11 Book Releases We're Excited About This Month

And What You Can Read in the Meantime

Reading Ahead

No matter how many books we may already have on our TBR shelves, we still can’t resist browsing (and buying!) all the exciting new reads. Here are eleven volumes that we can’t wait to get our hands on, plus a previously published book with a similar vibe you can get right away.

July 6

The Paper Palace by Miranda Crowley Heller

It is a perfect July morning, and Elle, a fifty-year-old happily married mother of three, awakens at the summer home she has visited every year of her life. But this morning is different. In the course of a single day, she must make a life-changing decision.

What to read first: Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby

Ike and Buddy Lee are two men with little else in common other than a criminal past and a love for their murdered sons. To do better for their boys in death than they did in life means facing their own prejudices. This is a story of bloody retribution and the chance for redemption.

What to read first: Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Cosby

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

Forbidden magic runs through Princess Shiori's veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, she loses control. This YA fantasy features a princess in exile, a shapeshifting dragon, six enchanted cranes, and an unspeakable curse.

What to read first: The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

Island Queen by Vanessa Riley

Born into slavery on the tiny Caribbean island of Monserrat, Doll bought her freedom, along with that of her mother and sister, and built a legacy of wealth and power. This sweeping historical novel is based on the incredible true life story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas.

What to read first: The Book of Night Women by Marlon James

Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith

Two young women go missing decades apart. Both are fearless, both are lost. And both will have their revenge. Spanning more than fifty years of Vietnamese history, this is a time-traveling, heart-pounding, border-crossing fever dream of a novel.

What to read first: A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

July 13

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

In horror movies, the final girl is the one who's left standing when the credits roll. The one who fought back, defeated the killer, and avenged her friends. She emerges bloodied but victorious. But after the audience moves on, what happens to her?

What to read first: The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Ghost Forest by Pik-Shuen Fung

How do you grieve, if your family doesn't talk about feelings? This is the question our unnamed protagonist considers after her father dies. Buoyant, heartbreaking, and unexpectedly funny, this slim novel envelops the reader in joy and sorrow, painting a moving portrait of a Chinese-Canadian family.

What to read first: Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

Magma by Thóra Hjörleifsdóttir

This debut novel from an acclaimed Icelandic poet sheds light on the undercurrents of violence that often go undetected in many relationships. Lilja is in love. But after moving in with her beautiful, intelligent boyfriend, his subtle, pervasive abuses emerge.

What to read first: Shadow Tag by Louise Erdrich

China Room by Sunjeev Sahota

This sweeping family saga, partly inspired by the author's own lineage, explores dual storylines, set generations apart. A teenage bride in 1920s India yearns to discover her new husband's shadowy identity. Several decades later, her great-grandson struggles to know his own.

What to read first: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

July 20

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness. This is a bold, queer, and lyrical reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty from a new voice in fantasy.

What to read first: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Intimacies by Katie Kitamura

An interpreter has come to The Hague to escape New York. A woman of many languages and identities, she is looking for a place to call home, but she becomes entangled in several simmering personal dramas. This haunting literary novel reads like a psychological thriller.

What to read first: A Separation by Katie Kitamura

Hopefully there's something here that catches your eye! Let us know which new books you're most excited about this month. And be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily book recommendations, literary tidbits, and more.

Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon