Author and genre reading guides to download
Do you fancy trying a new genre or author, but aren't sure where to start? Or have you read everything in your favourite section and don't know where to go next? Our guides will help you choose. Simply download the guides below to view our recommendations.
To buy any of these books from Waterstones.com, pop the title and author name (no need to include the 'by') in the search box at the top of the page.
Jacqueline Wilson
Jacqueline Wilson is one of the nation's favourite authors and a must-read for generations of schoolgirls. Her books, illustrated with wonderful, recognisable drawings by Nick Sharratt, cover a range of subjects, mostly around issues of love, friendship and family. Although she writes across a range of age groups, this guide to Jacqueline Wilson looks at her titles catering for 9-12 year olds.
Download the guide Find out more about Jacqueline Wilson
Plus enter our amazing Jacqueline Wilson competition to win £2000 worth of furniture
February reading guides
Whether you've been recently introduced to the world of Epic Fantasy through the dramatisation of A Game of Thrones or are looking for a series you can really get your teeth into, this could be the genre for you. In this guide we've brought together our favourite fantasy series' to help you get started and discover an epic new author to enjoy.
Download the Epic Fantasy guide
With tales of bravery, horror, romance and hope, novels set in times of war are almost guaranteed to be some of the most emotionally charged works of fiction available. If you've discovered Sebastian Faulkes' Birdsong though the recent television dramatisation we've created this guide to help you find more stories about soldiers and war.
Download the Wartime Tales guide
Harlan Coben
When you pick up a Harlan Coben you can be sure that he will deliver a pacey plot full of twists and turns which will leave you breathless and at an ending you'll never see coming. To put you on the right track we've selected some good starting points in our Waterstones Card Guide to Harlan Coben.
With Live Wire out this January and Stay Close published in March you'll be stuck for choice!
Download the guide Find out more about Harlan Coben
January reading guides
You've already made your new year's resolutions, but meeting them is the hard part! If you want advice from the experts on how to slim down, stop smoking, live happier or manage your time more effectively then we've picked the best books written to help you achieve your goals.
Download the Health and Wellbeing guide
If you're planning, pregnant, or already have a young family and feel a little daunted by the thought of parenting and all that it encompasses then these books are for you. Sitting alongside the practical manuals and baby guides on our shelves these 'Tales of Parenting' are full of stories, experiences, tips, ideas and reassurance from Mums and Dads who have already been there.
Download the Tales of Parenting guide
If, like us, you've been looking forward to the BBC dramatisation of Jennifer Worth's Call the Midwife, read our recommendations below to immerse yourself in memories of labour, childbirth and newborns from the 1950s to present day. We've also selected some East End reads to give you a taste of East End life in the post-war era.
Download the Midwifery Memoirs guide
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The Rules of Work
£12.99
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PD James
November sees the publication of a brand new PD James novel. Not an Adam Dalgleish or a Cordelia Gray but an Elizabeth Bennett, yes PD James' new novel Death Comes to Pemberley is a murder mystery sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
With 19 novels in print knowing where to begin with such an extensive body of work can be daunting, so we've selected some good starting points in our Waterstones Card Guide to PD James.
Download the guide Find out more about PD James
Terry Pratchett and Ian Rankin
This month sees brand new books from two of our favourite authors. Terry Pratchett's Snuff and Ian Rankin's The Impossible Dead are both available from 13th October. If you've not tried these authors before and want to know what all the fuss is about, download our author guides to help you get started.
Terry Pratchett
Discworld, The Colour of Magic, Thud! and more...
Download the guide Find out more about Terry Pratchett
Ian Rankin
Meet DI Rebus, DI Fox and Mike McKenzie...
Download the guide Find out more about Ian Rankin
Bernard Cornwell reading guide
When an author has written over 50 books in 30 years it can be difficult to know where to start. But fear not brave readers - we're on hand to help you join in the excitement with our Waterstones Card guide to Bernard Cornwell. Bernard's new book Death of Kings, publishes this month and if you've not tried his historical fiction before you're in for a treat. We had the expertise of Susan Watt, Bernard's editor, to help us put this guide together, so simply download it to begin your own historical adventure.
Download your free genre guides
Stuck for Christmas gift ideas? Looking for a holiday read? Download our free guides from throughout the year for some cosy seasonal reading.
Country House Fiction
Evelyn Waugh, Allan Hollinghurst and more...
Nature
Roger Deakin, Richard Mabey and more...
Popular Science
Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins and more...
Women's Summer Fiction - 2011
Kate Morton, Sophie Kinsella and more...
Teenage Fiction for boys
Michael Grant, Darren Shan and more...
Teenage Fiction for girls
Suzanne Collins, Jacqueline Wilson and more...
Travel Writing
Bill Bryson, Carol Drinkwater and more...
Picture Books
Julia Donaldson, Octonauts and more...
