Browns Best New Books for February 2026
2nd February 2026
Every month we carefully select our favourites from the fabulous new titles on offer. January is over and February is finally here! January can frequently feel like a very long month but now any New Year challenges you may have undertaken are over, the evenings are a little bit lighter (no more starting and ending school in what can feel like the middle of the night!) and thoughts can tentatively turn to spring. This January has been helped along by us all here at Browns obsessing over The Traitors and if you are missing your fix of nefarious plotting in the tower then you might be pleased to know series 4 champion Traitor-spotter Harriet has a new book out in February. This month has lots to celebrate – it’s LGBTQ+ History Month and Lunar New Year falls on February 17th this year. Ramadan begins on the evening of February 17th and it’s also Children’s Mental Health Week from 9th – 15th February. Valentines Day is of course also in February (14th) and we hope you love our picks of the great new books published this month as much as we did.
Check back next month for our picks of the new books March has to offer.
Adult Non-Fiction
Minority Rule
Sarkar, Ash
Paperback / softback
‘Minority Rule’ refers to an irrational fear that minority groups are replacing majority populations. In a world where we are constantly dealing with information overload, inequality and insecurity we are now also dealing with a blame crisis. Our media landscape contains fear and panic that majority voices are silenced and cancel culture is crushing free speech. But is it all true or is blame being used as misdirection and to keep us divided?
Minority Rule is an accessible and often witty look at the culture wars from journalist and political commentator Ash Sarkar. An investigation into how identity politics have been weaponised, this is a fascinating and important read with Sarkar drawing lines from historical context, through the current times and on to how we can reframe discussions to benefit everyone’s interests. An engaging, interesting and persuasive read that is both accessible and thought-provoking and feels very important in the current political climate.
More DetailsAdult Fiction
The Impossible Thing
Bauer, Belinda
Paperback / softback
North Yorkshire Coast, 1920s. Men are lowered over the cliff edge to steal the eggs of the seabirds who nest there. Six-year-old Celie Shepherd is poor and hungry and takes a desperate risk, leading to a theft from a nest that will change her life forever… 100 years later and Patrick finds his friend Nick tied up after being the victim of a robbery, the only thing missing is a carved box containing an unusual egg. As Patrick and Nick attempt to retrieve the box they are drawn into the shadowy world of egg trafficking and a hunt to find a collection of rare eggs lost to history.
Now in paperback, this historical mystery is a real delight. Inspired by historical events and blending plots from two timelines this is an absorbing and fascinating story of greed, obsession and the illegal trade in bird’s eggs. However, it is the characters that really make this book special; Celie is a fierce and determined heroine and the friendship between neurodivergent Patrick and Nick is portrayed in a really touching and authentic way. A pacy, absorbing and unusual story from a gifted storyteller – hugely enjoyable.
More DetailsChildren’s Non-Fiction
Unstoppable Us Volume 3
Harari, Yuval Noah
Hardback
Why is the world not always peaceful? Why do we have wars? And why do we sometimes NOT have wars? There are some really big questions about how we humans interact and exist together in the world, harmoniously and otherwise, and some of these questions feel very current. The story that helps us to think about and maybe answer these questions is both strange and true. What happened in the past when people from different tribes met for the first time? Why did they sometimes fight and sometimes live quite happily together? And how did they agree on rules and ideas about how things should be?
This is the third volume of the Unstoppable Us series by historian, philosopher and author of bestseller Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari. This series explores the history of humans in an engaging and entertaining way without dumbing down what can be complicated and nuanced arguments and history. This latest book looks at why wars were (and still are) fought and what we can learn from the past to help forge a more peaceful future. Covering history from around the world from Ancient Rome to Mongolia and beyond and with fantastic illustrations, this graphic guide to the history of conflicts and resolutions is a perfect introduction to some fascinating history with interesting ideas and a look at how our ancestors shaped the world as we experience it today.
More DetailsChildren’s Fiction
Gone for Good
Crossan, Sarah
Paperback / softback
Grieving her mother’s death, Connie finds herself taken from her home one night and sent to a remote high-security facility for ‘troubled’ teenagers. Silver Lake is a place of vulnerability and violence with a brutal regime designed to improve the behaviour of those being held there. When Connie discovers that the previous occupant of her bed, Belle, is missing she becomes determined to solve the mystery and uncover the secrets and lies surrounding Belle’s disappearance…
We adore Sarah Crossan’s beautiful writing and wonderful verse novels and were very excited by the prospect of a thriller from one of our favourite authors. Exploring themes of teen mental health, grief, families and America’s controversial ‘Troubled Teen’ industry, this is a gripping and pacy read that will have readers completely hooked until the end. Sarah Crossan is exceptionally gifted at creating characters that feel real right from the very beginning and Connie is a brilliantly drawn protagonist who readers will empathise with as she develops throughout the story. Crossan always deals with weighty themes and situations in a sensitive and moving way and this new book is no exception; another fantastic book from one of the best YA authors writing today.
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