg, Mystery to Me, Madison, Wisconsin
“Set at a summer camp in the Adirondacks, The God of the Woods tells the story of the affluent Van Laar family and their not one but TWO children who go missing on the property—fourteen years apart. It’s part family drama and part sweeping mystery as the backstories and secrets of the Van Laars and their community unravel. This wildly captivating book boasts some of the most unpredictable twists, dynamic characters, immersive settings, and satisfying resolutions. Truly epic.” —Madeline Mooney, The Bookshop in Nashville, Tennessee
More, Please by Emma Specter, July 9th
“Our culture is at a body politics tipping point right now. After the gains of the last decade, the body positivity movement is slowing down, as our media re-centers thin, able, cis bodies. Could this book be the antidote? Emma Specter is a contributing writer for Vogue, and with More, Please, she offers a deep dive into her own personal history with binge-eating disorder, as well as her journey to fat acceptance and better health. The story is by turns intimate and rigorously researched.” —Aatia, Books Are Magic, Brooklyn, New York
The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry, July 9th
“Kevin Barry’s newest novel, The Heart in Winter, is an outlaw romance that reads like a Wes Anderson film. It follows Tom Rourke, a down-and-out young Irish immigrant in a late-19th-century Montana mining town, who is making his drinking money writing love letters for marriage-seeking miners when he falls in love with another man’s wife and decides to run away with her. Barry’s remarkable sense of humor—witty, deadpan, and sometimes crass—and brief but poetic panoramas of the American West will keep you enthralled and make the 1890s feel like they were just yesterday.” —Camille Thornton, The Bookshop in Nashville, Tennessee
The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez, July 9th
“When their respective first loves get engaged to one another, Marcela and Theo rebound by fake-dating in this hilarious and spicy debut that features a plus-size heroine, an ex-NFL hero, and a love of libraries and books. A perfect summer romance that packs an emotional punch!” —Stephanie Skees, The Novel Neighbor, St. Louis, Missouri
Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, July 23rd
“Catalina is such a delightful book: funny and quick-witted, but also complex and thoughtful and heart-rending. Catalina, the titular character, is on the precipice of graduation from Harvard, which should mean the beginning of an exciting new phase of life: but she is also an undocumented immigrant, and so many of the doors that ought to be open to her are very firmly shut and locked. When not in school, she lives with her grandparents in New York, both of whom are also undocumented, and with whom she has a deeply loving and even more deeply complicated relationship. I loved Catalina’s smart, singular voice— she is brilliant and ruthless and restless. This is a perfect read for lovers of Lily King’s Writers and Lovers, or fans of Sally Rooney’s work.” —Shannon Guinn-Collins, Bookworks, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The Deading by Nicholas Belardes, July 23rd
“The Deading is a transformative new eco-horror and tense survival story following several characters experiencing an unknown outbreak in a small seaside town in California. Forced to isolate and bunker down in their homes, folks begin acting strangely, drifting into fugue states as the plague sweeps the town. This story was stifling, fantastical, and unnerving, exploring the strained relationship humans have with the natural world. A slow-burn with loads of payoff.” —Mallory Sutton, Bards Alley, Vienna, Virginia
The Wedding People by Alison Espach, July 30th
“Phoebe Stone is done: with her city, with her life, with her job, with her ex-husband and her ex-best friend who are now together. So when she walks away from it all and checks herself into a once-in-a-lifetime resort hotel in Rhode Island to end it, she’s annoyed to discover a hilarious cast of characters that pull her back into living. This novel is life-affirming, escapist, touching, and oh-so-funny.” —Maggie Robe, Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell, July 30th
“My default setting is to love anything and everything that Rainbow Rowell writes, and she knocked it out of the proverbial park with Slow Dance! I had intended to read it slowly (it’s not often that you get a new book by one of your favorite authors!) but I picked it up and did not move until I’d finished it, several hours later and well after bedtime. It’s the story of two old friends (or more?) reconnecting after many years apart, and it has everything I look to Rainbow’s books for, but with sharper edges than many of her previous novels: there is banter and longing and characters who are vivid and difficult and flawed and inevitably and exceedingly lovable. There are real-life challenges and gut-wrenching moments, but as her work so often does, it comes together in a way that leaves me feeling both incredibly satisfied with the outcome and a bit more hopeful about the world around me. What more can you ask for?” —Shannon Guinn-Collins, Bookworks, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston, August 6th
“The Pairing is a playful and sultry queer romance that emphasizes the beauty of new places and old connections. Kit and Theo are so lovably messy and stuck on each other; hearing both of their perspectives made my heart ache. I never expected a story with such an outrageous premise to hold multitudes of scenes that made me smile as I read, but here we are. CMQ captures the growing pains of your 20s and finding new understandings of queerness, self identity, and even renewed connections in the most lovely (and hot) way. It feels like peak summertime—so fiery and hazy and maybe a little tumultuous—yet you wouldn’t change a thing.” —Emma Holland, Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, August 6th
“The realities and romance of 1950’s Hollywood collide as the Red Scare underscores the making of a film. A young ingenue must contest with the burden of becoming Salome: a biblical woman plagued with immense longing. Silvia Moreno-Garcia delivers electricity, desire, and tragedy. Salome is—without a doubt—”that girl”. She is a star and will shine until she burns out.” —Jacqueline Helgans, Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
There is a Rio Grande in Heaven by Ruben Reyes Jr., August 6th
“Ruben Reyes Jr.’s enters literature with a bang. His debut book presents a stunning collection of stories of migration and Central American voices fighting to be heard and, beyond heard, felt. He lyrically tells the experiences of Salvadoran immigrants in the United States or children of those immigrants with gripping care and inventiveness, whether with his realistic stories or with his more experimental tales. The cover is raw, the experiences are raw, and he leaves you feeling raw with his unfiltered honesty. Genuinely my mind is failing to capture the totality of Reyes’ writing in a short summary. I can only say that I will be recommending this to everyone, and I absolutely cannot wait to read anything and everything he writes.” —Summer Porter, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Mammoth by Eva Baltasar; Translated by Julia Sanches, August 6th
“A young lesbian’s complicated path towards motherhood leads her to uprooting her city life to a provincial town in rural Spain. From there, this sparse-144-page novel twists into a gnarly, psychological folk-horror that left me speechless; Eva Baltasar has such a unique talent for crafting visceral sentences that absolutely rot your brain (affectionate). Mammoth is going to be the book of the late summer.”—Taylor Carlton, Brazos Bookstore, Houston, Texas
“Mammoth is a deeply visceral tale following a young unnamed lesbian who yearns to belong, and ultimately her quest for motherhood. Upon lucking out and moving into an old farmhouse surrounded by stray animals, a shepherd, and nothing else, our narrator adjusts to this new way of living and continues her journey of potential parenthood. At times deeply unsettling yet cathartic, Mammoth is an unflinching, feminist voice I have never heard before and I cannot get enough. And three cheers for another exquisite translation from Julia Sanches!”—G Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, Virginia
Hum by Helen Phillips, August 6th
“A dystopian, futuristic hellscape just around the corner, Hum digs into our tenderest wounds. In an overly industrialized society devastated by climate change, May struggles to keep her family grounded in a world devoid of human connections and the lush, beautiful forests of her childhood. What starts out as a desperate attempt to reconnect with her husband and children without their devices quickly devolves into May’s worst nightmare—a real emergency without any way to call for help, in a world completely unforgiving of mistakes. Infuriating and enthralling, Hum rushes along with an undercurrent of panic about our own not-too-distant future.” —Melissa Sagendorph, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, Massachusetts
“Speculative literary fiction at its best and most prescient. How far will we go as a society to integrate AI and technology into our everyday lives, and at what cost to our personal liberty and family structure? Hum explores these issues, as well as the limited tourist role of nature in a future city, in this taut, propulsive, well-written novel.” —Keith Vient, Politics and Prose Bookstore, Washington D.C.
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid, August 13th
“Ava Reid has done it again! With her signature haunting prose and ability to conjure an unbelievable atmosphere, Lady Macbeth is one of my favorites of hers alongside Juniper & Thorn. This reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth follows the villainess this time around, centering witchy themes in a gothic environment. Reid gives the reader a wholly unique story, expanding upon an almost universally despised character from classic literature; she gave Lady Macbeth her own personality, power, and motivations, and even expands the overarching plot without straying too far from the elements that made Macbeth such a beloved classic in the first place.” —Mallory Sutton, Bards Alley, Vienna, Virginia
Haunted Ever After by Jenn DeLuca, August 13th
“This is a delightful rom-com that absolutely screams “it’s fall, ya’ll!’ In a small Florida town, nothing is as it seems. Known for being the most haunted small town in America, Boneyard Key is a Stars Hollow meets Halloween Town (if it were full of ghosts, that is). Mix in an attractive coffee shop owner and a girl who may or may not be sharing her new home with a ghost (both of whom are definitely not interested in love at the moment, (thank you) and you’ve got a fun story that will help you bring in a cozy autumn.” —Hannah Davidson, Mystery to Me, Madison, Wisconsin
Daydream by Hannah Grace, August 27th
“In the latest novel in the Maple Hills series by Hannah Grace, Henry is the main character as the captain of the hockey team. He is failing a class and needs help with a certain professor. In comes Halle, who teaches him how to focus on the right information. After a breakup with a bad boyfriend, Halle realizes that she hasn’t really lived a romantic life so Henry gives back by treating her to novel-worthy dates.”—Haruka, The Ripped Bodice, Brooklyn, New York
Madwoman by Chelsea Bieker, September 3rd
“Madwoman is at once a slow, creeping unraveling of a shiny-on-the-outside woman’s life and an un-put-down-able fever of a page-turner. Given the protagonist’s precise, sickening depictions of growing up mired in violence, I was saddened—though not surprised—to learn that author Chelsea Bieker had revisited her own traumatic memories in the service of writing this novel. How to explain that, despite its darkness, Madwoman is a novel I loved reading? Propulsive and twisty, I couldn’t put it down. I loved and continually cheered for our protagonist even as I watched her actively unravel her meticulously crafted #momlife. Five stars.”—Janet Geddis, Avid Bookshop, Athens, Georgia
Small Rain by Garth Greenwell, September 3rd
“Small Rain by Garth Greenwell is magnificent! A book about healing, caregiving, and poetry. Set in the early days of the pandemic, and just after a derecho has swept across Iowa and destroyed his house, the narrator, a poet, suffers a medical emergency. While in the ICU, lonely, and undergoing tests, he finds solace through reciting his favorite poems. Small Rain is a beautiful book, one to read quietly while watching birds, contemplating life, and dipping into a poetry collection. One of my favorite books of 2024. Highly recommended!”—Caitlin L. Baker, Island Books, Mercer Island, Washington
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors, September 3rd
“Blue Sisters follows the lives of three sisters mourning the loss of their fourth sister, Nicky. When they find out they might lose their childhood home, they reunite to stop it and face their complicated past. Mellors’s new novel is a robust and raw picture of loss and family.” —Ashley Kilcullen, The Bookshop in Nashville, Tennessee
Colored Television by Danzy Senna, September 3rd
“Colored Television is so, so good, bursting with hilarious (but firmly rooted in reality) social critiques. When Jane’s sophomore novel—one she’s spent years immersed in and is certain will be award worthy—is swiftly rejected by her agent and publisher, she turns her attention/obsession to pitching a television show to a (hilariously arrogant) producer. Jane lies, wants what she doesn’t have, and makes so many bad decisions. Yet, she’s still o-so relatable, and even as the dread mounts toward certain disaster, I still wanted her to be okay. Marriage, art, selling out (or not), family and societal pressures, the elusive “American Dream”: Colored Television offers much to savor, guffaw over, and ponder long after turning the last page.” —Joelle Herr, The Bookshop in Nashville, Tennessee
Dear Dickhead by Virginie Despentes; translated by Frank Wynne, September 10th
“When fragile mid-list author (and addict) Oscar insults tetchy middle-aged diva (and addict) Rebecca just as young feminist blogger Zoe goes public with the hell Oscar put her through years before, the stage is set for French firebrand Virginie Despentes’s Dear Dickhead, a punchy epistolary novel exploring the complications of dependence—on substances, on attention, on each other. It’s a messy story of screwups and growth and family and friendship, and of working towards doing better even when we can’t fix the bad we’ve done. Read it with a friend cause you’re gonna wanna talk about it.” —Greg Kornbluh, Downbound Books, Cincinnati, Ohio
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune, September 10th
“At long last, we get to spend more time with the incredible characters from House in the Cerulean Sea and some new ones who will instantly capture your heart. Filled with a familiar love and tenderness, Somewhere Beyond the Sea takes the narrative of acceptance from its predecessor in a radical, timely, and much needed direction. Klune delivers a well-thought out sequel that will have you giggling and tearing up in public.” —Frances Metzger, Country Bookshelf, Bozeman, Montana
A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez; translated by Megan McDowell, September 17th
“Mariana Enriquez is an author who shows us the full breadth of what horror as a genre can accomplish. And her new collection, A Sunny Place for Shady People, shows us every facet of the diamond…as well as each cut left behind. Within, actions echo in hallways, they haunt, they watch, they grieve, and they chase. This collection is the softest side of Enriquez I’ve seen…but that doesn’t mean it’s not terrifying too. You just may find yourself as empathetic to the haunting as the haunted. Enriquez never shows us the same story twice. Each story gives you a window into a sprawling world where you never quite know which aspect of reality is going to give or where the true horror may lie. You don’t have to be a horror lover to love Mariana’s stories. You just have know that in her stories, much like in life, nothing is ever what it seems.”—Mari Guzman, Politics and Prose Bookstore, Washington D.C.
The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk; translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, September 22nd
“Mieczysław, a young Polish engineering student, arrives at a health resort for tuberculosis patients, but something is not quite right in the magic mountains. Schwärmerei, a mossy local liqueur, seems to be causing hallucinations and blackouts. The conversation of the men in his guesthouse turns gradually more misogynistic and fatalistic. Mieczysław and his new friend Thilo begin to suspect that the landscape itself is watching them. In her most atmospheric and compelling novel yet, Nobel winner Olga Tokarczuk delves into the world of Thomas Mann—then tilts it on its axis.—Emma Williams, Politics & Prose, Washington D.C.
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Source : The Best Books of the Summer, According to Indie Booksellers
