Endings and Beginnings: 47 Reads for August

We’ve finally had some cooler days here in Nashville, but the publishing world is just starting to heat up! Whether you’re hanging on to summer days at the beach or feeling ready for a cozy autumn, we have a pick for you. Dive into a fantastic end-of-summer read, handpicked by our booksellers.

FICTIONRecommended by Jake An Oral History of Atlantis: StoriesEd Park

Pulitzer Prize-finalist Ed Park’s An Oral History of Atlantis is an incredibly sharp short story collection. Concerning everything from the transcript of a B-movie commentary to a man’s life flashing before his eyes via his forgotten passwords, this book is remarkably idiosyncratic from one story to the next, yet overwhelmingly consistent in quality. Simply put, this is the best short story collection of the year.

Recommended by Sydney Dwelling: A NovelEmily Hunt Kivel

Dwelling is a bizarre fairytale with witty social commentary. Evie, a renter in New York City, is evicted and in the face of a rough housing crisis, moves to Texas—and winds up living in a shoe-shaped home. This story is whimsical and charming against the backdrop of a bleak, realistic setting.

Recommended by Aly First Time, Long TimeAmy Silverberg

A darkly humorous look into the inadvisable relationship between an aspiring writer and her dad’s favorite radio host. We all process grief differently, and I did so by devouring this in one sitting like a bag of potato chips while laughing on a plane. The vibes are toxic and immaculate.

Recommended by Jenness CulpabilityBruce Holsinger

I loved Holsinger’s Displacements and this novel is even better: part domestic drama, part technological thriller, part philosophical treatise. A month after a fatal car crash, the Cassidy-Shaw family is still wracked with grief, guilt, and questions. The autonomous car was driving, but did everyone play a part? A tautly-woven, briskly-paced beach read with a side of ethics. So good!

Recommended by Rae Ann The French KitchenKristy Cambron

When a former American spy searches for her brother who went missing during the war, she may find a link to the answers she needs in a cooking class with Julia Child. This dual-timeline novel takes readers from occupied France during World War II to post-war Paris in a story of secrets, betrayal, and second chances.

Recommended by RJ Automatic NoodleAnnalee Newitz

This novella features a group of robots trying to start their own restaurant in post-war world where their legal rights to freedom and personhood are dubious at best. It’s a story in which the non-human perspectives of the various robots provide interesting insights into things like community, self-actualization, memory, and food. Full of both charm and substance.

Recommended by Jennifer The Nightshade GodHannah Whitten

In the final installment of this unconquerable trilogy, Whitten explores what it means to be immortal. I am personally still reeling from how profound this book is. This series has been solidified as the perfect choice for any reader who is looking for a fantasy series with airtight worldbuilding, deep ramifications for our world, and a love that can withstand even the greed of gods.

Recommended by Ashby The Phoenix Pencil Company: A NovelAllison King

Imagine knowing every word a pencil writes. The women in Monica’s family can, causing joy or pain. Moving between present U.S. and WWII Shanghai, the novel recounts the story of Yun, Monica’s grandmother. As Yun loses her memory, she shares stories of Meng, the cousin left behind. Monica wants to reunite them, to provide closure. The novel is about honoring memory and understanding the emotional scars we carry.

Recommended by Treva Before DorothyHazel Gaynor

Lions, tigers, bears, wizards, and tornadoes…We have all grown up with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but what happened before that? How did Dorothy come to be with her Auntie Em? This novel tells Auntie Em’s story of life on the prairie before Dorothy came to Kansas. A charming novel with special appearances from so many of the characters we love.

Recommended by Marcia Wayward Girls: A NovelSusan Wiggs

It’s hard to believe that what happened to these girls was a mere 50 years ago. A gut wrenching story of the secrets at a Catholic reform school for wayward girls during the Vietnam years.

Recommended by Katie August LaneRegina Black

A Black country star, who lied about writing his only hit, returns home to reckon with his childhood love and the woman whose work he stole. Luke Randall was in the doghouse from page one of this book. (#TeamAugust) But Regina Black is such an immense talent that soon enough you’ll be rooting for the second chance that Luke and August deserve. This book will break your heart and then quietly stitch it back together

Recommended by Ashby Last Stop Union Station: A NovelSarah James

1942. Jacqueline Love. Successful actress whose career is going nowhere. What’s left? Her agent offers her a spot on the Hollywood Victory Caravan, a train of stars fundraising for troops. When an actor dies, Jacqueline doesn’t believe he drank himself to death and teams up with Grace, a Chicago detective. The two discover a connection to Nazi sympathizers. What’s more important? Country? Career?

Recommended by Jenness The Frozen People: A MysteryElly Griffiths

Elly Griffiths adds a new level to her reliably intriguing detective novels – time travel! How else will a cold case unit unearth the truth about a murder in 1850s London? I love these characters – especially flawed, eccentric Ali – and their teamwork to solve long-forgotten crimes of the past, and I’m excited for this new series!

Recommended by Paige Until AlisonKate Russo

A college student working on her school’s newspaper is forced to face hard truths about herself when a classmate is murdered–a classmate she’s known but denied knowing for years. The investigation she undertakes is less about a journalist uncovering who committed the crime and more about discovering how a decision from her youth had ripple effects all the way to the pond where her former friend is found dead.

Recommended by Katie A Witch’s Guide to Magical InnkeepingSangu Mandanna

Sangu Mandanna might actually be a witch herself. How else can readers account for the spell she casts on us in her latest book? This long awaited and much anticipated follow-up is charming and fun. With dazzling romantic leads and a delightful cast of side characters, WGMI was well worth the wait.

Also loved by Chelsea!

Recommended by Chloe The Woman in Suite 11: A NovelRuth Ware

Reenter Ruth Ware’s thrilling whodunit world of mystery with this “unputdownable” sequel to The Woman in Cabin 10. Grab a snack and a cozy blanket and get ready to be completely absorbed into The Woman in Suite 11.

Also loved by Ashby and Jenness!

Recommended by Cheryl The Goldens: A NovelLauren Wilson

This debut thriller is about an influencer who forms her own elegant cult. The women have strict rules and basically have to live in a beautiful clothes, have outrageous parties and are photographed as the luckiest women on social media. Try disagreeing with the leader or leaving the group…

Recommended by RJ Mayra: A NovelNicky Gonzalez

Mayra is an atmospheric modern gothic in which a woman is called to a remote house in the Everglades by Mayra, her estranged childhood best friend. The narrator spends her days in the house reminiscing over complicated her past with Mayra, with all its intertwined love and cruelty. Meanwhile the house and its caretaker seem to become stranger and more sinister as her vacation stretches on.

Recommended by Rae Ann The Blonde Who Came In from the ColdAlly Carter

After ten years of covers, secrets, and falling in and out of love, two rival spies must team up to stay alive in this funny second chance rom-com.

Also loved by Ashby!

Recommended by Katie These Summer Storms: A NovelSarah MacLean

These Summer Storms is HistRom Queen Sarah Maclean’s first foray into contemporary fiction and DAMN this book is SO good. A wealthy New England family returns to the ancestral home for the “celebration” (ahem, funeral) of their complicated patriarch. Sharp and sexy, TSS will have you turning pages at the pool so quickly and wondering if you have time for just one more chapter.

Recommended by Cheryl Under the Stars: A NovelBeatriz Williams

Stories of two women from different time periods who unite to solve the mystery of escape and lost art on a New England island.

Recommended by Rae Ann Pugs and KissesFarrah Rochon

Two veterinarians reconnect to save the animal shelter where they volunteered as students. As they spend time together on their shared goal, romantic feelings resurface, but complicated family dynamics may get in the way. A fun New Orleans setting and plenty of pups make this a delightful romance.

Recommended by Ashby The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your EnemyBrigitte Knightley

I have read plenty enemies-to-lovers but this was my first romantasy. Osric is an assassin and Aurienne is a healer. Having fallen ill, Osric needs a healer and bribes Aurienne with money. Aurienne needs money to provide immunizations for an outbreak of pox affecting children. As she tries to heal him, the two work to figure out the cause of the pox. I am anxious for the second book in this duology.

Recommended by RJ Godzilla’s Monsterpiece TheatreTom Scioli

Come for Tom Scioli’s amazing artwork, stay for Jay Gatsby fighting Godzilla.

Recommended by Kim The Payback: A NovelKashana Cauley

A must-read for fans of Set It Off. Three Black women meet working at the mall and realize they’re being targeted by a new branch of law enforcement called the Debt Police, who track down people who default on their student loans. The women join forces to free themselves from debt. A book about student loan debt police? In this economy? Yes, because we need to believe we have power, even if it’s through satire.

Recommended by Rae Ann The Unraveling of JuliaLisa Scottoline

Julia has a premonition that something terrible will happen just before her husband’s murder. An unexpected inheritance takes her to Italy, where danger may be closer than she thinks and she may need to rely upon her intuition to save herself in this gothic thriller.

Recommended by Katie How to Sell a RomanceAlexa Martin

HOAs, MLMs – Alexa Martin is gonna take the most unlikable parts of suburban culture and spin a love story so hot you’ll be clambering for whatever she does next. How to Sell a Romance is funny, sexy and full of shenanigans.

Recommended by Tara One Golden SummerCarley Fortune

One Golden Summer is a book meant to be devoured in one sitting in a sunny locale of your choice. This is for anyone looking for a beach read that will tug at their heart strings.

Recommended by Cheryl Hollow Spaces: A NovelVictor Suthammanont

An Asian American lawyer is tried for the murder of a woman with whom he had an office affair. He is acquitted but it destroys his family and career. His two estranged children decide 30 years later to team up to find out if he did it, because he never said, and they had differing views. Tense. This debut novel would appeal to fans of Scott Turow.

NONFICTION & POETRYRecommended by Cat A Flower Traveled in My Blood: The Incredible True Story of the Grandmothers Who Fought to Find a Stolen Generation of ChildrenHaley Cohen Gilliland

For anyone who loves lesser-known (in the US, at least) stories of triumph over injustice or was captured by the propulsive narrative of Killers of the Flower Moon– this is for you. During the military junta in 1970s Argentina, thousands of citizens were disappeared, some of them pregnant. For the mothers of those women, this began a quest to learn what happened to their children and find their stolen grandchildren.

Recommended by Kathy The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family MemoirGriffin Dunne

This is the best kind of non-fiction/memoir – funny, shocking, touching, dishy. What really went on in the Dunne family as Griffin and his brother grew up in Hollywood and NYC with their famous father Dominick, his uncle John Gregory Dunne, his aunt Joan Didion. I’m not usually a non-fiction reader, but loved this book.

Recommended by Mac CraneTessa Bolsover

A lyrical exploration of passageways and connection through the perspective of the little known classical goddess, Crane, as well as a new twist on an old favorite, Echo.

Recommended by Andy The Mission: The CIA in the 21st CenturyTim Weiner

Pulitzer Prize winner Tim Weiner chronicles the C.I.A. since 9/11. A follow-up to his National Book Award winner Legacy of Ashes, Weiner interviews many of the undercover operatives who typically never speak to journalists. The Mission outlines the challenges that the Agency faced over the last 25 years as well as the challenges that lie ahead.

Recommended by Kim I Want to Burn This Place Down: EssaysMaris Kreizman

To quote a review by Lyz Lenz, this book is for “A whole generation of Paris Gellers crashing out.” Xennials were promised endless opportunities if we went to college and worked hard. So we did, and then a lot of us grew up and, radicalized by the world we ended up in, turned further left, going against who we were told we would be, and should be. I saw myself so much in these essays, and I suspect you might, too.

Recommended by Natalie Disney Adults: Exploring (And Falling In Love With) A Magical SubcultureAJ Wolfe

Written by the creator of The Disney Food Blog, this deep dive explores the infamous subculture of Disney Adults. A must have for any self-proclaimed Mickey enthusiast, this book will also fascinate those interested in fandoms, pop culture phenomena, and our inherent need as humans to find belonging.

Recommended by Rachel Brute: PoemsEmily Skaja

My favorite poetry collection of all time. If you are angry, if you are hurting, if you feel like a feral beast pretending at being human, this one is for you.

Recommended by Andy Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural ResourceSam Bloch

Every year heat takes more lives than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined. Shade examines the key role it plays not only in protecting human health and enhancing urban life, but also looks toward the ways that innovative architects, city leaders, and climate entrepreneurs are looking to revive it to protect vulnerable people. Ambitious and far-reaching, Shade helps us see an important subject in a new light.

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by Genevieve Margo’s Got Money Troubles: A NovelRufi Thorpe

When Margo gets pregnant by her community college English professor, she has to get creative with her finances. This will be the funniest book you read all year, complete with Margo’s ex-wrestling announcer dad, her lululemon-obsessed mom, and her cosplaying roommate.

Also loved by RJ!

Recommended by Rae Ann The Glassmaker: A NovelTracy Chevalier

Italy, 1486. The glassmaking industry is ruled by men. One woman forbidden from the family’s trade learns to shape glass in secret, ultimately saving her family from financial and emotional ruin. This mesmerizing novel magically takes readers from Renaissance-era Italy to the present day.

Recommended by Naomi SunburnChloe Michelle Howarth

This book left me genuinely devastated for days. Howarth perfectly captures the experiences of all-consuming first love and growing up queer in a small town. A must-read for fans of Sally Rooney and lesbians alike!

Recommended by Mac Humanly Possible: Seven Hundred Years of Humanist Freethinking, Inquiry, and HopeSarah Bakewell

Following 700 years of European humanism, Sarah Bakewell repeatedly demonstrates creative determination of freethinkers to center the importance of humanity in the face of dehumanizing forces. An essential read for anyone looking for a precedent to human creativity surviving beyond systems of oppression.

Recommended by Michelle In the Time of the ButterfliesJulia Alvarez

In 1960’s Dominican Republic, everyone knows the Butterflies. But before they were the Butterflies, they were the Mirabal sisters. We follow Patria, Dede, Minerva, and Maria Teresa through decades, where they go from school girls to leaders against the dictator, Trujillo. A moving story about humanity, family, courage and the cost of oppression. Based on a true story.

Recommended by Michelle En el tiempo de las mariposasJulia Alvarez

En República Dominicana, en los años 60, todos conocen a las Mariposas. Pero antes de ser las Mariposas, eran las hermanas Mirabal. A través de décadas, seguimos a Patria, Dedé, Minerva y María Teresa desde adolescentes a líderes en la revolución en contra del dictador Trujillo. Es una historia conmovedora sobre la humanidad, la familia, la valentía y el costo de la opresión. Basada en una historia real.

Recommended by Ester A River Enchanted: A NovelRebecca Ross

If you’re looking for a softer fantasy read, you’ve come to the right place. This book is something to really stew in– it’s atmospheric and gentle and a little eerie sometimes. It’s a cozy read but still has stakes. The characters are strong and kind and feel like true friends. I just loved this.

Recommended by Rachel When We Cease to Understand the WorldBenjamin Labatut

A fictionalized look at many famous scientists and how their discoveries helped and hurt the world. I think this book is SO important in our current cultural climate.

First Editions Club: August Selection People Like Us: A NovelJason Mott

I’ve spent much of this year not really understanding what’s going on. But not knowing how things are made or how problems will be resolved in the end doesn’t mean we stop going about our everyday lives. Somehow, a lot of the fiction I’ve loved in 2025 has reflected this feeling. Think about Katie Kitamura’s Audition or Maria Reva’s Endling, books that swerve and double back, books that have kept me utterly engaged without giving me all the answers, books that are teaching me that maybe not having all the answers is the place we live now.

To this list, add Jason Mott’s utterly original People Like Us, a book about a writer who’s just won the National Book Award. Jason Mott won the National Book Award for his last novel, Hell of a Book, and if that part is true, it makes me wonder what other parts might be true. Was someone trying to kill him? Did he go to Europe at a billionaire’s behest? Fact and fiction are knotted together, as are the past and the present when one of the characters starts to time travel in order to see his daughter again. Storylines and timelines abound, united by the omnipresent American gun. Every moment I was reading this book I was engaged, marveling, even when I wasn’t completely sure what was real. In that way I had a sense of solidarity with Soot, for whom reality isn’t always real.

People Like Us is a wild book for wild times. It’s a story of uncertainty, which means it speaks to this present moment. Did I follow everything that happened? Probably not. Did I love it all the way through? I absolutely did.

Enjoy.

Ann Patchett

More about our First Editions Club: Every member receives a first edition of the selected book of the month, signed by the author. Books are carefully chosen by our staff of readers, and our picks have gone on to earn major recognition including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Plus, there’s no membership fee or premium charge for these books. Build a treasured library of signed first editions and always have something great to read! Makes a FABULOUS gift, too.Love, Parnassus: August Selection A Tale of Mirth & MagicKristen Vale

Elikki may not have a family, but she has her fierce independence, boundless charm, and enough talent as a jewelry artisan to make a living on the road. Unfortunately for some, she also can’t yet manage to control her chaotic magic. . . and her temper. Sweet, soft Barra lives a quiet life with his mas and three sisters, managing the books for his family’s business. All he wants is to blend in and not make waves—a bit tricky, as a nearly eight-foot-tall purple half-giant.

When Elikki lands in hot water after dealing with a particularly rude customer, Barra finds himself helping her flee the constables. With a bounty on her back—and a severe crush forming on his end—they decide to travel together to the next town. So begins a journey filled with cozy inns, delicious meals, heaps of excellent sex, and a sprinkling of danger.  As their adventures bring them closer together and the threat of capture rises they find themselves changing in surprising ways. He’s given up on finding love. She’s always refused to try. But traveling together, they may discover unexpected, powerful romance and stronger self-identities—if the bounty hunters don’t get them first.

The Love, Parnassus box is a monthly subscription box for romance readers curated by the experts at Parnassus Books. Each month you will receive a first edition book (which is sometimes signed), a letter from the author, a custom sticker, and a bookmark to track your reading. The Love, Parnassus selection will focus on debut and new-to-you romance authors. Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite romance reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.