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The Books You Need to Read in 2023: July-December

Posted on 30th June 2023 by Mark Skinner

This is the blog you’ve been waiting for.

As we hit the second half of the year, publishing really ramps up and many of the most established authors and biggest cultural figures unleash their eagerly anticipated books. This year brings a true embarrassment of riches with – amongst many, many others – Zadie Smith’s first foray into historical fiction, Mary Beard’s bravura return to Ancient Rome and the continuation of Nick and Charlie’s story in the fifth volume of Alice Oseman’s mega-selling Heartstopper series. Science fiction and fantasy publishing is simply out of this world with Rebecca Yarros and Stephanie Garber producing further instalments of their beloved series, whilst there is some criminally good reading courtesy of Richard Osman, Robert Galbraith and Lee Child. 

Over in non-fiction, the evergreen Jamie Oliver upgrades his hugely popular 5 Ingredients concept with a Mediterranean twist, Michael Palin traces the tragically short life of his great uncle Harry and Cat Bohannon delivers a revelatory history of the female sex. There is also a wealth of terrific children’s and young adult titles, from a stellar new fantasy from the incomparable Katherine Rundell to picture book treats from Oliver Jeffers and Julia Donaldson and soaring fantasy by Francis Hardinge and Christopher Paolini.  

So, make plenty of space in those wish lists and to-be-read piles and dive in to our pick of the biggest and best books of the year. And remember, if you’d like to see more of the fiction, non-fiction and children’s books coming out from July to December, just click on the banners at the end of each section in this blog.    


 

The Fraud
The Fraud: Signed Exclusive Edition (Hardback)
Zadie Smith
£20.00
Hardback
Out of stock
Taking inspiration from a real-life nineteenth-century imposture trial, Smith's immersive first historical novel weaves together the stories of a Scottish housekeeper with a novelist cousin, a formerly enslaved valet unexpectedly thrust into the limelight of a legal case and the missing heir to the Tichborne baronetcy.

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North Woods
North Woods (Hardback)
Daniel Mason
£16.99
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
A novel with the quality of a spell, this mesmeric tale from the award-winning author of The Piano Tuner takes a single house in the woods of Massachusetts and those who inhabit it across four centuries to explore the countless ways in which the past lives on in nature, memory, language and the human heart.
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Tom Lake
Tom Lake: Exclusive Edition (Hardback)
Ann Patchett
£18.99
Hardback
In stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
From the acclaimed author of The Dutch House and Bel Canto comes a characteristically nuanced and emotionally intelligent novel of family, storytelling and the lives mothers lived before the births of their children.
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The Seventh Son
The Seventh Son: Signed Exclusive Edition (Hardback)
Sebastian Faulks
£22.00
Hardback
In stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
Confronting prescient issues of surrogacy and medical ethics, the acclaimed author of Birdsong and Snow Country weaves a literary thriller revolving around a megalomaniacal tech entrepreneur and a very special – and unusual – child.
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Tackle!
Tackle!: Signed Edition (Hardback)
Jilly Cooper
£22.00
Hardback
Out of stock
The eleventh instalment in Cooper's iconic Rutshire Chronicles finds Rupert Campbell-Black buying the local football team and taking a shine to the club's ravishing secretary.

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Sharpe's Command
Sharpe's Command: Signed Edition (Hardback)
Bernard Cornwell
£22.00
Hardback
Out of stock
The master of historical military fiction delivers another unputdownable entry in the mega-selling Sharpe series as Britannia puts her faith in our maverick hero to defend her troops from French forces in early nineteenth-century Spain.

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Crook Manifesto
Crook Manifesto: Signed Edition (Hardback)
Colson Whitehead
£20.00
Hardback
Out of stock
The Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Underground Railroad spins an irresistible sequel to the bestselling Harlem Shuffle, as Ray Carney's perpetual attempts to stay on the straight and narrow backfire spectacularly after one of his tenants is badly injured in a fire.

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The Last Devil to Die
The Last Devil to Die: Exclusive Edition (Hardback)
Richard Osman
£22.00
Hardback
Out of stock
The geriatric sleuths of the Thursday Murder Club are faced with their most dangerous case yet when the disappearance of a highly dangerous package sends the body count spiralling in Osman's irresistible fourth crime caper.

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The Running Grave
The Running Grave - Strike (Hardback)
Robert Galbraith
£25.00
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
Ellacott goes undercover in a religious cult to try and rescue a brainwashed young man in the latest addictive page-turner from Robert Galbraith featuring Cormoran Strike.
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Holly
Holly (Hardback)
Stephen King
£25.00
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
Holly Gibney - star of Mr Mercedes, Finders Keepers and The Outsider - returns in another chilling masterwork from Stephen King, as the eponymous investigator is drawn into the orbit of two sinister professors harbouring a terrifying secret.
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The Secret
The Secret: Signed Exclusive Edition (Hardback)
Lee Child, Andrew Child
£22.00
Hardback
Out of stock
Reacher returns in another high-octane rollercoaster ride of a novel from Lee and Andrew Child, as the US government call the lone wolf in to investigate a spate of strange, seemingly unconnected deaths across the country.

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Iron Flame
Iron Flame - The Empyrean (Hardback)
Rebecca Yarros
£22.00
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
The fallout from Violet's jaw-dropping discoveries in Fourth Wing takes spectacular flight in this completely unputdownable second instalment of Yarros' TikTok-dominating fantasy series.
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A Stroke of the Pen
A Stroke of the Pen: The Lost Stories - Exclusive Edition (Hardback)
Terry Pratchett
£20.00
Hardback
In stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
A final collection of mesmeric short stories from the much-missed author of the award-winning Discworld series, A Stroke of the Pen is filled with Pratchett's trademark invention, fantastical goings-on and irresistible humour.
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A Curse For True Love
A Curse For True Love (Hardback)
Stephanie Garber
£18.99
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
Evangeline Fox's story comes to a mesmerising conclusion as the fate of the Prince of Hearts is sealed in the sweeping climax to Garber's Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy.
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Masters of Death
Masters of Death (Hardback)
Olivie Blake
£20.00
Hardback
5+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
Vampiric estate agents, death's godson and a demonic personal trainer all abound in this witty and page-turning urban fantasy from the author of the bestselling The Atlas Six.
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Emperor of Rome
Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World: Signed Exclusive Edition (Hardback)
Mary Beard
£30.00
Hardback
Out of stock
In her customary lively yet scholarly style, the eminent historian and author of SPQR presents an authoritative account of the role of Roman Emperor and the colourful personalities who occupied that position over the centuries.

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Great-Uncle Harry
Great-Uncle Harry: A Tale of War and Empire: Signed Edition (Hardback)
Michael Palin
£22.00
Hardback
Out of stock
Recounted with all of Michael Palin's customary storytelling verve, this moving and immersive volume combines biography, memoir, travelogue and history to create a rounded picture of the author's eponymous great uncle who perished at the Battle of the Somme aged just 32.

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Unruly
Unruly: A History of England's Kings and Queens: Signed Edition (Hardback)
David Mitchell
£25.00
Hardback
Out of stock
From King Arthur to Elizabeth I, the hugely popular comedian and author of Thinking About it Only Makes it Worse delivers a typically side-splitting yet highly informative history of England's most powerful rulers.

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Shakespeare
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent (Hardback)
Judi Dench
£25.00
Hardback
Not available
Currently not available to order
Recounted with Dame Judi Dench's characteristic twinkling wit, this endlessly fascinating volume finds the legendary actress reflecting on every Shakesperean performance in her stellar career.

This product is currently unavailable.

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Elon Musk
Elon Musk (Hardback)
Walter Isaacson
£28.00
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
The acclaimed biographer of Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein turns his unwavering gaze to restless innovator, disruptor and mogul Elon Musk in this characteristically unputdownable and enlightening study.
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T.V.
T.V.: Big Adventures on the Small Screen (Hardback)
Peter Kay
£25.00
Hardback
5+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
From making the tea at Granada to stardom and national adoration in Phoenix Nights and Car Share, the beloved comedian reveals stories, anecdotes and insights from his television career in his characteristically side-splitting fashion.
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Oh Miriam!
Oh Miriam!: Stories from an Extraordinary Life: Signed Edition (Hardback)
Miriam Margolyes
£25.00
Hardback
Out of stock
Ever outspoken, controversial and spectacularly entertaining, Britain's naughtiest national treasure and the author of This Much is True returns with more juicy, jaw-dropping stories from her eventful life and career.

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Alan Partridge: Big Beacon
Alan Partridge: Big Beacon: Signed Edition (Hardback)
Alan Partridge
£25.00
Hardback
Out of stock
Following up the inspiring masterpiece of memoir writing that was I, Partridge, Norwich's legendary radio and television personality delivers an unputdownable tour de force about the heroic (metaphorical) rebuilding of his career and the selfless (literal) rebuilding of a lighthouse in a small coastal village in Kent.

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My Name is Barbra
My Name is Barbra (Hardback)
Barbra Streisand
£35.00
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
From the nightclubs of New York to fame on Broadway and in Hollywood, Barbra Streisand's eagerly anticipated memoir recounts the truly remarkable life and career of a showbusiness icon.
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5 Ingredients Mediterranean
5 Ingredients Mediterranean: Simple Incredible Food (Hardback)
Jamie Oliver
£28.00 £22.00
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
Combining the concept behind Jamie's hugely popular 5 Ingredients with his abiding love for and knowledge of Mediterranean cuisine, this sensational cookbook serves up 125 flavour-packed, hassle-free recipes.
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Flavour
Flavour (Hardback)
Sabrina Ghayour
£26.00
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
From pan-fried salmon with barbary butter to lime, coconut and cardamom loaf cake, the beloved chef and bestselling author of Persiana serves up a hundred mouthwatering dishes with a Middle-Eastern twist.
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Going Infinite
Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon: Signed Edition (Hardback)
Michael Lewis
£25.00
Hardback
Out of stock
The bestselling author of The Big Short and The Premonition spins a breathlessly exciting true story with his characteristic pace and panache as he charts the meteoric rise and dramatic fall of enigmatic crypto-currency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried.

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Doppelganger
Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World: Signed Edition (Hardback)
Naomi Klein
£25.00
Hardback
Out of stock
Deftly following the threads from online keyboard warriors to conspiracy theorists and the instability of democracy itself, this astounding work from the author of No Logo and This Changes Everything tracks the extreme views of a woman frequently mistaken for the author.

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Keira & Me
Keira & Me: Signed Edition (Hardback)
Noel Fitzpatrick, Laura McKendry
£18.99
Hardback
Out of stock
Perfect for all fans of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse and Together, the uplifting story of Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick's heartwarming relationship with his dog Keira also boasts beautiful illustrations by Laura McKendry.

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Eve
Eve: How The Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution (Hardback)
Cat Bohannon
£25.00
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
As witty and accessible as it is illuminating and deeply researched, Cat Bohannon's revisionist work reveals the specific science behind the development of the female sex and its crucial role in the evolutionary success of our species.
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid: No Brainer (Book 18)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: No Brainer (Book 18) (Hardback)
Jeff Kinney
£14.99 £11.99
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
The Wimpy Kid is feeling the strain in the 18th side-splitting instalment of Kinney's popular series as homework, schoolmates and revision threaten to get the better of him.
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The Ministry of Unladylike Activity 2: The Body in the Blitz
The Ministry of Unladylike Activity 2: The Body in the Blitz - The Ministry of Unladylike Activity (Paperback)
Robin Stevens
£7.99
Paperback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
The second compelling World War II espionage thriller in the Ministry of Unladylike Activity series finds the freshly recruited child spies uncover a mysterious corpse in a bombed-out London home.
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Safiyyah's War
Safiyyah's War (Paperback)
Hiba Noor Khan
£7.99
Paperback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
Perfect reading for fans of Katherine Rundell and Emma Carroll, Safiyyah's War is a riveting, deeply poignant period novel set in occupied Paris which finds the titular girl engaged in dangerous Resistance work after her father is arrested by the Nazis.
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Heartstopper Volume 5
Heartstopper Volume 5 - Heartstopper (Paperback)
Alice Oseman
£12.99 £10.99
Paperback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
The phenomenally popular graphic novel series returns with Nick and Charlie very much in love but Nick's planned move to university hanging over their lasting future.
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Island of Whispers
Island of Whispers: Signed Bookplate Edition (Hardback)
Frances Hardinge, Emily Gravett
£14.99
Hardback
5+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
From the award-winning author of The Lie Tree and Unraveller comes a haunting gothic coming-of-age tale about a young Ferryman tasked with transporting the lingering Dead across the dark sea to the Island of the Broken Tower.
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Murtagh
Murtagh: The World of Eragon - The Inheritance Cycle (Hardback)
Christopher Paolini
£25.00
Hardback
Temporarily unavailable
Currently not available to order
From the author of Eragon comes a spellbinding new fantasy set a year after the events of the Inheritance Cycle, as Dragon Rider Murtagh and his beast Thorn find themselves exiled and on an epic journey trying to outwit a mysterious witch.

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The Oak Tree
The Oak Tree (Hardback)
Julia Donaldson, Victoria Sandøy
£12.99
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
A breathtaking union of Julia Donaldson's gently rhyming text and Victoria Sandoy's evocative illustrations, this beautiful picture book traces the thousand-year history of a very special oak tree.
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Begin Again
Begin Again: Signed Edition (Hardback)
Oliver Jeffers
£20.00
Hardback
In stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
Inspiring, hopeful and illustrated in his characteristically exquisite style, Jeffers' gorgeous extended picture book presents a whistlestop history of humanity before asking readers the all-important question of where we want to go from here.
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The Squirrel and the Lost Treasure
The Squirrel and the Lost Treasure (Hardback)
Coralie Bickford-Smith, Coralie Bickford-Smith
£16.99
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
The author of former Waterstones Book of the Year The Fox and the Star weaves another tale of woodland wonder, as Squirrel finds the perfect spot to bury her beloved acorn.
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Bunny vs Monkey: The Impossible Pig (a Phoenix Comic Book, from the million-selling Jamie Smart, Illustrator of the Year)
Bunny vs Monkey: The Impossible Pig (a Phoenix Comic Book, from the million-selling Jamie Smart, Illustrator of the Year) (Hardback)
Jamie Smart
£12.99
Hardback
Temporarily unavailable
Currently not available to order
The madcap graphic novel series for younger readers returns with the woods thrown into chaos at the mysterious disappearance of pig and the arrival of an unusual bearded stranger.

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Cat Kid Comic Club 5: Influencers
Cat Kid Comic Club 5: Influencers (Hardback)
Dav Pilkey, Dav Pilkey
£12.99
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
Once more boasting a host of mini-comics and a variety of illustrating styles, the Cat Kid Comic Club return for more freewheeling graphic novel fun.
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Brilliant Black British History
Brilliant Black British History (Hardback)
Atinuke, Kingsley Nebechi
£12.99
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
From Black Roman soldiers to the Black Lives Matter movement, this important and inclusive volume brings Black British history vividly to life for younger readers.
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Storyland
Storyland: Signed Edition (Hardback)
Amy Jeffs
£14.99
Hardback
In stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
From exploring Stonehenge with Merlin to riding stags in the forests of Scotland, this spellbinding volume adapts the Waterstones Book of the Year-shortlisted Storyland for younger readers, brimming with glorious myths and legends lurking in every corner of Britain.
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The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac
The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac (Hardback)
J. K. Rowling, Peter Goes
£30.00 £23.99
Hardback
10+ in stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
Explore every aspect of Harry Potter's wizarding world, from wandlore to fantastic beasts, in this definitive and beautifully produced companion to J.K. Rowling's megaselling fantasy phenomenon.
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