new fiction in august with an open book on a blanket on the beach

New Fiction | August 2025

Adult - What We're Reading | Published July 30, 2025

These adult fiction books and more will be arriving at the Library in August.

Sign up to receive the new fiction announcements in your email inbox each month; you can also sign up for other email newsletters from the Library.

Print the PDF.

FICTION, SCIENCE FICTION, AND MYSTERY

  • book cover: sheepdogs by elliot ackerman

    Sheepdogs / Elliot Ackerman

    After being cast aside by their countries, former CIA operative Skwerl and Afghan pilot Cheese join a covert network to repossess a jet in Africa, launching them into a chaotic mission spanning Kampala, Marseille, Kyiv, and beyond, with unexpected allies and escalating personal entanglements

  • book cover: the violet hour by victoria benton frank

    The Violet Hour / Victoria Benton Frank

    After breakup and personal tragedy, Violet Adams questions her identity while navigating life among her vibrant family on Sullivan’s Island, aided by her influencer best friend Aly Knox as they seek reinvention, healing, and purpose in South Carolina’s Lowcountry.

  • book cover: la women by ella berman

    L.A. Women / Ella Berman

    In 1960s L.A., writer and Hollywood outsider Lane becomes envious when socialite and fellow writer Gala gains fame; ten years later she betrays Gala by writing a successful book based on her life—her only problem is Gala’s now been missing for months.

  • book cover: mrs endicott's splendid adventure by rhys bowen

    Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure / Rhys Bowen

    In Surrey, England, 1938, blindsided by her husband’s divorce appeal, Ellie impulsively heads to the South of France with housekeeper Mavis and elderly friend Dora until their Bentley breaks down in Saint Benet, where Ellie is drawn to fisherman Nico—but war looms.

  • book cover: the society of unknowable objects by gareth brown

    The Society of Unknowable Objects / Gareth Brown

    A trio of seemingly everyday people are members of a secret society tasked with finding and protecting hidden magical objects—ordinary items with extraordinary properties.

  • book cover: too old for this by samantha downing

    Too Old for This / Samantha Downing

    Retired and hidden under a new identity, Lottie Jones faces exposure when a persistent journalist starts digging into her murderous past, forcing her to confront old crimes and attempt one more cover-up before age—and curiosity—catch up with her.

  • book cover: the break in by katherine faulkner

    The Break-in / Katherine Faulkner

    After killing an intruder in self-defense while hosting a playdate at her London home, Alice becomes obsessed with uncovering his identity, unraveling unsettling clues that suggest her seemingly perfect life may be built on hidden betrayals.

  • book cover: jenny cooper has a secret by joy fielding

    Jenny Cooper Has a Secret / Joy Fielding

    While visiting a friend at memory care facility Legacy Place, Linda meets Jenny, a ninety-two-year-old dementia patient who admits that she kills people; Linda dismisses her “secret” as the confusion of Jenny’s ailing mind until a fellow patient dies.

  • book cover: something to look forward to by fannie flagg

    Something to Look Forward To / Fannie Flagg

    This collection of thirty humorous and heartfelt stories follows everyday Americans—from a Kansas great-grandmother to small-town café regulars—navigating love, loss, and change with wit and resilience, all observed by a curious outsider trying to understand the quirks of the human spirit.

  • book cover: the book of lost hours by hayley gelfuso

    The Book of Lost Hours / Hayley Gelfuso

    In 1938, 11-year-old Lisavet Levy becomes trapped in a mysterious library of memory called the time space, where her path intertwines with American timekeeper Ernest Duquesne, whose 1965 death compels his niece Amelia to uncover buried truths amid shifting histories and shadowy CIA intrigue.

  • book cover: the end of the world as we know it by editor christopher golden

    The End of the World As We Know It / Christopher Golden & Brian Keene

    Set during and after the events of The Stand, this authorized anthology gathers original stories from acclaimed writers who expand on the novel’s apocalyptic world, exploring survival, morality, and human resilience amid civilization’s collapse and the uncertain rebuilding that follows.

  • book cover: hemlock and silver by t kingfisher

    Hemlock & Silver / T. Kingfisher

    A dark reimagining of “Snow White” steeped in poison, intrigue and treason of the most magical kind.
  • book cover: katabasis by rf kuang

    Katabasis / R.F. Kuang

    Alice has sacrificed everything to work with Professor Grimes at Cambridge, the world’s greatest magician, but when he dies in a magical accident and is sent to Hell, she and rival Peter follow him, using only tales of Orpheus and Dante to guide them.

  • book cover: people like me by jason mott

    People Like Us / Jason Mott

    The novel rooted in reality follows two Black writers trying to find peace in a world riven with gun violence, one on a global book tour after a big prize win, the other set to give a speech at a school after a shooting.

  • book cover: the locked ward by sarah pekkanen

    The Locked Ward / Sarah Pekkanen

    When Amanda visits her institutionalized twin Georgia—accused of murdering their younger sister—she’s drawn into a chilling spiral of doubt, buried family tensions, and psychological manipulation that forces her to question the truth, her past, and her own sanity.

  • book cover: the magician of tiger castle by louis sachar

    The Magician of Tiger Castle / Louis Sachar

    As political pressure mounts in the faltering kingdom of Esquaveta, Princess Tullia falls for a scribe, forcing disgraced court magician Anatole to choose between salvaging his reputation and protecting the one person who still believes in him.

  • book cover: full bloom by francesca serritella

    Full Bloom / Francesca Serritella

    After receiving a mysterious perfume that transforms her into the center of attention, Iris Sunnegren navigates newfound power, buried trauma and the dark secrets of New York’s elite.

  • book cover: the incredible kindness of paper by evelyn skye

    The Incredible Kindness of Paper / Evelyn Skye

    Decades after a mysterious childhood bond is severed, Chloe and Oliver navigate adult loneliness and lingering trauma in New York City, until a trail of yellow origami roses rekindles memories, hope, and the possibility of reconnection.

  • book cover: my other heart by emma nanami strenner

    My Other Heart / Emma Nanami Strenner

    Seventeen years after Mimi Truang’s toddler daughter disappears in 1998 in Philadelphia, best friends Kit and Sabrina make plans in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, before starting college—but when Mimi, Kit, and Sabrina come face to face, they will confront the people they truly are.

  • book cover: forget me not by stacy willingham

    Forget Me Not / Stacy Willingham

    Returning to coastal South Carolina for the summer, journalist Claire Campbell takes a job at a vineyard near where her sister vanished decades earlier—and when she uncovers a disturbing old diary, she begins to suspect the past holds deadly secrets.

SHC: 7/2025


Previous lists:

Share on