Riot Roundup: The Best Books We Read July-September 2024

I was in a reading slump when I came upon The Night Guest, and it did not disappoint. Each morning, Iðunn wakes up exhausted and sore. Her doctor, family, and friends insist she’s fine, that she just needs more rest, or less stress, or daily walks, etc. It’s not until she gets a pedometer and wears it to bed, that she realizes something far more sinister is amiss. I mean, what would you do if your smartwatch said you walked 40,000 steps in your sleep? This story will keep you guessing, the dread deliciously mounting, until you reach the haunting climax. I love how this story plays with genre and expectations, while also shedding a light–especially in the beginning–on how much of women’s health is ignored. A short yet stunning read.

–Lyndsie Manusos

Angie Appiah is on the path to finally meeting her Ghanaian immigrant parents’ sky-high expectations for their oldest daughter. But in rapid succession, her perfect plans start to unravel when her impressive boyfriend breaks up with her and she gets a low score on the most important test of medical school. But somehow, she’s more upset about the meet-cute gone awry with Ricky, who turns out to already have a girlfriend. She needs to focus on getting her career as a doctor back on track. And Angie has some big friend issues that need her attention, too. But Ricky seems to pop up everywhere, from the Beyoncé concert with her friends to the hospital where she works. This book is deeply funny and romantic, but it’s Angie’s own journey of self-discovery and self-confidence that shines throughout the story. 

—Alison Doherty 

Ever since Madeline Miller kicked off a feminist Greek mythology retelling trend with her books Circe and The Song of Achilles, I’ve been waiting for another queer book in the genre to really sweep me off my feet. So when Caro de Robertis, one of my all-time favorite authors, announced a genderqueer retelling of the myth of Eros and Psyche, I was obviously thrilled. The book absolutely lived up to my expectations, with lush, bewitching prose, mystical settings, and deeply layered characters. It’s a transcendent love story about queer identity and carving out space for peace in a hostile world. The final chapter gave me full-body goosebumps and will stay with me forever. 

—Susie Dumond

This is the second memoir by Chef Rossi and it takes place in the rough and gritty New York City of the 1980s. During her rebellious teenager era, Rossi’s conservative Jewish parents became overwhelmed and sent her to live with a Chasidic rabbi and his family in Brooklyn. The book is an ode to the incredible women she met during this period, many of whom were religious and yet championed Rossi just as she was. At times heartbreaking, hilarious, and frightening, this coming-of-age-meets-coming-out-story is one I won’t soon forget. And, as a mostly non-practicing Jew, I found insights about the community and culture to be fascinating.

—Rachel Rosenberg

As debates about immigration rage in this election season, here is a book for this moment. It’s the story of a small Sicilian town that hosts 72 immigrants who have come to Italy for a better life. It’s told through many voices, from the point of view of some of the immigrants themselves, the people who want to help them, and even the people who want to do everything they can to stop them from staying in Italy. The stories of each character will mesmerize you as you learn about their desires, their loves, and even their hatred. The language will stop you in your tracks. It’s not a book to be missed.

—Elisa Shoenberger

Charming class clown, and master of small magic, Leovander Lovage is known for squandering his noble connections with public displays of frivolity. It frustrates Sebastian Grimm to no end. The quiet, hardworking, and talented sorcerer avoids Leo at all costs—that is until he accidentally casts forbidden magic binding Leo to him. Now the two academic rivals will have to traverse a magically murderous forest if they want to break the curse before it does both of them in. Their relationship simmers in an aggressively slow burn that threatens even the most patient readers. There is no HEA to be found in the first book following Leo and Sebastian, but I anticipate the most satisfying payoff. I, for one, was thoroughly enraptured by the development of magic’s academically prescribed rigidity that only blossoms as Leo tests the limits of his bardic-style spell work. Doocy hits every beat with finesse in her queer romantasy debut.

—R. Nassor

In an alternate Seattle, empaths have the power to read other people’s emotions with a touch…and if they become corrupted and dangerous, empath hunter Evan Grayson, better known as the Dead Man, will be there to stop them. That’s the only thing keeping empath Reece Davies sane, ever since he learned how close he was to becoming corrupted. But there are forces at play that want to use Reece and other empaths as weapons, and the more complicated Reece and Grayson’s relationship becomes, the harder it will be for the Dead Man to take Reece down if he has to. The first book in this paranormal romance series, Liar City, was heavy on the paranormal and low on the romance — they didn’t even kiss! — but this second installment makes up for it in spades. The tension and longing between these men who aren’t sure if they are allies or enemies is excruciating and delicious, and when it finally explodes…well! My only complaint is that I can’t read Book 3 right now.

—Jess Plummer

Manne’s book about fatphobia is a must-read in every way. A powerful, dare I say healing, text—it changed the way I view my own body and my unapologetic fatness. An associate professor of philosophy, Manne uses scientific research, logic, and analysis to philosophically prove that it is not immoral to be fat, and that society has no right or duty to pressure fat people to lose weight. It is necessary reading for anyone who’s ever felt uncomfortable because of how others see their body or anyone trying to raise a child in this difficult world.

—Leah Rachel von Essen

This is a delightful cozy murder mystery with a good dash of the supernatural. It’s about a 65-year-old librarian, Sherry Pinkwhistle, solving murders in a snowy small town in northern New York. Sherry loves solving the murders and outthinking the police, but why are there so many murders in such a small town, exactly? That seems…odd, but she can’t remember why. While the body count has never bothered Sherry much, when one of the murders is personal, she begins to realize something is wrong. Then her cat, Thomas Cromwell, begins speaking to her as if he’s the ghost of the real Thomas Cromwell. I absolutely adored this and might reread it come this winter!

—Margaret Kingsbury