Browns Best New Books for February 2025
1st February 2025
Every month we carefully select our favourites from the fabulous new titles on offer. It’s February! January (which always feels like a very, very long month!) is over! The evenings are slowly getting a bit lighter, any January challenges you may have taken part in are over (and well done if you managed Veganuary, Dry January or any other challenge for the whole or part of the month) and ahead of World Book Day next month there is National Storytelling Week which takes place from the 1st-9th February. Of course, there are also lots of great new books published in February and in a month that also has Valentine’s Day, we hope you fall in love with our picks as much as we did.
Check back next month for our picks of the new books March has to offer.
Adult Non-Fiction
Read Yourself Happy
Buchanan, Daisy
Hardback
The positive power of reading on our mental health has been well documented. Reading can provide an escape, help us feel less alone, assist in finding solutions to our problems and calm anxiety. Losing ourselves in a good book can help us build confidence, learn more about who we are and who we’d like to be and understand and build empathy with those who have different experiences and lives to our own.
In this great new book, award-winning journalist and broadcaster Daisy Buchanan looks at books that have helped her with anxiety and in other areas of her life. Daisy has carefully curated lists of books and writing that can help and enhance various areas of your life; from books that help you through grief to books to read for joy and laughter to recommendations of books that look at relationships with relatives and romantic relationships. Daisy also advocates rereading old favourites and books from childhood as well as offering anecdotes and personal experiences. A real love-letter to the positive power of books and reading with lots of personal recommendations; a great read for veteran book-lovers and those discovering the amazing impact of a good book.
More DetailsAdult Fiction
Death at the Sign of the Rook
Atkinson, Kate
Paperback / softback
A snowstorm, a crumbling country house, a cast of characters straight out of a golden-age crime novel (including a vicar, an army major and a dowager) and an ex-detective investigating the theft of a painting… The slightly faded grand country house Burton Makepeace hosts murder mystery weekends and as the paying guests arrive and are duly stranded, a twisty and hilarious mystery begins to reveal itself.
If, like me, you have been glued to BBCs The Traitors throughout January then you may be (again, like me!) feeling it’s absence from your life. Kate Atkinson is one of our finest authors and a new book from her is always cause for celebration. Now in paperback, Death at the Sign of the Rook is the perfect late winter read and great if The Traitors has you wanting to immerse yourself in a story with a diverse group of strangers stranded together in a stately home. Kate Atkinson cleverly combines all the elements of a classic Agatha Christie mystery - fantastic characters, a country house murder and a gifted sleuth – with fantastic and very funny writing. Readers who are familiar with her detective Jacson Brodie will be thrilled by this new book and those who have yet to experience his crime-solving skills will be hooked. A perfect treat of a read from the most gifted and brilliant of writers (reading this whilst wearing a Traitors cloak is optional!).
More DetailsChildren’s Non-Fiction
Normal Women
Gregory, Philippa
Paperback / softback
When we think of British women of the past we may think of notable figures like the wives of Henry VIII or Queen Victoria or visualise women in crinolines attending balls (or perhaps I have been watching too much Bridgerton!). We may not think much about the ordinary women who lived, worked and achieved extraordinary things throughout our history as their stories have often been overlooked by books and the narratives we may have been taught.
In the bestselling Normal Women, multi-award winning historical novelist Philippa Gregory shone a light on the forgotten stories of women throughout 900 years of history, providing a more balanced and fuller picture of the history of Britain. This adaptation for teen readers looks at ordinary woman and highlights their contributions to our history. Gregory introduces us to writers, inventors, highwaywomen, pirates, farmers, soldiers, international traders and many more and redefines ‘normal’ and ‘traditional’ female behaviours to include heroism, rebellion, treason, money-making and crime. With impressive research, inspiring and chilling stories and an overdue celebration of the often unsung female contributions to history this is a fascinating and illuminating read. A must-have addition to Secondary libraries and classrooms.
More DetailsChildren’s Fiction
The Forbidden Atlas
Sedgman, Sam
Paperback / softback
Following the exhilarating adventure of The Clockwork Conspiracy, Isaac Turner is back! To celebrate their achievements in saving time, Isaac and Hattie have been invited to Paris to a high-profile event at the French National Archives. But just as Isaac is about to make his speech, the lights go out and a single shot is fired. The police are convinced it is an assassination attempt on an infamous businessman, but Hattie and Isaac soon realise that something very different is happening…
The Clockwork Conspiracy was one of 2024’s big hits, shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Award for Children’s Fiction, and readers have been eagerly awaiting a follow-up. Those who loved the high adrenaline chases, hidden codes and fantastic science of the first Isaac Turner Investigates book will not be disappointed with this new adventure in which Isaac and Hattie investigate an underground world, look for stolen letters and uncover long-forgotten secrets and places. The Forbidden Atlas will be loved by the many fans of The Clockwork Conspiracy and readers discovering this great series for the first time are sure to be hooked. The perfect adventure story for Upper KS2 and Lower KS3 readers.
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