Best books of August 2024, as chosen by the Amazon Editors
One of the funniest novels we’ve read in a while, highly anticipated releases from Abi Daré and Jodi Picoult, page-turning nonfiction, and (much!) more. Learn about these and all of the Best Books of the Month.
This is one of the most honest and hilarious books I’ve read in ages. It takes a scalpel to the expectations we place on ourselves and the pressures of being “good,” and celebrates how freeing it is to stop giving a @#$&. Phoebe shows up at the Cornwall Inn in Rhode Island with no luggage and a grand plan. But aside from Phoebe, the inn is completely booked for a wedding, and the exacting bride has accounted for all possible scenarios…except Phoebe. An elevator ride between the two strangers changes everything, and unexpectedly leads Phoebe to become one of the wedding people. What follows is a candid, resonant, and I can’t say it enough, FUNNY, story about how chance encounters can lead to the most surprising outcomes. Phenomenal writing with endearingly flawed characters, this is one of my favorite books of the year so far. I’m recommending it to everyone I know. —Abby Abell, Amazon Editor
On a dark night in Dallas, the body of an affluent white man was left for dead in a poor Black neighborhood. A man was swiftly arrested for the heinous crime, a jury spent about an hour deliberating his fate, and he was locked away for 35 years. But Ben Spencer didn’t murder Jeffrey Young, as reams of evidence proved. He was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time—and the investigation and his trial were bungled at every turn. This was by design, as NPR reporter Barbara Bradley Hagerty reveals in her gasp-inducing narrative about how the whims of chance, politics, racism, and our country’s laws make it shockingly easy to wrongly convict somebody, and nearly impossible to win their freedom. Written with the drama of a John Grisham novel, the character-building of The Wire or Charles Dickens, this David and Goliath story will provoke outrage, and action. Because, as this book proves beyond any reasonable doubt, what happened to Ben could happen to nearly anyone. —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
Fans of Anthony Doerr, Geraldine Brooks, and Abraham Verghese will fall head over heels for Elif Shafak’s extraordinary new novel, which spans centuries and continents. Following three main characters from the 1800s to present day, Shafak weaves a story rooted in the lives of Arthur “King of the Sewers and Slums,” Narin, and Zaleekah, all of which coincidentally center around ancient Mesopotamia and the rivers (and rulers) that made this mythical land what it was. There Are Rivers in the Sky has everything you could want in an epic: curious connections between characters, despite the centuries in between; the hook of hope you harbor for each, who seek to understand their identities (race, class, and origins, while struggling within their circumstance, and navigating ambition, love, or loss). As with big historical fiction, you’ll learn along the way, parsing together the clues that make the past come rushing into the present. Like the Tigris that binds these characters together, this is big, powerful, and memory-making: a favorite of the year. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
In this tense, slow-build thriller, all that’s known for sure is that nine-year-old Rose Barclay was a witness to the gruesome death of her pregnant nanny—and that her response was to fall into traumatic mutism, leaving her unable to shed any light on that night’s events. And that the bitter divorce of Rose’s parents has just ratcheted up to new levels of accusation and vitriol. Enter Stella Hudson, a Best Interest Attorney who must decide who gets custody of Rose. As she talks to all in the Barclay’s orbit, it becomes clear that the nanny may have been murdered, and that the kaleidoscope of suspects who had motive and means includes Rose. Sarah Pekkanen takes the leisurely-but-picturesque route here, short on twists and shocks, but long on characters who are hiding something, an intriguing mirror plot involving Stella herself, and a criss-crossing array of motives and agendas. If you enjoy the agony of rising suspense and second-guessing your own amateur sleuthing, this thriller delivers a chef’s kiss of shivers and secrets. —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor
When I read The Boys of Riverside, I was taken back in time to when I first saw Remember the Titans at the cinema. Thomas Fuller delivers a thought-provoking American underdog story that hits all the right beats. Where the Titans fought through racial prejudice, these football boys face a different foe—no one believes they can win for the simple fact that they're an all-deaf team. Every chapter is a fascinating look into the lives of the players, coaches, families, and Riverside community at large, diving into such topics as drug abuse, the vilification of sign language, and even the urbanization of farmland. It all plays a part in how this team comes together on the football field. A story of defeat and victory, of haves versus have-nots, and overcoming adversity, the narrative will make you want to read on, and even though you know the ending, it offers surprises and nail-biting moments along the way. One of the best books I've read all year; ultimately, it's an inspiring story that will speak to sports fans, deaf communities, allies, and more. —Ben Grange, Amazon Editor
“That which we call a rose….” Ah, Shakespeare—the man, the…myth? Jodi Picoult dares to probe a question many don’t want asked: Did Shakespeare write all of the works attributed to him, or was a woman named Emilia Bassano the true author of some of his most famous, and incidentally, most female-centric plays? Picoult has done her research, and she writes us into Shakespeare’s time with intriguing details about society and everyday life. This is Emilia Bassano’s revisionist story, intertwined with Melina Green’s—a contemporary playwright and ancestor of Bassano, who is herself struggling for traction as a woman in a man’s world. I love Picoult’s juggling act of perception and expectation, the genuine depth of her characters, and her ability to make a point without overplaying her hand. After reading By Any Other Name, I want to know more: about Emilia Bassano, about other amazing women lost to history, about inequality in the arts today. This remarkable novel is an awakening, an entertainment, and a story I want to share. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
Abi Daré’s debut, The Girl with the Louding Voice, was one of the Amazon Editors’ picks for the Best Books of 2020. We couldn’t help but be endeared to Adunni, a 14-year-old Nigerian girl who is sold into servitude, but whose pluck and ferocious optimism doesn’t dampen her dream of one day getting an education. And So I Roar picks up right where that story leaves off: Thanks to a sympathetic mother-figure named Tia, that dream is within reach, but it is deferred yet again when Adunni is accused of a shocking crime, and she is determined to return to her home village and clear her name. Daré packs a lot into this novel, which can be read as a standalone: Tia endeavors to save Adunni, but her efforts are stymied by the hold the village’s superstitious and misogynistic leadership has over its women, who are subjugated and blamed for everything from not bending to their nefarious whims, to causing drought conditions. And then there’s the question of why Tia is so devoted to the task…It’s ultimately up to Adunni, and a coterie of fearless young women who thankfully inject some levity into this otherwise stressful but riveting narrative, to use their “louding voices” and save themselves. This is a novel that will make readers’ hearts roar. —Erin Kodicek, Amazon Editor
Veteran journalist Anupreeta Das excels in offering an expansive view of not just Bill Gates, but of America's obsession of tech geniuses: how we deify them, how we vilify them (when convenient), how they work under illustrious, altruistic guises to “make the world a better place," and how dominant a force they are in our lives, our politics, and the shape of the world. While this isn't a minute-by-minute account of Gates' life, this excellently positions him within our broader cultural landscape. From comparisons to Andrew Carnegie and U.S. Steel to more contemporary leaders like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Das entertainingly peels back the curtain on how Gates (and others) take on an almost mythic status, which is often painstakingly refined by philanthropy. As the title suggests, Das paints Gates in the myriad roles he's played, and doesn't shy away from the complicated—his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, alleged infidelities, his explosive anger. Satisfying, immersive, and page-turning—Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King wrestles with Gates’ place in contemporary society and history, and is filled with juicy observations that are impossible not to repeat to those around you. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
There’s nothing like a good antihero memoir—and Tanya Smith’s confessional is exactly that. Do you root for her to dodge the law, or do you hope justice is served? Is there something admirable about a teen who, desperate to meet Michael Jackson, dials up his grandfather in an attempt to get MJ on the line—or is that a psychopath in the making? I’ll say this: Never Saw Me Coming is a wild adventure of a ride. Conning businesses and banks by phone, Smith, by the age of 16, had begun to void people’s overdue mortgages and had already voided people’s utility bills more than 300 times. Working under the guise of a sort of adolescent Robin Hood, Smith’s career “doing transactions” only blossomed from there, and she ultimately swindled millions from the federal banking system which eventually landed her in prison. Smith writes directly and simply, which makes for easy reading and increases the “holy cows” that you’re likely to utter while watching her refine her trade, operating in the shadows of technology and exploiting the bureaucracy of companies. Radiating Catch Me If You Can vibes, Never Saw Me Coming is juicy and just plain fun reading. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
Bret Anthony Johnston’s latest is an emotionally resonant and thrilling read that gives off the vibes of Emma Cline’s The Girls, and Chris Whitaker’s We Begin at the End and All the Colors of the Dark. It’s an utter page-turner that will make your stomach dip and roll with anticipation and fear for what happens to two young kids in 1993, who are inextricably linked to a cult leader who stockpiles weapons. Fourteen-year-old Roy is the son of the local sheriff—he’s a sweet boy, recently broken-hearted (in a way kids can be), and spends his time doing ride-alongs with his dad, which increasingly centers on the Waco compound of the Lamb. Predicting the end of the world, Waco’s modern-day prophet has attracted countless souls, including Jaye’s mother, who has left her husband and life in California for the hope of romance with him—but he’s far more violent than he lets on. The novel alternates between Roy and Jaye’s perspectives, which is then spliced by transcripts from a 2024 podcast that chillingly reveals the Lamb’s explosive history. Based on true events, Johnston brilliantly captures the frightening and elusive allure of cult leaders, unspeakable violence, and the inexorable pull of love—no matter the age. A lightning bolt of a read that, once you finish, you’ll want to begin again to understand just how seamlessly Johnston links all the pieces together. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
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