July’s Best Book Club Books
Whether you’re hiding from a heat wave or escaping the news cycle, there’s something to keep you entertained in this round-up of literary adaptations coming to the screen in July. And if you’re looking for books? Well, kid, you’re in the right place.
Happy Disability Pride Month! July is one of my favorite times of year because I get to celebrate and highlight other disabled folks. Back in July 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed, giving disabled people some important foundational rights. While there’s still a long way to go for disabled people to have equality in this country, the ADA was, and remains, a vitally important piece of legislation. Now, disabled communities across the U.S. celebrate Disability Pride every July. To celebrate, I thought I’d feature some disability-related titles to honor the occasion. But first, Bookish Goods and New Books!
Last week, I took some time off for my birthday and went to this really cute beach town in Delaware. And, naturally, I visited its indie bookstore (Browesabout Books), which literally had a Taylor Swift shrine. I’m neither here nor there with Tay Tay, but I respect the hustle. Since it was a week of celebration for me, I allowed myself to run up a bit of a check while I was in there, my many unread books at home be damned!
Now that I’m back and refreshed, I’ve got a list of July’s best book club books. They follow girls coming of age in the ’50s in Iran, a wealthy family whose children keep going missing from a summer camp, Loud women, and more.
We’re all drawn to the challenge of survival. That’s why shows like Survivor, Naked and Afraid, or even those that push the boundaries of imagination, like The Walking Dead or Lost, have such dedicated followings. Films like 127 Hours and The Revenant delivered such powerful performances from leading actors James Franco and Leonardo DiCaprio, respectively, that they both earned Academy Award nominations. DiCaprio even claimed the statue that year for his portrayal of Hugh Glass. Whether it’s an absolutely horrific situation like a Saw trap or The Hunger Games, these forms of media keep us on the edge of our seats, prompting us to ask ourselves, “What would I do in such a situation?”
Another intriguing aspect of this genre is its tendency to overlap with others, such as sci-fi, fantasy, or horror. However, sometimes, the most compelling survival thriller is one that feels within reach. This is because everyone’s strategies and capabilities for survival are unique. For instance, I know that I’d be toast in a high-stakes environmental scenario, but I truly believe I could hold my own in the face of an alien apocalypse. Resilience manifests in various ways, and these books explore a wide range of suspenseful and perilous situations. Let’s get to the list.
As always, this list of new summer 2024 YA books will not be comprehensive, especially as book publication dates are still periodically shifting. It is far less common now than it was even a couple of seasons ago, but I’m finding it happening still, likely with the combination of printing challenges due to paper sourcing and the long-term effects of COVID-19 (we may be “out” of the pandemic according to the government, but the pandemic is not actually over). Use this list less as definitive this season and more as pretty accurate with some potential changes. Then, preorder any book that strikes your fancy.
You may also want to check out 8 of the best new YA audiobooks.
It’s summertime again, and the beach is calling! The lure of the sand and sunshine is always strong for me, but it’s especially strong when you’re a bibliophile who happens to love bringing your books with you to the beach. If beach + books = joy for you, too, then now could be a fantastic time to up your readerly beach game.
Throw in a copy of this character-driven mystery set in the ’70s, perfect for summer reading.
