Bestsellers & the class of 2017
Welcome to the bit of the year where you don’t just have to look for books that you might love, but also books for the assembled throng of friends, family & colleagues that you might be shopping for this season.
So, in the spirit of being helpful, here’s a bunch of our current bestsellers (our top 21…because we just couldn’t bear to leave number 21 off) plus a selection of books that we, the staff of your friendly, neighbourhood bookshop, would recommend without a nano-second’s hestitation:
Winter bestsellers:
The Book Off Dust, Philip Pullman
21st Century Yokel, Tom Cox on family, folklore & the countryside that shapes us
A Short History Of Drunkeness, Mark Forsyth, supremely erudite, knowledgeable & funny
Life In The Garden, Penelope Lively, a Radio 4 Book of the Week & a real treasure
Call Me By Your Name, Andre Aciman, a must for anyone enjoyed the film (it’s leagues better)
Gentleman In Moscow, Amor Towles, charm, intelligence & insight & a NYT bestseller
Winter, Ali Smith, dazzling 2nd part of her seasonal quartet
Uncommon Type, Tom Hanks, it turns out that he can really write
Private Eye 2017 No explanation required, ed
Dead Now Of Course, Phyllida Law, thespy reminiscences from NW6’s National Treasure
Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, what if the princess didn’t marry Prince Charming but went on to become an astronaut? Every home should have a copy!
My Life, Our Times, Gordon Brown, ’nuff said
Belsize Remembered, beautiful collection of well illustrated personal histories
The Bad Mood And The Stick, Lemony Snicket, one of our favourite picture books of the year
Anatomy, beautifully realised large format non-fiction for kids
Here We Are, Oliver Jeffers,subtitled Notes For Living On Planet Earth, stunningly lovely hardback picture book written to welcome the author’s newborn child
The Wind In The Willows, a gift edition, lavishly illustrated, to last a lifetime
The Sparsholt Affair, Allan Hollingsworth, this writer back in sparkling form in a novel set over 3 eras of 20th & 21st century
The Dreams Of Bethany Mellmoth, William Boyd, One of the country’s finest writers doesn’t disappoint in these mesmeric and moving short stories
Autumn, Ali Smith, Booker shortlisted, now in paperback
Eleanor Oliphant, Gail Honeyman, a real shop favourite and a breath of fresh air: funny, moving and completely captivating
Some of our own favourites:
Spook Street, Mick Herron, Improving with every novel, the Jackson Lamb series of smart, zeitgeisty and wickedly funny wonky spy stories is peerless
The Lie Of The Land, Amanda Craig, town v country/ heart v head: an unhappy 21st century London couple relocate to the country for a year to make enough money to divorce. Brilliant
Anything Is Possible, Elizabeth Strout, One of the US’ finest writers since Updike IMO
The Dry, Jane Harper, out of nowhere a completely dazzling Aussi thriller set in the badland of the outback and beyond
The Locals, Jonathan Dee, Pulizter nominated novelist in devastating form on the American self and selfishness
Reservoir 13, Jon McGregor, the rhythms of the natural world as a backdrop to a story of loss that ripples through a community
The Awkward Age, Francesca Simon, A North London blended family gets more blended than anyone foresaw
The Other Woman, Laura Wilson, Domestic Noir at its finest from Guardian crime reviewer