Gruffalo Granny stays on top as Stephen King, Ian Rankin and Mary Berry feature in Ballymena’s latest Top 10
Saturday 10 October 2026
Julia Donaldson’s Gruffalo Granny has held on to the number one spot at Waterstone’s Ballymena, with children’s favourites, bestselling thrillers and celebrity cookbooks all proving popular in the latest weekly chart.
Jamie Smart’s Bunny vs Monkey: Day of the Heroes takes second place, while Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler enters at number three, giving the top of the chart a distinctly adventurous feel.
Elsewhere, Stephen King, Ian Rankin and John Steinbeck feature alongside Mary Berry and Rebecca Yarros, while five half-price titles offer readers a chance to pick up some of the week’s most popular books for less.
Three new hardbacks from Freida McFadden, John Green and John Grisham are also among the latest arrivals, with another Saturday Storytime planned for younger readers.
This week’s Top 10
1. Gruffalo Granny — Julia Donaldson
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler return to the much-loved world of The Gruffalo with a new adventure introducing Gruffalo Granny, bringing another chapter to one of children’s literature’s most recognisable families.
2. Bunny vs Monkey: Day of the Heroes — Jamie Smart
The hugely popular comic-book series returns with more hilarious woodland mayhem, as a jelly catastrophe and zombie invasion threaten to plunge Bunny, Monkey and their friends into even greater chaos.
3. Dungeon Crawler — Matt Dinniman
A wildly imaginative blend of science fiction, fantasy and dark humour, following an ordinary man thrust into a deadly, game-like dungeon where survival depends on defeating monsters, overcoming challenges and navigating an increasingly bizarre world.
4. Swan Song — Charles Spencer
Charles Spencer continues to attract Ballymena readers with Swan Song, adding another bestseller to a writing career spanning history, biography and memoir.
5. Mary All in One — Mary Berry
The much-loved cookery writer serves up her first collection devoted to one-pot recipes, offering accessible dishes ranging from comforting pasta meals and traybakes to cakes and other family favourites.
6. Threshing Day — Rebecca Yarros
Fans of Rebecca Yarros’ bestselling Empyrean series return to the world of Fourth Wing in this collection of short stories featuring familiar characters from the hugely popular fantasy saga.
7. Other Worlds Than These — Stephen King
A new addition to the chart from the master of horror and suspense, offering readers another opportunity to explore the unsettling and imaginative storytelling associated with Stephen King.
8. East of Eden — John Steinbeck
Steinbeck’s American literary classic explores family, identity, jealousy and the struggle between good and evil through the intertwined lives of two families in California’s Salinas Valley.
9. Lottie Brooks’ Twelve Disasters of Christmas — Katie Kirby
Festive chaos takes centre stage in this laugh-out-loud collection of stories following Lottie Brooks and the Queens of Eight Green as they navigate Christmas mishaps, friendship and plenty of seasonal surprises.
10. The Heights — Ian Rankin
Ian Rankin’s first standalone thriller in two decades takes readers into the secretive world of London’s super-rich, where the murder of a night concierge in a luxury apartment building exposes the lives of its wealthy residents to unexpected scrutiny.
Five half-price books to discover
There is plenty of variety among this week’s half-price offers, with crime fiction, cookery, football memoirs and children’s favourites all included.
• The Heights — Ian Rankin
Also appearing at number ten in this week’s bestseller chart, Rankin’s thriller centres on the murder of a night concierge in a luxury London high-rise, where a group of wealthy suspects find their carefully guarded lives under investigation.
• Mary All in One — Mary Berry
Mary Berry makes family cooking easier with her first collection of one-pot recipes, featuring everything from traybakes and pasta dishes to delicious cakes. The book also sits at number five in this week’s Top 10.
• Games of My Life — Sir Alex Ferguson
The legendary former Manchester United manager reflects on seven decades of football through 21 iconic matches, charting his extraordinary career while celebrating determination, passion and the importance of teamwork.
• Bunny vs Monkey: Day of the Heroes — Jamie Smart
The woodland adventures continue with more anarchic comedy, as jelly-related disaster and a zombie invasion bring fresh trouble for Bunny, Monkey and their friends.
• Lottie Brooks’ Twelve Disasters of Christmas — Katie Kirby
Katie Kirby delivers another helping of festive humour, following Lottie and the Queens of Eight Green through a series of Christmas mishaps and heartwarming moments.
New hardbacks arrive in store
Three major bestselling authors are among the latest hardback arrivals, offering a mix of psychological suspense, Hollywood romance and international intrigue.
• The Witch — Freida McFadden
The bestselling author of The Housemaid series combines psychological thriller with supernatural horror in a chilling story about a house haunted by the spirits of women who have suffered terrible wrongs.
• Hollywood Ending — John Green
The author of The Fault in Our Stars and Everything Is Tuberculosis returns to fiction with a Hollywood love story following two rising stars as they navigate fame, public attention and their growing feelings for one another.
Against the backdrop of the entertainment industry, Green explores the complications of romance in an age where celebrity and the attention economy can shape even the most personal relationships.
• The French Illusion — John Grisham
The bestselling author of The Firm returns with a story of kidnapping, espionage and international intrigue, following a young lawyer recruited as bait in an elaborate CIA operation.
As the plot crosses borders, Grisham combines legal suspense with the dangers and deception of the intelligence world.
Saturday Storytime
Younger book lovers can look forward to another Storytime session at Waterstone’s Ballymena next weekend.
The event takes place at 12pm on Saturday 17 October, when the team will be reading Wolf Boy by Andy Harkness.
Everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy the story.
Something for every reader this autumn
With Julia Donaldson continuing to lead the chart, Jamie Smart and Matt Dinniman taking the next two positions, and authors including Stephen King, Ian Rankin and John Steinbeck also featuring, this week’s bestsellers highlight the broad range of books being enjoyed by Ballymena readers.
The half-price selection offers additional opportunities to discover popular titles, while new hardbacks from Freida McFadden, John Green and John Grisham add to the autumn reading choices.
And with another Saturday Storytime approaching, Waterstone’s Ballymena continues to offer something for readers of all ages.
