Browns Best New Books for May 2025
1st May 2025
Every month we carefully select our favourites from the fabulous new titles on offer. May is a wonderful month, Spring is here at last and with longer and hopefully warmer days Summer feels very close. If you are in the UK then there are 2 bank holidays to look forward to (this year following very closely on the Easter break which means lots of lovely long weekends close together) and May also has National Space Day (May 2nd), Star Wars Day (May 4th) Mental Health Awareness Week (May 12th – 18th) and the FA Cup Final (May 17th). Best of all, May has one of my most favourite events in it – the Eurovision Song Contest which this year will be held on Saturday May 17th in Basel, Switzerland; I am already picking my favourites and getting my scorecard ready! Of course, there are also lots of fabulous new books to enjoy in May and we hope you will be scoring our picks as highly as we did (no nil points reads here!). Check back next month for our picks of the new books June has to offer.
Adult Non-Fiction
Raising Hare
Dalton, Chloe
Paperback / softback
When Chloe Dalton, a city-dweller with a high-pressure job, relocates to the countryside during lockdown she finds a new-born hare (a leveret) that has been chased by a dog. Knowing that the odds of the leveret’s survival are slim she takes it home and learns how to care for it, intending to return it to the wild. However, a special bond between Chloe and the leveret has formed and the little hare becomes her companion, wandering the countryside at night and returning to her house in the day and still returning from the fields when called two years after she first found it.
Newly published in paperback Raising Hare has been a huge bestseller since it was first published in 2024, shortlisted for a number of awards and featuring on many Book of the Year lists. This wonderful memoir is not only a look at the special and unique relationship formed with a wild animal but an interesting look at hares and their lives and how they have been portrayed in art, folklore a literature throughout the ages. Beautifully written, this is a moving and heart-warming tribute to the relationship humans can have with nature; a book that will captivate and uplift readers.
More DetailsAdult Fiction
Cover Story
McFarlane, Mhairi
Paperback / softback
Podcaster Bel works in the Manchester office of a national newspaper, thirty-something ex city-boy Connor is starting over as the new intern. Bel is patronising, Connor is hostile and they don’t try to hide the fact that they can’t stand each other. When Bel gets the chance at the biggest story of her career the last thing she needs is to bump into Connor when she is working undercover. Forced to improvise, Bel and Connor need to convince people that they are a deeply in-love couple, if they mess it up then Bel’s cover will be blown and she’ll lose not only the story but justice for her source as well…
I eagerly anticipate a new Mhairi McFarlane book, she is a clever and very funny writer whose books offer much more than standard rom-com novels and deal with some serious topics with a lightness that is deceptive. Cover Story is another great read and the perfect fake-dating book to lose yourself in. As with all Mhairi’s books the characters are wonderful – friendships are authentically portrayed, dialogue is snappy, chemistry crackles and supporting characters are just as authentic and enjoyable as the leads. Cover Story touches on deeper themes such as journalistic ethics, stalking and depression and these are cleverly woven into a book with lots of laugh-out-loud moments. This is another great read from a brilliant writer and the perfect fake-dating book to lose yourself in.
More DetailsChildren’s Non-Fiction
Shevolution: Celebrating Girl Power Throughout History
Treleaven, Lou
Hardback
Everyone alive today can trace their ancestry back to just one woman – Mitochondrial Eve – our most recent common maternal ancestor. What would life have been like for her? And what has life been like for her billions of descendants through the ages? Women and girls have ruled kingdoms, led bands of pirates, discovered many wonderful things and have been pioneers who have shaped the ways we live. But they have also had to fight to win and keep basic human rights, even into the 21st century.
This fascinating and inspiring history takes us through early human history, the first societies, the rise and fall of empires and ancient cultures around the world. We learn about female leaders, the women’s rights movement and suffragettes (and about pockets!). Readers may be surprised to learn about the roles of women and children in societies throughout history and will find out that New Zealand was the first country to give women the vote in 1893, nearly 100 years before Lichtenstein in 1984. With great illustrations and fascinating facts throughout this is an interesting, inspiring and unique look at human history that will leave readers enlightened and amazed.
More DetailsChildren’s Fiction
Donut Squad: Take Over the World! (a Phoenix Comic Book)
Cameron, Neill
Paperback / softback
Donuts are delicious. Whether you prefer a donut filled with jam or cream or one covered in glaze or sprinkles, most people think donuts are a fantastic treat. But have you ever thought about what donuts are like when they aren’t being eaten? Probably not because that would be really silly but it may surprise you that donuts have big plans, plans to take over the world! Meet the Donut Squad – Spinkles (the leader of the squad), Jammiboi (who can make anything sticky), Chalky (the ghost of a murdered Victorian donut), Justice Donut (seeking justice for his family), Spronky (who is wonderfully strange) and many more delicious members of the team! But beware of the Donut Squad’s arch-nemesis – the Bagels Battalion who are secretly plotting the downfall of the donuts…!
Characters originating from the brilliant Phoenix Comic are hugely popular, with Bunny vs Monkey, Evil Emperor Penguin, Looshkin and Mega Robo Bros delighting readers of all ages. The latest book series to spring from the pages of The Phoenix is Neill Cameron’s Donut Squad, a fabulous, fun and delicious treat of a graphic novel. Perfect for fans of Bunny vs Monkey and Dogman this a brilliant new series with wonderfully crazy characters and fabulous artwork. A perfectly tasty delight for lovers of graphic novels and donuts!
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