From page turning crime and luminous literary fiction to bold new voices – and some very familiar ones – in history, crime, thrillers and nonfiction, this list is designed to surprise, delight, and keep you company through the colder months.
Whether you’re curling up by the fire, switching off from the day, or looking for inspiration, these 20 books promise journeys worth taking. Settle in and lose yourself in the next great read!
Romance
Pastures New, Clare Balding
From Celebrity Traitors contestant Clare Balding comes the perfect novel for anyone who has ever dreamt of a fresh start…
Alex has perfected the art of dodging responsibility during her almost 40 years – until an unexpected letter turns her life upside down.
Now, her closest companion is a stubborn Welsh terrier, she’s speed-reading The Idiot’s Guide to Farming, and her arrival has set the village gossip mill spinning.
But as secrets surface, Alex finds her heart pulling her in a direction she never saw coming.
The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris, Evie Woods
Nestled among the cobblestone streets of Compiègne, there existed a bakery unlike any other.
For Edie Lane, a recipe for disaster doesn’t require that many ingredients. Take an unhealthy amount of wishful thinking and a sprinkle of desperation and that’s how Edie left everything behind in Ireland for her dream job at a bakery in Paris. Except the bakery isn’t in Paris – and neither is Edie.
Historic non-fiction
Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee, Charlie Higson and Jim Moir
Comedian Charlie Higson and Jim Moir (who used to be Vic Reeves) takes us on a rip-roaring journey that involves the Normans, Plantagenets, Tudors, Stuarts, Hanoverians and Windsors, not to mention the infamous Blois (how can we forget them?), Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee is an utterly engrossing and grossly entertaining guide to who ruled when and whether they were any good at it.
Craftland, James Fox
From the Isles of Scilly to the Scottish Highlands, James Fox travels the length of Britain to seek out the country’s last great craftspeople.
Stepping inside the workshops of blacksmiths and wheelwrights, cutlers and coopers, bellfounders and watchmakers, we glimpse not only our past but another way of life: one that is not yet lost and might still shape our future. For as long as there are humans, there will be craft. It is all around us, hiding in plain sight, animating even the most ordinary things.
Crime and thrillers
The Christmas Clue, Nicola Upson
From the Isles of Scilly to the Scottish Highlands, James Fox travels the length of Britain to seek out the country’s last great craftspeople.
Stepping inside the workshops of blacksmiths and wheelwrights, cutlers and coopers, bellfounders and watchmakers, we glimpse not only our past but another way of life: one that is not yet lost and might still shape our future. For as long as there are humans, there will be craft. It is all around us, hiding in plain sight, animating even the most ordinary things.
The Blue Hour, Paula Hawkins
Get ready to be totally gripped by the suspense-packed and atmospheric new thriller from the author of The Girl on the Train.
The island’s only house is home to Grace – content in her own isolation, guarding the island’s past. But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery in London, Grace receives an unexpected visitor. And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge.
Foreign
I am a Cat, Natsume Soseki
A genre all its own, Japanese cat fiction has been taking bookshelves by storm. First published at the turn of the twentieth century, and regarded as one of Japan’s most iconic classics, I Am a Cat is a captivating exploration of identity, society, and the often bewildering nature of the human condition, all seen through the eyes of a very special, uncompromising cat.
Comedy
How to Survive Christmas, Jilly Cooper
Christmas is looming. Will your mother-in-law present you with yet another hideous jersey this year? How are you going to cope with Granny’s dog or the ghastly in-laws? Never fear: the much-missed Jilly Cooper had the answer to everything.
Whether you should seek refuge in the cooking sherry or suggest a wholesome family walk, Jilly offers sound but often hilarious advice about how to get through the roller-coaster ride that is the festive season.
The Long Shoe, Bob Mortimer
A tale that only National Treasure Bob Mortimer could come up with… Bathroom salesman Matt is at a crossroads. He has lost his job, he is about to be made homeless and his girlfriend has left him. He wants his luck to change and he wants things to go back to how they were. Out of the blue he is offered a job that comes with a free luxury apartment. He hopes this might be enough to tempt her back. But, as events unfold, it starts to dawn on him that perhaps she didn’t leave of her own accord after all.
Historic fiction
Boleyn Traitor, Philippa Gregory
Ambition, power, and the dark side of the Tudor Court. Jane Boleyn watches from the shadows of the Tudor court. Where nothing is more powerful than a secret – or more deadly.
As the Boleyns rise, Jane rises with them. But the king’s love is a fickle thing. And when the royal gaze turns elsewhere, Jane uses the only weapon she has: her voice.
The Waterfall, Gareth Rubin
A story about stories within stories, as four interconnected mysteries take the reader through the ages, from Shakespeare’s day to a 19th-century Gothic former Priory, to 1920s Venice, and finally to 1940s California. Beguiling and intricate.
Biography/Autobiography
Both Sides Now, Tiggy Walker
Johnnie Walker’s devoted wife Tiggy shares the final chapter of their life together: the slow, painful goodbye to the man she adored. She reflects on the soaring highs of Johnnie’s legendary Radio 2 career, as they navigate the heartbreak, frustration, and strange intimacy of anticipatory grief. This is an honest, deeply personal portrait of love and loss – a raw, life-affirming tribute to a remarkable life well-lived. With wit and unflinching clarity, Tiggy lays bare the emotional toll of caring for someone at the end of life, and the impossible task of letting go while still holding on.
Jess and Norma, Jessica Asquith and Norma Burton
The hilarious and heartwarming autobiography from social media’s favourite grandma and granddaughter
In this book, the pair open up about the personal events that have shaped their unbreakable bond – from the adventures they’ve been on to the great loves and losses they’ve experienced.
Poetry
You Took the Last Bus Home, Brian Bilston
A collection of ingenious, hilarious and touching poems from Brian Bilston, one of Britain’s funniest and best-loved poets.
With endless wit, wisdom and delightful wordplay, Bilston’s first collection of poetry offers profound insights into the common joys and sorrows of modern life. Exploring themes as diverse as love, death, and the unbearable torment of forgetting to put the rubbish out, all of Bilston’s poems are alive to the improbable nuances of the English language.
Non-Fiction
The Reluctant Carer
A moving, funny and urgent memoir about the reality of caring for your parents, when you can barely care for yourself.
In between bouts of washing, feeding, cooking and fighting there are days that test you, days where everything goes wrong and days where everyone, miraculously rises to the occasion. And in between all of that, you learn how to care. But this time with feeling.
Irresistibly funny, unflinching and deeply moving, this is a love letter to family and friends, to carers and to anyone who has ever packed a small bag intent on staying for just a few days. This is a true story of what it really means to be a carer.
Books not to miss!
Always Remember, Charlie Mackesy
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm.
Charlie Mackesy’s four unlikely friends are wandering through the wilds again. They’re not sure what they are looking for. They do know that life can be difficult, but that they love each other, and cake is often the answer.
When the dark clouds come, can the boy remember what he needs to get through the storm? Hugely anticipated and just as touching and life-affirming as its prequel.
Mary 90, Mary Berry
Join Britain’s best-loved cook, Mary Berry, as she celebrates her 90th birthday, with a career-spanning collection of iconic, fuss-free recipes for every occasion, alongside stories and memories from a lifetime of cooking.
In this beautifully illustrated cookbook, Mary shares 90 of her very best recipes, each one perfected over a lifetime of cooking.
The Official Poirot Puzzle Book, Agatha Christie Ltd
Immerse yourself in the world of Agatha Christie’s beloved Hercule Poirot with this new and official puzzling series of events.
Do you have the skills to seek the truth within? Put your understanding of order and method to good use to crack the case as you travel around the world collecting mysterious bundles of puzzles. From France to Istanbul and beyond, have your map (and pen) at the ready and your suitcase packed as you join Detective Guy in tracking down the perpetrator of the deadliest crime.
Ted – Pup Fiction
We couldn’t leave him out of the list! The beloved canine star of BBC2’s Gone Fishing and bestselling author, embarks on a life-changing adventure, and discovers what truly matters to him.
What’s the real story behind Ted’s suitcase? What’s in it and why does getting it back mean so much to him?
Maybe the answer lies with the film supremo Quentin Tarantino, who said the value of the briefcase in his classic movie Pulp Fiction lay not in its contents, but in the briefcase itself…
Ocean: Earth’s Last Wilderness, Sir David Attenborough and Colin Butfield
With the warmth, intelligence and awe that characterises all of David Attenborough’s landmark series, Ocean shows us a world which is both desperately fragile yet astonishingly resilient, with an extraordinary capacity to repair itself.
