August Reads: Backpacks, Barking, and Books I Couldn’t Put Down

Every morning, I set out for my walk-jog. Frankly, it’s more walk than jog, but I trek through the Bosque park in my adopted magical town of Morelia, Mexico. And every morning, without fail, I’m treated to a canine spectacle that could give Westminster a run for its money.

There are elegant little dogs trotting along in perfect step beside their humans. There are enthusiastic puppies bouncing like they’ve just discovered legs. One canine slacker rides atop his owner's shoulders, taking in everything around him. There are serious-looking shepherds, tiny dogs in sweaters despite the warmth, and at least one fellow who appears to be walking his person rather than the other way around. It’s a parade of wagging tails, determined sniffs, and the occasional dramatic refusal to continue in the direction anyone else had planned.

So perhaps it was inevitable that August—National Dog Month—turned into a particularly dog-filled reading month around here.

I created the Paws, Pages, and Plot Twists series to celebrate the dogs who steal scenes, mend hearts, solve mysteries, and occasionally make us cry so hard we need to explain ourselves to anyone who walks into the room. This month’s stack included unforgettable canine companions in Marley & Me, Because of a Dog, Dog Person, Etna, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, and A Friend Like Henry. Some were joyful. Some were devastating. A few required strategic reading breaks and a box of tissues within reach.

But August wasn’t all wet noses and muddy paw prints.

This was also back-to-school season—the time of year when even those of us long past spelling tests and lunchboxes feel that little flicker of possibility. A fresh notebook. A new routine. A chance to learn something, begin again, or simply choose a book that carries us somewhere unexpected. My reading reflected that spirit beautifully, moving from the introspective ache of Ann Hood’s The Obituary Writer to Isaac Fitzgerald’s warm, candid, and deeply human American Rambler and then to the emotional force of Sarah Damoff’s The Burning Side.

In other words, this list has range.

If you’re looking for your next great read, a book-club possibility, or simply an excuse to add “one more” title to your already wobbly TBR pile, you’re in the right place. Let’s talk about the 9 books that made my August 2026 reading life richer, messier, funnier, and, yes, a little furrier.

Marley & Me by John Grogan

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — 9 Stars
Genre: NonFiction, Memoir

About the Book

In Marley & Me, journalist John Grogan recounts the years he and his wife, Jenny, spend with their lovable but impossible yellow Lab. Marley chews furniture, crashes through doors, terrorizes obedience-school instructors, and creates chaos wherever he goes. Yet through career changes, moves, infertility struggles, and the arrival of children, Marley remains a constant source of joy, comfort, and unconditional love.

Major Awards and Distinctions

• A #1 New York Times bestseller
• An international bestseller, translated and published around the world
• Widely recognized as one of the most beloved modern memoirs about the bond between people and their dogs
• Adapted into the 2008 feature film Marley & Me, starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston

My Thoughts

This book made me laugh out loud—and, yes, it absolutely made me cry. Grogan captures the reality of sharing life with a pet so well: the destruction, the inconvenience, the stories you tell for years afterward, and the extraordinary love that somehow makes every chewed shoe and disastrous outing worthwhile. Read the full review here.

The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐— 8 Stars
Genre: Fiction, historical Fiction, Mystery

About the Book

Set in 1919 San Francisco and 1961 America, the novel follows Vivien Lowe, an obituary writer still searching for the lover who vanished in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and Claire, a young wife and mother confronting an unhappy marriage, an affair, and a life-altering pregnancy. As Vivien records the stories of the dead, she also begins to confront her own unresolved grief. Claire, meanwhile, must decide whether safety and appearances are worth the cost of denying herself a more authentic life.

Hood gradually reveals the unexpected connection between these two women, using their intertwined narratives to explore marriage, motherhood, desire, grief, and the ways the past quietly shapes the present.

Major Awards and Distinctions

• Longlisted for the 2014 Maine Readers’ Choice Award.
• Published by W. W. Norton & Company in 2013.
• Featured praise from The Washington Post, which called it “beautifully structured” and deeply empathic.
• The book’s author, Ann Hood, is a bestselling novelist and an award-winning writer whose honors include two Pushcart Prizes, the Paul Bowles Prize for Short Fiction, and awards in Best American Spiritual Writing, Best American Food Writing, and Best American Travel Writing. These are distinctions for Hood’s body of work, rather than book-specific awards for this novel.

My Thoughts

I gave The Obituary Writer 8 out of 10 stars for its tender, thoughtful treatment of grief and its compelling portrait of women whose choices are constrained by the eras in which they live. Vivien’s chapters were the strongest for me. The post-earthquake San Francisco setting has an atmosphere of absence and recovery, and Vivien’s work gives the novel a lovely meditation on remembrance—who gets remembered, how they are remembered, and what it means to carry forward the stories of those we have lost. Claire’s 1960s storyline is equally important, especially in its examination of the polished but restrictive ideals attached to marriage and motherhood during the Kennedy years.

The book moves at a measured pace, so readers looking for a high-stakes historical mystery may find it more reflective than suspenseful. But for readers who enjoy emotionally grounded historical fiction, women’s stories, and novels about the lasting consequences of love and loss, this is a rewarding choice. Hood’s compassion for both women makes the eventual connection feel meaningful rather than merely clever. Read the full review here.

American Rambler by Isaac Fitzgerald

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐— 9 Stars
Genre: NonFiction, Memoir, Travel

About the Book

As a child, Isaac Fitzgerald was fascinated by Johnny Appleseed, the legendary wandering planter whose real life has been softened, polished, and turned into an American folktale. Years later, at a difficult point in his own life, Fitzgerald decides to trace Chapman’s route and discover what remains beneath the familiar myth.

Fitzgerald blends that historical investigation with reflections on his own losses, family stories, restlessness, and need for connection. The book moves easily between grimy gas-station bathrooms, apple orchards, back roads, historical archives, campgrounds, and encounters with people who make the road feel a little less lonely. It becomes a meditation on the stories Americans tell about themselves—and the ways those stories can conceal violence, hardship, generosity, hope, and contradiction.

Major Awards and Distinctions

• Written by Isaac Fitzgerald, the New York Times bestselling author of Dirtbag, Massachusetts.
• Published by Knopf on May 12, 2026.
• Centers on the enduring American legend of Johnny Appleseed while examining the life of the real John Chapman.
• Drew praise from author John Green, who called it “rollicking” and “heartfelt” and said it offered the wonder and hope he had been longing for.
• Fitzgerald previously received the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association Book of the Year Award for Dirtbag, Massachusetts.

My Thoughts

I gave American Rambler 9 out of 10 stars because it is the rare journey book that feels both expansive and intimate. Fitzgerald is a companionable guide: funny, candid, observant, sometimes messy, and always willing to question the stories he has inherited—including the story he tells himself about who he is and where he is going.

What I especially appreciated was that the book does not treat Johnny Appleseed as a simple, feel-good symbol. Fitzgerald respects the appeal of the legend, but he also asks readers to look harder at the history underneath it. That makes the journey more meaningful. We get apple trees and open roads, certainly, but also a clear-eyed look at settlement, belief, folklore, and the uncomfortable gaps between national mythology and historical truth.

This is a wonderful pick for readers who enjoy memoirs with a strong sense of place, literary travel narratives, and histories that challenge familiar American legends. It would also make an excellent book-club choice, particularly for readers interested in the difference between the stories a country tells and the more complicated truths waiting just beneath the surface. Full RWW is coming.

The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ —8 Stars
Genre: Fiction

About the Book

April and Leo escape their burning home in the middle of the night with their children, but they cannot escape the painful truth that their marriage is already nearing its end. With nowhere else to go, they move in with April’s parents in Dallas, where everyday family closeness brings comfort, tension, old expectations, and long-buried secrets.

Told through alternating viewpoints—primarily April, Leo, and April’s mother, Deb—along with flashbacks to the couple’s earlier years, the novel traces how love can be shaped, strained, and sometimes damaged by parenthood, guilt, trauma, memory, and the stories families tell themselves. It is a thoughtful novel about marriage, aging parents, inherited wounds, forgiveness, and the difficult question of what is worth rebuilding after everything seems to have fallen apart.

Major Awards and Distinctions

Because The Burning Side was published in May 2026, it is still a relatively new release, and I could not find major book-award wins or finalist announcements specifically for this title as of this August recap.

Its notable distinctions so far include:

• Sarah Damoff’s second novel, following her critically praised debut, The Bright Years.
• Published by Simon & Schuster on May 19, 2026.
• Selected for review and praise by prominent literary outlets, including Publishers Weekly, Southern Literary Review, Bookreporter, and The Dallas Morning News.
• Southern Literary Review highlighted the novel’s nuanced exploration of two marriages and Damoff’s gift for creating poignant, layered family dynamics.
• Damoff’s debut, The Bright Years, was named Southern Literary Review’s 2025 Book of the Year and was a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist—context that makes The Burning Side an especially anticipated follow-up.

My Thoughts

I gave The Burning Side 8 out of 10 stars for its compassionate portrayal of a family in crisis and its willingness to sit with the uncomfortable realities of long-term love. This is not a story interested in easy villains or neat explanations. Instead, Sarah Damoff lets April, Leo, and Deb be complicated, wounded, sometimes frustrating people who are all trying—often imperfectly—to love one another.

The novel also works beautifully as a book-club selection. There is plenty to discuss: whether a marriage can recover from betrayal and neglect, how family history shapes the people we become, what adult children owe their parents, and whether forgiveness must always lead to reconciliation. Damoff balances painful subject matter with warmth, humor, and genuine affection for her characters.

While the pacing may feel quiet for readers expecting the fire itself to propel a high-stakes plot, that restraint is intentional. The Burning Side is less concerned with dramatic answers than with the aftermath—the ash, the memories, the practical details, and the fragile possibility of beginning again. It is a tender, absorbing, and honest read for anyone drawn to intimate family sagas and emotionally observant literary fiction. Read the full review here.

Because of a Dog by Matthew Sigman

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐— 9 Stars
Genre: NonFiction, Memoir, Travel

About the Book

Because of a Dog is a memoir about what happens after loss—and how an unexpected detour can make room for renewal. Sigman writes movingly about Augie, the dog whose 18-year companionship shaped his life, while tracing the aftermath of Augie’s death and the cascade of personal upheavals that followed.

A mistaken Airbnb map choice lands him in Quarna, an Italian village seemingly tucked away from modern life. Instead of finding a quick escape from sorrow, he finds Valerio, an exuberant innkeeper, along with eccentric neighbors and a village community that welcomes him with an openness he did not know he needed. The result is part travel memoir, part dog-love story, and part reflection on the ways human connection can steady us when life feels broken beyond repair.

Major Awards and Distinctions

• Because of a Dog was released by Sourcebooks on August 11, 2026, so it is still too new to have accumulated major book-award recognition or long-term literary distinctions.
• The book has been described in publishing coverage as a “humorous and uplifting memoir,” a fitting summary of its blend of loss, wit, travel, and emotional recovery.
• Matthew Sigman is a three-time recipient of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for Music Journalism, honoring his distinguished work as a writer and editor in the performing arts.
• Sigman’s prior writing has appeared in publications including Symphony, Opera News, American Theatre, Chorus America, Classical Music, and NPR’s Performance Today.

My Thoughts

I gave Because of a Dog 9 out of 10 stars because it understands that grief is rarely neat, linear, or resolved by a single dramatic breakthrough. Sigman does not turn Augie’s death into a sentimental device; instead, he honors the profound, everyday love between a person and a dog—and recognizes how disorienting it is when that presence is gone.

Readers who have loved a dog, endured a difficult transition, or simply needed a reminder that a new life can begin in an unfamiliar place will find much to cherish here. Because of a Dog is tender without becoming saccharine, funny without minimizing pain, and ultimately hopeful in the most believable way: healing does not erase what we have lost, but it can help us carry that love forward. Read the full review here.

Dog Person by Camille Pagan

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — 7 Stars
Genre: Fiction

About the Book

Miguel has withdrawn after Amelia’s death, and the bookstore they built together is in real financial trouble. When a much-needed author event falls apart after the featured writer fails to show, Miguel and Harold, his beloved rescue dog, set off to track him down. Their search instead brings them to Fiona, the author’s guarded sister, and her young daughter, Amelia Mae.

Harold, the canine narrator of the book, sees possibility where Miguel sees only loss. As he works—sometimes rather determinedly—to bring these lonely people together, the novel explores whether a broken heart can make room for new connection without diminishing the love that came before. With its bookstore setting, dog narrator, and emotionally wounded characters, Dog Person is especially suited to readers who enjoy heartfelt fiction with a hopeful romantic thread.

Major Awards and Distinctions

• Camille Pagán is a #1 Amazon Charts bestselling novelist.
• She is also a Washington Post best-selling novelist.
• Dog Person has been highlighted as an uplifting, heartwarming read for dog lovers, book lovers, and readers drawn to stories of healing after loss.

My Thoughts

Dog Person is the sort of novel that knows exactly what emotional buttons it wants to press—and, for the most part, it presses them effectively. Harold is undoubtedly the heart of the book. His loyalty to Amelia and Miguel gives the story its warmth, and his sincere belief that he can help “fix” Miguel’s life makes for an endearing perspective. Readers who have loved a pet deeply will likely recognize the special, almost wordless understanding Pagán creates between Harold and his people.

That said, the novel occasionally leans a little too hard into its sentimentality. Some developments feel conveniently arranged, and readers looking for a more subtle or unpredictable emotional journey may find the path toward healing somewhat familiar. Still, Dog Person succeeds as a comforting, big-hearted read. It is a good choice for anyone craving a story with dogs, books, romance, and a reminder that love can remain present even after a life-altering loss.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐— 9 Stars
Genre: Fiction

About the Book

Edgar Sawtelle lives with his parents, Gar and Trudy, on their northern Wisconsin farm, where generations of Sawtelles have bred and trained a special line of exceptionally intelligent, emotionally perceptive dogs. Born mute, Edgar communicates through a private system of signs, particularly with his parents and his cherished lifelong canine companion, Almondine.

The family’s quiet life is disrupted by the arrival of Edgar’s uncle, Claude. After Edgar’s father dies suddenly, Claude becomes increasingly entwined in the household and in Edgar’s mother’s life. Edgar grows convinced that his uncle is connected to his father’s death, but his effort to uncover the truth goes terribly wrong. Forced to run away, he enters the wilderness with three young dogs at his side and must find a way to survive—and eventually decide whether he can return home.

This is literary fiction with the momentum of a suspense novel, but it is also a moving exploration of communication, family inheritance, fate, betrayal, and devotion. Readers who love dogs should know that the book’s canine characters are not simply companions or symbols; they are integral to the emotional and moral life of the story.

Major Awards and Distinctions

• Oprah’s Book Club selection in 2008, chosen as Oprah Winfrey’s 62nd Book Club pick.
• Colorado Book Award winner for Literary Fiction in 2009.
• Indies Choice Book Award winner for Best Author Discovery / New Talent in 2009.
• Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection.
• Midwest Booksellers Association Choice Award winner.
• Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist for First Fiction in 2008.
• Center for Fiction First Novel Prize shortlist in 2008.
• Dublin Literary Award longlist in 2010.
• Included among Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of the Year for 2008 and recognized by several other major reading and library lists.
• New York Times bestseller and a major fiction bestseller in 2008.

My Thoughts

I gave The Story of Edgar Sawtelle 9 stars out of 10 because it is the kind of book that asks for patience, then rewards it with a deeply immersive and emotionally resonant reading experience.

Wroblewski’s prose is beautiful without feeling showy. He creates a vivid sense of place—the changing seasons, the isolated farm, the kennels, and the dangerous beauty of the northern woods—and I felt completely transported into Edgar’s world. The novel is long and deliberately paced, especially early on, but that slower beginning allows the author to establish the family’s history and show why the Sawtelle dogs matter so much. By the time the story turns darker, the emotional stakes feel enormous.

The book’s Hamlet-like framework adds a layer of tension, but you do not need to know Shakespeare’s play to appreciate the story. This is not a simple retelling. It is its own dark, lush, heartbreaking novel about family, loss, and the consequences of pursuing justice when you are still young enough to be overwhelmed by it.

My one small reservation is the length. Some readers may find sections of the novel a bit meandering, and the emotional intensity can be heavy. Still, for readers who enjoy immersive literary fiction, complicated family stories, atmospheric settings, and unforgettable animal characters, this is absolutely worth the commitment. It is a book that stays with you long after you turn the final page. Read the full review here.

Etna by Paul Yoon

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — 8 Stars
Genre: Fiction, Dystopian

About the Book

Set in an unnamed present-day country devastated by war, Etna is narrated by Etna, a shepherd mix who is taken from his peaceful coastal farm as a puppy and trained to serve as a military dog. Years later, after surviving the conflict alongside soldiers, he leaves in search of the only place that still represents safety to him: home.

His journey across a ravaged landscape brings him into contact with people and animals who are also trying to survive the aftermath, rebuild their lives, and understand what remains when war has taken so much. At 208 pages, this is a compact novel with an epic emotional reach—one that explores whether home can still exist after everything familiar has been changed.

Major Awards and Distinctions

Because Etna was published on August 4, 2026, it has not yet had time to move through a full cycle of major annual literary prizes. Still, it has arrived with considerable early recognition:

• Selected as the #1 Top Pick for the August 2026 Indie Next List.
• Received a “Rave” consensus from Book Marks, based on 10 early reviews.
• Earned starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Shelf Awareness.
• Praised by major outlets including The New York Times Book Review, NPR, and The Atlantic; Book Marks highlights descriptions such as “devastating and gorgeous,” “profound,” “uncanny,” and “extraordinary.”
• Written by Paul Yoon, whose previous collection, The Hive and the Honey, won the twentieth annual Story Prize; Yoon has also received a Guggenheim Fellowship and an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

My Thoughts

I gave Etna 8 out of 10 stars because it is beautifully written, emotionally intelligent, and far more haunting than its short length suggests. Yoon’s prose is spare but never empty; every detail seems chosen with care, and the restraint makes the painful moments land with even more force.

This is not a cheerful dog story, and readers should be prepared for wartime violence, animal endangerment, grief, and emotional devastation. But it is also not relentlessly bleak. Beneath the sorrow is a small, stubborn thread of hope—the belief that connection, memory, and the desire to belong can survive even when the world has been shattered.

For readers who appreciate literary fiction that is tender, unsettling, and deeply discussion-worthy, Etna is an excellent choice. It is a book-club-ready novel that invites conversation about the human cost of war, our responsibility toward animals caught in human conflict, what loyalty asks of us, and whether it is ever truly possible to go home again. Read the full review here.

A Friend Like Henry by Nuala Gardner

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ — 8 Stars
Genre: NonFiction, Biography, Memoir

About the Book

Nuala Gardner’s memoir centers on her son, Dale, whose autism was severe enough that disruptions to routine could lead to overwhelming distress and make ordinary family life exceptionally challenging. Gardner writes candidly about the isolation of parenting a child whose needs were frequently misunderstood, as well as her fierce determination to secure a meaningful, inclusive future for him.

The family’s turning point comes with Henry, a golden retriever. Henry is not presented as a magical cure, nor should the book be read as one; rather, his steady companionship becomes an important bridge for Dale. Through their connection, Dale begins to make gains in everyday experiences, from tolerating activities that had once been impossible to expressing affection and engaging more fully with the people around him. The book is therefore as much about parental endurance and advocacy as it is about the relationship between a boy and his dog.

Major Awards and Distinctions

• New York Times bestseller.
• Publishers Weekly bestseller.
• Adapted for television. Dale and Henry’s story inspired the acclaimed UK television film After Thomas, which premiered on ITV in 2006.
• Autism Lights Award recognition. Nuala Gardner and her husband received the Autism Lights Award in recognition of their dedication to children with autism.
• Enduring international readership. The book’s impact continued through later editions and Gardner’s follow-up memoir, All Because of Henry, which revisits Dale and the family as he enters young adulthood.

My Thoughts

This is the kind of memoir that asks readers to sit with discomfort as well as joy. Gardner does not romanticize the family’s reality: the frustration, fear, lack of understanding from others, and emotional toll are all central to the book. That candor gives the story its power. It never feels like a simple “dog saves the day” narrative; instead, it shows how small breakthroughs can be monumental when a family has spent years trying to find a way through.

Henry is, of course, unforgettable. His gentleness and instinctive connection with Dale make for many of the book’s most moving moments. Animal lovers will likely find themselves especially touched, but the broader appeal lies in the memoir’s portrait of devotion—between parent and child, child and dog, and family members trying to keep hope alive during an enormously demanding chapter of life.

Readers should be aware that the language and framing around autism reflect the period in which Gardner wrote and her intensely personal experience as a parent. It is best approached as one family’s memoir rather than a universal account of autism. With that perspective in mind, A Friend Like Henry remains a compassionate, memorable, and uplifting read about connection in its many forms. Read the full review here.

August may be over, but the dogs of Morelia are still making their morning rounds, proudly leading their humans toward September one sniff at a time. They may be onto something. A new school year is beginning, the air has that faint “fresh notebook and second chances” feeling, and my reading list is already giving me the kind of optimistic panic usually reserved for a very ambitious syllabus.

Paws, Pages, and Plot Twists has reminded me that the best reading companions don’t care whether you finish your book club selection on time. They won’t judge the stack by your bed, the audiobook you abandoned at chapter four, or the fact that you bought three new books while insisting you were “trying to read what I already own.” They’ll simply curl up nearby—or demand a walk at the exact moment the plot gets good—and make the whole reading life feel a little warmer.

As September opens its doors, here’s to a month full of curiosity, good books, fresh starts, and dogs who believe every walk deserves a parade. May your TBR be exciting, your bookmarks plentiful, and your reading chair available before someone with four paws claims it first.