The weather is hotter than ever and the books just keep on getting better. August is here and the heat is sweltering. What better time to sit inside by the air conditioner and read some good books?
There are plenty of books this month that I am looking forward to this month, especially in the horror genre. Books like Chasing the Boogeyman, My Heart Is A Chainsaw, and The Woods Are Always Watching grab my attention by title alone. While Dagger Hill looks to be just the Stranger Things-esque book that I love to sink my teeth into.
This is also a great month for mystery. On the cozy side we have a new series from Carol J. Perry debuting with Be My Ghost. There is also the latest in the Meg Lanslow Mystery series as well as a new entry in the Cajun Country Mysteries series by Ellen Byron. For something a little more on the edgy side, we have new Pendergast novel as well as a thriller from the great Stephen King.
Love is in the air this month as well with The One Month Boyfriend by Roxie Noir looking like a great time. The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn really caught my eye as well. You know I love a good Scotsman!
Just a ton of great books this month. Let’s get into my list of the best upcoming books for August 2021.
Best Upcoming Cozy Mystery Books: August 2021
Be My Ghost by Carol J. Perry: This will be the first in the Haunted Haven book series by Carol J. Perry. The book sees a woman named Maureen who is about to reach her breaking point when she receives a mysterious inheritance of an inn in Haven, Florida. It is a quaint and scenic town where she hopes to make a fresh start. What she doesn’t expect is a dead body on her property and an inn full of ghosts who help her to solve the mystery.
Murder Most Fowl by Donna Andrews: The Meg Lanslow Mystery series continues this month with the 29th entry in the series. This latest entry has a Shakespearean twist as a group of medieval reenactors are commemorating the real-life Macbeth by setting up an authentic medieval Scottish military camp with a filmmaker in town to document the production. When the filmmaker turns up dead, Meg begins an investigation.
The Secret Staircase by Sheila Connolly: This will be the third book in the Victorian Village Mystery series. This book sees Kate beginning work to recreate Asheboro, Maryland as the Victorian village it once was. As she begins work, she finds a hidden staircase and a body in the stairwell. It turns out that the man had died around 1880 so it’s not like there is a killer on the loose. That doesn’t stop Kate from beginning an investigation into who he was and what happened to him.
Cajun Kiss of Death by Ellen Byron: I’ve been enjoying the Cajun Country Mysteries series by Ellen Byron and the latest book is dropping this month. The seventh entry sees Maggie helping her mother and her friend JJ after the death celebrity chef Phillippe Chanson. At the same time she has been receiving anonymous gifts that are getting increasingly disturbing. Are the gifts related to the chef’s death?
Partners in Lime by Bree Baker: The Seaside Cafe Mystery series continues with Partners in Lime. This edition sees Everly Swan preparing for Charm’s annual outdoor play when a surfer turns up dead. Everly, a chef, leaves the investigation to her Detective boyfriend who finds that Everly’s friend Matt is the top suspect. This leads to Everly putting on her sleuthing cap in order to clear her friend’s name.
Best Upcoming Fantasy/Sci-Fi Books: August 2021
The Desert Prince by Peter V. Brett: The first book in a brand new epic fantasy series by Peter V. Brett debuts this month. The book begins fifteen years since the end of the war against the demons. The humans of that time have become legends and the children have grown up in peace. Olive and Darin grew up in that peace as the demons are all but extinct. One day, the two end up stepping across the wards and find that the demons are not all gone, and they have a hunger for revenge.
Holdout by Jeffrey Kluger: Walli Beckwith is a model astronaut. She has spent more than three hundred days in space when an accident forces her fellow astronauts to evacuate. However, she refuses to do so as she feels that the matter at hand is too important. Walli is in a race against time to save a part of the world that many have forgotten, as well as the life of the person she loves the most.
Starlight Enclave by R.A. Salvatore: A brand new trilogy from R.A. Salvatore featuring characters from Dungeons & Dragons’ Forgotten Realms.
Nolyn by Michael J. Sullivan: This will be the first in The Rise and Fall series by Michael J. Sullivan. This book begins with the heir to the empyre being recalled from exile to take his place on the front lines of the Goblin War. He’s wary of the assignment and that wariness is justified when the stronghold he is sent to doesn’t exist. Whoever planned this mission that was doomed to fail didn’t realize that he was going to be with the Seventh Sikaria Auxiliary Squadron who won’t go down so easily.
Rainbow in the Dark by Sean McGinty: Four teens, including Rainbow, are caught in a game-like world that they aren’t quite sure is real. In this world, they must complete video game style quests and gain experience in order to access their own memories, figure out what happened to them, and, hopefully, return home.
Best Upcoming Horror Books: August 2021
The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins: Neena and Josie were best friends all through high school, but with college on the horizon they decide on a three-day hike into the deep woods of Pisgah National Forest as a sort of last hurrah. The hike starts off fine, but simmering tensions between the girls lead to them leaving the trail and heading straight into a nightmare.
Chasing the Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar: When the mutilated bodies of several missing girls turn up in a small town, the authorities believe that there is a serial killer on the loose. However, others believe that whatever is doing this is not exactly human and there is instead something evil stalking the local teens. The peaceful community is trapped in paranoia and suspicion as Richard returns to his hometown from college and is thrust in a real-life horror story.
My Heart Is A Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones: Jade Daniels has had a rough life with an abusive father, absent mother, and a town that has nothing for her. She finds solace in the world of horror movies, the ones where a killer seeks revenge on the world that wronged them. She treats her town as if it is from one of those movies, but a funny thing happens: it actually becomes one. Jade has seen this play out in movies so many times that she can predict how this will go. It is dark, but beneath the surface of Jade’s dark fever dream is a girl just looking for home.
Dagger Hill by Devon Taylor: Four best friends are preparing for their last summer together before college. The kids make a promise to always find their way back together when their plans are destroyed by a plane crashing right on top of them. One of the friends goes missing while the other three are plagued by eerie visions and messages from an unknown watcher.
Burden Falls by Kat Ellis: Ava Thorn lost her parents when she was young and has been plagued by nightmares ever since, nightmares so real that she fears she’ll never wake up from them. When some close to her is murdered, she is the prime suspect. Now, she worries if the ghost from her nightmares may be real while there is a killer on the loose with a vendetta against the Thorns.
Best Upcoming Mystery/Thriller Books: August 2021
Bloodless by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child: The 20th entry in the Pedergast series sees the agent face his most unexpected challenge yet. This one looks like a lot of fun with connections to the infamous D.B. Cooper plane hijacking and the Savannah Vampire. A series of murder is connected to these events and its up to Pendergast and his partner to figure out how.
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins: The Girl on the Train is one of my favorite books of the past few years so I can’t wait to see what Hawkins has in store with this one. The story of three women, each simmering with resentment, and how far they might go to find peace.
The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny: This will be the 17th entry in the Chief Inspector Gamache series and it looks to be another strong entry. Gamache sees his holiday with his family interrupted as he’s asked to provide security for a lecture at a nearby university. It is meant to be an easy gig, but instead Gamache finds himself in the middle of a debate that turns into a fight. Soon after, a murder is committed and Gamache sets out to investigate.
Billy Summers by Stephen King: We are used to putting Stephen King in the horror section, but his latest is a straight thriller and looks like a lot of fun. The story sees a sniper named Billy Summers who is looking to leave this life behind, but he has just one more job. He’s one of the best in the world at what he does and it should be a piece of cake. It turns out to be anything but.
The Turnout by Megan Abbott: Megan Abbott’s novels are unnerving at times and she is at the top of her game here with a tale about a family-run ballet studio that serves as a sharp and strange dissection of family ties and sexuality, femininity and power.
Best Upcoming Romance Books: August 2021
The Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn: The latest from bestselling author Meghan Quinn sees sees Bonnie St. James, an American, in the Scottish Highlands when she decides to apply for a job in a coffee shop in the tiny town of Corsekelly. The town is idyllic and gorgeous, but she gets a less-than-warm welcome from local handyman Rowan McGregor. He has no time for the quirky American, but as their paths continue to cross – the sparks begin to fly.
The Dating Playbook by Farrah Rochon: A personal trainer named Taylor Powell is great at her job, but is struggling to pay her bills. At this point in her life, she needs a miracle to pay all her bills. That miracle walks in the door in the form of Jamar Dixon. He’s a former football player who needs Taylor her to train him with the only rule being that nobody can know about it. In order to cover they agree to fake date, but can they keep it that way?
The Love Chirp by Crystal Perkins: With the Stanley Cup Finals wrapping up last month, I need some hockey in my life… and some romance. The story sees Rock Roquemore, a bad boy on the ice, traded to the new Seattle hockey team where he runs smack dab into the only woman he’s ever loved: Sarai, who just so happens to be the architect of the team’s practice facility.
Battle Royal by Lucy Parker: I am a big fan of baking and the delectable cakes that baking brings to the world so I am definitely excited for this book. The story sees Sylvie Fairchild, a former contestant on a reality show called Operation Cake, and Dominic, His Majesty the King’s favorite baker, competing for the opportunity to bake a cake for the wedding of Princess Rose. They’ll fight to come out on top, but there just might be room for two.
The One Month Boyfriend by Roxie Noir: Just to be clear, The One Month Boyfriend is not the name of my diary, lol! Instead, it is a new book by Roxie Noir that sees a woman asking a cocky jerk she knows to be her fake boyfriend in order to show her ex-fiance that she’s moved on. You can guess what happens next.
Phew, I’m going to be busy this month with all these books! Did you see any that I missed? I’d love to know what you’re reading out there and I’m always on the lookout for recommendations so let me know below in the comments.
