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Eight best new books to read in August

From psychological thrillers to scandalous romances, this month's Chatelaine Book Club reads are sure to entertain.
Eight best new books to read in August

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August books

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

Todd didn’t know how lucky he was: Jodi cooked, cleaned and turned a blind eye to his adultery, until he knocked up his best friend’s young daughter and everything changed forever. An epic thriller about overcoming betrayal and discovering that people aren’t always what they seem. The psychological twists and turns will leave you wondering if you can ever totally know anyone — including yourself. Reminiscent of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. —Anna RedmanThe Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison, $18. Available at Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca.

Eight best new books to read in August

The Never List by Koethi Zan

Despite all their precautions, two college friends obsessed with safety are kidnapped by a lunatic and held captive for years. When one of them finally manages to escape, she’s determined never to be in danger again — but she will nonetheless face off with her sadistic captor to discover the fate of her closest ally. —Lora GradyThe Never List by Koethi Zan, $30. Available at Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca.

Eight best new books to read in August

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Kiss Me First by Lottie Moggach

Au001ffter her mother’s death, awkward Leila finds solace in the world of Red Pill, an online community. But Leila discovers there’s more to the site than meets the eye when its founder gives her a special task: taking over the online identity of glamorous Tess. Eerily, the line between the two women begins to blur as real life and the virtual world converge in this captivating mystery. —Jillian BellKiss Me First by Lottie Moggach, $26. Available at Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca.

Eight best new books to read in August

Here Comes Mrs. Kugelman by Minka Pradelski

This is a story for storytellers u001f—u001f and anyone else who enjoys lazy au001efternoons listening to their grandparents tell tales from the past.

Author Minka Pradelski, well versed in the psychological effects of the Holocaust (she’s the daughter of two survivors), begins her novel with urgency u001f— u001fbut not the kind you’d expect from a book exploring the story of a tiny Polish village during the Second World War.

Protagonist Tsippy Silberberg is a bit of a catastrophist, haunted by a sense of terrors past and strangely addicted to frozen vegetables. She’s en route to Tel Aviv to pick up an inheritance when her journey is interrupted by Bella Kugelman, a little old lady who’s desperate to speak to her. “I have to talk to you or else my town will die,” Mrs. Kugelman stammers.

So begins a series of unexpected and captivating stories about a pre-war town. With all the charm and magic of a great enchanter, the old woman reconstructs her hometown, Bedzin, within the confines of Tsippy’s hotel room. The stories have a curious effect on Tsippy u001f—u001f and on the reader. They seep in and start to warm from the inside. Mrs. Kugelman’s Bedzin, with its crau001efty shopkeepers, mischievous schoolboys and bakers dusting sugar atop the best napoleonki in all of Poland, takes on the qualities of a second home you feel oddly tied to without having actually experienced it. For Tsippy, sharing Mrs. Kugelman’s memories becomes like “breathing sunshine,” and it’s a credit to Pradelski’s wonderfully fluid and conversational prose that we can bear witness, across generations, to the healing of both Mrs. Kugelman and Tsippy’s unseen wounds u001f— u001fand to the ability of the novel to transport one deep into the hearts of the most lovable strangers. —Alanna GlassmanHere Comes Mrs. Kugelman by Minka Pradelski, $30. Available at Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca.

Eight best new books to read in August

Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld

Kate (Type A suburban mother of two) and Vi (unapologetically unconventional lesbian) are twin sisters with psychic powers and a complicated relationship. When Vi publicly predicts a devastating earthquake, Kate must confront all the forces that threaten her family. A smoothly written, lively story you won’t want to put down until you reach its surprising conclusion. —Sydney LoneySisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld, $30. Available at Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca.

Eight best new books to read in August

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The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Café by Mary Simses

Just before her beloved grandmother dies, New Yorker Ellen Branford promises her she’ll deliver a letter to the old woman’s former flame in smalltown Beacon, Maine. Upon arrival, Ellen earns unwelcome celebrity status au0019fter she nearly drowns, then inexplicably locks lips with the local heartthrob who comes to her rescue. What was supposed to be a quick overnight trip turns into a week-long exploration of her grandmother’s past — and a tempting flirtation. How will it affect Ellen’s future with her fiancé, who’s holding down the fort in Manhattan? —Dominique LambertonThe Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Café by Mary Simses, $29. Available at Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca.

Eight best new books to read in August

Ten Things I've Learnt About Love by Sarah Butler

Then restless and free-spirited Alice returns home from her far-flung journeys around the globe just in time to say goodbye to her dying father, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to Daniel, a homeless man. The aged wanderer is a restless soul himself, prowling the streets of London in a desperate search for his long-lost daughter. In this intricate and moving tale of rootlessness and longing, Sarah Butler shows us that the power of home and the possibilities of love lie deep within ourselves. —Jenna WallaceTen Things I've Learnt About Love by Sarah Butler, $29. Available at Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca.

Eight best new books to read in August

Freud's Mistress by Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman

Ridiculed by his peers but beloved by his students and patients, Sigmund Freud was no stranger to controversy. Today we take for granted his “talking cure,” in which patients discuss their problems rather than submitting to more extreme methods such as electroshock therapy. But his work was considered scandalous in fin de siècle Vienna, an embarrassment to his long-suffering wife, Martha, and the reason Freud sought refuge in like-minded confidantes, including Martha’s beautiful sister Minna.Minna’s intellectual respect for Freud explodes into an intense love affair in Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman’s novel Freud’s Mistress. Single and suddenly unemployed, Minna is reduced to moving in with her sister’s family. Helping care for Martha’s six children takes up much of her time, but soon Sigmund takes over her thoughts. Their sudden proximity and Minna’s interest in his research ignite an affair. But Minna must face an ethical quandary: How can she live with herself when she has fallen in love with her sister’s husband? Can Martha’s own waning interest in Sigmund sanction such betrayal?Brilliant, wilful, charismatic and given to discarding colleagues and lovers alike when he tires of them, Freud is nonetheless a mesmerizing character. Martha and Minna are just as flawed. Does Martha know the nature of Minna’s relationship with Freud? Is complicity in such betrayal necessary to keep her family together? By turns exhilarating and heartbreaking, Freud’s Mistress is a portrait of a complex marriage, an inexorable love affair and two caring sisters drawn to the same fascinating man. —Dee HopkinsFreud's Mistress by Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman, $28. Available at Indigo.ca and Amazon.ca.

Eight best new books to read in August

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