Book of the Month is a subscription box in which members choose up to 5 hardcover books to receive each month.
You can sign up here to get your first book for $5.
This month, Book of the Month (BOTM) chose six main selections and four add-ons.
Main Picks | Add-Ons | Predictions | My Choices
Main Picks
Family Lore
Elizabeth Acevedo
When an anthropologist puts her own family under the microscope, she uncovers plenty of secrets, drama, and magic.
Magical Realism | Repeat Author
The Many Lives of Mama Love
Lara Love Hardin
From suburban soccer mom to convicted felon to bestselling ghostwriter, her remarkable true story is totally riveting.
Memoir
Happiness Falls
Angie Kim
One biracial family grapples with the meaning of happiness and their own lives when their father suddenly goes missing.
Literary Fiction | Early Release | Repeat Author
Shark Heart
Emily Habeck
Prepare to have a big bite taken out of your heart by this lyrical meditation on marriage, grief, and carnivorous fish.
Literary Fiction | Debut
None of This Is True
Lisa Jewell
A podcaster and her subject’s lives become increasingly intertwined in this twisty tale where fact and fiction compete.
Thriller | 3Peat Author
Vampires of El Norte
Isabel Cañas
Sink your teeth into this sumptuous border tale full of cowboys, forbidden romance, and things going bump in the night.
Horror | Repeat Author
Add Ons
Gone Tonight
Sarah Pekkanen
An Alzheimer’s diagnosis leads to the thrilling unraveling of a mother-daughter relationship as secrets seep out.
Thriller | Repeat Author
The Invisible Hour
Alice Hoffman
From the author of The Power, a bracing new dystopian novel about a near-future riven by inequality and climate change.
Historical Fantasy | Repeat Author
Just Another Missing Person
Gillian McAllister
Faced with a case that hits awfully close to home, a detective must decide the lengths she’ll go to protect her family.
Thriller
The Bookbinder
Pip Williams
Refusing to be cowed by the expectations of her gender and class, a young woman hungry for knowledge finds her own way.
Historical Fiction
Predictions & Thoughts
There are six main and four add-on Book of the Month (BOTM) selections for August, including one debuts and six books by repeat authors. One of the books is a July release – The Bookbinder – and one is an “early release” (August 29) – Happiness Falls.
I predicted 7 out of 10 books correctly in my August predictions. Just as I had finally given up on BOTM having any more nonfiction picks, they decide to drop one. The Many Lives of Mama Love was the obvious pick. I just did not include it in my predictions since I had given up on seeing future nonfiction selections. I also did not include The Bookbinder and Just Another Missing Person. Both of these books are from authors that had pretty big novels last year, including a Reese’s Book Club Pick (or whatever she is calling it now). As a result, I did not think BOTM would choose to feature them, but BOTM seems to be all about business these days.
Otherwise, I was not surprised by any of the selections. There are six books by repeat authors after all.
My Choices
August is a month heavy with repeat authors. While I enjoy some of these authors as much as the next person, I would like to see BOTM go back to featuring debut authors. I guess, at least, they are featuring some BIPOC repeat authors.
I already have a few of this month’s selections: Happiness Falls, Gone Tonight, and None of This Is True. I am particularly looking forward to Happiness Falls after enjoying Miracle Creek but not loving it. I am hoping to love this one.
I am curious about Shark Heart and will add that to my box. While I do not think I am in the current headspace for it, the premise sounds novel. I also am going to add Family Lore to my box. I have not read anything by Elizabeth Acevedo, but I have a lot of friends who praise her YA books. Lastly, I will be getting The Many Lives of Mama Love since I want BOTM to know that people will buy nonfiction if they feature it. Money speaks after all.
I am curious about Just Another Missing Person and The Bookbinder, but I am going to wait to read friends’ reviews before I order them. I still have not read Isabel Cañas’s debut novel. Once I do, I will decide whether to pick up Vampires of El Norte. Similarly, I need to read the last book in the Practical Magic series prior to getting The Invisible Hour.
What books did you choose for your August BOTM selections? Let me know in the comments!
