This month’s 10 best novels explore themes of masculinity, reconciliation, ambition and memory, spanning historical periods from 18th-century Venice to 1960s America.
Nonfiction includes the story of a wrongfully imprisoned man and the Texas legal system that kept him in prison for decades. And a history of bookstores in the United States examines how many of these stores served as centers for social change.
Why we wrote this
August’s books are suited to the different seasons – they’re more substantial than beach reading, but less serious than the big new releases in September. Our selection for this month offers both variety and thought-provoking texts.
The Singer sisters, by Sarah Seltzer
Songwriter Emma Cantor was born into the royal family of folk music. But Emma’s parents and aunt – music legends since the 1960s – kept a big secret from her. Is reconciliation possible? Seltzer’s debut novel ends on a high note that will make readers whistle.
Burn, by Peter Heller
Why we wrote this
August’s books are suited to the different seasons – they’re more substantial than beach reading, but less serious than the big new releases in September. Our selection for this month offers both variety and thought-provoking texts.
Storey and Jess are on a hunting trip in Maine when secessionists ignite a civil war in the state. Peter Heller’s gripping novels, mostly set in the wilderness, take a look under the hood of rough masculinity. His complicated heroes fight to preserve human decency.
The instrumentalist, by Harriet Constable
How can one reconcile ego and ambition with community and goodness? Harriet Constable gives voice to violin prodigy Anna Maria della Pietà, a true musical genius who grew up in a Venetian orphanage in 1704 and was taught by none other than the composer Antonio Vivaldi. The city’s glittering wealth and stinking corruption leap off the page, as does the transcendent, radiant power of music.
Mina’s matchbox, by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen B. Snyder
Yoko Ogawa’s gem-like novel is a coming-of-age story about 12-year-old Tomoko, who lives with her adorable cousin Mina and her family for a year. The girls become soulmates and share secrets, wonders, and several major world events. Ogawa’s storytelling is radiant.
There are rivers in heaven, by Elif Shafak
Elif Shafak’s poignant novel is about characters shaped by history. In the 1840s, London-born Arthur is determined to escape his harsh origins using his talent for interpreting Mesopotamian texts. In 2014, young Narin learns of her rich Yazidi heritage in Turkey as threats loom. And in 2018, 20-year-old hydrologist Zaleekhah is confronted with her difficult past on a cruise on the Thames. The novel is a powerful plea for memory and responsibility.
The truth according to Ember, by Danica Nava
Ember, whose ancestry is Chickasaw, Choctaw and white, applies for a job as an accountant. But it is only when she checks the box for “white” as her race on an application that she is invited to an interview and gets the job. Danica Nava’s witty romantic comedy focuses on multifaceted indigenous characters. The story – witty, engaging and, warning, saucy – explores how even small lies undermine integrity.
The hidden book, by Kirsty Manning
Kirsty Manning’s compassionate novel is inspired by a real-life secret World War II mission in 1940s Austria to smuggle out photographic evidence of the treatment of prisoners at the Mauthausen concentration camp. In the 1980s, the granddaughter of a survivor is determined to bring the hidden photo album to light.
Peggy, by Rebecca Godfrey, with Leslie Jamison
Peggy Guggenheim – heiress, modern art visionary, feminist icon, socialite and mother – comes to life in Rebecca Godfrey’s imaginative and sensitive novel. Leslie Jamison has seamlessly concluded the novel after Godfrey’s death.
Bring Ben home, by Barbara Bradley Hagerty
Ben Spencer was wrongfully convicted of murder in Dallas in 1987. This gripping nonfiction book tells the story of his flawed trial, the hurdles built into the Texas legal system that made it nearly impossible to overturn the conviction, and how he and a small group of supporters worked to secure his release. Barbara Bradley Hagerty has written a true crime story that reads like a legal thriller while exposing the systemic flaws of the justice system. It is eye-opening, disheartening, and inspiring.
The bookstore, by Evan Friss
Historian Evan Friss examines how American bookstores have shaped the country’s culture, from social movements to retail trends. Although the demise of small independent bookstores has long been predicted, dedicated store owners continue to defy that prediction.
