We’re about halfway through the year and brrr baby, it’s cold outside. But hey, even though our fingers might be frozen, we ain’t complaining. After all, July is the perfect time to curl up with a blanket, maybe an Oodie or your uggs, and dig into a new book release or two.
This month at Litty Committee, we’ve got a real random bunch of books that’ll tickle your fancy. From a reimagining of the relationship between the Vincent Van Gogh and his muse, to a hard-hitting novel about performative activism and a touching memoir about a man who quits his job to create a service where he “does nothing” with complete strangers.
Go ahead and clear some room on your shelves and let’s take a look at all the new book releases that July has to offer.
Best new memoirs coming out this month
Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Morimoto
About the book:
This compelling memoir is only about 150 pages long, but it all began with a single tweet. Shedding a light into Japanese society, Morimoto describes his life as a “rental person”, a person that is hired by others to accompany them to restaurants, wait in lines or just as moral support when dealing with life’s hardships.
Shoji Morimoto was constantly being told that he was a ‘do-nothing’ because he lacked initiative. Dispirited and unemployed, it occurred to him that if he was so good at doing nothing, perhaps he could turn it into a business. And with one tweet, he began his business of renting himself out to do nothing.
Morimoto, a.k.a. Rental Person, provides a fascinating service to the lonely and socially anxious. Sitting with a client undergoing surgery, accompanying a newly-divorced client to her favourite restaurant, visiting the site of a client’s suicide attempt are just a few of his thousands of true life adventures. He is dependable, non-judgmental and committed to remaining a stranger and the curious encounters he shares are revelatory about both Japanese society and human psychology.
Release date: July 11
Where to buy
Best new thriller releases coming out in this month
The Other Side of Mrs Wood by Lucy Barker
About the book:
This historical fiction read is perfect for fans of The Lost Apothecary and The Mermaid. Lucy Barker tells the story of a spirited (huehue) rivalry between two mediums that takes place during England’s fixation with spiritualism.
Mrs Wood is London’s most celebrated medium. She’s managed to survive decades in the competitive world of contacting the Other Side, has avoided the dreaded slips that revealed others as frauds and is still hosting packed-out séances for Victorian high society.
Yet, some of her patrons have recently cancelled their appointments. There are reports of American mediums nearly materialising full spirits and audiences are no longer satisfied with the knocking on tables and candle theatrics of years gone by. And then, at one of Mrs Wood’s routine gatherings, she hears something terrifying – faint, but unmistakable: a yawn.
Mrs Wood needs to spice up her brand. She decides to take on Emmie, a young protégé, to join her show. But is Emmie Finch the naïve ingenue she seems to be? Or does she pose more of a threat to Mrs Wood’s reign and, more horrifyingly, her reputation than Mrs Wood could ever have imagined?
Release date: July 5
Where to buy
Best new fiction releases coming out in this month
Vincent & Sien by Silvia Kwon
About the book:
Attention art fans and Van Gogh girlies, we’ve found the book that you never knew you wanted to read. Vincent & Sien is less about art and love, and more about one woman’s need for survival. While there’s extensive information that details the relationship between the famous artist and his muse, Kwon instead reimagines the romance between Vincent Van Gogh and Sien Hoornik. But also, how GORG is that cover?!
The Hague, 1882, a howling winter’s night, Sien and her daughter are on the brink of surrendering to the bitter cold, their exhaustion, their hunger, when a good Samaritan appears. Vincent van Gogh, a struggling artist, provides them with warmth and shelter for the night. Fascinated by Sien – her face, her struggles, her life lived – Vincent offers Sien work sitting for him. From model to muse, the two soon become lovers.
As the connection and intimacy between Vincent and Sien deepen, their relationship draws scathing scrutiny and hostility from the town and those closest to them, threatening to tear them apart.
Release date: July 25
Where to buy
The List by Yomi Adegoke
About the book:
How much of a feminist would you be if partner that had allegations against them? A razor sharp, messy and at times uncomfortably honest novel about performative activism and the lies we tell ourselves, The List is for anyone who’s seen a Twitter-storm online, or even partaken in one, and thought “thank God this isn’t about me”.
Ola Olajide, a high-profile journalist at Womxxxn magazine, is marrying the love of her life in one month’s time. Young, beautiful, successful – she and her fiancé Michael are the ‘couple goals’ of their social networks and seem to have it all. That is, until one morning when they both wake up to the same message: “Oh my god, have you seen The List?”
It began as a crowdsourced collection of names and somehow morphed into an anonymous account posting allegations on social media. Ola would usually be the first to support such a list—she’d retweet it, call for the men to be fired, write article after article. Except this time, Michael’s name is on it.
Release date: August 2
Where to buy
The Housekeepers by Alex Hay
About the book:
If Ocean’s 8 and Downton Abbey had a baby, this would be it. A group of women who come from nothing plot to take everything from the wealthy people they’ve had to serve, in this fun, blockbuster of a heist book.
When Mrs King, housekeeper to the most illustrious home in Mayfair, is suddenly dismissed after years of loyal service, she knows just who to recruit to help her take revenge.
A black-market queen out to settle her scores. An actress desperate for a magnificent part. A seamstress dreaming of a better life. And Mrs King’s predecessor, who has been keeping the dark secrets of Park Lane far too long.
Mrs King has an audacious plan in mind, one that will reunite her women in the depths of the house on the night of a magnificent ball – and play out right under the noses of her former employers.
Release date: July 11
Where to buy
Roseghetto by Kirsty Jagger
About the book:
Set locally in Western Sydney, Roseghetto explores a fictional housing estate called Rosemeadow. It’s a heart-wrenching look into the housing crisis, and a compassionate look into the lives of people who reside in state housing, who are often looked over and stereotyped.
Shayla is on a newspaper assignment when she returns to the public housing estate where she grew up and finds it demolished. The locals have been evicted, their homes erased, their stories too. Standing among the rubble of Rosemeadow, Shayla is assailed by her memories of living there – painful secrets, dangerous romances, and the bonds she formed with the ‘gutter kids’.
Surrounded by poverty and confronted by domestic violence, Shayla found her escape in reading. Now it’s time to tell the stories of Rosemeadow, including her own.
Release date: July 4
Where to buy
Best new romance books coming out this month
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue
About the book:
Picture this: it’s Ireland in the 2010s, you and your future (gay, maybe not gay) best friend meet in a bookstore. From that single moment, you two become roommates and set about corrupting the streets together with your bohemian lifestyle. Full of endless belly laughs and unrequited love, this is one of those rare reads you immediately think would make a great rom-com.
The Rachel Incident is an all-consuming love story. But it’s not the one you’re expecting. It’s unconventional and messy. It’s young and foolish. It’s about losing and finding yourself. But it is always about love.
When Rachel falls in love with her married professor, Dr Byrne, her best friend James helps her devise a plan to seduce him. But what begins as a harmless crush soon pushes their friendship to its limits. Over the course of a year they will find their lives ever more entwined with the Byrnes’ and be faced with impossible choices and a lie that can’t be taken back.
Release date: July 27
Where to buy
The Little Village of Book Lovers by Nina George
About the book:
For fans of The Little Paris Bookshop, Nina George is back with another heart-warming tale about the transformative power of books — and it’s actually a spin-off, in a way. In The Little Paris Bookshop, Jean Perdu is inspired to create a floating bookshop after reading about a young woman with a special gift. That story is now being told in The Little Village of Book Lovers.
As a girl, Marie-Jeanne realizes that she can see the marks Love has left on the people around her – tiny glowing lights on the faces and hands that shimmer more brightly when the one meant for them is near. Before long, Marie-Jeanne is playing matchmaker, bringing true loves together in her village.
As she grows up, Marie-Jeanne helps her foster father, Francis, begin a mobile library that travels throughout the many small mountain towns in the region of Nyons. She finds herself bringing soulmates together every place they go—and there are always books that play a pivotal role in that quest. However, the only person that Marie-Jeanne can’t seem to find a soulmate for is herself. She has no glow of her own, though she waits and waits for it to appear. Everyone must have a soulmate, surely – but will Marie-Jeanne be able to recognize hers when Love finally comes her way?
Release date: July 18
Where to buy
Best new fantasy books coming out this month
Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong
About the book:
Chloe Gong has some serious street cred from her bestselling Romeo and Juliet retelling, These Violent Delights. But ya girl is back with a whole new series, wading into the waters of epic fantasy. But this novel? It’s inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra and it’s kinda giving Hunger Games vibes?! What a slay.
Every year, thousands flock to San-Er, the dangerously dense capital twin cities of the kingdom of Talin, where the palace hosts a set of deadly games. Those confident in their ability to jump between bodies can enter a fight to the death – for the chance to win unimaginable riches.
Princess Calla Tuoleimi has been in hiding for five years, ever since she murdered her parents to free the people of Talin from her tyrannical family. Only one person stands in her way of finishing the job: her reclusive uncle King Kasa. However, she knows he always greets the victor of the games. If she wins, she will finally get the chance to kill him.
Release date: July 25
Where to buy
The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero-Lacruz
About the book:
An epic sapphic fantasy inspired by South American folklore with themes of colonialism and ancient magic? And a gorgeous cover to boot? Sign us TF up.
Attacked by creatures that stalk the region, Reina is on the verge of death until her grandmother, a dark sorceress, intervenes. Now dependent on the Doña’s magic for her life, Reina will do anything to earn – and keep – her favour. Even the bidding of an ancient god who whispers to her at night.
Illegitimate and of mixed heritage, Eva is her family’s shame. Worse still, magic – the sign of the dark god, and the use of which is punishable by death – calls to her. Eva knows she should fight the temptation, but it’s hard to deny power when it has always been denied to you. In the end, she’ll become something she never imagined.
Release date: July 25
Where to buy
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