Five picks for August

Buzz Reads is a column about books by reviewer Cindy Burnett. Each month, Cindy recommends five recently or soon-to-be released titles.

The Beast in the Clouds: The Roosevelt Brothers’ Deadly Quest to Find the Mythical Giant Panda by Nathalia Holt (nonfiction) – For lovers of history, nature, and adventure, The Beast in the Clouds is the true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s two oldest sons and their 1920s Himalayan expedition to determine whether the panda bear actually existed or whether rumors about a striped black and white bear were just a myth. While the trip was ultimately successful, they encountered numerous hardships including a vicious blizzard, an attack by robbers, and the loss of many of their supplies. After the success of the brothers’ expedition, the panda bear unfortunately became the focus of Western hunters, but their discovery also led to a new era of animal conservation and began to change the way scientists studied mammals. The Beast in the Clouds contains fabulous photos of their incredible journey. This book is a great fit for fans of engaging nonfiction, adventure stories, conservation, and animals.

Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild (contemporary fiction) – This stunning debut is a wild ride that is best read with very little knowledge about the premise. Honor seems to have everything. She adores her daughter Chloe and her husband Tom and loves her career as a children’s author. But her longing for another baby threatens to eclipse it all until a shocking event changes their lives forever. Finding Grace is very unique, something that is hard to accomplish in today’s world when so many books are being published. At times, I felt like I was watching an impending train wreck with no way to stop it, and I could not put the book down until I had finished it. This one is for readers who like genre mashups, thought-provoking premises, and distinctive stories.

Her Many Faces by Nicci Cloke (thriller) – Following the murders of four wealthy members of an exclusive club in London, a young waitress named Katherine Cole is arrested and accused of poisoning them. The story is narrated by five different men in her life, and each narrator brings their own biases, blind spots, and agendas to their depiction of Katherine, making the reader question whose version of events can be trusted. This fascinating commentary on how people, especially women, are perceived by the world has stayed with me since I finished it, and I enjoyed the exploration of power dynamics, social media, gender biases, and conspiracy theories in today’s world. It will appeal to those who enjoy novel and intelligent storytelling and thought-provoking tales.

The Last Assignment by Erika Robuck (historical fiction) – In The Last Assignment, Robuck chronicles the life of award-winning photojournalist Georgette “Dickey” Chapelle, a woman who dedicated her life to capturing history no matter the personal cost. Dickey was one of the first female war photographers and the first one to be killed in action. She traveled to various conflicts, ending up in a prison run by Soviet secret police during the Hungarian Revolution, embedding herself with Fidel Castro in revolutionary Cuba, and covering the earliest days of the war in Vietnam. This arresting story is a testament to Dickey’s courage and determination as well as her insistence on showing the world the injustices occurring far and near. The Last Assignment is a good fit for those who like biographical fiction, stories set around the world, and tales about women lost to history.

Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje (contemporary fiction) – This character-driven debut examines how love is not always enough to sustain a relationship and the fallout that results. The main character Ivona has experienced so much loss and struggles to come to term with her current life. Hilje chronicles her attempts to move forward against the backdrop of Croatia’s culture and food. Croatia is a stunningly beautiful country that comes alive on the pages of this debut, and Hilje depicts what life is like in a country younger than oneself that has so much history but is also still recovering from war. The prose is so graceful and lyrical, a feat that is even more impressive because Hilje wrote it in English, her second language. This book is for fans of unique settings, learning about other cultures and countries, and complicated love stories.

Editor’s note: Book reviewer Cindy Burnett also writes our weekly Page Turners column. She hosts an award-winning book podcast entitled Thoughts from a Page Podcast www.thoughtsfromapage.com, runs the Instagram account @thoughtsfrompage, and regularly speaks to groups about books.