We recommend: The best new book releases
The best of new fiction
Crook Manifesto: by Colson Whitehead. Here is a crime fiction set in the 1970s New York when robbery, gun violence and Black Liberation movement was at an all-time high. ‘Crook Manifesto’ is actually a sequel to ‘Harlem Shuffle’ written by two-time Pulitzer winner Colson Whitehead and follows the life of Ray Carney—son of a notorious criminal who is trying to build a successful furniture store. Kirkus Reviews writes: “It’s not just crime fiction at its craftiest, but shrewdly rendered social history.” (July 18)
Immortal Longings: by Chloe Gong. This book is the author’s adult epic fantasy debut inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘Antony and Cleopatra’—featuring Princess Calla Tuoleimi and exiled aristocrat Anton Makusa—who are trapped in a story full of power plays and spilled blood with a backdrop of deadly games. In this fictional retelling, Calla must decide what she is playing these games for—her lover or her kingdom. Kirkus Reviews notes that despite the book ending on a cliffhanger, there is “spectacular worldbuilding and breathtaking action” in this volume. (July 18)
Silver Nitrate: by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. From two-time New York Times bestselling author known for ‘The Daughter of Doctor Moreau’ and ‘Mexican Gothic’, this book is an absolute treat for those interested in horror and occult and film. The book is set up in the 1990s Mexico—when low budget Mexican horror movies were having its moment—and follows a sound editor Montserrat Curiel and her struggling actor friend Tristán Abascal helping a horror film director Abel Urueta reshoot a scene from his unfinished film which he think is cursed. Kirkus Reviews verdicts: “An engaging, inventive story of moviemaking and the occult for film geeks and genre buffs.” (July 18)
This month’s poetry pick
The Diaspora Sonnets: by Oliver de la Paz. This collection throws light on the perseverance and myth of the Filipino diaspora in America. The poet narrates the difficulties and shocks of an immigrant family’s life in America—especially a perpetual search for a sense of “home.” These sonnets flit from coast to coast—as de la Paz’s father moved for work—along the way musing on many unachieved dreams. (July 18)
The best of the non-fiction list
Beyond The Story: 10-Year Record of BTS: The global sensation kpop artists BTS have released a book to commemorate their 10th anniversary. For those who haven’t heard of them: BTS is a seven member boy group known for their thoughtful and empowering music and lyrics and for their relationship with their fans, lovingly called ARMY. The book will feature unreleased photos, QR codes of videos, and details about their albums. FYI, this is the same book which went viral last month because it was thought to be Taylor Swift’s memoir. (July 9)
Smoke and Ashes: by Amitav Ghosh. In this deeply personal book, which is partly a travelogue and part memoir, Ghosh looks at the hidden history of opium trade and explores its effect on the world around us and our daily lives. The story also looks at how opium gave rise to some of the world’s biggest corporations but is now playing part in unmaking the world. (July 15)
Owner of a Lonely Heart: by Beth Nguyen. This is a powerful memoir of a mother-daughter relationship that has been fragmented by the Vietnam war and its impending effects on family, parenthood and belonging. Nguyen tells her coming-of-age story that spans her entire life as a Vietnamese refugee living in America—and most importantly, speaks about the significant milestones in her relationship with her mother. Kirkus Reviews says this book to be a ruminative, unadorned and lyrical take on motherhood and memory. (July 4)
The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet: by Jeff Goodell. Environmental journalist Jeff Goodell puts together a book to examine the effects of extreme heat on our daily lives and future generations. While we know of global warming and climate change, in this novel Goodell explores intimate stories of how people, communities and regions are impacted due to rising heat. It packs all the latest scientific insights with good narrative storytelling to make sense of one of the world’s biggest problems. The Kirkus Reviews calls the book gripping, and notes how it acts as another reminder “that we are running out of time to save humankind”. (July 14)
Wasteland: The Dirty Truth About What We Throw Away, Where It Goes, and Why It Matters: by Oliver Franklin-Wallis. This is a deep dive into the global waste industry. The book attempts to answer some basic but fundamental questions about what it means when we actually throw away things? Where does it go and who deals with it? Oliver Franklin-Wallis takes us through who are the people being exploited due to waste management and what can we do to make a difference. (July 18)
