The Week’s Most Popular Stories
Start your weekend off right with a round-up of Book Riot’s most popular pieces from the week.
Neil Gaiman Accused of Sexual Assault (Again)
In an exclusive four-part podcast series last month, Tortoise Media reported that two women, who were 20 and 23 at the time of the alleged events, had accused Neil Gaiman of sexual assault. The story was picked up in a few places but didn’t go wide in the way you’d expect when a famous writer with a huge and devoted fandom is the subject of a #metoo report. Now, two more women have come forward with similar allegations, and one of them has receipts in the form of a $275,000 settlement that was accompanied by an NDA. Gaiman has denied all allegations.
The Best Book Club Books of August
Last week, I wrote about what I felt was the best book club book of the summer, which recent news keeps validating (see: Jimmy Fallon’s book club update and the latest adaptation news).
In other book club dealings, have you ever tried going solely by book title to select your next group read? That’s what task #16 from our 2024 Reading Challenge asks for, and what Danika Ellis writes about here. Now for August’s best book club books. Below are stories of El Salvadorian oracles, a freedom to read memoir/manifesto, and even hoochie mamas in Europe.
Take Me to Your Reader: Exciting New SFF Books
There’s something about the hot weather that makes us crave magic and off-world stories. It’s a good thing that there are so many to choose from this month. So many, in fact, that we are helping you narrow it down by sharing this list of ten exciting new SFF books out in August 2024!
In this post, you’ll find a man stuck in a reality show dungeon with his ex’s cat, fighting all manner of weird things, including llamas; a novella about pocket universes found on Earth; a magical coffee shop where the baristas offer you sustenance and life advice (and oh yeah, they’re cats); a student looking to advance his knowledge who instead winds up stuck in dangerous times; a dying woman who magics herself into her favorite fantasy series only to get a really big surprise; a deadly assassin on the run from the members of her guild after she refuses to carry out orders; a fantastic retelling of “The Goose Girl”; and more!
10 Sizzling New Mystery, Thrillers, and True Crime Reads
I know there’s a lot of talk about anticipated fall books but let me tell you: the end of summer 2024 has some gems, including a great standalone from the author of the Truly Devious series. You can also find plenty of popular tropes and subgenres from middle grade to adult novels to keep you armchair sleuthing through the end of summer! There is a PI novel set in Chicago with a complicated case; a luxury resort wedding murder; an Australian missing person mystery; a suspense novel centering an influencer; a delightful middle grade series; a British procedural with a fictional serial killer; a YA novel starring the daughter of a PI; a dual POV missing person suspense, and a true crime memoir!
And don’t miss the Book Riot Podcast‘s discussion of the “it books” of August. Ten books enter, only one can win.
