Best New Books to Read in August 2026

Riley Sager is, and volition ever be, a must-read writer for me. This means that his latest release, The Unknown, has been astatine the apical of my TBR [To Be Read] database since it was archetypal announced. And having already work an aboriginal transcript of it, I tin corroborate that the bestselling thriller writer is connected apical signifier erstwhile again. Taking spot implicit 2 timelines successful 1926 and 2026, if you emotion a bully mystery, particularly 1 wherever our characters find themselves stranded connected a distant island, this is decidedly 1 to prime up.

Would-be histrion Marin has been struggling to get work, truthful erstwhile she finds herself arsenic the last-minute summation to a movie based connected the unsolved enigma of New Avalon, an land wherever 5 women disappeared 100 years ago, she can’t rather judge her luck. However, for the formed to get into quality earlier filming begins, she and her chap actresses volition request to marque a travel to the island, wherever each that was near of its inhabitants were 5 dresses hanging from an aged oak tree. And it soon becomes wide that thing is not close with the island, particularly erstwhile current-day events commencement to reflector the diary that was near down by 1 of the missing women. Is idiosyncratic attempting to derail the movie earlier it has adjacent begun? Could thing supernatural beryllium astatine play? Or is past simply repeating itself? You’ll request to prime up a transcript to find out.

The House That Eats The Dead by Max Doty

• Release date: August 13 (UK) and August 18 (US)

We ever emotion a caller and absorbing instrumentality connected a accepted haunted location story, and Max Doty’s The House That Eats The Dead is precisely that. When Claire and her household determination to the suburbs, this is meant to beryllium a caller opening for them all. Yet, erstwhile unusual goings-on statesman – from caller flowers and moving boxes astir instantly wilting and disintegrating to store-bought eggs being wholly hollow – she has to travel to presumption with the anticipation that their imagination location is bare and devouring thing that was erstwhile alive.

But, arsenic the rubric alludes to, it’s not conscionable nutrient and nutrient that the location is feasting on. And erstwhile Claire exploits its power, they soon go inextricably linked. Let’s conscionable say, if you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I privation that idiosyncratic would conscionable disappear”, ideate if your location could instrumentality attraction of that and permission perfectly nary hint of them. With the location itself being its ain character, this isn’t your emblematic fearfulness communicative either, with assorted antithetic layers to it and a communicative that blends a intelligence thriller with each things supernatural.

The Infinite State by Richard Swan

• Release date: August 4 (US) and August 6 (UK)

Them: A Novel by W.H. Chizmar

• Release date: August 11

You mightiness beryllium acquainted with W.H. Chizmar from his enactment connected Widow's Point: The Complete Haunting. However, Them: A Novel marks his archetypal idiosyncratic endeavour and what a solo debut it is. After a top-secret authorities inaugural finds a mode to transport substance crossed the universe, it’s not excessively astonishing erstwhile thing altogether alien comes back. And arsenic tends to hap successful these kinds of stories, of people the humans neglect to decently incorporate it erstwhile the motortruck transporting the extraterrestrial substance overturns and rolls disconnected the road successful the unsuspecting New England countryside.

The communicative past picks up respective years later, aft humanity has crumbled, arsenic an unidentified antheral searches for chap survivors. Discovering the satellite and the landscapes that humans erstwhile took for granted successful ruins, with monsters plaguing the route, helium is forced to look his ain humanity, arsenic helium starts to inquire himself who the existent monsters really are.

Dreamland by Olivie Blake

• Release date: August 11 (US) and August 13 (UK)

From the bestselling writer of The Atlas Six bid comes a haunting modern enigma with plentifulness of large Gothic undertones. Is Hollywood arsenic glamorous arsenic we mightiness judge it to be? Well, adjacent with the menace of summertime wildfires and countless girls turning up murdered successful Los Angeles, it’s not capable to enactment Anya disconnected pursuing her dreams of becoming a star. In fact, each she tin deliberation astir is however her large interruption is seemingly slipping done her fingers. So erstwhile aging acting icon William de Witt offers her a unusual deal, could this beryllium her gateway into the exclusive satellite she’s ever had her oculus on?

All she has to bash is walk clip with his son, Jude, who has immoderate mysterious wellness issues. In a dazzling metropolis wherever each is not arsenic it seems, could the de Witt location beryllium cursed? Or is thing to bash with the occult going on? And however acold volition Anya truly spell for fame?

A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett

• Release date: August 4

The 3rd publication successful Robert Jackson Bennett’s Shadow of the Leviathan bid hits shelves this month, and Detective Ana Dolabra and her adjunct Dinios Kol are backmost with a caller lawsuit to descend their teeth into, arsenic the heir to 1 of the Empire’s astir almighty families sits successful jail, accused of murder. Caught red-handed, with the victim’s humor rather virtually connected his hands and nary mentation for what happened, if our duo aren’t capable to exonerate him, the full canton of Sapirdad could extremity up successful a civilian war, with far-reaching consequences for the full Empire.

What they don’t cognize is that a concealed mastermind is pulling the strings down the scenes, 1 who has an past limb astatine their disposal. And adjacent though the brace person faced their just stock of tricky cases, adjacent they’re not prepared for what they uncover this time.

(Mostly) Human Resources by Grace Viall

• Release date: August 4 (US) and August 6 (UK)

With an eerie Appalachian Mountain mounting and an intriguing blend of genres, (Mostly) Human Resources by Grace Viall follows Alexys, who is utilized to managing the world’s monsters from the information and information of her desk. However, she does request to bash a reappraisal and walk-through of the country alongside her recently assigned Warden, Elliot – who conscionable truthful happens to study sightings of a never-before-recorded carnal earlier disappearing.

Against her gut instinct and each of her amended judgment, she knows that she volition person to delve deeper into the mountains to find him, which besides brings her incredibly ambitious and annoyingly charismatic colleague, Nic, into the fray arsenic they squad up to statesman their search. The archetypal publication successful the series, this 1 follows the 2 enactment rivals arsenic they observe wherefore immoderate monsters enactment unrecorded and conscionable however perilous things tin get extracurricular erstwhile nighttime falls.

Time Travel For Beginners by Jaclyn Moriarty

• Release date: August 4

You cognize I’ll ever effort to see a romance oregon romantasy of immoderate benignant successful my monthly roundup, whether you’re looking to grow your speechmaking horizons oregon privation immoderate recommendations for friends and family. And this month’s has a flimsy sci-fi twist, with it centering astir the waiting country of Sydney’s Time Travel Agency.

Following the lives of 3 individuals whose lives converge successful the agency’s waiting room, we travel them arsenic they get the accidental to look backmost connected their lives and revisit the choices that got them to wherever they are today. From Teddy, whose beingness imploded erstwhile his woman near him for his brother, to Anna, who, aft quitting her thankless job, starts a caller relation astatine the question agency. Then there’s Jade, whose ‘creative mentorship’ causes her to sojourn the tiny country located straight supra it. All we tin accidental is, if you enjoyed stories specified arsenic The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston, Margarita Montimore’s The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockheart, Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library, or, of course, The Time Traveller’s Wife – each of which I personally adored – past this should beryllium connected your TBR database ASAP.

The Calamities by Chuck Wendig

• Release date: August 18

The commencement of a marque caller bid by The Book of Accidents writer Chuck Wendig, The Calamities revolves astir 1 of the world’s astir influential and important families with a superb premix of occult magic and acheronian fantasy, alongside a household drama.

It’s astir apt not excessively astonishing that the Mayne household empire is built connected exploitation, cruelty, and greed, but thing adjacent darker has helped them get to wherever they are today. They are fiends – half-human, half-demon, and possessed of a acheronian magic resulting from buying quality souls – and erstwhile Mourning is ordered to instrumentality to the household business, helium volition request to determine whether oregon not to judge his legacy, oregon pain the full happening down, and successful crook alteration the people of the aboriginal for the full world.

Ellis is simply a freelance journalist, based successful the UK, with a emotion of each things books. She besides routinely chairs bookish events up and down the country, getting the scoop from immoderate of the biggest and bestselling authors to support you successful the know.