Try your best to ignore the bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils lining store shelves and the siren allure of pumpkin spice and enjoy these last few long weeks of summer. What better way than to curl up with one of these new releases? Summer reading goes through September 1 so there’s still time. (But we won’t tell if you’re sipping a fall-flavored beverage while reading by the pool.)
Fiction
Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz
Four robots worked for a fast-food restaurant that ended up being a front for crypto-laundering. When the owners skip town, the bots decide to reopen as a noodle shop to avoid being sold as chattel. They become a local favorite, but when robophobes start flooding them with one-star reviews, they need a social media campaign of their own, as well as community support to keep the doors open in this heart-(and stomach)- warming novella. Available August 5. // Library catalog link here.
I Found a Body by Becky C. Brynolf
When livestreaming, influencer Kylie May stumbles across a dead body. In an attempt to boost engagement and ratings, she tries to solve the case herself (with her fans.) Her sleuthing ends up hampering the actual police investigation headed by DS Mona Hendricks. Nine years later, the case remains cold and the comment section still wants answers, so Kylie and Mona team back up to solve it once and for all. Alternating between the two timelines and points-of-view, readers see the tremendous impact that case had on both women. Forum posts and comment sections add to the speculation and scrutiny surrounding the case. A biting and witty look at online culture coupled with a gritty mystery with twists, turns, and reveals that the reader won’t see coming. Available August 12. // Library catalog link here.
The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas
Fleeing a plague outbreak, Alba and parents seek refuge at an isolated silver mine owned by the family of Alba’s fiancé, Carlos. Once there, Alba starts sleepwalking and seeing terrifying hallucinations. Carlos’s cousin Elías, newly arrived from Spain, recognizes the signs of demonic possession. Freeing Alba will expose long-held family secrets, the cost of wealth, and issues of faith and belief in an ultimate showdown between good and evil. Available August 19. // Library catalog link here.
Katabasis by RF Kuang
Grad-student Alice is about to hit rock bottom. She needs dissertation approval from her advisor so she can start her career in Analytical Magick, but when she misdraws a pentagram in her sleep deprived state, her advisor explodes and ends up in Hell. Now she and her academic rival (who also needs a recommendation) are descending into Hell, using Orpheus and Dante as travel guides in an attempt to rescue their advisor who just might be exactly where he belongs. Some Hells are metaphysical, and some are self-created as Peter and Alice must come to grips with everything they’ve sacrificed in the name of academia. They have to learn to trust each other to get what they came for in this highly anticipated dark academia fantasy from literary fan favorite RF Kuang. Available August 26. // Library catalog link here.
Nonfiction
The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: an Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb by Garrett M. Graff
August 6th and 9th mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. To coincide with these infamous dates, journalist Graff compiles an oral history that opens with Ancient Greek scientists and Newtonian musings on atoms to the bold daring of the Manhattan project to the incomprehensible horror experienced by the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Along the way he tells the stories of families stationed at top secret bases, workers who don’t know the full details of what they’re working on, and most importantly, the victims. The result is a comprehensive and searing history of discovery and the haunting, tragic effects. Available August 5. // Library catalog link here.
Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of Civilization by Tim Queeny
From constructing the pyramids to navigating the oceans, rope has made many of humanity’s greatest achievements possible. Neanderthals made rope 50,000 years ago, and it’s still being used today in space exploration. While largely focusing on the achievements rope made possible, this microhistory doesn’t shy away from how rope has been used for darker purposes such as the gallows. With exciting looks at what rope made of new synthetic fibers might make possible, Queeny’s look at this vital tool also serves as a metaphor for how the fibers that bind humanity together make us stronger. Available August 12. // Library catalog link here.
Born in Flames: the Business of Arson the Remaking of the American City by Bench Ansfield
In the 1970s, the Bronx was burning. The fires killed as many as 300 people per year, thousands were displaced, and 20% of the borough’s housing was lost. But while the issue was most noticeable in the Bronx, it was a problem in urban areas across the country. While the fires were largely blamed on tenants, Ansfield shows that they were actually set by landlords themselves in a massive case of insurance fraud. A changing economic landscape and massive budget cuts to the New York Fire Department made burning properties more lucrative than renting them out. As a result, residents were left sleeping with their shoes on, fearful for the day it was their home that burned. This vital new look is an outstanding indictment of racist insurance policies, the hollowing of urban centers, and those who saw an opportunity to grow rich at the expense of entire communities. Available August 19. // Library catalog link here.
The Martians: The True Story of an Alien Craze that Captured Turn-of-the-Century America by David Baron
On December 9, 1906, the New York Times ran a headline, “There is Life on the Planet Mars.” At a time when airplanes became possible and explorers were racing to be the first to reach the North and South Poles, visiting other plants suddenly seemed feasible. And as world tensions were simmering and about to explode into WWI, escaping to another planet seemed like a good idea, especially when Percival Lowell (founder of the Lowell Observatory) stated he had observed canals on Mars and theorized that they had been built by a utopian society. Nikola Tesla claimed to have intercepted extraterrestrial communications, and Alexander Graham Bell thought there was no denying the planet was inhabited by intelligent beings. Meanwhile, novels, plays, and even a dance craze took inspiration from these breathtaking “discoveries.” Baron’s captivating and vivid look at the Martian craze from 1892-1916 weaves together the flawed science, the pop culture reaction, and the social and political events of the time that made us so ready to believe. Available August 26. // Library catalog link here.
Middle Grade
The Dark Times of Nimble Nottingham by Ryan James Black
Street orphan Nim spends his days scrounging around the ruins of Blitz-era London. When the creepy, but large, Gravehurst Manor is hit, he’s excited to see what he can scavenge to sell for food, but what he finds is a terrifying shadow monster that’s now been let loose on the city. Nim’s always prided himself on being a lone wolf, but now he has to band together with other street orphans to destroy the creature in this fast-paced and terrifying historical horror. Available August 26. // Library catalog link here.
Teen
Death in the Dark by Bryce Moore
In 1940s London, a serial killer is taking advantage of the city’s war-time chaos to get away with a string of gruesome murders. When she discovers the body of a new friend, Mary Churchill sets off to track down the killer (being the daughter of the prime minister tends to open a few doors.) As she tries to catch the killer before becoming his next victim, she must dodge the bombs falling every night in this gritty and chilling historical thriller. Available August 5. // Library catalog link here.
Jennie Rothschild is a collection engagement librarian for Arlington Public Library.