Can you believe this month is already halfway gone? This summer reading list for August will entertain you with stories about a woman running for President, Shakespeare’s son Hamnet, Beethoven’s lovers, a psychological thriller, and historical fiction about the New York Public Library. All by women authors, all new releases, and selected exclusively for PrimeWomen! Enjoy reading these great new books!

 

 

Your Second Act: Inspiring Stories of Reinvention by Patricia Heaton | Nonfiction

Your Second Act: Inspiring Stories of Reinvention is an inspirational book about reinventing yourself in life from actress Patricia Heaton, star of Everybody Loves Raymond. She shares wisdom from her personal journey and insight from 14 courageous people navigating life transitions.

Readers Recommend:

Now What? By Laura Berman Fortgang

Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up by James Hollis

Second-Act Careers: 50+ Ways to Profit from Your Passions During Semi-Retirement by Nancy Collamer

 

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell | Shakespearean Fan Fiction

This beautiful book reimagines Shakespeare’s little-explored home life, taking place in Stratford-upon-Avon, mostly in 1596, when his 11-year-old son Hamnet dies of the plague. This family is complicated and troubled, yet brimming with love and passion.

Readers recommend:

Nothing Like the Sun by Anthony Burgess

I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes by Maggie O’Farrell

 

The Beauty in Breaking: A Memoir by Dr. Michele Harper (#1 NYT Best Seller!) | Memoir

A Harvard graduate and the first female African American emergency room physician explores how each of us is physically, emotionally, or psychologically broken.

The Beauty in Breaking: A Memoir takes us from injustice and heartbreak to healing and hope.

Readers Recommend:

This Side of Doctoring: Reflections from Women in Medicine by Eliza Lo Chin

What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine by Danielle Ofri

Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God, and Diversity on Steroids by Julie Salamon

 

The Woman in the Moonlight: A Novel by Patricia Morrisroe | Historical Fiction

A must-read for music lovers, The Woman in the Moonlight: A Novel, is about Beethoven’s life, his music, and his lovers. You’ll enjoy this epic tale of love, loss, rivalry, and political intrigue in Vienna during the 18^th Century. Well written and well documented.

Readers Recommend:

Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph by Jan Swafford

Beethoven Variations: Poems on a Life by Ruth Padel

Beethoven for a Later Age: Living with the String Quartets by Edward Dusinberre

 

Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing: A Novel by Allison Winn Scotch | Fiction

Cleo McDougal is a Presidential candidate, an ambitious politician with a complicated story about having power, losing power, abusing power, flaunting it, sharing it, and craving it. This is a sharp and funny novel about truth and consequences in the world of politics.

Readers Recommend:

Represent: The Woman’s Guide to Running for Office and Changing the World by June Diane Raphel and Kate Black

Why Women Should Rule the World by Dee Dee Myers

Pelosi by Molly Ball

 

White Out: A Thriller (Badlands Thriller Book 1) by Danielle Girard | Psychological Thriller

This is a chilling mystery of a woman with a forgotten past and a town with dark secrets. White Out’s storylines twist and turn and combine, revealing loss, fear, and love in a riveting, compelling, and constantly surprising tale of lives forgotten and lives found.

Readers Recommend:

Take Me Apart: A Novel by Sara Slingar

Chasing Darkness: A Taut Psychological Domestic Thriller by Danielle Girard

The Guest List: A Novel by Lucy Foley

 

The Lions of Fifth Avenue: A Novel by Fiona Davis | Historical Fiction/Mystery

This novel tells secrets of the famous New York Public Library and the family whose lives are intertwined with it in 1913 and again in 1993. It’s the story of their lost dreams and the redemption that comes from discovering the truth about missing rare books that were assumed to be stolen. It’s a perfect read for fans of female-driven historical fiction.

Readers Recommend:

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

The Chelsea Girls: A Novel by Fiona Davis

The Masterpiece: A Novel by Fiona Davis

We hope you enjoyed this reading list for August! Also, if if you missed last month’s reading list, catch up on Sandy’s reading recommendations for July! And if you’d like some extra reading recommendations for the year, bookmark these 10 books every woman should read in 2020.