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Thu Sep 4 2025

Clare Mulroy | Books Reporter

Happy Thursday, booklovers!

Now that it's September, many readers have cool temperatures and cozy fall reads on the brain. But while the call of sweater weather is enticing, your friendly neighborhood books reporter is here to remind you that it's still very much summer and I'll be enjoying those beach reads through Sept. 22.

There's also still plenty of time to submit your bingo for our Summer Book Challenge, which will land one lucky winner with a $100 Bookshop.org gift card. Read books, win money? Yes please!

Summer reading isn't over yet, USA TODAY declares.

Paper Trident, Getty Images

Need some suggestions? Here's a list of 15 new books from August that we loved, or check out three of my favorite reads from this summer:

🌩️ "These Summer Storms" by Sarah MacLean: A good old family drama, but make it a billionaire family chasing through a warped inheritance game from their late tech giant father. This perfect summer read meditates on grief, expectations, loyalty and wealth.

🧛‍♀️ "Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil" by V.E. Schwab: Don't let the length of this one scare you away – I read it in a little more than a day. It's the journeys of three young women who turn into vampires in different eras, blending fantasy, historical fiction and queer romance.

🌴 "The Girls Who Grew Big" by Leila Mottley: This novel follows an outcast group of teen mothers in the Florida panhandle who are straddling both girlhood and motherhood. Mottley's prose is brilliant, and this is a story you're guaranteed to hold close to your heart.

Which summer reads do you still want to squeeze in? Share your recommendations at cmulroy@usatoday.com or reach out to me on Instagram. Thanks for reading USA TODAY Books this week.