5 riveting books to read this July
The author behind the 'Magicians' trilogy turns his eye to King Arthur and Persephone gets a West African twist


A summer of enthralling book releases continues with another batch of new books to distract you from the hot weather. Here's a list of July book releases to add, including fresh takes on old literary classics, an ode to Florida's strangeness and a follow-up from bestselling author Taffy Brodesser-Akner.
'Masquerade' by O.O. Sangoyomi (July 2)
In this West African-based historical fiction debut, author O.O. Sangoyomi blends 15th-century history and a loose retelling of the myth of Persephone. When the warrior king of Yorùbáland conquers Òdòdó's hometown of Timbuktu, life gets worse for her and the other women in her blacksmith guild. Then she is abducted and whisked to the capital city of Sàngótè, where the king chooses her as a bride. Her status quickly ascends in the medieval warrior society while she gets wrapped up in the schemes and machinations of power. The "richly detailed world-building" and mythological inspiration all lend to a layered, immersive storyline in Sangoyomi's debut," said the Library Journal. Order here.
'Long Island Compromise' by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (July 9)
In her follow-up to her bestselling 2019 debut "Fleishman Is In Trouble," journalist Taffy Brodesser-Akner begins forty years after the kidnapping of Carl, the Fletcher family patriarch. Carl is still dealing with PTSD from the incident, and his now-grown children have also suffered in the aftermath. The story follows each of the children as they return home to deal with the death of their mother and the lingering tremors of the kidnapping ordeal.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In her sophomore effort, there is a "lip-smacking relish" to the way Brodesser-Akner "delivers devastation on her luckless characters" and the "slow, inevitable flow of failure, where the character can only watch but is powerless to stop it," The Guardian said. Brodesser-Akner's maximalist style delivers a story that is "too much at times" but "sometimes too much is just right." Pre-order here.
'State of Paradise' by Laura van den Berg (July 9)
The eccentricities of the Sunshine State are on full display in this upcoming novel. The unnamed narrator of Laura van den Berg's latest is a ghostwriter who moves back to Florida to be closer to family and help care for her sick father. When an unidentified pandemic hits, the narrator and her husband, a historian, stick around. Her father's passing leads to her mother unwittingly becoming the leader of a cult and her younger sister becoming obsessed with sophisticated virtual reality technology that helps her contact their dad. When her sister goes missing, the narrator is thrust into an investigation that reveals things about her employer and the VR tech.
"State of Paradise" is van den Berg's sixth work of fiction, a "heady blend of speculative and auto-fiction with an evident aspiration," Elle said, "to settle into the thick soup of the reader's brain and make a permanent home." Pre-order here.
'The Coin' by Yasmin Zaher (July 9)
The protagonist of Palestinian journalist Yasmin Zaher's debut novel also happens to be an unnamed narrator. A wealthy Palestinian woman, she is "simultaneously rich and poor" since she is unable to access her inheritance in the U.S. That does not stop her from trying to maintain appearances as she tries to find her place in New York City. Amid all this, she starts compulsively cleaning her skin, rubbing herself raw. With her debut, Zaher "creates a hypnotic portrait of a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown," Time said.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
If you are familiar with Ottessa Moshfegh, Rachel Cusk, Sally Rooney or Raven Leilani, you will recognize Zaher's tone: "sophisticated but world-weary, functioning but this close to actively giving up on the world and all its bigoted, sexist microaggressions and outright cruelties," said The Washington Post. Pre-order here.
'The Bright Sword' by Lev Grossman (July 16)
The author behind the "Magicians" trilogy returns with an epic set during the age of Arthurian legend, with a fresh take on the familiar tale that is set after King Arthur's death. Collum, a young knight, joins some of the Round Table's lesser-known knights to restore Camelot and discover what led to the king's death. The novel interweaves the lives and pasts of each knight as they go on a quest to find a replacement for the king. "Epic fantasy fans will hang on every word," Publisher's Weekly said. Pre-order here.
Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imagination
Feature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Google: A monopoly past its prime?
Feature Google’s antitrust case ends with a slap on the wrist as courts struggle to keep up with the tech industry’s rapid changes
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacy
Feature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imagination
Feature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacy
Feature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
10 concert tours to see this fall
The Week Recommends Concert tour season isn't over. Check out these headliners.
-
Video games to curl up with this fall, including Ghost of Yotei and LEGO Party
The Week Recommends Several highly anticipated video games are coming this fall
-
10 upcoming albums to stream during spooky season
The Week Recommends As fall arrives, check out new albums from Taylor Swift, Jeff Tweedy, the Lemonheads and more
-
A Spinal Tap reunion, Thomas Pynchon by way of Paul Thomas Anderson and a harrowing Stephen King adaptation in September movies
the week recommends This month’s new releases include ‘Spinal Tap II,’ ‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘The Long Walk’
-
Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is more
Feature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more
-
Book reviews: 'Baldwin: A Love Story' and 'The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces'
Feature A loving James Baldwin biography and the drug crimes of two special ops veterans