James Acaster’s Guide to Quitting Social Media, by James Acaster – 18th August
Comedian James Acaster has had a makeover – a haircut and lots of make-up by the looks of things – possibly the fruits of having given up all social media for a year. In 2019, James quit it all, from Instagram to Facebook, covering his phone in tar and driving it to a lock-up in Rhyl, before setting up home in a castle he’d built himself called ‘Castle Anti-Net’. But when the withdrawal symptoms hit him, he realised in order to stay clean he’d have to replace everything social media gave him with three-dimensional, real-life activities.
Employing the help of a mysterious, wealthy benefactor named Clancy Dellahue, and an ever-growing gang of misfits (aka the Tangfastic Crew), James found ways to replace his online friends (he joined the scouts) and spy on his exes (climbing ropes, zip lines, fake moustache) as well as anonymously bullying strangers, seeing photos of everyone’s dogs, getting public figures fired, arguing with everybody about everything, and so much more.
A Woman’s World, 1850-1960, by Dan Jones and Marina Amaral – 4th August
The world’s most illustrious and influential women populate the pages of this brilliantly colourised book by Dan Jones and Marina Amaral. Have a look at some of the images in our profile of the book here.
Breaking History: A White House Memoir, by Jared Kushner – 23rd August
Jared Kushner was one of the few people by Trump’s side from his trip down the golden escalator to his final departure from Andrews Air Force Base, Breaking History provides an honest and nuanced understanding of a presidency that will be studied for generations.
Few White House advisors have had such an expansive portfolio or constant access to the president. From his office next to Trump, senior adviser Jared Kushner operated quietly behind the scenes, preferring to leave the turf wars and television sparring to others.
Now, Kushner finally tells his story—a fast-paced and surprisingly candid account of how an earnest businessman with no political ambitions found himself pulled into a presidency that no one saw coming.
The Ink Black Heart, by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling) –Â 30th August
The sixth entry in the Cormoran Strike series has the private investigator and his partner Robin involved in another twisted case. When Edie Ledwell, co-creator of the popular cartoon The Ink Black Heart, shows up at their door terrified of an online troll, Robin doesn’t think they can help him. After Edie is killed, Robin and Cormoran try to uncover the stalker’s true identity.
Babel, by R.F. Kuang – 23rd August
In 1828, Robin Swift, an orphan, is brought from Canton to London by the mysterious Dr. Lovell. For years he trains in different languages to be accepted to Oxford’s Royal Institute of Translation, known as Babel. Learning to translate, and the magic that comes with it, soon puts Swift on a collision course between loyalty to his homeland and his adopted company when Britain starts a war with China.
