The best new books to read in July 2024

ANDEven if you can’t escape the rising summer temperatures for more comfortable climes, you can at least lose yourself in a good book. The best new books released in July include Kevin Barry’s Western novel, Lev Grossman’s reimagining of the King Arthur legend, and Laura van den Berg’s disturbing new novel set in the underbelly of Florida.

Continue Shark Week with shark scientist Jasmin Graham’s debut memoir focusing on her work with the sea’s most misunderstood fish. Hit the road with Turkish author Ayşegül Savaş’s third novel, about a couple who face unexpected problems finding a new apartment for their family. And look deeply into beauty writer Sable Yong’s thoughtful collection of essays on the role of vanity in today’s culture.

Here are the 12 new books you should read in July.

The cliffsJ. Courtney Sullivan (July 2)

A decade ago, bestselling author J. Courtney Sullivan became obsessed with a purple Victorian mansion she discovered while on vacation in Maine. Now this unique house is at the center of her haunting new novel, The cliffs. After losing her mother, being fired and separated from her husband, archivist Jane Flanagan returns to her coastal Maine hometown to discover that the long-abandoned Gothic house she obsessed over as a teenager has a new owner. Genevieve, a wealthy outsider, has given the once-dilapidated dwelling an ill-conceived makeover that she believes has awakened something sinister. In this provocative ghost story that questions how we right the wrongs of the past, the two must team up to rid the mysterious 19th century house of its spirits and overcome their own demons.

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The heart in winterKevin Barry (July 9)

The heart in winter, Irish author Kevin Barry’s first novel, set in America, is a rollicking romance that’s as wild as the Wild West where it’s set. In 1891 Butte, Mont., a young poet and reckless drug addict named Tom Rourke falls in love with Polly Gillespie, the new wife of the extremely devout captain of the local copper mine. The two set off together on a stolen horse toward San Francisco, only to be chased by a band of crazy gunmen hired by Polly’s husband. To survive in this rip-roaring love story, the bad guys make choices they may regret.

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State of ParadiseLaura van den Berg (July 9)

In Laura van den Berg State of Paradise, a ghostwriter travels to Florida during an unspecified pandemic to care for her elderly mother. But when she arrives, the anonymous narrator discovers that it is her younger sister who really needs help. Struggling to process her father’s death, her sister became obsessed with a virtual reality headset that allows her to reconnect with the dead. Then she suddenly disappears, alongside countless other Floridians, prompting the protagonist to begin an investigation into the mysterious technology company behind the headphones. What follows is a page-turning story about the challenges of learning to let go.

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The anthropologistsAyşegül Savaş (July 9)

Inspired by her 2021 New Yorker short story,”Future Selves”, Ayşegül Savaş’s insightful new novel, The anthropologists, follows a nomadic couple as they struggle to find an apartment in an unnamed foreign city. Asya and Manu, a documentary filmmaker and nonprofit worker, are trying to finally put down roots together in a place that is just theirs and nothing like the place they came from. But as they visit each real estate listing, wondering what their future will look like, something always seems off and they can’t understand why. The idealistic lovers are angered by society’s idea of ​​adulthood and turn to kindred spirits–a reticent bon vivant, a lonely local, and their poetry-loving elderly neighbor–in hopes of discovering how to live the good life.

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Die hot with revenge, Sable Yong (July 9)

With his debut collection of essays, Die hot with revenge, Sable Yong seeks to understand why vanity is still a dirty word in a culture so obsessed with beauty. The old one Fascination The editor offers thought-provoking analyzes of social media’s impossible beauty standards, the rise of questionable wellness trends, and whether blondes actually have more fun. Going beyond just sharing her insights from working in the industry, she also tells stories of her own complicated relationship with self-image while growing up feeling like an outsider in her predominantly white neighborhood. With humor and frankness, Die hot with revenge shows why beauty should be a tool of self-expression, not self-hatred.

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The lucky onesZara Chowdhary (July 16)

Zara Chowdhary’s debut memoir, The lucky ones, is a moving story of survival that spans more than two decades of anti-Muslim violence in India. As a teenager in the early 2000s, Chowdhary witnessed India’s worst communal riots in more than 50 years, which pitted Hindu and Muslim neighbors against each other. Chowdhary offers a harrowing account of the violence that occurred—and continues to this day—between the two groups, tracing the political, economic, and social repercussions of 80 years of continuous bloodshed.

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Sharks Don’t Sink: The Adventures of a Rogue Shark ScientistJasmin Graham (July 16)

Throughout shark scientist Jasmin Graham’s riveting debut memoir, Sharks don’t sink, she compares herself to the titular, often misunderstood fish. Despite being denser than water, sharks can stay afloat because they simply keep swimming. Graham had to do the same to advance in the white male-dominated profession of marine biology. She shares stories of how she grew up fishing with her father and describes her struggle to find her place in academia as a black woman and how that led her to start. Minorities in Shark Sciences, an organization that provides support and opportunities for those underrepresented in the field of marine sciences. Graham also advocates thinking about sharks differently and urges us all to help protect these vulnerable, prehistoric creatures.

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The Shining SwordLev Grossman (July 16)

Bestselling author Lev Grossman, a former TIME critic, is back with a sweeping new medieval epic that offers fresh insight into the legend of King Arthur. In The Shining Sword, a talented young knight named Collum arrives in Camelot hoping to compete for a place at the Round Table. Unfortunately, however, he arrived too late; King Arthur died in battle two weeks earlier, and the knights who survived him are more Bad News Bears what The Game of Thrones. Still, Collum joins this lovable group of misfits, realizing there’s a lot at stake and their fight is just beginning. Together, the group becomes Camelot’s only hope of reclaiming Excalibur, reuniting the kingdom, and stopping Arthur’s enemies – the cowardly half-sister Morgan le Fay, his fallen bride Guinevere, and the disgraced hero Lancelot – from reclaiming the crown.

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LiarsSarah Manguso (July 23)

In essayist and poet Sarah Manguso’s unflinching second novel, a writer named Jane believes she has found a supportive partner in John, a visual artist who becomes her husband. But after the birth of their first child, she begins to feel swallowed by John’s ego. As her career begins to take off, it is John who steps aside, leaving Jane to take a closer look at their marriage, which, she realizes, may never have been solid. By examining the pieces of her life, Manguso’s courageous protagonist makes moving observations about marriage and identity.

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CatherineKarla Cornejo Villavicencio (July 23)

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s debut novel follows Catalina Ituralde, a fiery undocumented immigrant from Ecuador about to graduate from Harvard. She has a packed CV and very good grades, but her immigration status has made her postgraduate prospects quite bleak. This is a big problem for Catalina, who takes care of her grandparents above all else. After years of working to infiltrate Harvard’s high society and with graduation hanging over her head, she falls in love with a hypocritical anthropology student and begins to wonder if she has found a solution to her problems or just another problem. This sarcastic, semi-autobiographical novel will definitely delight Elif Batuman fans The idiot.

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Someone like usDinaw Mengestu (July 30)

Dinaw Mengestu’s fourth novel, Someone like us, is a seductive meditation on love, loss, and the need to belong. As his marriage unravels, war journalist Mamush returns to the close-knit Ethiopian community in Washington, D.C., where he grew up, in search of solace. But once there, he discovers that Samuel, his larger-than-life father figure, has died unexpectedly. Hoping to better understand Samuel, Mamush embarks on a cross-country expedition to track the older man’s immigration journey – only to discover a shocking secret about his own parentage.

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They dream of goldMai Sennaar (July 30)

Playwright and filmmaker Mai Sennaar’s debut novel, They dream of gold, is a tender romance that spans decades, generations and continents. It’s love at first sight when Bonnie and Mansour, African immigrants abandoned by their mothers, meet in New York in 1968. The two bond over Mansour’s music, a mix of Senegalese gospel and American jazz, which each of them believes has the power to change the world. When Mansour goes missing while on tour in Spain, a pregnant Bonnie must team up with her mother, grandmother and aunt to solve the mystery of his disappearance. By detailing her situation, Sennaar reveals a story about motherhood, the African diaspora, and the resilience of black women.

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