We recommend: The best new book releases

The best of new fiction

Our Bones in Your Throat by Megha Rao: Indian author and poet Megha Rao—popular among GenZ—explores magic realism in her latest book. The plot revolves around two girls who are freshers at the St. Margaret College and bond by investigating a rumour that a woman had drowned on their campus. The story reveals layers of power dynamics at play in the educational institution. (August 6)

There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven: Stories by Ruben Reyes Jr: In this debut novel, Ruben uses the format of short stories to put his Central American identity into different characters who wake up one day to a different reality. Through dream-like sequences, he blurs the boundaries between past, present, and future self—thereby also commenting on the memory, migration, and its consequences. Kirkus Reviews calls it “haunting” and “tender”. Publishers Weekly writes: “A scintillating collection...shifts effortlessly from absurdism to satire to sci-fi.” (August 6)

Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid: The bestselling author of ‘A Study in Drowning’, Ava Reid re-imagines one of William Shakespeare’s most loved and loathed characters, Lady Macbeth. Interestingly enough, she gives this villainous character a backstory–where she came from, what her future is likely to hold when she marries the Scot who is a brute on the battlefield, and also delves into the world of the occult and dark magic that find their way into the original Shakespearean tragedy. On the hardcover of the book, USA Today bestselling author Sue Lynn Tan says, “Gorgeously written, haunting, and dark, Lady Macbeth is an unforgettable retelling that will set your imagination alight.” (August 6)

I Need You to Read This by Jessa Maxwell: A potent and deadly mystery novel, this one sounds like it’s ripe to sink your teeth into. The setting is of a newspaper advice columnist suddenly dropping dead, an ardent reader taking her job, shedding a boring copywriting gig to find out how her predecessor died, or was she murdered. Expect this to be a twisty and fun crime novel. (August 13)

This month’s poetry pick

The Homeland's an Ocean by Mir, translated by Ranjit Hoskote: Mir Taqi Mir was an Urdu poet who lived alongside contemporaries Iqbal and Ghalib in the 18th century Delhi sultanate. It was a tumultuous time and he captured it all in his poems. Ranjit Hoskote translates these urdu verses in this book and highlights that Mir was perhaps more political than his peers. (August 26)

The best of new non-fiction

Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party by Edward Dolnick: Imagine growing up in a world where no one knew what dinosaurs were. The very understanding of such creatures existing on Earth before humans could have ever set foot may have been wild and bizarre to you then. That’s exactly how the people in the 1800s felt when palaeontologists first discovered dino bones. This book imagines what those dinner conversations would have been! (August 6)

On the Edge by Nate Silver: From the New York Times bestselling author of ‘The Signal and the Noise’—which focussed on Big Data, his new book focuses on the professional risk takers. Think poker players, gamblers, hedge fund managers, crypto enthusiasts and blue-chip art collectors. Presenting reports and analysis of behind-the-scenes from these systems, Silver makes a case for the psychology of gamblers vis a vis the powers that drive the global economy. (August 13)

Drawn Testimony by Jane Rosenberg: The author of this memoir—Jane Rosenberg—is an American courtroom sketch artist. In the last 40 years or more, she’s been part of the US’ biggest cases such as Tom Brady's deflate-gate case, John Lennon's murder trial to Harvey Weinstein and the indictment against former President Donald Trump. In the book, she shares some of the tricks of the trade and about the powers of perception in her line of work. (August 13)

Manboobs by Komail Aijazuddin: This is the debut memoir of the Pakistani visual artist Komail Aijazuddin—who divides his time between New York and Lahore. He pens down his story from his childhood—opening up a discourse of sense of alienation to his Pakistani roots, developing ‘manboobs’ in puberty, and embracing  effeminacy, queerness, and his creative artistry. He comments on everything from musicals, visas, hope, to cake! Kirkus Reviews says, “A wickedly funny and often moving memoir.” (August 13)