15 of the most exciting new books to discover at your local bookshop this winter


Your local bookshop is the best place to get book recommendations – and for discovering your next favourite read. Check out our list of new and exciting books look out for at your local bookshop this year, whether you're able to browse instore or click and collect. 

The Books Are My Bag Readers Awards shortlist, which features some of the best books of 2020, is also an excellent place to look for bookseller-recommended reads.

There are many, many wonderful books being published in the last few months of 2020. Which ones are you looking forward to getting with your National Book Tokens? Tells in the comments at the bottom of the page. 

 

The Wild Silence

The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn

For those of you who enjoyed The Salt Path, Winn's second book continues the inspirational story of Raynor and her husband Moth. Focussing on readjusting to life after homelessness and recovering trust, this is sure to be a beautiful and soul-baring read set amongst the great outdoors.

The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

The debut novel from the Pointless puzzle guru centres on four friends in a retirement village who meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. Filled with witty one-liners and cleverly constructed twists and turns, this is a must read for all crime fans.

Love Frankie

Love Frankie by Jacqueline Wilson and illustrated by Nick Sharratt

Dame Jacqueline Wilson's latest book for teens is a heart-warming and tender story about falling in love. 14-year-old Frankie is experiencing the ups and down of teenage life, including her mum's illness and Sally and her gang of bullies at school. When Sally turns out to not be so bad after all, Frankie starts to wonder if these feelings mean more than friendship.

A Life on Our Planet

A Life on Our Planet by David Attenborough

At team National Book Tokens, we can't wait to read David Attenborough's vision for our planet. Having travelled to every continent across the globe, it's safe to say that nobody understands the natural world better than David Attenborough. This is his account of the damage we have inflicted to our planet and what we can do to heal the wonderful world we live in.

The Girl With the Louding Voice

The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare

Don't miss out on Dare's debut novel about a young woman finding her voice. Adunni is born into a rural Nigerian village and at fourteen she is a wife and a servant. Yet she is smart, funny and curious and has a plan to escape… This is an inspiring story and one we can't wait to read!

The Devil and the Dark Water

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

The author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is back! The Devil and the Dark Water is set in 1634 and features a murder on the high seas, a detective duo and a demon who may or may not be real. The sinister title was shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards, and is one to add to your reading list!

A Secret of Birds & Bone

A Secret of Birds & Bone by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

This is the new novel from the bestselling author of The Girl of Ink & Stars, winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. In an Italian city ravaged by plague, Sofia's mother carves beautiful mementoes from the bones of loved ones. But one day, she doesn't return home. Kiran is also one of our fabulous Book Doctors over in Caboodlers' Corner.

Earthlings

Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

Did you love Convenience Store Women? In Earthlings, Sayaka Murata explores a dark and magical reckoning with what it might take to survive a shattered life. Earthlings focuses on Natsuki and Yuu, who reunite after years with old promises hanging over them.

Word Perfect

Word Perfect: Etymological Entertainment For Every Day of the Year by Susie Dent

Lexicographer extraordinaire and queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner Susie Dent has written Word Perfect, a year of wonder through the English language – perfect for anyone who loved Mark Forsyth's The Etymologicon. Discover how word perfect you are with Susie Dent's quiz over in Caboodlers’ Corner.

Kay's Anatomy

Kay's Anatomy: A Complete (and Completely Disgusting) Guide to the Human Body by Adam Kay and illustrated by Henry Paker

Adam Kay, author of everyone's favourite hilarious medical memoir, This is Going to Hurt, returns with this extraordinary and fascinating and, well… pretty weird book for children, answering questions such as ‘Are bogies safe to eat?’ and ‘How much of your life will you spend on the toilet?’.

Troy

Troy: Our Greatest Story Retold – Stephen Fry's Greek Myths by Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry is back, after Mythos and Heroes, exploring Ancient Greece once again. In Troy you will find heroism and hatred, love and loss, revenge and regret, desire and despair. It is these human passions, written bloodily in the sands of a distant shore, that still speak to us today.

Dogger's Christmas

Dogger's Christmas by Shirley Hughes

Dogger is a beloved British picture book classic and Dogger's Christmas is Shirley Hughes' brand new festive sequel. It's that special time of year: Christmas. The time of carol-singing, tree-decorating, and of course lots of presents. But in the excitement of new toys, will Dave forget about his old friend, Dogger?

The Betrayals

The Betrayals by Bridget Collins (out 12th November)

If you loved The Binding, you'll want to pick up Bridget Collins' second book. In an exclusive institution tucked away in the mountains the best and brightest study an arcane and mysterious game, as they have for centuries. But times are changing, and traditions being overturned – the truth will come out…

Leave the World Behind

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam (out 12th November)

A compelling literary thriller about the world we live in now, Leave the World Behind explores how our closest bonds are reshaped in moments of crisis – and how the most terrifying situations are never far from reality.

A Promised Land

A Promised Land by Barack Obama (out 17th November)

If you, like us, loved Michelle Obama's Becoming, you’ll want to read A Promised Land. In this first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his journey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency – a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.

 

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