Get Ready to Celebrate August!

Schedule e-Gift Cards and peruse the month's most giftable books

Got any August-born friends and family to celebrate this month? Treat your loved ones to a bookish celebration! Choose something special for your August amigos from our roundup of some of the hottest titles of the month, like the literary thriller Cool Machine, the magnificent final volume in Colson Whitehead’s Harlem Trilogy.  

New August-specific e-Gift Card design!

If you'd prefer to go with ThriftBooks e-Gift Cards for your offerings, choose from an assortment of fun designs, including our new month-themed birthday e-gift cards to be delivered on the day of your choosing. Purchase now and schedule for delivery on your recipient's special day. The process is quick and easy. This is a great way to get all your monthly gift shopping done in one fell swoop!     

August's best gifting books

Here are some of the reads that are currently getting rave reviews from a range of readers. 

Fiction finds 

• Book Lovers by Emily Henry—An unforgettable debut novel tracing a young woman’s beautiful and terrifying journey through her twenties, navigating loneliness and complicated love. 

• A Real Animal by Emeline Atwood— An unforgettable debut novel tracing a young woman’s beautiful and terrifying journey through her twenties, navigating loneliness and complicated love. 

• Ransom by Daniel Silva—Book #26 in the thrilling Gabriel Allon series offers an electrifying new tale of greed, corruption, and betrayal. 

• The Country Road Murders by James Patterson and Mike Lupica— After a shocking accident ends his legendary football career, Silas Tucker returns to his backwoods hometown in this action-packed sports thriller. 

• The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson—After moving to a small seaside town, Caroline, an ambitious young writer, becomes enmeshed with a tight-knit group of locals, shaking up friendships and marriages. 

Nonfiction gems 

• They Stole a City by Lauren Collins—This ambitious and groundbreaking book offers a full accounting of the long-term effects of the 1898 white supremacist coup and its critical role in subverting American democracy. 

• Ghost Girl by Eva Benefield—Eva Benefield, the daughter of the victim of the viral "Black Swan Murder," describes coming of age amid grief, violence, and a true-crime spectacle, in this poignant memoir. 

• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi—The exquisite firsthand account of a thirty-six-year-old neurosurgeon’s experience as he lost his own battle with lung cancer. 

• The Nord Stream Conspiracy by Bojan Pancevski—Part geopolitical thriller, part true-crime detective story, part gritty war chronicle, this riveting exposé explores the largest act of sabotage in modern history. 

• A Resistance History of the United States by Tad Stoermer—Revisit the Salem Witch Trials, the Underground Railroad, and other movements of American history to understand how resistance shaped our past.   

Winsome picture books 

• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems— When the Bus Driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place: Pigeon! (Ages 3–5) 

• Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson— A laugh-out-loud funny book about the villainy of fish, illustrated by award-winning creator Dan Santat. (Ages 3–7) 

• Story Rug by Sophie Blackall, illustrated by Phoebe Wahl—From a two-time Caldecott Medalist comes a luminous book that braids together the joy of storytelling with the satisfaction of learning a new craft.? (Ages 4–6) 

• We Are Mighty by Sharon McMahon—From the author of the bestselling The Small and the Mighty, this nonfiction picture book tells the stories of twelve Americans who stood up to do the next needed thing. (Ages 4–8) 

• The Pumpkin Thief by Alice Hemming and Nicola Slater—From the bestselling authors of The Leaf Thief comes a Halloween-y companion book. (Ages 4–8) 

Middle-grade goodies 

• Heart of the Ruby Dragon by Tracey West—Drake and Bo turn to the Ruby Dragon to help save the Bracken royal family from an evil fairy queen in the latest installment of the Dragon Masters series. (Ages 6–9) 

• Yarn is Everything by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown—From the team behind the Caldecott Medal-winning Creepy Carrots comes the newest book in Jasper Rabbit’s Creepy Tales!. (Ages 6–9) 

• Villain Con: Katie the Catsitter by Colleen A.F. Venable— Is Katie actually a villain?! Find out in the latest graphic novel in this bestselling girl (and cat) power series. (Ages 8–12) 

• Sleepless by Gordon Korman— From the bestselling author of Restart comes the story of five kids who are up all night every night. And they’re desperate to find out why. (Ages 8–12) 

• Follow the Money by Alaina Trivax— Kids will love learning about money with this exciting game of financial literacy. (Ages 8–12) 

YA winners 

• Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins—Haymitch takes center stage in the phenomenal fifth Hunger Games book. Read it ahead of the November movie release. (Ages 12 and up) 

• The Gilded Blade by Jennifer Lynn Barnes—Discover danger, riches, and romance in the stunning finale to the Inheritance Games Saga. (Ages 12 and up) 

• The Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel Griffin—A whimsical and sweeping romantic fantasy from the bestselling author of The Nature of Witches. (Ages 14–18) 

• Ruinous Ends by I. V. Marie—Return to Blackwood Academy with the stunning hardcover edition of this must-read dark fantasy, the sequel to Immortal Consequences. (Ages 14 and up) 

• The Secret World of Briar Rose by Cindy Pham— This lush and immersive retelling of Sleeping Beauty explores themes of escapism, grief, and dreaming of a better world. (Ages 14 and up) 

Culinary keepers 

• Eat Like a Sardinian: Live to 100 by Francesco Mattana— A rising star in the world of Italian cooking offers recipes reflecting the true spirit of Mediterranean cuisine filled with simple, fresh, seasonal ingredients.  

• Feeding Tiny Bellies: School Lunches by Lily Payen— 100+ simple and creative lunch box recipes for kids. 

• Ice Cream Queen by Lokelani Alabanza—In the 1840s, Sarah Estell, a free Black woman, ran a successful ice cream saloon in Nashville. This collection from a trained pastry chef celebrates her legacy with recipes like Roasted Strawberry and Chocolate-Covered Kettle Chip.  

• Cooking the Borderlands by Claudette Zepeda— A culinary journey along the Mexican American border, telling the story of its intertwined cultures and communities with more than 100 vibrant, flavor-packed recipes. 

• Japanese Comfort Cooking by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat— Join the bestselling authors of Japanese Soul Cooking for a fun, passionate dive into modern Japanese comfort cooking, with over 100 achievable recipes. 

Special editions 

• Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst—Book three in the bestselling cozy fantasy Spellshop series is currently available in a gorgeous hardcover edition featuring cerulean sprayed edges. 

• Immortal Rose by Alexandra Bracken—From the bestselling author of Lore comes this stunning adult fantasy available for a limited time in a deluxe hardcover edition with stenciled edges and illustrated endpapers. 

• Lost and Found: A Spunes Novel by Tarah DeWitt— Bea, newly a single mom and grieving her best friend, moves in with her firefighter friend Silas. The deluxe limited-edition paperback comes with lovely stenciled edges. 

• The Unknown by Riley Sager—The first edition of this heart-pounding thriller features designed endpapers, a foil-stamped case, hued edges, and a shimmery jacket.  

• Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee—This special edition paperback of the debut novel by the bestselling author of Pachinko features a stunning new cover, stenciled edges, and more. 

Happy, happy birthday to all the August babies! Whether you're celebrating a loved one or yourself, we hope you find something perfect here at ThriftBooks to bookify the occasion! 

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon