August has seen a lot of love given to some Readings favourites – and recent prize winners, including Siang Lu's Ghost Cities which is our number one for the second month in a row – but there are wonderful new books to be excited about too.
R.F. Kuang has two books in our top 20 this month – the powerful historical fantasy Babel and her highly anticipated new book Katabasis, which our reviewer says is 'funny, it’s deliciously clever, and it’s wildly readable'. We're also excited about Arborescence by the brilliant Rhett Davis, a compelling, deeply moving novel about connection and disconnection, ambition and apathy, loss and hope.
On the nonfiction front is Conspiracy Nation by Cam Wilson & Ariel Bogle which exposes the world of Australian conspiracy theories, their history, appeal and political influence. And a Readings' favourite cookbook author, Hetty Lui McKinnon, has released her new book Linger, an intimate cookbook about making friends and forging connection over salad. Enjoy!
1. Ghost Cities by Siang Lu
2. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins & Sawyer Robbins
3. The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
4. Abundance by Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
5. Conspiracy Nation by Cam Wilson & Ariel Bogle
6. Strange Pictures by Uketsu, translated by Jim Rion
7. Pissants by Brandon Jack
8. The Wedding People by Alison Espach
9. Arborescence by Rhett Davis
10. Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Book 1) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, translated by Geoffrey Trousselot
11. Linger by Hetty Lui McKinnon
12. Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
13. A Different Kind of Power by Jacinda Ardern
14. An Inside Job by Daniel Silva
15. Orbital by Samantha Harvey
16. The Causes of War by Geoffrey Blainey
17. Babel by R.F. Kuang
18. The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
19. Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser
20. The Peak by Sam Guthrie
