Memphis Reads: August

This month your favorite booksellers are back with recommendations, so you can keep up with your summer reading. Check them out below.

Anything That Moves by Jamie Stewart

Jamie Stewart is the creative force behind the experimental pop group, Xiu Xiu. Anything That Moves is the exact kind of book fans of Stewart’s music would expect them to write. A bizarre and painfully vulnerable exploration of desire, identity, and a desperation for human connection. An open wound of a book. It follows Stewart’s exploration of sexuality and desire from early adolescence onward. Reading it almost feels transgressive, like reading someone’s diary. This semi-memoir is exhibited in the form of a series of vignettes and essays. Making it not only as vulnerable as a diary, but very much structured like one.  

The extreme intimacy of Stewart’s book also feels expansive. They invite us to reflect on our own desires and vulnerabilities. Stewart’s voice is unique, lyrical, surreal, and heartbreaking. Anything that moves is one of the most compelling books I’ve read in years, and the grossest book I’ve ever read cover to cover. An absolute gift to the world of contemporary literature. — Kole Oakes, Burke’s Book Store

Blood at the Root by LaDarrion Williams

Blood at the Root was a hot topic on BookTok (the reader-friendly side of TikTok). The debut novel from Southerner LaDarrion Williams features a young man who is coming into his magic and whose life is shrouded in mystery. With new powers and a checkered past, Malik is given an invitation to a magical HBCU (historical Black college and university) where he’ll hone his magic and find clues to put the pieces of his past together. Blood at the Root explores not only the roots and secrets that connect us in an unforgettable contemporary setting, but also introduces a new world of magic to fans of Harry Potter and other fantastical series. — Jeremee DeMoir, DeMoir Books & Things

Children of Anguish & Anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi

The third and final book in the Legacy of Orisha series, CAA returns us to Zelie’s journey! After all she’s done to return magic to Orisha, she’s facing a new and dangerous foe. However, she’s not alone. Joined by Amari, Tzain, and Inan, Zelie meets new companions who will help her fight to put an end to the war the new enemy is about to bring to the world. Written by NYT bestselling author Tomi Adeyemi, this final installment has been much anticipated and the team at DeMoir Books couldn’t wait to dive in once it was released in late June 2024! — Jeremee DeMoir, DeMoir Books & Things

In Ascension by Martin MacInnes

In Ascension, is an import from Scottish author Martin MacInnes, released in the U.S. this year. A literary fiction that blurs the lines between speculative and science fiction, it’s set in the immediate future with the climate crisis we face now as it will progress as predicted.

The story follows a marine biologist from the Netherlands, a land recovered from and ever-contesting against the water. She studies ancient microorganisms, archaea, and the origins of life. One theory is that these first life forms originated in hydrothermal vents, and so when a trench in the ocean is newly discovered, she joins the research expedition to map and measure it.

From the bottom of the deepest depths of our ocean and planet, to where life started, what it can survive, how the findings can be used, and where that can take us, this eco-fiction spans a larger than human scale. — Dianna Dalton, Novel

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb

An honest look into the world of therapy! This poignant story gives insight to how a therapist approaches their work while also showing what therapy can look like on the other side of the couch as the client.

You follow Gottlieb’s client’s through the lens of the therapist, learning what sort of intentional work one might do to help clients feel comfortable enough to trust the process and heal. Intermixed within chapters, you also get to experience Gottlieb’s journey as she goes through her own therapy after her personal life takes a dramatic hit. The perfect showcase that anyone can grow with therapy, even the therapists themselves! — Mandy Martin, Novel

Road Home by Rex Ogle

Once Rex’s father figures out Rex is gay, he is given an ultimatum: to become straight or get kicked out of the family.

This book shook me to my core. Rex is kicked out of his home by his parents, betrayed by the people who are supposed to love him the most. What follows is a life on the streets in New Orleans. As a gay teen experiencing homelessness, Rex constantly struggles for the basic needs of food, water, shelter, and sleep. The people he meets do not always have his best interests at heart and often cause more harm than good.

With no place to call home, no one to look out for him, no safety net, Rex barely gets by, and most of the time he hangs onto his dignity by a loose, fraying thread. This memoir is gut-wrenching and will break your heart. His future looks very bleak, and when it looks like he may not make it, a beacon of light emerges when he least expects it.

A true story of survival, Rex tells it all with honesty and grace.

Road Home is the third and last book in Rex Ogle’s memoir trilogy which also includes Free Lunch and Punching Bag. — Sheri Bancroft, Novel

There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Caught America’s Biggest Catfish by Anna Akbari 

There Is No Ethan is a dark and unsettling read. Set in the early days of social media, the protagonist’s toxic obsession and self-delusion are both captivating and repulsive. Akbari’s writing is unflinching and raw, making it hard to look away from the train wreck. A haunting and uncomfortable exploration of the human psyche, but not for the faint of heart. This book will linger long after the final page is turned. — Blake C. Helis, Burke’s Book Store 

All books mentioned can be purchased at the respective bookstore locations. For upcoming book events, including book clubs and author signings, visit the Flyer’s event calendar.