TIME

From Anna Marie Tendler's memoir to T.J. Newman's thriller

The Best New Books to Read in August 2024

Halfway through the year is a good time to take stock of our reading. The spare elegies of winter have left their mark; the elegant literary novels of spring have come and gone; the big juicy beach reads of summer are just beginning. Let’s pause here and take a look at what good things the year has already brought to us before we look ahead to the riches of the fall. Here are the 10 best books from the first half of 2024.

The best books of the year (so far)

Parade

From Don Winslow to Tana French (and Princess Di!), we’ve got them all.

The 29 Best Mystery, Thriller and True Crime Books of 2024…so Far

Mental_Floss

These gory yet fascinating reads delve into the weirdest chapters of medical history, from the dancing plague of 1518 to the bizarre saga of Typhoid Mary.

10 Riveting Nonfiction Books on History’s Greatest Medical Mysteries

There is news in the bestseller list category: the Publishers Weekly list has gone subscribers only…which seems strange, because what’s the appeal of being included on a bestseller list that very few people can see? Most of the New York Times content is paywalled, and they have public bestseller lists.

The Bestselling Books of the Week, According to All the Lists

This week’s list of the most read books on Goodreads has shifted dramatically from last week! Get ready for a whole new batch of titles you’ve never heard of! I’m kidding. It’s identical, except two books have swapped spots. But which two?? You’ll have to read on to find out!

The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week

Editor's note: This article was originally published on February 24, 2023. It has since been updated. Angela Davis is a 79-year-old author and symbol of the Black Power movement. As a political activist and truth seeker, Davis appeared on the February 21, 2023, episode of "Finding Your Roots" to uncover the mysteries of her family's past. Hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr., the show presented Davis with some answers to questions she'd had for decades. The first question posed to Gates' team was to find the identity of Davis' maternal grandparents, whom her mother, Sallye Bell, never knew. Though they were unable to learn her grandmother's name, the team was able to trace her father's identity: John Austin Darden, a white Alabama lawyer. When Davis saw a photo of Darden, she noted the family resemblance, "He has my mother's lips. It's so funny, I can see her in him". The team also learned that Darden had four sons and two daughters, leaving the possibility that her mother had other Black half-siblings.

Angela Davis 'can't believe' ancestral lineage after finding she's a descendant of the Mayflower pilgrim

It happens to countless book clubs: You start out with great intentions of reading brilliant weighty novels, taking on books like Barbara Kingsolver’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Demon Copperhead (560 pages) or Abraham Verghese’s epic The Covenant of Water (736 pages). They’re fantastic, but many members of your group just don’t have the time or motivation to plow through them and your discussions fizzle.

8 Short Novels Your Book Club Will Actually Read (and Love)

My favorite day of the year, I am personally celebrating by listening to the audiobook of Brad Thor’s new Scot Harvath thriller, Shadow of Doubt. I’ve already read it and written my review here, but because he is one of my all-time favorite authors ever, I always enjoy re-experiencing Thor’s books on Audible once they come out.

National Book Lovers Day: Discover These 15 Must-Read Mysteries & Thrillers

If you learned it at school, it’s natural to assume it’s true. But if you ask historians, you might be surprised to learn the stuff your teacher stated as facts in history lessons is often riddled with inaccuracies. Things we assume are real, like Columbus discovering America or...

19 History Facts Taught in School That Are Actually Wrong

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Herbie J Pilato

It's been eight years since former TV child star Sawyer Sweeten, best known from Everybody Loves Raymond, died tragically by suicide at only 19 years old. Sawyer Sweeten, his twin brother Sullivan Sweeten, and their older sister Madylin, played Ray Romano's TV children on Everybody Loves Raymond, the Emmy-winning sitcom that originally aired on CBS 1996 to 2005.

The Tragic Suicide of Former TV Child Star Sawyer Sweeten ('Everybody Loves Raymond'): 9 Years Later

Crichton's work combines thrilling plots with detailed research, making his novels feel like movies or video games. His top-rated books on Goodreads cover topics like climate change, nanobot technology, workplace dynamics, and time travel. From the groundbreaking "The Andromeda Strain" to the iconic "Jurassic Park," Crichton's work is a gem...

The 10 Best Michael Crichton Books, Ranked According to Goodreads

New Jersey State

Call me old fashioned, but I love nothing more than curling up with a good book and getting lost in the story created by someone else. This experience is only improved when the drama within the pages is actually true, and the literary adventure becomes a history lesson as well.

10 Greatest Books Based on True Stories for Your Reading List

Missouri State

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La Plata, MO

CJ Coombs

The historic Lester and Norma Dent House is at 225 N. Church Street in La Plata, Missouri (Macon County). The house, also known as the House of Gadgets, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 18, 1990.

Historic Lester and Norma Dent House in La Plata, Missouri: home of popular pulp fiction writer

Author Scott Lynch gave readers a thrilling update on his Gentleman Bastards Sequence leading up to the release of the series' fourth book, The Thorn of Emberlain. The Lies of Locke Lamora and its sequels follow Locke Lamora and his band of thieves, the Gentleman Bastards, as they pull off a series of high-stakes con jobs and often end up in more trouble than they bargained for.

Lies of Locke Lamora Book 4 (Thorn Of Emberlain) Release Gets Exciting Update From Author

Barack Obama’s 2024 summer reading list is here. On Aug. 12, the former president dropped the annual reading list on his official Instagram account. The new list includes 14 novels and non-fiction pieces of work that explore global and American history, culture, feminism, the meaning of democracy and more.

All of the books on Barack Obama’s 2024 summer reading list

Helen Phillips’s Hum, Eliza Griswold’s Circle of Hope, and Jane Alison’s Villa E all feature among the best reviewed books of the week. Brought to you by Book Marks, Lit Hub’s home for book reviews. *. 1. Hum by Helen Phillips. (Mary Sue Rucci Books) 4...

What Should You Read Next? Here Are the Best Reviewed Books of the Week

Los Angeles County, CA

[Note: The quotes and commentary that appear in this article are from an interview the author conducted with David White in 1989.]. Actor David White, who died in 1991, found great success for his best-known and likable performance as the devious advertising executive Larry Tate on the classic TV sitcom,Bewitched (ABC, 1964-1972).

'Bewitched' Actor David White Forever Mourned the Tragic Pan Am/Lockerbie Death of His Son

The title of Verble’s latest novel has multiple meanings throughout the work, ranging from the stealing up on somebody when they’re unaware to the theft of land that occurred when colonizers landed on North America to the life that the main character feels has been stolen from her.

Book Review :: Stealing by Margaret Verble

The Lit Hub Author Questionnaire is a monthly interview featuring seven questions for five authors with new books. This month we talk to:. Kristopher Jansma (Our Narrow Hiding Places) Rosie Schaap (The Slow Road North: How I Found Peace in an Improbable Country) Danzy Senna (Colored Television) Hansen Shi (The...

Lit Hub Asks: 5 Authors, 7 Questions, No Wrong Answers

NewsBreak

Sofia Samatar! Robert Louis Stevenson! Reevaluating Nat Turner! 24 new books out today!

It’s another Tuesday, and I bring tidings of new books to consider! As we weather the start of a month of some extreme weather in America—wildfires...

Sofia Samatar! Robert Louis Stevenson! Reevaluating Nat Turner! 24 new books out today!

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