The 26 Best New Book Releases This Week: July 30-August 5, 2024
Here are the 26 best new book releases out this week of July 30-August 5, 2024. Is July really over? Is summer slipping away? Is fall around the corner? Is Deadpool & Wolverine really that foul-mouthed? Will kids have to go back to school soon? Is it too late to work on my tan? Should I commit to losing weight for next summer or just accept defeat for this summer and enjoy some indulgent treats like ice cream and pie? Can I read the 37 books in my to-be-read pile before Labor Day? I can’t answer all those questions, but I can tell you this week includes a lot of great new books. So let’s get reading. At the head of the Parade are…
The 26 Best New Book Releases This Week: July 30-August 5, 2024
Courtesy of William Morrow, Little, Brown and Company, Park Row
1. Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
2. The Most by Jessica Anthony
3. The Days I Loved You Most by Amy Neff
Three works of fiction that focus on second chances, first misgivings and final vows.
Rainbow Rowell delivers her first work for adults in a decade and fans will wonder why she waited so long. Sure, it includes two people who were best friends in high school (and too dumb to realize they loved each other). But this is a mature work in every sense, with people who’ve put on some mileage, made some mistakes and are ready to work on their relationships…especially one that might just be a second chance at first love.
All hail the novella, a bite-sized novel or–if you prefer–a beautifully extended story. In the case of Jessica Anthony’s The Most, it’s a riveting, 144 page story of a 1950s housewife who skips church (!), gets in the pool…and then won’t get out. Sometimes, life is easier if you avoid it.
Amy Neff’s The Days I Loved You Most is a heart-tugger about a couple happily married for more than 60 years. When she receives a life-shattering diagnosis, they calmly announce to their loved ones that one year to the day, they will end their lives on their own terms. Less a soapbox for end-of-life issues and more a love story that critics say will have you dabbing at your eyes.
Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell ($28; William Morrow) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
The Most by Jessica Anthony ($18.99; Little, Brown and Company) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
The Days I Loved You Most by Amy Neff ($28.99; Park Row) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Courtesy of Pamela Dorman Books; Little, Brown and Company; Knopf
4. What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena
5. Hard To Kill by James Patterson and Mike Lupica
6. Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight
Three taut thrillers. Shari Lapena knows how to pull you in with a title: Everyone Here Is Lying, Not A Happy Family and now, What Have You Done? Pages will turn when a small community is upended by the murder of a girl in once-sleepy, now tense Fairhill, Vermont. James Patterson and Mike Lupica know how to pull you in with a hook: in the case of Hard To Kill, it’s their new hero, attorney Jane Smith. They insist she’s the best character they’ve created (together, that is). She better be, since in her second book she’s defending a guy accused of a double triple homicide. (Hey, you gotta raise the stakes somehow.) And in Like Mother, Like Daughter, Kimberly McCreight pulls you in with a seemingly messed-up daughter called upon to track down her missing, seemingly perfect mother. Naturally, nothing is as it seems; after all, we’re reading about it, aren’t we?
What Have You Done? by Shari Lapena ($30; Pamela Dorman Books) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Hard To Kill by James Patterson and Mike Lupica ($30; Little, Brown and Company) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight ($28; Knopf) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Related: The 28 Best Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror Books of 2024…So Far
Courtesy of Gallery Books, Atria Books, AUWA
7. All in the Family by Fred C. Trump III
8. The Widow’s Guide To Dead Bastards by Jessica Waite
9. Loud by Drew Afualo
Fred C. Trump III is the grandson of the real estate mogul Fred Trump and the nephew of former President Donald Trump, two very…challenging legacies. Like his sister Mary Trump before him, Fred has now chosen to tell his story, while admirably using the spotlight to champion support for those who are intellectually or developmentally disabled. Will he prove as fascinating a glimpse into the Trump world as Mary? We’re certainly going to find out.
Memoirist Jessica Waite shares quite the story. Her husband dies unexpectedly and that leaves Waite to clean up the detritus of his life. Her image of their happy marriage becomes rather complicated: unbeknownst to Waite, he cheated on her, did drugs and hard a serious porn addiction. The Widow’s Guide To Dead Bastards isn’t (just) a story of betrayal. It’s also about learning to accept who someone was and still perhaps cherish the good and forgive the rest.
Since women laughing seems to be triggering to some, be warned: social media star Drew Afualo laughs. A lot. Especially at men who try to put women down online. Not on her watch. Afualo’s first book is a how-to guide to life and a memoir on how she chose to take no BS from anyone, because, why should she? Plus, it’s fun to be loud and laugh. A lot.
All in the Family by Fred C. Trump III ($30; Gallery Books) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
The Widow’s Guide To Dead Bastards by Jessica Waite ($29.99; Atria Books) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Loud by Drew Afualo ($28; AUWA) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Courtesy of Griffin, Zando–SJP Lit, Atria Books
10. That Prince Is Mine by Jayci Lee
11. They Dream in Gold by Mai Sennaar
12. The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas
Romance is in the air. Or at least in the kitchen, a jazz club or a small town.
In That Prince Is Mine, Emma Yoon dreams of opening up a culinary school in LA. She does not dream of princes in disguise who refuse to be part of an arranged marriage and come to LA with a deep appreciation for food and searching for a bride who will love him for who he is, not for his title of Prince Michel Chevalier. I mean, really, no one would dream of that. It’s just too improbable!
They Dream In Gold is a Romance that spans decades. But it’s getting the literary fiction push and has the reviews to prove it. Bonnie and Mansour meet in NYC in 1968 and fall hard for each other. His artistry as a purveyor of Senegalese melodies take them happily all over the world…until Mansour goes missing. But with life stirring inside of her, Bonnie is determined to find the man she somehow knows is still out there, even if it takes years. Actor Sarah Jessica Parker is championing this debut author of a book Time calls “a tender romance spanning decades, generations and continents.”
The Fiancé Dilemma involves a fake fiancé, four failed engagements (or, really, lucky near-misses) and a small town that want to believe Mr. #5 is finally the One. In other words, your typical frothy romance, complete with a guy and girl who pretend to be madly in love until….
That Prince Is Mine by Jayci Lee ($18; Griffin) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
They Dream in Gold by Mai Sennaar ($28; Zando–SJP Lit) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas ($19.99; Atria Books) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Courtesy of Dutton, Harper, W.W. Norton and Company
13. The Horse by Timothy C. Winegard
14. The Horse: A Novel by Willy Vlautin
15. Raiders, Rulers and Traders by David Chaffetz
Sometimes Hollywood makes three movies about exploding volcanoes or three movies about parents switching bodies with their kids. It happens. And sometimes, three books about horses come out in one week. The Horse is a popular history about the “galloping history of humanity.” In other words, it shows how horses had a profound impact on humanity’s progress. Raiders, Rulers and Traders is subtitled “The Horse and the Rise of Empires,” so it covers similar territory, with an especial focus on Asia and the Silk Road. Smack dab in the middle? The Horse, a novel about a broken-down journeyman musician, isolated and alone in an abandoned mining town–just the way he likes it. Then a blind and helpless horse stumbles into his life.
The Horse by Timothy C. Winegard ($35; Dutton) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
The Horse: A Novel by Willy Vlautin ($25.99; Harper) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Raiders, Rulers and Traders by David Chaffetz ($32.50; W.W. Norton and Company) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Courtesy of Knopf, Random House, HarperVia
16. Pearl by Sian Hughes
17. We Burn Daylight by Bret Anthony Johnston
18. Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow by Damilare Kuku
Do you watch movies if they are nominated for a Best Picture Oscar or listen to the albums that win a Grammy in your favorite category? That’s what awards are for! I always pay attention to the Booker Prize, the most prestigious annual award around because Brits just sound more sophisticated and smart, so why not listen when they celebrate a book? Pearl was long-listed for the Booker and that’s enough for me. Sian Hughes tells a story revolving around a disappearance. Our hero Marianne was eight when her mother vanished and she’s never really recovered. This work is a thoughtful and quiet meditation on the impact of a life and especially the impact of its absence.
We Burn Daylight finds two teenagers in love. The only problem? The girl is a member of the Branch Davidian cult while the boy is the son of the local sheriff. And it’s 1993. In Waco, Texas.
Some people are part of a crazy cult. Others–like newly graduated Temi, 20 and ready for life–are just part of a crazy family. But Temi has a plan: she’ll get plastic surgery to enhance her bum, move to Lagos and fall in love. Easy! Her loud and boisterous and interfering Nigerian family have other ideas. This is an acclaimed novel by author Damilare Kuku, who just a few months ago released the highly praised and irresistibly titled short story collection Nearly All The Men In Lagos Are Mad. Can I resist Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow? No, I cannot.
Pearl by Sian Hughes ($25; Knopf) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
We Burn Daylight by Bret Anthony Johnston ($29; Random House) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow by Damilare Kuku ($27.99; HarperVia) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Courtesy of Atria/One Signal Publishers, Flatiron Books, The Experiment
19. The Movement by Clara Bingham
20. The Future Was Now by Chris Nashawaty
21. The Shortest History of Japan by Leslie Downer
Three very different works of popular history give insight into the fight for women’s rights, sci-fi movies and Japan.
The Movement is a fascinating oral history of the women’s movement from 1963 to 1973, a decade when so much progress was made and so much more seemed just beyond the horizon. From The Feminine Mystique to Billie Jean King’s Battle of the Sexes tennis match to Title IX, author Clara Bingham captures the headlines, but also draws in the foot soldiers, the women (and men) who did the hard work behind the scenes. She weaves in the famous and unknown, the rich and poor, the women of every race, all of them striving for a world in which women were given the same opportunities, the same rights, as men. Have we come far? When the book begins, women couldn’t easily open a bank account or get a credit card without having her daddy or husband vouch for her. Do we have farther to go? Women still make less than men when doing the same work.
The Future Was Now is exciting for movie buffs. It begins with a simple fact. In the summer of 1982, eight key sci-fi/fantasy/horror films were released within six weeks of each other. They were Blade Runner, Conan The Barbarian, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Poltergeist, The Road Warrior (now known as Mad Max: The Road Warrior), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Thing and Tron. Six made money, two were flops, but they all left an impact on pop culture that reverberates today. Journalist Chris Nashawaty tells the stories of how and why they were made, the creative and business decisions that influenced everything from the movies themselves to how they were marketed and why arguably the biggest flop proved the most influential of all.
And the latest in the “Shortest History Of…” series focuses on Japan, just in time for those Sinophiles who gobbled up the latest version of Shogun. Historian Peter Frankopan–author of the mind-opening work The Silk Road–says it’s “a gem of a book that’s as engaging as it is readable” and that’s good enough for me.
The Movement by Clara Bingham ($32.50; Atria/One Signal Publishers) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
The Future Was Now by Chris Nashawaty ($29.99; Flatiron Books) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
The Shortest History of Japan by Leslie Downer ($16.95; The Experiment) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Related: The 29 Best Mystery, Thriller and True Crime Books of 2024…so Far
Courtesy of Delacorte Press; Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers; Little, Brown Books For Young Readers
22. Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus
23. The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington
24. The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Three young adult novels turn up the tension. Such Charming Liars is the latest from YA thriller specialist Karen M. McManus. This time it’s a mother-daughter tale. Mom is a jewel thief targeting a billionaire for the proverbial “one last score.” Daughter Kat tags along for the party, not expecting to run into her step-brother Liam or his dad, who plans to con the billionaire’s daughter. Complicated? Well, after people start dying? Definitely.
The Blonde Dies First is the latest meta-horror novel, this time toying with the trope that the blonde dies first to put a Scream-like twist on what should happen, but hopefully won’t. Author Joelle Wellington tackles racism, gentrification and a Ouija board for good measure.
Author Jennifer Lynn Barnes is not done with the multi-million selling Inheritance Gamesseries. In the first of a new spin-off, The Grandest Game featuring the return of billionaire Avery Grambs, the Hawthorne brothers and a whole new cast of competitors hoping to score fame and fortune if they can survive the Grandest Game.
Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus ($20.99; Delacorte Press) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
The Blonde Dies First by Joelle Wellington ($19.59; Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
The Grandest Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes ($19.99; Little, Brown Books For Young Readers) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Courtesy of Dial Books, Katherine Tegen Books
25. The Night Librarian by Christopher Lincoln
26. Fowl Play by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb
Two acclaimed middle grade books offer storytelling pleasure on their own and–if you’ve got a kid in your life–a chance to bond over a good book. In The Night Librarian, twins Page and Turner (wait for it, yes “page-turner”) love the library a lot. Then they discover the Night Librarian, heroes and villains escaped from the pages of classic novels and a fight to save the library from disappearing forever. A graphic novel that will lure anyone into its story…and if you follow up all the literary references, you’ll be reading great books for the rest of the year.
Fowl Play is a sweet story of a girl named Chloe grieving for her Uncle Will, who gives her his parrot. Chloe begins to suspect he was…murdered. After all, the parrot says things like “it was murder.” The twist? Instead of ignoring her, Chloe’s family encourages her and answers her questions and they all bond as she digs deeper to understand her favorite relative and why anyone has to die.
The Night Librarian by Christopher Lincoln ($13.99; Dial Books) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
Fowl Play by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb ($19.99; Katherine Tegen Books) Buy now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
