I’m a self-confessed bookworm – and 2026 has definitely been a busy reading year. I’ve torn through more than 150 titles already. But if there’s one thing I still can’t crack, it’s deciding what to read next.
So if you’re after a few brilliant book recommendations for August – whether you’re stretching out by the pool or settling in for a cosy day at home – look no further. Here are three novels I urge you to pick up this month. It is National Book Lovers Day today (August 9) – and the National Year of Reading – after all! So what are you waiting for? Head down to your local library or bookshop and get stuck in.
1. A Real Animal by Emeline Atwood
Wow, this book is truly phenomenal. Definitely not your ’standard‘ beach read in the sense that it certainly isn’t fluffy, and you’ll want to check trigger warnings before picking it up in the airport.
But it was an absolutely phenomenal read that I thoroughly enjoyed and could not put down – not even for a second. Reading it felt like a fever dream.
„In this unforgettable debut, a moment of metaphysical transformation launches a woman’s beautiful and terrifying journey through her twenties, through loneliness and complicated love that takes her from the depths of the Pacific Ocean to the plains of Texas,“ Goodreads shares.
2. Any book in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
Whether it’s book one or book five, there’s guaranteed to be someone around the pool reading a book in the Throne of Glass series. And if you see them, give them a pat on the back, because they’re some seriously chunky books.
And if they’re reading the final book, Kingdom of Ash, you’ll probably need to hand them some tissues.
With ACOTAR six and seven coming out at the end of 2026 and the start of 2027, many Sarah J. Maas fans who haven’t already indulged in the whole Maas-verse are desperately trying to finish everything else she’s ever written before October 27, 2026. It’s completely understandable, because then you know which one of the worlds is your favourite, and they all interlink, too!
3. Wild Summers by Cassie Steward
Wild Summers is one of the most immersive novels I’ve read in a long time – I really felt as though I was living vicariously through the main character, Joan, throughout the summer of 1969.
You don’t have to have been born anywhere near the 60s to feel the emotions this book will evoke. Joan is a good girl, an unsuspecting teen, unlike her sister Nancy, whom she feels is constantly compared to, and Joan never comes out favourably in these comparisons.
However, when she gets into a crowd which would be described by some as ‘the wrong crowd’ at Eel Pie Island, the tides soon turn for her, and she begins to have the most fun she’s ever had. However, sometimes the fun she’s having isn’t strictly legal, and this may land her in a lot of trouble…
The teen becomes submerged in the underground community of artists and anarchists who inhabit its crumbling hotel on Eel Pie Island, and she worries about what her parents might think of who she is becoming.
But what goes up must come down, and Joan faces difficult decisions about her future and who she really wants to be. A truly amazing book that needs to be in everyone’s tote this summer!
