Waterstones Paperbacks of 2026

FAIR PLAY (Louise Hegarty), WHAT AM I, A DEER? (Polly Barton), HOW TO KILL A WITCH (Claire Mitchell & Zoe Venditozzi), THE ELOPEMENT (Gill Hornby), THE BRAIN AT REST (Joseph Jebelli), MYTHICA (Emily Hauser)

WINNER OF THE CHILDREN'S WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION

Otherlands: Illustrated – Thomas Halliday

Starting with the last ice age and ending when the very first animals started to swim and hunt, this illustrated journey back through time is adapted from the bestselling Otherlands, with illustrations by Gavin Scott.

Out Now in Paperback

Daring to Be Free – Sudhir Hazareesingh

A SPECTATOR Best Book of 2025, as picked by Sam Leith
'Rich, powerful and groundbreaking' FINANCIAL TIMES
'A marvel of historical analysis and research’ NEW STATESMAN

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

Queens and Kings – Lucy Worsley

'A history of British monarchy that only Worsley could've written' TOM HOLLAND
'What a glorious, glorious book, full of brilliant detail and wit' KATE MOSSE
'Fabulously enjoyable... a great big treat of a book' SUNDAY TIMES

Out of Colditz – David Lascelles

'Hauntingly vivid book' DAILY MAIL
'A truly revelatory story of courage' DAMIEN LEWIS
'A gripping, unsettling journey into the strange moral fog of the war's last days - and the shadows we inherit long after' IAIN MACGREGOR

The Boy – Mark Gyves

'Riveting debut' THE TIMES
'Terrifying, taut, humane and tender' IRISH TIMES
'As heartbreaking as it is alarming' LITERARY REVIEW
'A very fine debut novel from a future star of Irish crime writing' JOHN CONNOLLY

What To Do, Pernickety Boo? – Sally Gardner

Beautifully written by Carnegie and Costa Award-winning author Sally Gardner, illustrated throughout with stunning illustrations from Greenaway-shortlisted artist Chris Mould, and filled with heart, humour and imagination, this is the magical sequel to Pernickety Boo – the story of a very unusual umbrella

The Last Invasion of England – Arthur der Weduwen

'Impressive literary skill' LITERARY REVIEW
'A transformative book, packed with fresh and vivid detail' JASON PEACESEY
'Gripping story peppered with many hitherto unknown details' MAARTEN PARK

Smelling of Rooks – Louis de Bernières

From the author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin comes a candid, comic and irresistibly companionable portrait of a writer’s life in rural Norfolk.

The Bookshop – Andrew Pettegree

'Superb new history' LITERARY REVIEW
'A wonderfully wide-ranging study' COUNTRY LIFE
'Stylish, authoritative and full of telling anecdotes' DUNCAN DENNIS
'An absorbing and thorough history of the book trade ' SHAUN BYTHELL

A Mermaid Collection Re-issue With A Foreword From Claire Daverley

A Long Way Home – Rosamunde Pilcher

‘Pilcher’s storytelling skills are beguiling’ THE TIMES
‘Pilcher wrote absorbing page-turners, taking what was called “romantic fiction” to an altogether higher, wittier level’ GUARDIAN

'Most Anticipated Book' by the New York Times and Lithub

The Au Pair – Teddy Wayne

'Nerve-wrackingly fun' VOGUE
'Is anything more dangerous than a fragile male ego?' New York Times

Out Now in Paperback

Monsterland – Nick Jubber

'Delivers a cast of creatures to make readers shudder' THE TIMES
‘Captivating & packed with insightful context' GEOGRAPHICAL
'A captivating look at “what unsettles us”' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, * review

Emily’s Great Idea – Liz Kessler

When a faulty pier is scheduled for demolition, can semi-mer Emily and her friends in both worlds work together to save their homes? This is another exciting mermaid adventure for young readers based on the New York Times best-selling series by Liz Kessler.

Stepmum Showdown – Lisa Williamson

Welcome to Bigg School! A real-life series following a class of kids as they navigate the ups and down of starting Year Seven at the Henry Bigg Academy.

Life Story – Jonathan Loh

'A tour de force' LORNA GIBB
'Profound and timely' TONY JUNIPER
NEW SCIENTIST’s Best New Popular Science Books

Out Now in Paperback

Dangerous Miracle – Liam Shaw

'A brilliant new voice in science writing' SPECTATOR
'A lively history and a stark warning’ SUNDAY TIMES, Best Books of the Year 2025

Sky Dancers – Chris Vick

'Pure magic, a soaring flight of imagination and wonder' CLARE FURNISS
'A haunting elemental tale of sorcery and magic' TIA FISHER
'This is a hold your breath, read in one sitting sort of story' JASBINDER BILAN

Out Now in Paperback

The Secret History of Gold – Dominic Frisby

'Well-informed, utterly coherent and very, VERY timely' TELEGRAPH
'Doesn’t just tell you about gold – it makes you feel its weight' SPECTATOR

A BOOKSELLER BOOK OF THE MONTH

These Wild English – Nicola Wilding

'A zesty, wonderful memoir' LITERARY REVIEW
'Remarkable for its visceral candour & raw confessional prose' THE TIMES
'Tender & raw, angry & elegiac, deeply personal & profoundly political' OBSERVER

Wild Horse Summer – Lauren St John

'Thrilling, romantic 12+ adventure’ GUARDIAN
'A compulsive summer read with real soul' OBSERVER
'Deserves space in any teenager’s suitcase this summer' TELEGRAPH
'A fabulous, sun-kissed, horse-powered odyssey' LANCASHIRE POST

Out Now in Paperback

The Bride Stone – Sally Gardner

'A delicious romp' THE TIMES
'Beautifully written and propulsive' ADELE PARKS
'I adored The Bride Stone - Sally Gardner's best novel yet' AMANDA CRAIG

Out Now in Paperback

The Power and The Glory & The Long Weekend – Adrian Tinniswood

'The range and scope of his book is breathtaking' COUNTRY LIFE
'Whirling, waltzing panorama through the last age of nobility’ NEW STATESMAN

10th Anniversary Edition

The Silk Roads – Peter Frankopan

'A proper historical epic of dazzling range and achievement' WILLIAM DALRYMPLE
'So ambitious, so detailed and so fascinating' SUNDAY TIMES Books of the Decade