Below I’m highlighting some nonfiction books coming out in August. All of the mentioned titles are available to put on hold in our catalog and will also be made available via the library’s Overdrive website on the day of publication in eBook and downloadable audiobook format (as available). For a more extensive list of new nonfiction books coming out this month, check our online catalog.
Top Picks
“The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb” by Garrett M. Graff (Aug 5)
The building of the atomic bomb is the most audacious undertaking in human history: a rush by a small group of scientists and engineers in complete secrecy to unlock the most fundamental power of the universe. Even today, the Manhattan Project evokes boldness, daring, and the grandest of dreams: bringing an end to World War II in the Pacific. As Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen fight overseas, men and women strive to discover the atom’s secrets in places like Chicago, Berkeley, Oak Ridge, Hanford, and Los Alamos. On August 6, 1945, the world discovers what the end of the war—and the new global age—will look like. The road to the first atomic bomb ends in Hiroshima, Japan, but it begins in Hitler’s Europe, where brilliant physicists are forced to flee fascism and antisemitism—bringing to America their determination to harness atomic power before it falls into the Führer’s arsenal. “The Devil Reached Toward the Sky” traces the breakthroughs and the breakneck pace of atomic development in the years leading up to 1945, then takes us inside the B-29 bombers carrying Little Boy and Fat Man and finally to ground zero at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. From Pulitzer Prize finalist Garrett M. Graff, “The Devil Reached Toward the Sky” is the panoramic narrative of how ordinary people grapple with extraordinary wartime risks, sacrifices, and choices that will transform the course of history. Engineers experiment with forces of terrifying power, knowing each passing day costs soldiers’ lives—but fearing too the consequences of their creation. Hundreds of thousands of workers toil around the clock to produce uranium and plutonium in an endeavor so classified that most people involved learn the reality of their effort only when it is announced on the radio by President Truman. The 509th Composite Group trains for a mission whose details are kept a mystery until shortly before takeoff, when the Enola Gay and Bockscar are loaded with bombs the crew has never seen. And the civilians of two Japanese cities that have been spared American attacks—preserved for the sake of judging the bomb’s power—escape their pulverized homes into a greater hellscape. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: August 2025”
After quitting her job and divorcing her husband, Yeong-Ju opens the Hyunam-dong Bookshop. She meets new friends and connections all while creating a welcoming space for people to rest and heal.
I loved the slow-paced slice-of-life feel to “Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop.” Every character had their own unique struggles, but they all ended up grappling with the same types of questions — What is success? What makes a happy life? How do I go on from here? The translator of the text seemed to do a good job of maintaining the integrity of the turns of phrase common in South Korean speech.
Three words that describe this book: Cozy, intimate, inspirational
You might want to pick this book up if: If you like slow-paced character-driven slice-of-life books with a cozy setting, you’ll probably like this book.
-Anonymous
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.
“Good Inside” is a parenting book that teaches the idea that all kids (and parents) are good inside, even when their behavior is challenging. Dr. Becky, a psychologist, offers advice on handling tough moments with empathy, clear boundaries and emotional support. Instead of using punishment, the book focuses on understanding the feelings behind a child’s actions and building a strong connection.
I liked the book because it gave practical tips I can actually use with my own kids in real life. But I also really connected with the overall framework and philosophy — it helped me see parenting in a new, more compassionate way. Some parts were a bit repetitive, but overall it felt supportive, realistic and really useful.
Three words that describe this book: Compassionate, practical, empowering.
You might want to pick this book up if: You might pick up this book if you’re a parent looking for a calmer, more understanding way to handle tough moments with your kids — or if you want practical tools that actually work in real life without yelling or punishment.
-Robbie
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.
1. “Party Girl” dir. Daisy von Scherler Mayer
Release Date: June 9, 1995
Why I Picked It: Ragtag Cinema selected “Party Girl” for their annual birthday screening in June, and I couldn’t miss out on this story of a hedonistic diva finding happiness behind the circulation desk. Watching it at Ragtag was a treat, but if you didn’t make it, try Kanopy. 5/5 falafels.
Continue reading “Quick Recs: 3 Movies + 2 Books + 1 Album”
I love the book “Crying in H Mart” even though it broke my heart to read about the complicated, albeit loving relationship between the author and her mother. I waited to read this book because I lost my own mother in the last few years — at times it was tough to read the author’s words because they hit so close to home with my own loss.
I appreciated how the author highlighted the history of her family/mother through food and these shared experiences over a dinner/kitchen table. Overall it was a deeply moving experience reading about the author’s love and loss.
Three words that describe this book: Culture, family, food
You might want to pick this book up if: You are ever homesick. Also if you enjoy learning about people/culture through food.
-Anonymous
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.
Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection.
“Drop” – Website / Reviews
In this mystery thriller, a widowed mother’s charming dinner date is upended by a series of phone messages presenting a sinister choice: kill her date or lose her child and sister.
“The Friend” – Website / Reviews
Based on the bestselling novel, this dramatic comedy finds Iris’s comfortable New York life upended when her friend and mentor Walter bequeaths her his Great Dane, Apollo.
“The Wedding Banquet” – Website / Reviews
A romantic comedy where a gay man and his lesbian friend enter a green-card marriage for IVF treatments, but their plans are upended when his grandmother surprises them with a Korean wedding banquet.
“The Assessment” – Website / Reviews
In this sci-fi thriller set in the near future where parenthood is strictly controlled, a couple’s seven-day assessment for the right to have a child unravels into a psychological nightmare.
“Bridget Jones, Mad About the Boy” – Website / Reviews
After jumping back into the dating pool, single mother Bridget Jones finds herself caught between a younger man and her son’s science teacher in this romantic comedy. Continue reading “New DVD List: July 2025”
“Dungeon Crawler Carl” is a LitRPG that explores the idea of, “What if Earth turned into an intergalactic game show where only the strongest survive.” Meant to be in the vein of the video game stylings of “Doom,” this book has moments of comedy, tragedy, and action packed battle.
Our main characters are (expectedly) Carl, a young adult who’s recently left his girlfriend, and his pants, back in the apartment. His companion is Princess Donut, his ex-girlfriend’s cat. The story is a real page turner and will have you laughing and fist pumping the whole way through!
Three words that describe this book: Hilarious, Frantic, Twisted
You might want to pick this book up if: You’re a fan of survival stories, “Doom” video games, or pretty kitties who wear tiara’s (and shoot lasers from their eyes…)
-Mitch
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.
Merrill Sapp is a Columbia, MO author whose debut book is “
Knowing Wonder: An Elephant Story.” The book is a blend of fiction and nonfiction exploring the lives of elephants within the context of real behaviors, scientific insights, and environmental challenges. Sapp, a cognitive psychologist and
Stephens College professor, is dedicated to understanding and protecting elephants. She was kind enough to take the time to be interviewed via email.
Continue reading “Q&A With Merrill Sapp, Author of “Knowing Wonder: An Elephant Story””
Since the tornado hit the Columbia Municipal Recycling Center in April, the laundry room in our house, which is where we collect our recyclables, looks a lot like the tornado hit it, too. It has our whole family thinking more about how to reduce waste streams in our house.
If you are also struggling to figure out how to adjust waste management in your household, we have a program coming up this month that might help! Continue reading “Beyond Recycling”
As the days grow hot and sunny, many of us find ourselves out in our green spaces, tending to gardens, watering and mowing lawns and enjoying time out in our carefully curated slices of nature. But science tells us that each year there are fewer buzzing bees, glowing fireflies and blooming wildflowers than before. Plus, in this Mid-Missouri heat, keeping the indoors comfortable can be difficult and uses a lot of fossil fuels and electricity. Taking steps to both enjoy the creature comforts we know, and still sustain our environment, is the driving force behind the philosophy of permaculture: a movement to create sustainable ecosystems in harmony with both what we humans need and what Mother Nature needs.
The modern lawn is one of the biggest contributors to water waste and soil pollution, and it has also led to loss of native flora and fauna. Creating a curated monoculture of a non-native plant species like lawn grass is a significant contributing factor to reduced populations of pollinators like bees and to diminished water tables. But, of course, it doesn’t have to be this way; “Lawns Into Meadows: Growing a Regenerative Landscape” by Owen Wormser is vehement in its indictment of modern lawn culture, and vigorously advocates for replacing so-called “deadscapes” with verdant, diverse and healthy meadows and permaculture yards. Continue reading “Literary Links: Permaculture, Green Living & Eco-Friendly Living Spaces”
