Welcome to this week’s news, reviews, and ‘all-things-books’ latest from the team at Waterstone’s Ballymena!
THIS WEEK'S TOP 10...
1. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse - Charlie Mackesy
2. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Overlode - Jeff Kinney
3. On Days Like These - Martin O'Neill
4. Pop Up Peek-a-Boo Farm - DK
5. Oor Wullie Annual 2023
6. This Much is True - Miriam Margolyes
7. Spaceboy - David Walliams
8. Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan
9. We're Going on a Sleigh Ride - Martha Mumford
10. The Friendship Book 2023
BOOKS OF THE YEAR...
We'd also love to once again shine a spotlight on our most recently revealed Books of the Year! The list has been announced this week on Thursday, December 1st, and has been met with warmth and success.
• Titular Book of the Year
The Story of Art Without Men - Katy Hessel
A paean to many artists as well as various art forms often overlooked or dismissed, this exciting revisionist history of art turns the limelight on women artists' creativity and the way it has shaped and enriched our world.
• Author of the Year
Bonnie Garmus thanks to her lovely debut novel Lessons in Chemistry
Smart, funny, joyous and powerful, Garmus' 60s set debut featuring an unconventional female scientist with a quiet game-plan to change the world has won the hearts and minds of our booksellers and customers alike and is undoubtedly one of 2022's most gloriously enjoyable releases.
• Children's Book of the Year
Skandar and the Unicorn Thief - A. F. Steadman
Prepare to experience a magical world full of courageous heroes and warrior unicorns in the first instalment of Steadman's exhilarating series, as young Skandar takes to the skies to battle a deadly enemy. With a sequel on the horizon, this enchanting children's novel is bound to capture the hearts of child readers.
SPECIAL PROMOTIONS...
• Si King and Dave Myers return in their Hairy Bikers cookery series with the wonderful The Hairy Bikers' Brilliant Bakes.
Brilliant Bakes is an amazing new collection of delicious recipes focusing on hearty sweet and savoury bakes - from cheese, onion and potato pie to billionaires' shortbread - that the beloved duo have adored since childhood.
• Now available in our shop is also Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait by Gyles Brandreth.
Drawing on records of conversations and meetings the author and raconteur had with Elizabeth II, Brandreth delivers a moving, intimate portrait of the much-missed monarch, laced with his trademark gentle humour and unfailing eloquence.