S. Zainab would like to think she bleeds ink but the very idea makes her feel faint. She writes fantasy and horror, and is currently clutching a manuscript while groping in the dark. Find her on Twitter: @szainabwilliams.
Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
A Bunch of Must-Read August Releases Lists
August means even more summer new releases and, my oh my, do we have an abundance of recommendations. I thought I’d save you some time and pull together a bunch of lists, published by some big names in books and media, that round up some of the month’s best new releases. I can tell you that Moderation by Elaine Castillo is the big repeat across lists, and I’m excited about Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. Get your fill of August books with these highlights:
Prepub Alert: The Complete List | August 2025 Titles [Library Journal]
And here are a few of ours to boot!
August Horror Books to Keep the Scares Going for the Rest of Summer
9 of the Best New Nonfiction Books Out in August 2025
18 New August Romances for Romance Awareness Month
10 New Mystery & Thrillers for August 2025
8 Amazing New Children’s Releases to Read in August
What’s New and Trending in BookTok
If you pay attention to what’s happening in the land of bookish socials, you’ll want to read this update on new BookTok trends from Romancing the Phone. I’m always curious but also loathe to scroll endlessly through whatever the algo throws my way, so I appreciate these lists that do the work for me. While these are primarily related to romance, as you’ll have gleaned from the Substack’s name, these trends are versatile and familiar. Under the radar recommendations? They’ve been sought after since the dawn of human civilization. Selling lifestyle gear adjacent to book culture? Witness the countless book nooks sporting the same IKEA Strandmon wing chair. It’s always interesting to see how the old is spun new again.
What Would Your Lifelong Reading List Say About You?
Dan Pelzer’s lifelong reading list has been put on blast. Who’s Dan Pelzer and what’s this reading list, you ask? Pelzer was a man who did nothing more or less than live, and his reading list is a 3,599-title long account of everything he read over the course of 60 years. In the age of distraction and digitized everything, what I believe has captured the attention of people enough to make this list go viral is the fact that he kept such a meticulous handwritten account. We are also, simply put, a nosy group. While themes of Western civilization and religious histories certainly dominate the list, it’s the surprises that make the perusal fun. This story made me want to go all Luddite and transcribe my scattered, disorganized, and incomplete digital reading lists into a journal. You can read about the digitization here and browse the What Dan Read list here.
Kamala Harris’s New Memoir—Plus The Best BIPOC Books Out This Week
ICYMI, Kamala Harris isn’t running for office, but she is writing a memoir. You can find this and more BIPOC book news, including the trailer for a fun-looking workplace comedy set in an indie comic shop, here.
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