Real Reads for August
Ready to ditch lightweight beach reads? This August in Blighty, get stuck into proper writing: insider politics, old‑school spy thrillers, sporting grit and historical punch. These are tough, thoughtful titles for us fully Loaded blokes who read between the lines, and prefer escapism with substance.
Frankly by Nicola Sturgeon
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Pub Date: 14 August 2025
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Genre: Memoir
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Why It Matters: Former First Minister of Scotland lays it all out—private life, politics, Brexit, independence and burnout. Expect blunt, highly personal reflections from a heavyweight figure.
Babylon, Albion by Dalia Al‑Dujaili
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Pub Date: August 2025 (exact date TBC in UK)
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Genre: Identity memoir / travel essay
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Why It’s Essential: A hybrid of memoir and landscape writing, exploring Britain and Iraq through family roots, exile and belonging. Poignant, resonant and smart.
Hotel Ukraine by Martin Cruz Smith
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Pub Date: August 2025 (part of mid-year thriller roundup)
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Genre: Political suspense / spy fiction
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Why It Hits: The veteran creator of Arkady Renko delivers one last case tied to current geopolitics. A sharp, gritty thriller with moral complexity that feels pressingly of-the-moment.
The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney
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Pub Date: Expected August 2025 (also in mid-year centrepiece)
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Genre: Crime / literary fiction
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Why You Should Know It: Explores guilt, justice and family legacy via a rural setting. Intelligent, dark and quietly powerful.