10 Best Books of July 2021 | Must Read Recommendation from July 2021

Here’s our 10 best books of July 2021. Books in this list are our must read recommendation from July 2021. We hope you find one that you want to pick up, because each is a masterpiece of literary craft in its own, special way.

The Comfort of Monsters by Willa Richards

This thriller novel tells the story of the disappearance of a teenager, with no evidence or body left behind as a hint. Thirty years later, her sisters promise their mother who is now on her deathbed, that they will solve the mystery. Involving psychics, cannibals and a fractured family, this debut took our breath away with its mastery and grip.

A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam

This book follows a Sri Lankan man, Krishnan as he journeys from Colombo to the North of the country after learning that his grandmother’s caretaker has died. In the process, he travels through the heartland of his country, confronting isolation, heartbreak, attraction and more.

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin

This book, full of wry humour and dark social satire, is the story of an atheist lesbian woman who gets the job of a church receptionist. As she learns about a dead ancestor, she becomes involved in the story of his life and death, and what ensues is a story that challenges her beliefs in every way possible.

Intimacies by Katie Kitamura

This novel follows an interpreter and translator for the International Court of Justice, tasked with translating for a an ex-president charged with war crimes. Meanwhile, the protagonist also deals with personal issues. She has love life issues with her lover being stuck in a loveless yet time consuming marriage. Her friend Jana witnesses a horrific crime which pulls the protagonist in as she befriends the victim’s sister. Amidst all this, she persists in her singular search of the truth of it all.

Appleseed by Matt Bell

Set in three contrasting timelines in Ohio, this science fiction is an ambitious work of ecological, familial and civic themes. The first timeline follows the story of two brothers who plant apple orchards in the 18^th century for the future. The second follows civilization fifty years from now, ravaged by climate change and ecological destruction. The third is a thousand years from now, where the ice ages have returned, civilization has been wiped out and only one sentient being remains. This being sets out on a task to reignite the last vestiges of civilization.

Goldenrod by Maggie Smith

This is a collection of Maggie Smith’s beautiful, indelible poetry, exploring themes such as love, memory, parenthood and isolation. Full of nuggets of humour  and everyday life like a phone’s faulty autocorrection, Maggie transforms the simplest things into a bouquet of beauty.

Seek You by Kristen Radtke

This book is a profound meditation on a collective American crisis – loneliness – which has assumed all the more importance during the pandemic. Drawing on experiments by Harry Harlow and examining her subject from the lenses of art, social media, gender and violence, Radtke crafts a masterpiece of emotional scrutiny. This graphic novel includes illustrations that make it all the more intimate and real – making the book a must have on your shelf.

Dear Miss Metropolitan by Carolyn Ferrell

This novel is the story of three abducted women kept hidden in a Queens house. Across the street lives ‘Miss Metropolitan’, a newspaper columnist who gives advice to people all over the town. However, even this nosy journalist never gets any hunch of the horror story unfolding so close to her. Years later, only two of the three victims are freed. The two girls, while trying to adapt to a new life and deal with their trauma, also attempt to decipher these two mysteries plaguing their conscience.

Ghost Forest by Pik-Shuen Fung

This sleek novel is a burst of wisdom that bridges the gap between the East and the West. It follows the story of a family, where the father has just passed away. The family refuses to confront the elephant in the room. The family silences its grief, muffles its pain and refuses to seek solace in companionship. As the family migrates from Hong Kong to Canada, the narrator reminisces about her father, and turns to her mother and grandmother for answers.

Embassy Wife by Katie Crouch

This witty, engaging novel tells the twin stories of two women. The first is Persephone, the wife of a diplomat and a brilliant woman in her own right. Persephone suspects that her husband is a secret CIA agent. She sparks up a friendship with the second woman mentioned above, Amanda who is going through a tumultuous patch in her marriage. As the two women navigate their lives as embassy wives, the novel takes shape and pulls you in.

Also Read: Best Audiobooks of July 2021 That You Should Listen