Browns Best New Books for August 2025

The Game Changers

Clare, Tim

Paperback / softback

Playing games is a universal human instinct. Through games we can learn to make smarter decisions, become better losers and connect with others. Board games are something that have been played and enjoyed (or argued about!) throughout human history and are a lens through which we can look at how we have learned to make deals, manage luck and take on different roles.

With summer holidays underway, many of us might have memories or current experiences of playing games with family and friends. This fascinating and hugely entertaining look at the history of games is a fun and engaging read. Tim Clare looks at a wide variety of tabletop games and examines their history, looking at why the same games evolved across different civilisations and how games and the instinct to play them spans the globe. Looking at ancient and more modern games (including Monopoly and Pokémon) Tim Clare shares his passion for his subject as he looks at how each game has played a part in society and influenced other games.  Full of interesting information and anecdotes this is a really enjoyable look at the importance of games throughout history and may inspire you to try a new game or revisit a forgotten favourite. 

More Details

Katabasis

Kuang, R.F.

Hardback

Graduate student Alice Law has only one goal – to become one of the best and brightest in the field of analytic Magick. Alice has sacrificed everything, including her pride, her love life and her sanity, to work with the one person who can make her dream come true – Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge. Unfortunately, Grimes is dead (killed by a magical accident that could be Alice’s fault) and is inconveniently in Hell. Alice and her greatest rival Peter come to one conclusion, to secure the recommendation they need from Professor Grimes they must go after him. Alice and Peter must work together to navigate the perilous levels and fiendish tasks of the Underworld but can they work together (or even agree on anything) or will they be doomed to wander the halls of Hell forever…

Katabasis, R F Kuang’s newest novel, has to be one of the most hotly anticipated books of 2025 with readers both on and off social media desperate to see what this gifted and unique author will deliver next. Kuang has won multiple awards and legions of fans for her previous books, including Babel and Yellowface, and this new book does not disappoint. A clever blend of dark academia, myth, magical realism and rivals-to-lovers romance as well as a look at mortality make this another unique and captivating read. Kuang’s world-building is exceptional with the various levels and challenges of the Underworld particularly well-drawn and her ability to create authentic and flawed characters is again demonstrated. Katabasis, a word whose most common use is in Greek mythology, refers to a descent into the underworld and RF Kuang takes readers on another unforgettable and amazing journey. 

More Details

Guinness World Records 2026

Hardback

Starting with a single book published in a room above a gym in 1955 The Guinness World Records annuals are now iconic – they have sold over 150 million copies in more than 100 countries and 40 languages. With amazing facts, breath-taking achievements and inspiring stories, this is a book that many look forward to each year.

Guinness World Records is something that many will be familiar with and this fantastic and hugely popular book is perfect for many different types of readers. Reluctant readers will love the great visuals and bite-size content and anyone who loves fascinating facts will be entertained for hours. This latest edition not only features all the most amazing feats the human and natural world has to celebrate but also contains a Kids’ Zone with records just for the under 16s and inspirational young achievers along with an Icons sections featuring Dolly Parton and others who embody the best of record-breaking. A perennial favourite for many, many reasons this is a great book that will continue to be enjoyed by its legions of fans and new readers alike. 

More Details

The Game I Will Never Forget

Rauf, Onjali Q.

Paperback / softback

Zak is ten and his mum has just told him she is having a baby. Not only that but his ageing grandmother is coming to live with them, and he has to give up his room for her! Fortunately, Zak is great at pranks and is sure that with a bit of help from his friends he can easily reclaim his territory from an elderly lady. Nani however is not quite what Zak expected, a former chess prodigy she is more than a match for Zak and his friends and can outsmart them despite all their best efforts. Zak and Nani slowly begin to forge a mutual respect and friendship but then he notices that Nani sometimes forgets where she is and even sometimes forgets who Zak is. Zak needs to find a way to make sure Nani doesn’t forget any more, surely entering her in the chess competition of a lifetime will work…

Onjali Q. Rauf is a wonderful writer whose books have an endless capacity to move and inspire her readers. The Game I Will Never Forget is another great book with warm, witty and thoughtful writing along with beautifully drawn characters and the relationship between Zak and Nani is particularly wonderful. Dealing with themes that will resonate with many readers and told with sensitivity and humour this is another great book from a fantastic writer who remains a firm favourite in Primary classrooms for a multitude of reasons.

More Details