TOP 10 | All the latest news from Waterstone’s Ballymena – Saturday 2 August 2025

Welcome to this week’s news, reviews, and ‘all-things-books’ latest from the team at Waterstone’s Ballymena!

This week’s Top 10 bestselling books…

1. The Wedding People by Alison Espach

2. The God Of The Woods by Liz Moore

3. Deadly Silence by Jaqueline Connolly

4. The New Neighbours by Claire Douglas

5. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

6. My Favourite Mistake by Marian Keyes

7. You Are Here by David Nicholls

8. Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

9. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

10. The Waiting by Michael Connelly

This week’s kids Top 10 bestselling books…

1. Lottie Brooks vs The Ultra Mean Girls by Katie Kirby

2. Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins

3. Dog Man Lord Of The Fleas by Dav Pilkey

4. Ms Rachel: 100 First Words by Ms Rachel

5. Powerless by Lauren Roberts

6. My return To The Walter Boys by Ali Novak

7. The World's Worst Superheroes by David Walliams

8. There's A Shark In My Pants by Michelle Harrison

9. The Goldens by Lauren Wilson

10. Betting On You by Lynn Painter

Half price offers…

New to our half price offer this week is the revamped but ever popular novel  A Court Of Thorns And Roses.

Dripping with passion and danger, this tantalising opening to the bestselling fantasy romance series (inspired by Beauty and the Beast) from Sarah J Maas follows mortal Feyre who, after accidentally killing a faerie, finds herself hostage in the mystical lands of Prythian.

Sci-fi and fantasy book club…

Our next meeting will be at 7pm on Thursday 14th August when we will be discussing Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Everyone welcome!

Weekend Storytimes…

On Saturday the 16th August at 12pm we will read There's A Poonami in My House by Chris and Rosie Ramsey.

On Sunday 17th August we will be reading Julia Donaldson's Follow The Swallow.

As usual, colouring activities will accompany the stories.

August Books Of The Month…

• FICTION

The Artist by Lucy Steeds

Winner of the Waterstones Debut Prize 2025

Richly evocative of a Provençal summer, Steeds' masterly 1920s-set novel focuses on an enigmatic painter, the young journalist set on penning a piece on him and the artist's niece who harbours an unexpected secret.

• THRILLER

The God Of The Woods by Liz Moore

A white-knuckle ride of a literary thriller from the author of Long Bright River, The God of the Woods centres on the inscrutable Van Laar family and whether their odd reactions to the disappearance of two of their children hides a guilty secret.

• SCI-FI AND FANTASY

The Last Gifts Of The Universe by Riley August

Perfect reading for all fans of Becky Chambers, August's wonderfully beguiling cosmic tale features an Archivist and their brother investigating the ruins of destroyed worlds accompanied by their memorably cute and fearless cat Pumpkin.

• NON-FICTION

(a) Supremacy by Parmy Olson

A deep-dive into the race surrounding the invention and development of artificial intelligence, Supremacy is an astonishing behind-the-scenes story of the battle between two of the world's largest AI companies and its enormous consequences for us all.

(b) The Peepshow by Kate Summerscale

As relentlessly compelling as the most page-turning fiction, this true story of murder, sensation and miscarriages of justice in 1950s Britain is another tour de force of historical recreation from the author of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher.

• IRISH

Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth

Richly evocative of early 1990s small-town Ireland, Howarth's fine debut centres on the forbidden relationship between Lucy and Susannah and the double life both are forced to lead as the prejudices of the time begin to oppress them.

• CHILDRENS

Unfairies by Huw Aaron

Turning the common conception of fairies as magical and cute on its head, this rip-roaring graphic novel from the author-illustrator of Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob follows the hilarious exploits of the warring tribes of The Garden.