Are you looking for your next great read? Why not try out the books from across the pond? Despite from what governments say, books are essential and are needed now, more than ever. So if you are need of a variety and want to read diverse stories, then I suggest you try out some British and Irish titles!
We may have left 2025 behind, but the pain and struggles of last year are still being faced, especially independent bookstores. Continue to support indie bookstores by shopping on Bookshop.org and Hive.co.uk.
Waterstones currently ships to the United States but there will be an international shipping fee. You can also try with the British bookstore, Blackwell’s. Now on with the recommendations!
Featured Book of the Month
The Advent of Death by Alexandra Benedict
Edie O’Sullivan has no time for murder.
With her wedding to Riga fast approaching, she is determined to ignore the desperate call from Anne, a former pupil, begging her to come to Rye. Anne – now the town crier – has received a strange gift: a handcrafted wooden advent calendar shaped like the town itself.
At first, it seems like a charming curiosity. Then the doors begin to open.
1 December: a break-in at 1 High Street.
2 December: a burglary at 2 East Street.
3 December: ABH at 3 Eagle Street.
Each door opened. Each crime escalating. Then a body is discovered.
Edie can no longer dismiss Anne’s fears. Leaving Riga and the wedding preparations behind, she heads to Rye – where the festive streets hide a deadly design.
As Christmas approaches and the body count rises, Edie must decipher the calendar’s murderous pattern before the final door is opened. (Credit: Simon & Schuster UK)
A History of Britain in 21 Paintings by Alice Loxton
An illuminating history of Britain from bestselling author Alice Loxton.
The past is like a dark forest. Most of the details of our ancestors’ lives are forgotten, lost in the mists of time. Yet there are many sources – fireflies – that survive to illuminate our understanding of the past. In this case, those fireflies are paintings.
In this vibrant and insightful book, Alice Loxton travels across Britain in search of twenty-one extraordinary paintings. From the wall art of St Cadoc’s Church near Cardiff and the exquisite detail of daily life portrayed by L.S. Lowry to landmark works including ‘The Rainbow Portrait’ of Elizabeth I and Millais’ ‘Ophelia’, Loxton creates a fresh, transformative history of Britain.
Considering each piece from the viewer’s perspective, she explores how it feels standing before them, what they are trying to tell and what their real-life inspiration reveals about the period when they were created. Along the way, Loxton explores the lives of everyday people, unveils the historical, social and cultural shifts these paintings reflected and inspired, and challenges some of Britain’s most famous myths (who really was St George? Did the people of the Middle Ages think the world was flat? Why do Scots wear tartan? Why do us Brits love going to the pub?).
This sweeping book reminds us that there are incredible stories to be discovered all across Britain, if only we take the time to look. (Credit: Penguin Books)
Isolde by Phoenicia Rogerson
From the brilliantly witty author of Aphrodite and Herc comes a story set in the court of King Arthur, featuring knights, valour, sacrifice, magic and a feminist retelling of the love story of Tristan and Isolde.
Isolde, Queen of Cornwall, is on the run.
She didn’t mean to drink a love potion with the king’s nephew, but that little accident has made her scandalously famous. Luckily, she and Tristan find refuge in Camelot, the legendary court of King Arthur. This ought to be her happy ending.
Only it isn’t. She discovers that Camelot is full of chivalrous knights who aren’t sure how to speak to a woman, and while it houses the greatest wizard of all time, he might just be responsible for crimes against humanity. And one more thing, the love potion has worn off…
Now Isolde will have to work out what sort of life a woman can carve out for herself when the songs about her have already been written.
A tale of battered reputations, Isolde introduces an unforgettable heroine finding her way through myth, love and a world of magic. (Credit: HarperCollins)
The Haunted Disco by Marcus Rashford with Abiola Bello
Join Marcus and friends as they solve another spooky mystery in The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Haunted Disco. This is the ninth exciting adventure by England International footballer, child food-poverty campaigner and bestselling author Marcus Rashford MBE. Inspired by Marcus’s own experiences growing up!
A disco is being held at Rutherford School! The school is a buzz of activity and everyone is excited to be making new friends as they plan the event. But when the Breakfast Club Investigators are too busy to meet up, Marcus starts to feel left out.
Soon, rumours of a strange creature begin to swirl, threatening to cancel the school disco and the BCI must race against time to solve the case. Can Marcus put his hurt feelings aside and rejoin the team before the disco is ruined? (Credit: Pan Macmillan)
Choose Love: 10 Writers and Refugees on Kindness in Contemporary Britain
Ten extraordinary stories from asylum seekers and refugees. Told to ten acclaimed writers. One powerful testament to what happens when we choose love.
Across the globe, more than 117 million people have been forced from their homes by conflict and crisis. Behind that vast number are individual lives: families uprooted, futures interrupted, journeys of unimaginable courage. In a time of hardening borders and deepening division, the charity Choose Love was founded to support and provide humanitarian aid to those in need.
In this powerful anthology, ten acclaimed writers are paired with ten people who have experienced displacement and the UK asylum system, working together to tell stories of resilience, humanity and hope. From unexpected friendships to life-changing encounters, these pieces explore the pivotal moments when love was transformed into action – when it became shelter, solidarity, courage and friendship.
Tender, urgent and profoundly humane, this book reveals the extraordinary force of ordinary kindness. It is a testament to the enduring human spirit and a call to recognise one another not as strangers, but as neighbours.
Choose Love features work by Yomi Adegoke, Inua Ellams, Guy Gunaratne, Sabrina Mahfouz, Dawn O’Porter, Bohdan Piasecki, Max Porter, Monika Radojevic, Nikesh Shukla and Tania Tay. (Credit: Cornerstone)
The Patriot by Ajay Chowdhury
A priceless diamond. A deadly siege. A detective caught between a rock and a hard place
Detective Sergeant Kamil Rahman is riding high on newfound fame and a thrilling new case: the mysterious death of the Deputy Governor of the Tower of London.
Meanwhile ex-partner Anjoli’s luck is about to change too. Her struggling detective agency has been asked to investigate a series of death threats targeting a high-profile, and controversial, climate activist.
Unbeknownst to them both, rogue historian Rohan Gill is planning the ultimate heist—to reclaim the Kohinoor diamond from the Tower – and Kamil and Anjoli, are an integral part of his plan.
With the Tower locked down and tensions soaring, will Kamil and Anjoli find the strength to do what’s right, or will they be swept away by the tides of history? A priceless diamond. A deadly siege. A detective caught between a rock and a hard place
Detective Sergeant Kamil Rahman is riding high on newfound fame and a thrilling new case: the mysterious death of the Deputy Governor of the Tower of London.
Meanwhile ex-partner Anjoli’s luck is about to change too. Her struggling detective agency has been asked to investigate a series of death threats targeting a high-profile, and controversial, climate activist.
Unbeknownst to them both, rogue historian Rohan Gill is planning the ultimate heist—to reclaim the Kohinoor diamond from the Tower – and Kamil and Anjoli, are an integral part of his plan.
With the Tower locked down and tensions soaring, will Kamil and Anjoli find the strength to do what’s right, or will they be swept away by the tides of history? (Credit: Vintage Publishing)
The Mistletoe Wedding Murders by Denzil Meyrick with Ian Moore
Frank Grasby’s father, the Reverend Cyril Grasby, is getting married at Rowntree Hall on Christmas Day 1954. And to make matters worse – Frank is best man.
The guests include important clergymen, and Inspector Arthur Juggers, Frank’s boss. As they gather at Rowntree Hall, the snow begins to fall, cutting them off from the outside world. But shortly before the knot is tied, Dean Welling is found dead, poisoned by mistletoe. In his hand is a crumpled piece of paper – on which is written only the letter ‘G’.
Juggers and Grasby investigate, but things quickly take an even darker turn: a scream rings out late on Christmas Eve, and the body of Reverend Danbury Hollis is discovered in the chapel.
Frank must save the day at his own father’s wedding, but how can he tell who is guilty when every suspect is a vicar? And where can he turn for help, when even the clergy can’t be trusted? (Credit: Transworld Publishing)
The Christmas Tree Murders by Katie Lumsden
It is December 1884, and we have a murder to solve.
Come, my friend – follow me, for we have much to see.
First, a house: a brand-new country estate, with all the latest technological innovations – electric light-bulbs, running water, dumb-waiters, hydraulic lifts.
Second, a family: celebrated inventor Sir Russell Morgan, his grown-up children, his beautiful new wife.
Next, their guests: the great and the good (well, the rich), dressed in all their finery, eager to celebrate Christmas at Clifftop House.
And finally: a body – for what festive mystery would be complete without one? Here lies one of the servants, laid out beneath the Christmas-tree, his hands covered in burns.
The police dismiss his death as an accident, but our heroine, Millie – kitchenmaid and keen reader of sensation novels – is not so sure.
Christmas Day is fast approaching. Can the mystery be solved before the killer strikes again? (Credit: Penguin Books)
Murder On The Mistletoe Express by Katy Watson
The new cosy Christmas mystery in the Three Dahlias series!
Rosalind, Caro and Posy are planning to take a much-needed break from investigating murder cases this Christmas for a winter getaway with their partners in the Swiss Alps. They’ve been invited to spend three days on a glamorous new luxury sleeper train, the Mistletoe Express, which Posy’s boyfriend Kit is planning to invest in.
Travelling with them for the festivities are several other investors in the company. But the morning they depart, the company’s administrative assistant, Olivia, is missing – just hours after warning Posy of a problem with the Mistletoe Express’s accounts.
The three Dahlias’ investigative minds are already whirring when, at their first destination, Olivia is discovered dead, despite never boarding the train . . .
It seems that the Mistletoe Express is brimming with secrets, and murder suspects.
Can the Dahlias catch a killer – and in time for Christmas? (Credit: Little, Brown Book Group)
No Figgy Pudding by Carol Ann Duffy and illustrated by Joe McLaren
The latest in a series of beautiful Christmas poems from Britain’s most beloved poet.
It’s winter 1646 and the Puritan ban on Christmas has cast a dark pall over the city of London. Cromwell’s men enforce the decree that no one may so much as savour a mince pie, but the people have other ideas. As tell-tale scents of cinnamon and spice waft from kitchen windows, and a clandestine party gathers at The George, can the revellers keep their celebrations secret?
Inspired by historical events and with gorgeous illustrations by Joe McLaren, No Figgy Pudding is a stirring tale of festive resistance and irrepressible good cheer.) (Credit: Pan Macmillan)
Who Murdered the Author? A Whodunnit Puzzle for Literary Detectives by Dr. Gareth Moore & Laura Jayne Ayres
1 dead author, 20 suspects and 1 killer hidden in the manuscript.
But who murdered the author?
The manuscript isn’t finished. Upon writing the final page the author mysteriously drops dead, his pen scrawling across the page in what would have been the last sentence of the book.
The big reveal. But who killed him?
Luckily the author knew his demise was inevitable and buried clues hinting at who, why and how he would be killed. Can you decipher his puzzles, find clues in the passages and ultimately solve his murder before you get to the last page?
Test your sleuthing skills with this addictive whodunnit puzzle.
A new take on the murder mystery puzzle book for fans of CAIN’S JAWBONE, MURDLE and THE KILLER ISN’T ALICE. (Credit: Hodder & Stoughton)
Murder at Lake Ashinoko by Shizuko Natsuki
At an elegant hotel on a stormy night, travelling businessman Kohei Daigo meets a shadowy yet captivating woman, Fumiko. Their faces obscured in the darkness, they pass the hours by talking. Until the night takes an unexpected turn, and the strangers make a confession. They both have good reason to want someone dead.
They fantasise about the perfect murder: each one enacting cold-blooded revenge on the other’s enemy, with nothing to tie them to the crime.
In the light of day, Daigo resolves to put the unsettling night behind him. But back home in Fukuoka, he soon receives news of a tragic accident. To his horror, it appears that Fumiko has followed through on her side of their deadly bargain – and now it’s his turn.
Brimming with atmosphere, and with a dark, twisty mystery at its heart, Murder at Lake Ashinoko is the perfect, nostalgic, rediscovered novel for fans of Japanese translated fiction and classic crime. (Credit: Cornerstone)
Melody & Pain by Marissa McCallam
It’s 2018 and relentless people-pleaser, Melody, is fresh from a break-up. When best friend, Nico, invites her to a party as a distraction, Melody is blindsided by evidence of her ex-boyfriend’s infidelity. To make matters worse, she is then ignored for a work promotion and faces a pay cut. Worried about affording her bills, she desperately arranges flatmate interviews, inviting the mysterious Pain to live with her.
As Melody’s connection with Pain deepens over intimate meals and ‘game nights’, the usually easy-going Nico becomes increasingly distant. Encouraged by Pain, Melody accepts a free trial at the local Thai boxing gym where she meets self-assured trainer, Yvette. With the growth of her physical strength and confidence, Melody begins to question her relationships. Exploring identity, mental health and the healing process, Melody & Pain is a novel asking the question: What if Pain were a person and moved into your home? (Credit: Indie Novella)
Thorns In The Hollow by Laura Purcell
Expected Publication Date: November 26
Tabitha would do anything to remain at her ancestral home of Reynard’s Hollow. So, while marrying her cousin Vincent isn’t an inspiring proposition, things could be worse. He doesn’t hold a candle to Kit, the gamekeeper’s son and her childhood friend, but nothing would ever come of that anyway; she’s the lady of the manor, after all, and Kit is a servant.
Tabitha’s world is thrown upside down when her cousin dies in a hunting accident. He was her best – and only – chance to remain at the Hollow… so what will happen to her now? Why do his injuries look like the result of a brutal attack, rather than a bad fall? Is there something out there – some sort of monster, still lurking in the woods?
Meanwhile, Kit is wrestling with demons of his own. His mother is acting strangely, and the other servants’ mutterings about his true parentage are growing louder. The household, already under strain, reaches a breaking point as loyalties are put to the test and long-buried secrets are unearthed. And then Kit makes a discovery: there is something in the woods, although he doesn’t think it’s a monster. But at Reynard’s Hollow, things are not always as they appear… (Credit: HarperCollins)
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