In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of August 3rd and August 10th that we think will be of interest to Bookreporter.com readers, along with Bonus News, where we call out a contest, feature or review that we want to let you know about so you have it on your radar.

This week, we are calling attention to our special contest for Ayad Akhtar's highly anticipated new novel, HOMELAND ELEGIES, a deeply personal work about identity and belonging in a nation coming apart at the seams. Twenty-five readers will win a finished copy of the book, which doesn't release until September 15th. The deadline for your entries is Friday, August 14th at noon ET.

We also are spotlighting the release of WITH OR WITHOUT YOU, a story of love, loyalty, loss and resilience. New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt writes novels that expertly explore the struggles and conflicts that people face in their search for happiness. For the characters in her latest book, it seems at first that such happiness can come only at someone else’s expense.

Be sure to check out Carol's latest "Bookreporter Talks To" interviews with Alice Feeney and Jill McCorkle.

Alice Feeney's new psychological thriller, HIS & HERS (an upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On pick), has dueling multiple narrators who tell unexpected sides of the same story in a murder case where the suspect could be any number of people. Alice and Carol discussed the many layers in the book, first with the characters on the surface, and then the many ways that Alice was able to convey their inner shadows. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast. Don't miss Carol's Bets On commentary in the August 7th Bookreporter Weekly Update newsletter.

Jill McCorkle's HIEROGLYPHICS is a novel about the burden of secrets carried across generations. The idea for the book came from two real-life events: the 1942 Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston and a train wreck in Rennert, North Carolina, a year later. Carol talked about the careful way that you'll want to read Jill’s books so you don't miss small but meaningful details, and Jill shared a surprise that she layered in for readers of her 2013 novel, LIFE AFTER LIFE. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.

Last but certainly not least, don’t forget that on Wednesday, August 12th at 2pm ET, we will be hosting our virtual event, "Bookaccino Live: A Lively Talk About Books”, via Zoom for the second time. Carol will present titles releasing in late August and September, along with a few from October, that she thinks will be of interest to our readers. We are limiting attendance to the first 500 attendees, so now is the time to sign up!

If you already signed up for this session, please do not sign up again. This will help us keep an accurate audience count. Stay tuned as we are planning a special evening event for the 24th anniversary of Bookreporter on Thursday, August 27th.

This Bookreporter.com Special Newsletter spotlights a book that we think is a great summer reading selection. Read more about it, and enter our Summer Reading Contest by Wednesday, August 5th at 11:59am ET for a chance to win one of five copies of THE SILENT WIFE by Karin Slaughter, which is now available. Please note that each contest is only open for 24 hours, so you will need to act quickly!