The Best Book Club Books of August - The World News Network

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Erica Ezeifedi, Associate Editor, is a transplant from Nashville, TN that has settled in the North East. In addition to being a writer, she has worked as a victim advocate and in public libraries, where she has focused on creating safe spaces for queer teens, mentorship, and providing test prep instruction free to students. Outside of work, much of her free time is spent looking for her next great read and planning her next snack.

Find her on Twitter at @Erica_Eze_.

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Below are some of the best books released in August that are perfect for book clubs. There is possession in 18th-century Mexico, a cultural biography of sci-fi icon Octavia E. Butler, and the aforementioned dark academia journey to hell by R.F. Kuang.

Katabasis by R. F. Kuang

Wrapping things up with one of the biggest releases of not just the summer, but the year: Katabasis, from R. F. Kuang, the author of Yellowface, Babel, and more. A student of Magick must descend into the realms of Hell to save her professor, after an accident (that was possibly her fault) kills him. Alice needs Professor Grimes to achieve her dreams of being the most powerful magician, but her bitter rival, Peter, also has the same idea. Now they must traverse Hell together, unsure if they can trust one another, in a race to save their professor and their futures. Prediction: It’s getting hot in here, so take off with your foes… (Sorry, not sorry.) —Liberty Hardy

The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas

With plague running rampant throughout Zacatecas, Alba, her parents, and her wealthy fiancé Carlos flee to his family’s mine to escape the contagion. But when Alba begins experiencing strange and terrifying symptoms, it becomes clear that something far worse than sickness lies waiting there. Carlos’s cousin, Elías, knows that Alba’s situation is none of his affair. Yet he can’t help but notice her every time she enters the room. When her deterioration intensifies, he may be the only one able to stop the demon thirsting for her blood.

I adore the way Isabel Cañas perfectly blends gothic and historical fiction. Her first previous books, The Hacienda and Vampires of El Norte, left me breathless, and I’m sure this new one will do the same. —Rachel Brittain

Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler by Susana M. Morris

Octavia E. Butler was the first Black woman to consistently write and publish science fiction, and here, Susana M. Morris takes us through the cultural moments—from the Civil Rights Movement to women’s liberation to Reaganomics—that shaped Butler and her writing. —Erica Ezeifedi

People Like Us by Jason Mott

After 2021’s National Book Award-winning Hell of a Book, Mott’s latest is very much tied to his life, but also wildly different. It follows two Black writers who are trying to make it in a world torn apart by gun violence. Their storylines start to merge as people drink liquor out of award trophies, guns hover in the air, there are sea monster sightings, and even time travel. In this world, humor, sadness, and dreamlike experiences abound. —Erica Ezeifedi

Too Old For This by Samantha Downing

I find Samantha Downing’s books (For Your Own Good; My Lovely Wife) to have the highest level of fun when I know nothing about them prior to reading them. That’s why I selfishly almost left this off the list so I could continue being a blank slate before I get to it, but I couldn’t do that to you. Plus, my terrible memory will probably forget after I write this. Retired serial killer Lottie Jones finds her past coming for her in the form of a journalist at her doorstep who has questions about unsolved murders… —Jamie Canaves