The Correspondent returns to No.1 in latest Waterstone’s Ballymena Top 10

Virginia Evans’ The Correspondent has returned to the top of the bestseller chart at Waterstone’s Ballymena, leading a varied Top 10 featuring contemporary fiction, psychological thrillers, historical drama and fantasy.

There is a particularly strong showing for female authors this week, with Lily Chen, Joanna Miller, Claire Douglas, Cecelia Ahern, Sabine Durrant, V.E. Schwab, Kristin Hannah and Freida McFadden all securing places alongside Evans.

Beyond the chart, there are new half-price offers from Robert Harris, Jacqueline Wilson, Jeff Kinney and Joe Wicks, while four notable new releases arrive from Cecelia Ahern, M.W. Craven, Santa Montefiore and Meg Mason.

Top 10 this week

1. The Correspondent — Virginia Evans

A warm and quietly compelling novel told through letters, following Sybil Van Antwerp as her correspondence gradually reveals a story of friendship, loss, forgiveness and the connections that shape a life.

2. The Matcha Maker Cafe — Lily Chen

A cosy and uplifting read combining romance, community and the comforting atmosphere of a neighbourhood café, offering an escapist story for readers looking for something warm-hearted.

3. The Eights — Joanna Miller

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

4. The Family Friend — Claire Douglas

Bestselling thriller writer Claire Douglas delivers another tense psychological mystery where trust becomes increasingly dangerous and the people closest to you may be hiding the darkest secrets.

5. Paper Heart — Cecelia Ahern

The bestselling Irish author brings her trademark warmth and emotional insight to another story of love, hope and the unexpected turns that can transform a life.

6. Dead Heat — Sabine Durrant

The bestselling author of Take Me In and Finders Keepers delivers a sun-drenched psychological thriller as a writer stuck in a rut joins his wealthy, Gatsby-esque friends at their luxurious villa on a Greek island.

7. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil — V.E. Schwab

From the bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue comes a spellbinding queer love story following the desires, dreams and intertwined lives of three enigmatic young women.

8. The Women — Kristin Hannah

A powerful historical novel following young nursing student Frankie McGrath as she volunteers to serve in Vietnam, before returning home to a country deeply divided by the war.

9. The Divorce — Freida McFadden

From the bestselling author of The Housemaid comes another dark psychological thriller, exploring marriage, jealousy and obsession as a divorce takes an increasingly sinister turn.

10. We Used to Dance Here — Dave Tynan

A story of memory, relationships and the places that shape our lives, bringing the latest Waterstone’s Ballymena Top 10 to a distinctly Irish conclusion.

Half-price offers

Four titles feature among this week’s half-price selections, ranging from Ancient Rome and family cookery to new adventures for younger readers.

• Agrippa — Robert Harris

The bestselling author of Conclave and Fatherland returns to the internecine struggles of Ancient Rome in a compelling exploration of friendship and power, as the influential Agrippa exposes the truth about Emperor Augustus through his explosive memoirs.

• Esme Pepper — Jacqueline Wilson

When her well-meaning mum gets into trouble, Esme is placed in foster care with an elderly couple in this heartwarming story about finding your way through challenging circumstances from the beloved author of the Tracy Beaker series.

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

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

• Healthy Start — Joe Wicks

The Body Coach challenges even the fussiest eaters with a mouthwatering collection of accessible recipes designed for families to sit down and enjoy together.

New releases arrive in Ballymena

There is plenty of fresh reading material to discover this week, with romance, crime, supernatural mystery and contemporary literary fiction among the latest arrivals.

• Love Unlocked — Cecelia Ahern

When lovers’ padlocks are removed from a Dublin bridge, a wave of break-ups ensues in an imaginative love story from the author of PS, I Love You.

The release gives Ahern a double presence on the shelves this week, with Paper Heart also sitting at number five in the Ballymena Top 10.

• The Killer’s Mark — M.W. Craven

A chilling new investigation awaits Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw in the eighth instalment of Craven’s bestselling series, as the private sleuths take on a case brought to them by a teenage girl searching for her missing, presumed-dead mother.

• The Last Encore — Santa Montefiore

When Pixie Tate is sent to investigate a mystery at the old Aphrodite Theatre in Cornwall, she expects to encounter another restless spirit behind the velvet curtain.

But the theatre lies just a few miles along the coast from where she met the love of her life, Cavill Pengower — and Pixie soon realises its location is no coincidence.

• Sophie, Standing There — Meg Mason

From the bestselling author of Sorrow and Bliss comes a funny, raw and moving exploration of loneliness and unexpected connection, following a sweet-natured woman whose growing fascination with an author and his work provides solace and joy.

Saturday Storytime

Young book lovers can enjoy another afternoon of stories and activities at Waterstone’s Ballymena next weekend.

Storytime and colouring takes place at 12pm on Saturday 5 September, when the team will be reading Dinosaurs in the Supermarket by Timothy Knapman and Sarah Warburton.

Book clubs return in September

The General Fiction Book Club meets on Thursday 3 September at 7pm, with this month’s selection being Dead Heat by Sabine Durrant — a title which also sits at number six in this week’s Ballymena Top 10.

The small and informal group welcomes new members for relaxed conversation, refreshments and plenty of book chat. There is no charge to join.

Romance readers can also mark Friday 18 September at 7pm in their diaries, when the Romance Book Club returns.

This month’s selection is Fall I Want by Lyra Parish, with readers invited along for discussion, snacks and plenty of laughs.

The Romance Book Club is an 18+ event.

From bestselling psychological thrillers and historical fiction to cosy reads and contemporary Irish writing, this week’s chart once again reflects the wide-ranging tastes of Ballymena’s reading community.

With four new releases joining the shelves, a fresh selection of half-price titles and September bringing another round of storytime and book club events, there is plenty to keep local book lovers turning the pages as summer gives way to autumn.