25 Adult Books to Read in 2025
14th January 2025
Choosing just 25 books to highlight as THE big new books for 2025 is like choosing your favourite child – impossible to do. But the good news is there is much to look forward to, so you don’t need to limit your choices!
The book we expect everyone to be talking about is Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - the ‘return of a literary titan’ as the Telegraph so succinctly phrases it! As we’re on the subject of literary titans we can also look forward to a new novel We Do Not Part from Han Kang, winner of last year’s Nobel Prize for Literature. I’m looking forward to My Friends from Fredrik Backman, whose Man Called Ove (Ove, rhymes with Hoover) I always recommend people to read if they just want a big comforting hug. For Crime aficionados there is a treat in store with YA author extraordinaire Holly Jackson’s first crime novel for adults Not Quite Dead Yet. For those who like their crime a little more genteel Anthony Horowitz returns with a third instalment of Magpie Murders, Marble Hall Murders, a series I love for its clever depiction of publishing and the book world as well as delivering a mystery within a mystery. We’re seeing a huge rise in translated fiction from South Korea and Japan, with Japan delivering groundbreaking crime novels, like the promising Strange Pictures, as well as truly heartwarming stories about Cats and Bookshops! (Keep an eye out for our Blog on novels from Japan and South Korea which is out soon). Romance fans also have lots to look out for, like Taylor Jenkins-Reid’s (author of Carrie Soto is Back and Daisy Jones and the Six) new novel, which promises love among the stars, and another swoonworthy spicy romance from TikTok sensation Emily Henry, Great Big Beautiful Life. TikTok fans are also eagerly awaiting some big new titles, like the new novel from RF Kuang – author of the much lauded Yellowface - Katabasis, with a delicious Dark Academia feel, and Romantasy fans for new novels Gifted and Talented by Olivie Blake and Onyx Storm from Rebecca Yarros.
Non-Fiction fans won’t be disappointed either – there are fascinating forgotten histories like When we Ruled and Children of Radium. There’s a glut of promising Biographies too – we’re especially keen to read two very different stories about the online world with Bill Gates’ Source Code and Tim Berners-Lee’s This is for Everyone.
You can find even more recommendations here for this year’s big new Fiction and Non-Fiction titles.
Let the 2025 Reading begin!
Claudia, Content Selection Team
General Fiction
We Do Not Part
Kang, Han
Hardback
WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE 2024SHORTLISTED FOR FOYLES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025AN OBSERVER BEST BOOK OF THE CENTURY SO FARLike a long winter’s dream, this haunting and visionary new novel from 2024 Nobel Prize winner Han Kang takes us on a journey from contemporary South Korea into its painful history‘One of the most profound and skilled writers working on the contemporary world stage’ Deborah LevyBeginning one morning in December, We Do Not Part traces the path of Kyungha as she travels from the city of Seoul into the forests of Jeju Island, to the home of her old friend Inseon. Hospitalized following an accident, Inseon has begged Kyungha to hasten there to feed her beloved pet bird, who will otherwise die. Kyungha takes the first plane to Jeju, but a snowstorm hits the island the moment she arrives, plunging her into a world of white. Beset by icy wind and snow squalls, she wonders if she will arrive in time to save the bird – or even survive the terrible cold which envelops her with every step. As night falls, she struggles her way to Inseon’s house, unaware as yet of the descent into darkness which awaits her. There, the long-buried story of Inseon’s family surges into light, in dreams and memories passed from mother to daughter, and in a painstakingly assembled archive documenting a terrible massacre on the island seventy years before. We Do Not Part is a hymn to friendship, a eulogy to the imagination and above all an indictment against forgetting. Translated by e. yaewon and Paige Aniyah Morris‘A vital voice and a writer of extraordinary humanity. Her work is a gift to us all’ Max Porter‘A remarkable novelist who reflects our modern condition with courage, imagination, and keen intelligence’ Min Jin LeeSHORTLISTED FOR THE WARWICK PRIZE FOR WOMEN IN TRANSLATION
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Dream Count
Ngozi Adichie, Chimamanda
Hardback
'Reads like a feminist War and Peace. A magnificent novel' SUNDAY TIMES ‘A complex, multi-layered beauty of a book. Extraordinary’ NEW STATESMAN THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLER; LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2025 A publishing event ten years in the making – a searing, exquisite new novel by the bestselling and award-winning author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists – the story of four women and their loves, longings and desires. 'The return of a literary titan' TELEGRAPH CHOSEN AS A SUNDAY TIMES, GUARDIAN, OBSERVER, FINANCIAL TIMES, INDEPENDENT, TELEGRAPH, GQ and COSMOPOLITAN BOOK OF 2025. Chiamaka is a Nigerian travel writer living in America. Alone in the midst of the pandemic, she recalls her past lovers and grapples with her choices and regrets. Zikora, her best friend, is a lawyer who has been successful at everything until — betrayed and brokenhearted — she must turn to the person she thought she needed least. Omelogor, Chiamaka’s bold, outspoken cousin, is a financial powerhouse in Nigeria who begins to question how well she knows herself. And Kadiatou, Chiamaka’s housekeeper, is proudly raising her daughter in America – but faces an unthinkable hardship that threatens all she has worked to achieve. In Dream Count, Adichie trains her fierce eye on these women in a sparkling, transcendent novel that takes up the very nature of love itself. Is true happiness ever attainable or is it just a fleeting state? And how honest must we be with ourselves in order to love, and to be loved? A trenchant reflection on the choices we make and those made for us, on daughters and mothers, on our interconnected world, Dream Count pulses with emotional urgency and poignant, unflinching observations on the human heart, in language that soars with beauty and power. It confirms Adichie’s status as one of the most exciting and dynamic writers on the literary landscape. ‘The major publication milestone of 2025’ OBSERVER
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A Particularly Nasty Case
Kay, Adam
Hardback
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Moving, outrageous and outrageously funny' Dawn FrenchWhen a toxic hospital consultant dies of a heart attack, fellow doctor Eitan Rose smells foul play. Nobody else does though, including some quite crucial players like the police and the coroner. But Eitan just won't let it drop, and his friends and colleagues become increasingly concerned about his mental health as his chaotic investigation and equally chaotic life spiral out of control. Is he making a career-ending mistake, or could there genuinely be a killer stalking the wards?A deathly funny mix of mystery, murder and medicine, A PARTICULARLY NASTY CASE is the brilliantly original debut novel from Adam Kay, BAFTA-winning author of multi-million global bestseller THIS IS GOING TO HURT. PRAISE FOR A PARTICULARLY NASTY CASE'Brilliant. It will make you laugh and weep' Reverend Richard Coles'Amazing. I was gripped right up to the last minute' Joanna Lumley'A work of fiendishly plotted genius' Lucy Foley'Wild and funny and filthy and hilarious' Russell T Davies'Viciously funny - I'm still laughing' Ian Rankin'Very funny, very rude and very moving' Kate Mosse'A great addition to the genre' Literary Review'Biting and bleakly comic' Observer
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The Best of Everything
Waal, Kit de
Hardback
From the author of My Name is Leon comes an unforgettable story of found family and the love that steals into our lives... in spite of our best laid plans. 'Tender. Beautifully judged' Guardian 'I read this in a sitting, revelling in every word-perfect sentence' (reader review) ? ? ? ? ? 'De Waal takes an ordinary life and renders it extraordinary' Monica Ali 'A beautiful and important story about kindness that will break your heart, then make it sing' (reader review) ? ? ? ? ? 'Wonderful. De Waal writes brilliantly about forgiveness' Clare Chambers 'A profoundly compassionate novel of devastating power' Bernardine Evaristo Paulette's the kind of woman who likes the future all mapped out: the wedding to Denton, the Caribbean honeymoon, the gingham quilt on the baby's crib. Until one morning Garfield, Denton's friend, arrives at her door with the news that Denton won't be coming around any more, that there won't be time for her to say goodbye. Somehow Garfield finds his way into her bed, and sooner than anyone can believe there is a baby, and suddenly giving Bird, her son, the best of everything is what gives Paulette's life meaning. So why is it another little boy, Nellie, who keeps Paulette awake at night? Nellie who is being raised a few streets away, with no sign of a mum. Surely Paulette is the last person who should be getting tangled up in any of that?A tender celebration of kindness and its power to change lives, The Best of Everything is one of the most beautiful and uplifting novels you'll read this year.
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My Friends
Backman, Fredrik
Hardback
The beautiful new novel that will make you laugh and cry, from the global bestselling author of Anxious People and A Man Called Ove. Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later…‘A stunning, sweeping, extraordinary story of connection, love, and the unbreakable bonds that guide and shape us. Full of humour and heart, My Friends is simply wonderful’ Chris Whitaker* AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ** WINNER OF GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST FICTION 2025 ** SHORTLISTED FOR AMAZON'S BEST FICTION BOOK OF 2025 ** AN AUDIBLE BEST LISTEN OF 2025 ** A BARNES AND NOBLE NATIONAL BOOK CLUB PICK *You have to take life for granted, the artist thinks, the whole thing: sunrises and slow Sunday mornings andwater balloons and another person’s breath against your neck. That’s the only courageous thing a person can do. In the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world three tiny figures sit at the end of a pier. Most people don’t even notice them. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise. Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers seek refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days together. They tell jokes, they share secrets, and they commit small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love. Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into 18-year-old Louisa’s care. Determined to learn how it came to be and to decide what to do with it, Louisa embarks on a cross-country journey. But the closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes. In this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art, Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect. Readers can't get enough of My Friends . . . (***** five star reviews)'It was perfect. I have no other words to describe this masterpiece. Like, what the hell was I doing all these years??''I haven’t read a friendship story this genuine, heartfelt, clumsy, straightforward, smart, sentimental, shocking, and emotionally resonant in a very long time.''Is it too early in the year to pick my favourite read of 2025? I think not, as this will be hard to beat.''Backman remains my absolute favorite.''Absolutely brilliant and beautiful ... I loved, loved, loved this book.'
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Not Quite Dead Yet
Jackson, Holly
Hardback
THE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER'A roller coaster ride of page-turning suspense and knock-out twists!' FREIDA MCFADDEN 'A thrilling, twisting, heartbreaker' CHRIS WHITAKER 'An original and unique thriller’ CLAIRE DOUGLAS‘All the pizzazz, poignancy, humour and ingenious plotting of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’ SUNDAY TIMES THRILLER OF THE MONTH--In seven days Jet Mason will be dead. Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. She’ll do it later, she always says. She has time. Until, on the night of Halloween, Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder. She suffers a catastrophic brain injury. The doctor is certain that within a week, she’ll suffer a deadly aneurysm. Jet never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her ex-best friend turned sister-in-law, her former boyfriend. She only has seven days, and as her condition deteriorates she has only her childhood friend Billy for help. But nevertheless, she’s absolutely determined to finally finish something:Jet is going to solve her own murder. --PRAISE FOR NOT QUITE DEAD YET'Propulsive, unputdownable and unexpectedly heart wrenching, Not Quite Dead Yet is a masterclass in thriller writing and an example of storytelling at its finest' Alex Michaelides'I absolutely loved it: twisty, edgy, and with her trademark voice. It deserves to fly' Gillian McAllister'A propulsive plot, where the pathos is fuel for real suspense, makes this perfect holiday fare - a genuine page turner' Guardian 'Another cracker from the author of the global hit A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder... Jackson creates such a relatable character that the reader is kept engrossed until the heartbreaking, shocking finale' Daily Mail'Not Quite Dead Yet is everything I love about Holly Jackson’s novels dialled up to eleven - a searingly clever premise. An instant classic' Amy McCulloch'Fiercely original, wickedly clever... It had me snickering, gasping, and flying through the chapters until the final page' Andrea BartzNot Quite Dead Yet, No.1 Sunday Times bestseller, August 2025Not Quite Dead Yet, No.1 New York Times bestseller, August 2025
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The Impossible Fortune
Osman, Richard
Hardback
**The unmissable new mystery in the bestselling, record-breaking Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman**-----Who's got time to think about murder when there's a wedding to plan?It’s been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favourite criminal. But when Elizabeth meets a wedding guest who fears for their life, the thrill of the chase is ignited once again. A villain wants access to an uncrackable code and will stop at nothing to get it. Plunged back into their most explosive investigation yet, can the gang solve the puzzle and a murder in time?-----Praise for Richard Osman and the Thursday Murder Club series‘Brilliantly suspenseful’ JEFFERY DEAVER‘Deplorably good’ IAN RANKIN‘Funny, clever, compelling’ HARLAN COBEN‘I smiled a million times’ MARIAN KEYES‘Warm, wise and witty’ VAL MCDERMID‘Osman just gets better’ SHARI LAPENA'The thing that shines through in Osman’s writing is that he really likes people and revels in all their foibles and eccentricities . . . a delightful read' OBSERVER‘The rightful king of crime’ i PAPER
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The Seventh Floor
McCloskey, David
Hardback
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERTHE TIMES BOOKS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2025???‘A rare combination of experience and talent’ Mick Herron'His best yet ... Superb, addictively suspenseful, its politics and tradecraft coolly accurate, scary, intricate and complex ... The new maestro of espionage thrillers' Simon Sebag Montefiore‘The Seventh Floor is a truly creative, riveting page turner that will cement McCloskey’s reputation as the best contemporary spy novelist' General David Petraeus, former Director of the CIA'This enthralling read cements McCloskey's place in the first division of spy writers' Financial TimesTHE THIRD NOVEL FROM FORMER CIA OFFICER, THE REST IS CLASSIFIED PODCAST CO-HOST AND THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ***THE TIMES THRILLER OF THE YEAR***DAMASCUS STATION ('One of the best spy thrillers in years' THE TIMES) AND ***SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR*** MOSCOW XFOURTH NOVEL THE PERSIAN AVAILABLE NOW TO PRE-ORDERALL YOUR LIFE YOU'RE CIA. THEN YOU'RE NOT. A Russian arrives in Singapore with a secret to sell. When the Russian is killed and Sam Joseph, the CIA officer dispatched for the meet, goes missing, Artemis Procter is made a scapegoat and run out of the service. Traded back in a spy swap, Sam appears at Procter’s central Florida doorstep months later with an explosive secret: there is a Russian mole hidden deep within the upper reaches of CIA. As Procter and Sam investigate, they arrive at a shortlist of suspects made up of both Procter’s closest friends and fiercest enemies. The hunt soon requires Procter to dredge up her own checkered past in service of CIA, placing her and Sam into the sights of a savvy Russian spymaster who will protect Moscow’s mole in Langley at all costs, even if it means wreaking bloody havoc across the United States. Bouncing between the corridors of Langley and the Kremlin, the thrilling new novel by David McCloskey explores the nature of friendship in a faithless business, and what it means to love a place that does not love you back.
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Marble Hall Murders
Horowitz, Anthony
Hardback
From bestselling author, Anthony Horowitz, a new novel in the bestselling Magpie Murders series in which editor, Susan Ryeland, uncovers the clues in an Atticus Pund mystery to solve a murder. 'A masterclass in mystery writing’ Ragnar Jónasson'Expect plenty of puzzles, red herrings and juicy murders' Express'Horowitz is a genius' Terry Deary‘An absolutely wonderful writer’ Richard Osman______________Susan Ryeland has had enough of murder. She’s edited two novels about the famous detective, Atticus Pünd, and both times she’s come close to being killed. Now she’s back in England and she’s been persuaded to work on a third. The new ‘continuation’ novel is by Eliot Crace, grandson of Miriam Crace who was the biggest selling children’s author in the world until her death exactly twenty years ago. Eliot believes that Miriam was deliberately poisoned. And when he tells Susan that he has hidden the identity of Miriam’s killer inside his book, Susan knows she’s in trouble once again. As Susan works on Pünd’s Last Case, a story set in an exotic villa in the South of France, she uncovers more and more parallels between the past and the present, the fictional and the real world – until suddenly she finds that she has become a target herself. It seems that someone in Eliot’s family doesn’t want the book to be written. And they will do anything to prevent it. ______________More love for Marble Hall Murders:'Diabolically clever . . . Marble Hall Murders is as cunning a mystery as you’ll read all year' New York Times'The computer isn’t born that can out-plot Horowitz . . . Glorious fun’ The Daily Telegraph'The dividing lines between reality and fiction (a Horowitz trademark) are deliciously intertwined' Financial Times'Worthy of Agatha Christie' Publishers Weekly *Starred Review*‘A masterfully constructed whodunit’ The Business Standard'[A] page-turner of a puzzle' Washington Post'Anthony Horowitz is one of the great masters of the contemporary page turner’ Andrew Marr'Anthony Horowitz is one of my all-time favourite authors. Marble Hall Murders is a beautiful read and we are all in for a real treat’ Ryan TubridyReaders love Marble Hall Murders:‘A must-read!’ 5-star reader review‘One of the top crime books of 2025’ 5-star reader review‘Absolutely brilliant!’ 5-star reader review‘Smart, gorgeously written and compelling’ 5-star reader review‘An excellent whodunnit’ 5-star reader review‘Absolute perfection’ 5-star reader review
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Strange Pictures
Uketsu
Paperback / softback
'So captivating I read it in a day. So disturbing I thought about it all night' Janice Hallet, author of The Appeal 'The twists of a Golden Age whodunit, mixed with a wonderfully innovative use of illustrations. Delightfully macabre and fiendishly clever' G.T. Karber, author of Murdle
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Atmosphere
Jenkins Reid, Taylor
Hardback
An epic, gripping romantasy debut which will steal your heart and take your breath away . . . -- WHEN THE EMBERS OF AN ANCIENT PROPHECY ARE REIGNITED, IT UNLEASHES A STORM WHICH WILL SAVE THE REALM, OR DESTORY IT COMPLETELY. In war-torn Anwyvn, fear of maegic plagues every corner of the kingdom and halflings like Rhya Fleetwood are hunted and killed. When Rhya is sentenced to death, her execution is interrupted by an unexpected saviour, The mysterious Commander Scythe.
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Great Big Beautiful Life
Henry, Emily
Hardback
The dazzling new love story and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick from the TikTok sensation and Sunday Times bestselling author of Beach Read and Funny Story. AN INSTANT NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER!‘Emily knows how to craft a love story like the all-time greats’ -- Taylor Jenkins Reid, bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo‘A new Emily Henry novel is an event, ushering in longer days and promises of summer’ The Skinny-----When Margaret Ives, the famously reclusive heiress, invites eternal optimist Alice Scott to the balmy Little Crescent Island, Alice knows this is it: her big break. And even more rare: a chance to impress her family with a Serious Publication. The catch? Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud, Hayden Anderson, is sure of the same thing. The proposal? A one-month trial period to unearth the truth behind one of the most scandalous families of the 20th Century, after which she’ll choose who’ll tell her story. The problem? Margaret is only giving each of them tantalising pieces. Pieces they can’t put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room. And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story – just like the tale Margaret’s spinning – could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad … depending on who’s telling it. -----‘With a delicious slow-burn romance, a perfectly grumpy hero, and a setting that comes to life, this one checked all my boxes’ -- Laurie Gilmore, bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe‘One of my favourite authors’ -- Colleen Hoover, bestselling author of It Ends With Us‘I've loved every single one of her books more than the previous’ -- Ali Hazelwood, bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis‘An expansive, sweeping love story that also feels so intimately tender.... Beautiful.’ -- Bolu Babalola, bestselling author of Honey and Spice‘Nobody writes chemistry like Emily Henry’. -- Beth O'Leary, bestselling author of The Flat ShareFIVE STAR READER REVIEWS‘I loved loved loved loved this and I expected nothing less because duh it's Emily Henry.’ Reader Review‘My favourite by this 'must read' author’ Reader Review‘Certainly deliver[s] on the slow burn, sexual tension and romance’ Reader Review‘Did I finish GBBL or did it finish me?... I devoured it’ Reader Review
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The Strawberry Patch Pancake House
Gilmore, Laurie
Paperback / softback
Fall in love with Laurie Gilmore's #1 New York Times bestselling cozy seasonal romance set in Dream Harbor! 🍓 'Never want this series to end!' ????? 🍓🍓🍓🍓 Every book in the Dream Harbor series can be read as a standalone. As a world-renowned chef, single dad Archer never planned on moving to a small town, let alone running a pancake restaurant. But Dream Harbor needs a new chef, and Archer needs a community to help raise his daughter, Olive. Iris has never managed to hold down a job for more than a few months. So when it’s suggested that Archer is looking for a live-in nanny, she almost runs in the opposite direction. Now, Iris finds herself in a whole new world. One where her gorgeous new boss lives right across the hall and likes to cook topless… Keeping everything strictly professional should be easy, right? The Strawberry Patch Pancake House is a cozy romantic mystery with a single dad and found family dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed! Tropes Single DadForced ProximitySlow BurnFound Family Readers LOVE Laurie Gilmore… ‘Gives off the same level of endorphins as taking a sip of an actual pumpkin spice latte… all the makings of a top tier Hallmark movie that happens to include a nice dash of spice’ People ‘With a name this cute and a cover this autumnal, how could I not cozy up with my blanket and relax with this adoring book?’ New York Post 'Laurie Gilmore has done it again; another solid 5 star read!’ ????? 'As a devoted lover of the single dad trope, I hereby crown Laurie Gilmore as the undisputed queen!’ ????? ‘Wonderful story with tears, laughter, mysteries, uncertainty and happiness’ ????? ‘Compelling, cozy and delightful narrative’ ????? ‘A charming small town romance with sizzling chemistry and plenty of spice’ ????? ‘I LOVED THIS SO BAD. The vibes of the small town were immaculate’ ????? 'Literally amazing. I can’t say enough good things about Laurie Gilmore. I’ve fallen in love with every single one of her books’ ????? – Laurie Gilmore's book 'The Strawberry Patch Pancake House' was a No.1 New York Times bestseller w/c 2025-03-24.
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Katabasis
Kuang, R.F.
Hardback
Prepare for one hell of a journey… 'A big, bold fantasy romp' GUARDIAN 'R.F. Kuang is making magic' ELLE '[A] truly original and spellbinding hero's-journey story' VOGUE 'I devoured it' RED One of the BBC's 25 best books of 2025 2025’s most unexpected love story is going to be hell in the new No.1 Sunday Times bestselling novel by R.F. Kuang. Katabasis, noun, Ancient Greek. The story of a hero's descent to the underworld. Grad student Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become the brightest mind in the field of analytic magick. But the only person who can make her dream come true is dead and – inconveniently – in Hell. And Alice, along with her biggest rival Peter Murdoch, is going after him. But Hell is not as the philosophers claim, its rules are upside-down, and if she’s going to get out of there alive, she and Peter will have to work together. That’s if they can agree on anything. Will they triumph, or kill each other trying? 'Literary super-stardom doesn't seem too far out of her reach' THE HERALD ‘Mind-bending fantasy’ GRAZIA
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Gifted & Talented
Blake, Olivie
Hardback
Where there’s a will, there’s a war.From Olivie Blake, the New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six, magical realism meets Succession in Gifted & Talented. This is the story of three siblings who, upon the death of their father, are forced to reckon with their long-festering rivalries, dangerous abilities and the crushing weight of all their unrealized adolescent potential. Thayer Wren is dead. As the brilliant CEO of Wrenfare Magitech, he leaves an incredible legacy. But which of his three children could inherit the Wrenfare throne?Meredith, head of her own profitable company, has recently (apparently) cured mental illness. If only her journalist ex-boyfriend wasn’t set on exposing what she really is: a total fraud. Arthur, second-youngest congressman ever, wants to do everything right. Except his wife might be leaving him, and he’s losing his re-election campaign. Heading Wrenfare could relaunch his sinking ship. And Eilidh was a world-famous ballerina until a life-altering injury. But gaining control of the company might finally validate her worth. All three are telepathically and electrokinetically gifted. But in the pipeline from gifted kid to clinically depressed adult, nobody wins. As they gather to read their father's final words, who will come out on top?Gifted & Talented is a compulsive story of family, twisted love and dangerous secrets from a writer at the peak of her powers. Praise for Gifted & Talented‘Addictively entertaining, this is Blake at the height of her abilities’ – Ava Reid, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Lady Macbeth‘Utterly brilliant’ – Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of Immortal Longings‘A timely tale of greed, ambition and rivalry . . . terrific’ – M. L. Rio, bestselling author of If We Were VillainsOlivie Blake's The Atlas Six was a No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 28 Feb 2022. Gifted & Talented was a No. 1 Sunday Times Bestseller w/c 14 April 2025.
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Onyx Storm
Yarros, Rebecca
Hardback
DON'T BE THE LAST TO DISCOVER THE BREATHTAKING FOLLOW-UP TO FOURTH WING AND IRON FLAME:The third book in the record-breaking Empyrean series from the no. 1 Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros. 'Incredible storytelling on every page' THE SUN'Pure escapism . . . We'd suggest savouring every moment' INDEPENDENT 'Full of action, suspense and intrigue. This is the ride you have been waiting for, hold on tight' DAILY MIRROR--A STORM IS COMING . . . AND NOT EVERYONE CAN SURVIVE ITS WRATH. After nearly eighteen months at Basgiath War College, Violet Sorrengail knows there's no more time for lessons and no more time for uncertainty - the battle has truly begun. With enemies closing in from all corners, they need an army. They need power. And they need to unravel the dark truth about what's really happening on the continent before it's too late. Violet must embark on her most dangerous mission yet and travel beyond the failing wards to seek allies who will stand with Navarre. The trip will push her to the very edge of her power, and the odds of dying are far greater than the hope of success. But Violet will risk everything to save her dragons, her family, and him . . . even if it means keeping a secret so big it could destroy them all. ARE YOU READY TO BRAVE THE DARK?-- PRAISE FOR THE EMPYREAN SERIES 'I couldn't put it down!' Millie Bobby Brown 'Pure escapism - think Hunger Games meets Fifty Shades' The Sun 'We weren't expecting to become obsessed . . . but we very much are and we're not alone' Sunday Times Style 'This book contains an addictive, drug-like essence that will make you relinquish all responsibility' Glamour 'Yarros had me hooked from the first chapter' Mail on Sunday 'The new publishing sensation' Daily Mail 'Yarros is the true inheritor of Harry Potter and inspires Hunger Games levels of devotion' Guardian 'A deliciously gripping dish, which I downed in one sitting' Stylist '2024 is the Year of the Dragon . . . Dive into a fantasy narrative featuring these mythical, winged creatures' Pop Sugar 'One of the publishing events of the year' BBC News'Prepare to get obsessed' Cosmopolitan OTHER BOOKS IN THE EMPYREAN SERIES: - FOURTH WING - IRON FLAME - ONYX STORM
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Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
Schwab, V. E.
Hardback
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil: The Dark, Defiant New Epic from V. E. SchwabThe Instant Number One Sunday Times & New York Times BestsellerA Genre-Defying, Unforgettable Novel to Sink Your Teeth Into . . . “Bury my bones in the midnight soil, plant them shallow and water them deep, and in my place will grow a feral rose, soft red petals hiding sharp white teeth.”A STORY ABOUT IMMORTALITY, HUNGER AND REVENGE. From V. E. Schwab, the internationally bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, comes a twisting, gothic tale of blood, power, and the terrifying price of freedom. Three women, centuries apart. One secret desire binds them all: to be more than a pawn in a game played by men. 1532. Santo Domingo: María is wild and wily, and knows her beauty is her only currency. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path – a chance to choose her own fate – María makes a desperate vow: no regrets. 1827. London: Charlotte lives a cloistered life, her heart full of impossible wishes. Swept away by a beautiful widow's invitation, she discovers the price of freedom is higher than she could have ever imagined. 2019. Boston: Alice moved halfway across the world to escape her past. But a one-night stand leads to chilling consequences. So Alice throws herself into a hunt for answers and revenge that links her to a hunger centuries old. This is a story about life . . . how it ends, and how it starts again. ‘Lyrical and immersive . . . sweeping history, deep emotions and [a] touch of magic’– CosmopolitanReaders are obsessed with Bury Your Bones in the Midnight Soil:‘A brutal masterclass in tragedy. Page-turning. Heartbreaking. Unforgettable’‘This book gave me CHILLS’‘It’s easily one of my favourite books of the year!’‘I actually am at a loss for words to describe how this book made me feel’‘This book was beautiful. And gut-wrenching. And I was obsessed’V. E. Schwab's Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 16/06/2025
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Is a River Alive?
Macfarlane, Robert
Hardback
SHORTLISTED FOR BLACKWELL'S BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR CONSERVATION WRITING 2025SHORTLISTED FOR THE EDWARD STANFORD TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2026SHORTLISTED FOR THE SHERBORNE PRIZE FOR TRAVEL WRITING 2026From celebrated writer Robert Macfarlane comes this brilliant, perspective-shifting new book – which answers a resounding yes to the question of its title. At its heart is a single, transformative idea: that rivers are not mere matter for human use, but living beings – who should be recognized as such in both imagination and law. Is a River Alive? takes the reader on an exhilarating exploration of the past, present and futures of this ancient, urgent concept. The book flows first to northern Ecuador, where a miraculous cloud-forest and its rivers are threatened by goldmining. Then, to the wounded rivers, creeks and lagoons of southern India, where a desperate battle to save the lives of these waterbodies is under way. And finally, to north-eastern Quebec, where a spectacular wild river – the Mutehekau or Magpie – is being defended from death by damming in a river-rights campaign. At once Macfarlane’s most personal and most political book to date, Is a River Alive? will open hearts, spark debates and lead us to the revelation that our fate flows with that of rivers – and always has. 2025 BOOK OF THE YEAR ACCORDING TO SPECTATOR, I PAPER, ECONOMIST, ESQUIRE, TIME
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When We Ruled
Akpan, Paula
Hardback
'A searing, nourishing journey through a history the world needs' - Bettany Hughes, bestselling author of The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World 'Please read it!' - Philippa Gregory, bestselling author of Normal Women'Poetic and fierce' - Olivette Otele, author of African Europeans'An exciting and rich work for anyone who is curious about African history' - Paterson Joseph, author of The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho'Beautiful and thought-provoking' - Stylist_____________________________________________________There are women who ruled vast swathes of the African continent. They led, loved and fought for their kingdoms and people and their impact can still be felt today. However, beyond the lands they called home, so few of us have heard their names. From pre-colonial Nigeria to the rich plains of Rwanda, from the hills of Madagascar to apartheid South Africa, historian Akpan traces the lives of these powerful queens and takes you on a spellbinding, enrapturing and immersive journey that is nothing short of revelatory. Beautifully researched and filled with fascinating stories of royalty, ancient civilisations, conquest and colonisation, When We Ruled is a gripping new history where women take centre stage. _____________________________________________________'A rich, sumptuous and beautifully written tapestry' - Candice Carty-Williams, bestselling author of Queenie'A treasure trove' - Bolu Babalola, bestselling author of Love in Colour and Honey & Spice
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Children of Radium
Dunthorne, Joe
Hardback
Off-beat, irreverent and subversive – a Jewish family memoir about convenient delusions and unsayable truths, from the acclaimed author of the cult classic novel, Submarine'The best book I’ve read in the past year . . . A masterpiece' Financial Times‘A slippery marvel [and] a quixotic voyage into the heart of 20th-century darkness’ Observer‘Poignant and profound, comic and unconventional – and genuinely, searingly meaningful’ The New York TimesJoe Dunthorne had always wanted to write about his great-grandfather, Siegfried: an eccentric scientist who invented radioactive toothpaste and a Jewish refugee from the Nazis who returned to Germany under cover of the Berlin Olympics to pull off a heist on his own home. The only problem was that Siegfried had already written the book of his life – an unpublished, two-thousand page memoir so dry and rambling that none of his living descendants had managed to read it. And, as it turned out when Joe finally read the manuscript himself, it told a very different story from the one he thought he knew…Thus begins a mystery which stretches across the twentieth century and around the world, from Berlin to Ankara, New York, Glasgow and eventually London – a mystery about the production of something much more sinister than toothpaste. On the trail of one ‘jolly grandpa’ with a patchy psychiatric history and an encyclopaedic knowledge of poison gases, Joe Dunthorne is forced to confront the uncomfortable questions that lie at the heart of every family. Can we ever understand where we come from? Is every family in the end a work of fiction? And even if the truth can be found – will we be able to live with it?Children of Radium is a remarkable, searching meditation on individual and collective inheritance. Witty and wry, deeply humane and endlessly surprising, it considers the long half-life of trauma, the weight of guilt and the ever-evasive nature of the truth.
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HOPE
Francis, Pope
Hardback
THE GLOBAL BESTSELLERThe groundbreaking, intimate and inspiring memoir from Pope Francis. Books of the Year 2025: The Times, Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, Financial Times, New Statesman'Remarkable' Guardian 'Elegant and joyful' Financial Times Pope Francis originally intended this exceptional memoir to appear only after his death, but the needs of our times and the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope moved him to make this precious legacy available sooner. Now, the book stands as his testament; the spiritual, faith-filled, as well as moral, social, and civic legacy that he envisioned and left for the benefit of all the men and women of the world. HOPE is the first autobiography in history ever to be published by a Pope. Written over six years, this complete autobiography starts in the early years of the twentieth century, with Pope Francis’s Italian roots and his ancestors’ courageous migration to Latin America, continuing through his childhood, the enthusiasms and preoccupations of his youth, his vocation, adult life, and the whole of his papacy up to the present day. In recounting his memories with intimate narrative force (not forgetting his own personal passions), Pope Francis deals unsparingly with some of the crucial moments of his papacy and writes candidly, fearlessly and prophetically about some of the most important and controversial questions of our present times: war and peace (including the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East), migration, environmental crisis, social policy, the position of women, sexuality, technological developments, the future of the Church and of religion in general. HOPE includes a wealth of revelations, anecdotes and illuminating thoughts. It is a thrilling and very human memoir, moving and sometimes funny, which represents the ‘story of a life’ and, at the same time, a touching moral and spiritual testament that will fascinate readers throughout the world and will be Pope Francis’s legacy of hope for future generations.
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Source Code
Gates, Bill
Hardback
*THE NO.1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*Bill Gates is one of the most transformative figures of our age. In Source Code he takes us back to his beginnings. He describes with candour his childhood in Seattle, the centrality of family – his close relationship with his card-playing grandmother and his demanding but caring parents – his struggles to fit in, his rebelliousness, his first deep friendships and the impact of losing his closest friend. We see Gates’s extraordinary mind developing, the restless teenager who discovered a love of coding and computing at the dawn of a new era and felt that ‘by applying my brain, I could solve even the world’s most complex mysteries’. We see the earliest signs of his phenomenal business acumen, which led him to drop out of Harvard at the age of 20 to devote all his energies to Microsoft, the company he started with his childhood friend Paul Allen. He writes about his first involvement with three Steves – Jobs, Wozniak and Ballmer – who would play a crucial role in so much that followed. The book ends in the late 1970s when Microsoft, still with only a dozen employees, signed its first deal with Apple. The deals would go on and Microsoft would grow unimaginably. Yet Gates never forgot his mother’s reminder that he was merely a steward of any wealth that he gained. This warm and inspiring book, Bill Gates’ origin story, allows readers to understand his energy and ambition – and to see how he sets himself in the world.
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Bookish
Mangan, Lucy
Hardback
'A bookworm's delight' Sara Collins | 'A gorgeous hug of a book – funny, warm and charming' Marian Keyes | 'Comforting, funny and moving' Sali Hughes | 'Lucy Mangan on books is like butter on toast: perfect' Caitlin Moran | [Mangan] makes for a wonderfully incisive critic' ObserverA love letter to all those who come alive when they pull a new treasure off the shelf, stay up late reading just one more page and pack their suitcases with clothes wedged between books instead of the other way around. From exploring the stacks as a student, to finding her feet as a bookseller-turned-journalist, falling for a fellow bookworm in an independent bookshop, escaping the doldrums of new motherhood and finally building a (book) room of her own, Bookish is the story of a life spent falling in love with reading. Bookworm author Lucy Mangan chronicles her years of buying, borrowing and hoarding everything from well-worn literary classics to steamy bonkbusters, gripping thrillers, young adult novels and other not-so-guilty pleasures. Brimming with literary insights, wry observations and stellar recommendations, this book is an ode to the bookish places – from local libraries to bookstores big and small – and the stories that make us who we are.
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Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal
Ince, Robin
Hardback
'Authentic, heartbreakingly wonderful and refreshingly grounded – this book captures the internal neurodivergent experience with rare grace and warmth' – Camilla Pang, author of Explaining Humans'Tingles with the joy of being different. This book made me so happy' – Chris Packham, naturalist and author of Fingers in the Sparkle JarA powerful, personal exploration of anxiety, ADHD and neurodiversity, Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal reminds us all – no matter how weird we feel – that it’s okay to be a little different. We all are. What if being a bit weird is actually entirely normal? What if sharing our internal struggles wasn’t a sign of weakness, but strength?For over thirty years, award-winning broadcaster and comedian Robin Ince has entertained thousands in person and on air. But underneath the surface, a whirlwind was at play – a struggle with sadness, concentration, self-doubt and near-constant anxiety. But then he discovered he had all the hallmarks of ADHD and his stumbling blocks became stepping stones. In Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal, Robin uses his own experiences to explore the neurodivergent experience and to ask what the point of 'being normal' really is. Packed with personal insights, intimate anecdotes and interviews with psychologists, neuroscientists and many neurodivergent people he has met along the way, this is a quirky and witty dive into the world of human behaviour. 'This is a comforting hug of a book. Insightful, warm, funny and compassionate, it will make readers, whether neurotypical or neurodivergent, feel less alone' – Laura Bates, bestselling author of Everyday Sexism'Weirdness is inescapable, and no one does it better than Robin Ince. A superb book, celebrating the needed weirdness in us all' - Chris Hadfield, astronaut and five-time bestselling author
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This is For Everyone
Berners-Lee, Tim
Hardback
A Waterstones, Observer and Financial Times Book of the Year, 2025The instant Sunday Times bestseller'Charming, clever, self-effacing, interesting and thoughtful' – The Observer'Visionary . . . Full of warmth and humanity' – Kate Bush'A remarkable book by a remarkable man' – Mail on SundayThe groundbreaking memoir from the inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee. This is the story of our modern age. The most influential inventor of the modern world, Sir Tim Berners-Lee is a different kind of visionary. Born in the same year as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, Berners-Lee famously shared his invention, the World Wide Web, for no commercial reward. Its widespread adoption changed everything, transforming humanity into the first digital species. Through the web, we live, work, dream and connect. In this intimate memoir, Berners-Lee tells the story of his iconic invention, exploring how it launched a new era of creativity and collaboration while unleashing a commercial race that today imperils democracies and polarizes public debate. As the rapid development of artificial intelligence heralds a new era of innovation, Berners-Lee provides the perfect guide to the crucial decisions ahead – and a gripping, in-the-room account of the rise of the online world. Filled with Sir Tim's characteristic optimism, technical insight and wry humour, this is a book about the power of technology – both to fuel our worst instincts and to profoundly shape our lives for the better. This Is for Everyone is an essential read for understanding our times and a bold manifesto for advancing humanity’s future. 'Who is the greatest living Englishman? It would be hard to argue against the merits of Tim Berners-Lee' – Stephen Fry
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