Tarot Reader of Versailles takes No.1 as Waterstone’s Ballymena unveils September picks

Saturday 5 September 2026

Historical fiction, psychological thrillers and major new non-fiction titles are among the books attracting readers at Waterstone’s Ballymena this week, with Tarot Reader of Versailles by Anya Bergman taking the number one spot in the latest Top 10.

Alice Feeney’s My Husband’s Wife takes second place, followed by John Grisham’s The Widow, while familiar favourites from Joanna Miller, Alex Michaelides, Sabine Durrant and Kristin Hannah also feature.

There is a strong local-interest presence too, with For and Against a United Ireland by Fintan O’Toole and Northern Ireland journalist Sam McBride entering the chart.

Beyond the bestsellers, this week’s update brings new Books of the Month, half-price offers, the Baillie Gifford Prize 2026 longlist and the return of Saturday Storytime.

Top 10 this week

1. Tarot Reader of Versailles — Anya Bergman

Historical fiction from Anya Bergman transports readers to the turbulent world of revolutionary France, weaving together intrigue, danger and the atmosphere of Versailles at a moment of extraordinary upheaval.

2. My Husband’s Wife — Alice Feeney

A twist-filled psychological thriller from the bestselling author, exploring marriage, secrets and deception as the truth behind a relationship becomes increasingly difficult to unravel.

3. The Widow — John Grisham

The master of the legal thriller returns with another suspenseful tale of crime, secrets and justice, bringing together the intrigue and page-turning storytelling for which Grisham is renowned.

4. The Eights — Joanna Miller

Set against the backdrop of Oxford University, Miller’s historical novel follows four pioneering women whose friendships and ambitions unfold at a time of significant social change.

5. The Silent Patient — Alex Michaelides

The bestselling psychological thriller centres on Alicia Berenson, a celebrated painter who shoots her husband and then refuses to speak, leaving a psychotherapist determined to uncover what really happened.

6. Dead Heat — Sabine Durrant

A sun-drenched psychological thriller from the bestselling author of Take Me In and Finders Keepers, following a writer who joins his wealthy friends at their opulent villa on a Greek island.

7. The Nightingale — Kristin Hannah

Kristin Hannah’s much-loved historical novel follows two sisters in occupied France during the Second World War, exploring courage, resistance, survival and the different ways people respond to extraordinary circumstances.

8. Based on a True Story — Sarah Vaughan

When a mysterious email threatens to expose a decades-old lie, children’s author Eleanor Kingman must act quickly to prevent her carefully constructed life from falling apart.

9. For and Against a United Ireland — Fintan O’Toole & Sam McBride

Two prominent journalists examine one of the biggest questions facing the island of Ireland, setting out contrasting arguments around the possibility and implications of constitutional change.

10. Agrippa — Robert Harris

The bestselling author of Conclave and Fatherland returns to the power struggles of Ancient Rome, with the influential Agrippa exposing the truth about Emperor Augustus through his explosive memoirs.

Half-price offers

Three titles feature among this week’s half-price selections, spanning historical fiction, children’s humour and family cookery.

• Agrippa — Robert Harris

Also appearing at number 10 in this week’s Top 10, Harris returns to the internecine struggles of Ancient Rome in a compelling exploration of friendship and power.

• Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories 2 — Jeff Kinney

Ghoulish surprises await in the follow-up to Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories, as Greg Heffley’s best friend shares more comically terrifying tales of monsters, oversized insects and much more.

• Healthy Start — Joe Wicks

The Body Coach turns his attention to family mealtimes with a collection of accessible recipes designed to tempt even fussy eaters and help families enjoy food together.

Baillie Gifford Prize 2026 longlist

Some of the year’s most ambitious non-fiction is also in the spotlight with the arrival of the Baillie Gifford Prize 2026 longlist.

The selection spans biography, war, geopolitics, espionage, history and investigative journalism.

Among the longlisted books are:

* The Traveller — Andrea Wulf

* Ukrainian Lessons — Charlotte Higgins

* Baldwin: A Love Story — Nicholas Boggs

* Hotel Exile — Jane Rogoyska

* The Nord Stream Conspiracy — Bojan Pancevski

* Alexander: God, King, Man — Edmund Richardson

* The Great Dictator — Barbara Cartland

* London Falling — Patrick Radden Keefe

* Days of Love and Rage — Anand Gopal

* Stay Alive: Berlin 1939–1945 — Ian Buruma

* Redwood — Ben Macintyre

* Never Say War — Åsne Seierstad

Together, the longlist offers readers a broad selection of true stories and investigations spanning different periods, countries and some of the defining political and social events of recent history.

New Books of the Month

Waterstone’s has also revealed a fresh selection of Books of the Month, with recommendations across fiction, non-fiction, thriller, science fiction and fantasy, children’s and young adult reading.

• Fiction: Buckeye — Patrick Ryan

Mining the magic of human connection and the perilous intimacies of small-town life, Patrick Ryan’s novel follows two married people whose passionate chance encounter has consequences that ripple through generations of their respective families.

• Non-Fiction: I Deliver Parcels in Beijing — Hu Anyan

An eye-opening memoir of life as a literature-loving, low-paid worker in modern China, chronicling Hu Anyan’s experiences across a succession of jobs in several of the country’s major cities with deadpan humour.

• Non-Fiction: The Finest Hotel in Kabul — Lyse Doucet

Through the story of Kabul’s Inter-Continental Hotel, established in 1969, the BBC Chief International Correspondent traces five decades of Afghanistan’s dramatic recent history while offering a deeply human perspective on the lives of ordinary Afghans.

• Thriller: Based on a True Story — Sarah Vaughan

Also sitting at number eight in the Ballymena Top 10, Vaughan’s thriller follows children’s author Eleanor Kingman after a mysterious email threatens to expose a lie she has concealed for decades.

• Sci-Fi & Fantasy: There Is No Antimemetics Division — qntm

A deeply unsettling science-fiction story built around the concept of entities that feed upon memories, leaving their victims unaware that anything has changed.

• Children’s: Jamaal Target — Isaac Hamilton-McKenzie

The co-author of Marcus Rashford’s Breakfast Club Adventures launches an action-packed series about a 12-year-old boy who discovers that he possesses special powers and becomes involved with a mysterious elite organisation.

• Young Adult: Cut Him Out in Little Stars — Lucy Strange

Lucy Strange’s latest title joins the September selection for young adult readers, adding another choice to the new season’s recommended reading.

Gruffalo Granny takes centre stage at Storytime

There is a treat for younger readers next weekend as one of children’s literature’s most famous families returns to Storytime.

Waterstone’s Ballymena will host storytime and colouring at 12pm on Saturday 12 September, with the team reading Gruffalo Granny by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

The new story marks the first return to the world of The Gruffalo in more than 20 years, making this Storytime session one likely to appeal to both young readers and parents who grew up with the original.

From historical fiction and psychological thrillers to heavyweight non-fiction and children’s favourites, this week’s selection offers plenty for Ballymena readers to discover as autumn reading gets underway.

With the latest Books of the Month joining the shelves, major prize contenders in the spotlight and Gruffalo Granny lined up for the next family Storytime, September is shaping up to be another busy month for book lovers at Waterstone’s Ballymena.