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August booklist 2024 – Escape with a Book

Summer is a time for adventures and immersive experiences, so we have created a booklist perfect for readers looking to escape into captivating stories. These sixteen books offer a variety of escapes, from adventurous expeditions and magical journeys to heartwarming romances and engaging puzzles, ensuring every reader finds their perfect summer getaway even if you cannot leave your house.

Our librarian readers have shared three words to describe each book to help you decide if the book is for you. We would also love to hear what books you’d recommend for the list on social media using #booklist and tagging readingagency.

Download A4 posters of the booklists plus accompanying resources from our publisher partners (including activity sheets, image assets etc.).

Our themed booklists

The themed booklists are co-ordinated in-house by the Reading Partners team. The aim is to highlight a variety of titles which children, young people and adults will want to read themselves and to encourage reading for pleasure. We aim to create booklists that include titles that are written and illustrated by authentic voices and then include characters that reflect the diverse society of the UK. (Please note our monthly booklists are not part of our Book Selection Framework applied to programme content and our selection has been supported with external librarian readers).

News

The Radio 2 Book Club with Sara Cox

The BBC Radio 2 Book Club returns! Sara Cox – who recently celebrated 25 years on BBC Radio – is the new host of the Radio 2 Book Club, which returned to Radio 2 on Tuesday 8 October. As well as coverage on Sara’s show, and other shows on Radio 2, there will be a weekly podcast on BBC Sounds.

Resources

How to start a reading group

Interested in joining a reading group or starting one of your own? Download our quick guide to getting started. You can also download icebreaker questions to help get your discussion started, and a social media guide to show how you can share your reading with others online.

News

UK’s Best Book Festivals of 2024

The UK is full of book festivals, and as we head into the summer, they’re popping up all over the country and are perfect for your book club to have a day, weekend or even week out. Book festivals are a brilliant opportunity to hear from your favourite writers, discover new ones, and meet other like-minded booklovers. You’ll be sure to walk away with a bag full of new books to enjoy! We’ve put together a list of some of our team’s favourite festivals. Can’t see one near you? You can watch...

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