5 books not to miss: 'Lost You' by Haylen Beck, 'The Birthday Girl,' 'Trick Mirror'
In search of something good to read? USA TODAY's Barbara VanDenburgh scopes out the shelves for this week’s hottest new book releases.
1. “Lost You,” by Haylen Beck (Crown, fiction, on sale Aug. 6)
What it’s about: Two desperate women become locked in a battle over a child each thinks is rightfully hers in this dark, twisty thriller that tackles the complications of surrogacy.
The buzz: A starred review in Kirkus Reviews calls it “an adrenaline-pumping, anxiety-inducing thriller built around a core so sentimental it just might make you cry.”
2. “Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion,” by Jia Tolentino (Random House, nonfiction, on sale Aug. 6)
What it’s about: The cultural critic for "The New Yorker" pens nine original essays of social criticism that get personal and touch on topics including the influence of the Internet and social media, reality TV and the idealized institution of marriage and the wedding industrial complex.
The buzz: “Exhilarating, groundbreaking essays that should establish Tolentino as a key voice of her generation,” says a starred review in Kirkus Reviews.
3. “The Birthday Girl,” by Melissa de la Cruz (Dutton, fiction, on sale Aug. 6)
What it’s about: Successful fashion designer Ellie de Florent-Stinson is preparing to throw herself an epic birthday bash at her mansion in Palm Springs. She’s come a long way from her days as a trailer-park teen with a dark secret, but the past she tried so hard to leave behind is about to catch up with her.
The buzz: “Scandalous and bittersweet, our heroine's charmed life seems to teeter on designer stilettos as she gets closer to the truth of who she really is,” says a starred review in Kirkus Reviews.
4. “The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator,” by Timothy C. Winegard (Dutton, nonfiction, on sale Aug. 6)
What it’s about: This dramatic narrative nonfiction book offers a new perspective on world history, showing how the tiny but mighty mosquito (and the diseases it carries) has shaped humankind through the millennia.
The buzz: Publishers Weekly calls it a “general introduction to one minuscule animal’s outsize effect on human history.”
5. “The Women of the Copper Country,” by Mary Doria Russell (Atria Books, fiction, on sale Aug. 6)
What it’s about: The author of “The Sparrow” returns with a historical lesson in labor relations and “America’s Joan of Arc” Annie Clements, who in 1913 led a strike against the largest copper mining company in the world.
The buzz: Kirkus Reviews calls it “historical fiction that feels uncomfortably relevant today.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 new books: ‘Lost You,’ ‘The Birthday Girl,’ ‘Trick Mirror’
