14 Most Anticipated Books of August 2021

As we begin the second month of the second half of 2021, we have quite the list of books to choose from. From old favourites to promising debutants, the book community is buzzing with wonderful authors telling impactful stories. Here. We’ve selected 14 Most Anticipated Books of August 2021. You should really check out the books in this list when they come out.

Billy Summers by Stephen King

The horror book scene is gearing for the release of horror “Stephen” King’s (get the pun?) latest book. This one follows a sniper named Billy who kills only really, really bad guys. He’s a master of his trade, and an expert at vanishing after the murder. But everything suddenly decides to go downhill for the man.

The Turnout by Megan Abbott

Bestselling author of over ten books, Abbott has crafted a brilliant thriller novel, exploring the lives of dancer sisters Dara and Marie Durant. The sisters have acquired a fine harmony of dance at their dance school, but an accident threatens to destroy the peace.

Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson

Set in 1977, this literary cum historical fiction looks at the life of the Californian Gunderson family. The family earns its livelihood by chopping trees, for a chopping company. But Colleen, the wife, has endured several miscarriages and suspects the logger company’s herbicides are to blame. This seems like a tender, suspenseful story that will steal our hearts.

As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson

This is the new book in the “Good Girl’s Guide to A Murder” series, where investigator Pip is facing trauma from her previous investigation. Just before leaving for Cambridge, a new mystery involving online threats and a stalker lands up on her doorstep, and this time it is she who is involved.

Holdout by Jeffrey Kluger

This science fiction novel follows an astronaut, Walli, who is great at her job and has spent years in space. So she refuses to evacuate the International Space Station when the other astronauts do, due to an emergency. Now she must save the world, and her love, in a race against time.

Savage Tongues by Azareen Van Der Vliet Oloomi

This book traverses two timelines. In the first, Iranian American teen Arezu goes to Spain to confront her estranged father and ends up falling for his step nephew, the forty year old Lebanese Omar. In the other, she returns to America with her Israeli American Friend Ellie and attempts to tackle the ghosts of her tumultuous past. This story is about passionate love, and an intersection of diverse cultures.

Velvet Was The Night by Silvia Moreno Garcia

The renowned author of Mexican Gothic has come out with her second book, set in Mexico of the 1970s. It follows Maite as she tries to uncover the mysterious disappearance of her elegant, charming neighbour, Leonora In the process, she meets the criminal Ellis who is also looking for Leonora, and becomes attracted to Maite.

Immediate Family by Ashley Nelson Levy

This debut novel is told in the form of a toast at a brother’s wedding. The sister has become estranged from her brother, but when she starts giving a toast, she mulls over the life they have lived together. What emerges is a tender reminiscence of a brother sister bond, deviating into meditations on abortion, rural life, race, infertility, childhood and more.

The President and the Frog by Carolina de Robertis

This book follows a former president of an unnamed Latin American country in discussion with a journalist. He delves into the threats to democracy, his image, and most of all his imprisonment due to his crime of inciting a revolution. He articulates the nature of solitary confinement, and what got him through – among other things, a frog who responded.

The Endless Skies by Shannon Price

This YA fantasy takes place in a city inhabited by lion shapeshifters with wings – the Leonodai and protected from humans by elite warriors. The protagonist is Rowan, who has been training to become a Leonodai, but is sent into enemy territory instead to find a cure for a mysterious disease that has been killing children.

The Women of Troy by Pat Barker

This mythological fiction novel delves into the lives of the women of Troy, post the war that destroyed it. At the centre is Briseis, living in the Greek encampment, forging unlikely alliances and battling her new life with extraordinary resilience.

A Lesson In Vengeance by Victoria Lee

This is a dark academia, fantasy thriller that is set in a boarding school that used to be a nexus of witchcraft in the past. We follow to girls, Felicity and Ellis, who are dangerously close to unearthing the school’s deep, dark secrets.

Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

This novel has a very interesting and novel structure – it is told entirely in the form of Slack messages between employees. This messages reveal eccentric, intriguing and deeply secret stuff about the employees.

Image Control by Patrick Nathan

The only non fiction on our list explores the theme of fascism as propagated through images and pictures. From Instagram posts to memes that circulate on the internet may seem like regular, commonplace things now. But the truth is that they have deeper impacts, political and psychological, on our minds. This book looks at how media, and hence those who control it, shape our lives and how ethics fits into this picture.

Also Read: 10 Best Books of July 2021