Behind the Scenes of the Books You Love

Welcome to the Waterstones Blog. Written and edited by booksellers, discover exclusive interviews with your favourite writers, author articles and recipes as well as expert recommendations, including our monthly roundups of the latest books for adults and children.

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Monthly Roundups
Books of the Month
Fiction
Non-Fiction
Children's
Interviews
Recipes & Activities
Best of 2024 Blogs
Best of 2024 Blogs
Author Favourites 2024
Author Favourites 2024

New & Trending Articles

Nick Harkaway on Writing a George Smiley Novel

Nick Harkaway, author of Karla's Choice, on his following in the literary footsteps of his famous father, John le Carré.

Ben Macintyre on the Iranian Embassy Siege and the Role of the SAS

The acclaimed author of Agent Sonya and A Spy Amongst Friends discusses his new book The Siege.

Jacqueline Wilson on Friendships, Growing Up and Writing Think Again

The Former Children's Laureate talks about her new novel for adult readers.

Jamie Oliver on the Changing Face of British Food Culture

The beloved chef and bestselling author reflects on the developments in the British Food scene in the course of his 25-year career.

Alexander Armstrong on Why Children's Fantasy Books Matter

Alexander Armstrong, author of Evenfall: The Golden Linnet, discusses writing his debut children's novel and why children's literature is so important for kids and adults alike.

An Exclusive Q&A with Ferdia Lennon on Glorious Exploits

The winner of the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2024 discusses his novel.

What To Read Next After It Ends With Us

With the blockbuster Hollywood movie of Colleen Hoover's mega-selling phenomenon It Ends With Us arriving in cinemas, we pick other novels in the same vein to try next.

The Best Greek Myth Retellings

In celebration of Ferdia Lennon's Glorious Exploits scooping this year's Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, we highlight our favourite Greek myth retellings.

Monthly Roundups

The Waterstones Round Up: November & December's Best Books

As we enter the last two months of the year and Christmas shopping really ramps up, take inspiration from the great books published in November and December.

The Waterstones Round Up: October's Best Books

Packed with gifting opportunities and big name memoirs, take a tour of October's bumper crop of books.

The Waterstones Round Up: October's Best Children's Books

From the return of Skandar and Bunny vs Monkey to wintry romance and enchanting picture books, discover what treats October has in store.

The Waterstones Round Up: September's Best Books

As we hurtle into the busiest publishing season of the year, take a look at the literary riches on offer in September.

The Waterstones Round Up: September's Best Children's Books

As summer turns to autumn discover the phenomenal children's books coming your way this September.

The Waterstones Round Up: August's Best Books

As summer reaches its peak, don't miss out on these glorious new books publishing this August.

The Waterstones Round Up: August's Best Children's Books

Fizzing with fantastic new titles, August's children's publishing sees the summer out in style.

Books of the Month

Tessa Hadley on the Writing of The Party

Tessa Hadley, author of The Party, our Fiction Book of the Month for November, explains how the book came into being and the challenges of writing a novella.

Bettany Hughes on the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and Women

Bettany Hughes, author of The Seven Wonders of the World, our Non-Fiction Book of the Month for November, talks about her new book.

Denzil Meyrick's Favourite Christmas Crime Novels

Denzil Meyrick, author of Murder at Holly House, our Thriller of the Month for November, selects his top five festive mysteries.

The Best Feelgood Korean Fiction

As Return to the DallerGut Dream Department Store succeeds Miye Lee's original novel as our Science Fiction & Fantasy Book of the Month, we pick our top uplifting Korean fiction.

Alex T. Smith on the Books That Inspired Murder! By Narwhal!

The author of our Children's Book of Month for November discusses the inspiration behind his brilliant murder mystery.

Fiction

Jonathan Coe's Favourite Political Novels

Jonathan Coe, author of The Proof of My Innocence, picks his top political novels.

Nick Harkaway on Writing a George Smiley Novel

Nick Harkaway, author of Karla's Choice, on his following in the literary footsteps of his famous father, John le Carré.

Jodi Picoult on Emilia Bassano Lanier and William Shakespeare

The bestselling author talks about the woman who inspired her latest novel, By Any Other Name.

Kate Mosse on the End of an Era and Writing The Map of Bones

The bestselling author of The Joubert Family Chronicles talks about the final part of her epic historical quartet.

Jacqueline Wilson on Friendships, Growing Up and Writing Think Again

The Former Children's Laureate talks about her new novel for adult readers.

Paula Hawkins on Found Objects and Writing The Blue Hour

The bestselling author talks about her new thriller set on a Scottish tidal island.

Kate Atkinson on Jackson Brodie and Writing a Murder Mystery

Kate Atkinson, author of Death at the Sign of the Rook, discusses crime fiction and how her iconic detective came into being.

Ava Reid on the Supernatural Inheritance of Lady Macbeth

Ava Reid, author of Lady Macbeth, reveals what drew her to the much-told story of Shakespeare's infamous villainess.

Non-Fiction

Kate Summerscale on 10 Rillington Place 

The award-winning author of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher and The Haunting of Alma Fielding discusses the most famous British murder scene.

Ben Macintyre on the Iranian Embassy Siege and the Role of the SAS

The acclaimed author of Agent Sonya and A Spy Amongst Friends discusses his new book The Siege.

Dan Jones' Five Most Exciting Monarchs

Dan Jones, author Henry V: The Astonishing Rise of England's Greatest Warrior King, reveals his top thrilling sovereigns.

Sam Leith on How the Edwardians Invented Children's Literature

Sam Leith, author of The Haunted Wood: A History of Childhood Reading, explains why the Edwardian Age was so pivotal to the development of children's books.

Yuval Noah Harari on the Power of Artificial Intelligence

Yuval Noah Harari, author of Nexus, issues a stark warning about the dangers of AI.

Craig Brown Shares Five Witty Moments With Queen Elizabeth II

Craig Brown, author of A Voyage Around the Queen, shares five fascinating tales about the much-missed monarch.

Alice Loxton on Recounting Britain's History in Eighteen Young Lives

The historian and author of Uproar! discusses her new book Eighteen.

Sarah Moss on Different Kinds of Reading

The acclaimed novelist and author of Ghost Wall and The Fell discusses her new memoir, My Good Bright Wolf.

Children's

Alex T. Smith on the Books That Inspired Murder! By Narwhal!

The author of our Children's Book of Month for November discusses the inspiration behind his brilliant murder mystery.

Alexander Armstrong on Why Children's Fantasy Books Matter

Alexander Armstrong, author of Evenfall: The Golden Linnet, discusses writing his debut children's novel and why children's literature is so important for kids and adults alike.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce on Becoming Waterstones Children's Laureate

Congratulations to Frank Cottrell-Boyce on becoming the 13th Waterstones Children's Laureate. Here's what the position means to him.

Moira Buffini on Moving from Screenwriting to Penning a Novel

Moira Buffini, author of YA dystopia Songlight, on the challenges and benefits of switching from writing for the screen and stage to writing a book.

Emma Carroll on the Famous Figure Behind The Houdini Inheritance

Emma Carroll, author of The Houdini Inheritance, on legendary escapologist Harry Houdini and his influence on the novel.

The Waterstones Children's Book Prize Blog: Pari Thomson

The author of Greenwild, the winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2024, talks about the book that made her a writer.

The Waterstones Children's Book Prize Blog: Kayvion Lewis

The author of Thieves' Gambit and the winner of this year's Waterstones Children's Book Prize for Older Readers talks about the book that made her a writer.

The Waterstones Children's Book Prize Blog: Chloe Savage

The author of The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish, the winner of the Best Illustrated Book category of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2024, talks about the book that made her a writer.

Interviews

An Exclusive Q&A with Jenny Erpenbeck on Kairos

The winner of the International Booker Prize 2024 discusses her novel set in 1980s East Berlin.

An Exclusive Q&A with Ferdia Lennon on Glorious Exploits

The winner of the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2024 discusses his novel.

An Exclusive Interview with Orlando Whitfield on All That Glitters

The author discusses his fascinating book on friendship and fraud in the art world.

An Exclusive Q&A with Andrew O'Hagan on Caledonian Road

Andrew O'Hagan, author of Caledonian Road, answers questions about his acclaimed novel.

An Exclusive Q&A with Alice Winn on In Memoriam

The Winner of the Waterstones Novel of the Year 2023 discusses her emotional masterpiece.

An Exclusive Q&A with Patric Gagne

In an exclusive Q&A with her editor Melissa Flashman, the author of Sociopath discusses the complexities of the condition and the importance of her memoir.

An Exclusive Q&A with Daniel Mason of North Woods

The award-winning author of The Piano Tuner discusses his new novel.

An Exclusive Interview with Max Porter on Shy

The author of the former Waterstones Book of the Year Lanny discusses his new novel.

Recipes & Activities

A Mouthwatering Recipe from Rick Stein's Food Stories

We're delighted to share a delicious recipe from the beloved chef's new book.

Jamie Oliver on the Changing Face of British Food Culture

The beloved chef and bestselling author reflects on the developments in the British Food scene in the course of his 25-year career.

Jay Rayner on the Curious Life of a Restaurant Critic

The renowed critic and food writer talks about his new book Nights Out at Home.

An Indulgent Recipe from Meera Sodha's Dinner

Learn to make Meera Sodha's delicious baked butter paneer with this easy-to-follow recipe.

A Mouthwatering Recipe from Marie Mitchell

The author of Kin shares a delicious curry dish from her new book.

A Sumptuous Recipe From Nicola Lamb

The popular food blogger and pastry chef shares a gorgeous recipe from her new book SIFT.

A Love Letter to Hero Ingredients and a Delicious Recipe from Anna Jones

The beloved cook and author talks about the inspiration behind her new book Easy Wins and shares one of its stunning recipes.

Reflections on Saint Lucia and a Beautiful Recipe from Alexina Anatole

The author Bitter writes about her flavour trip to St Lucia and share a delicicious cocoa recipe perfect for winter evenings.