Our fiction Book of The Month for August is the glorious, subtle and atmospheric After The Party. An incredibly nuanced period drama and social commentary that genuinely moves you.

Our Non Fiction book this month is the astonishing true story of Cold War spy-craft and espionage. The Billion Dollar Spy reads like the best thriller novels, gripping, eerie and hard to put down.

#waterstones #bookofthemonth #billiondollarspy

Our thriller for the month of August is this scorching noir from Laura Lippman, Sunburn. A perfect summer page turner with enough suspense and underlying darkness to keep you glued to the pages.

#bookofthemonth #waterstones #thrillerofthemonth

Our Non-Fiction for this month is the incredibly gripping A Voyage for Madmen by Peter Nichols. This is the fascinating story of nine men who set out to race each other around the world, but only one made it back. A dramatic, inspiring and sometimes terrifying tale of people pushing themselves to the limit and the alluring nature of the sea.

Our Fiction book for July is the brutal and powerful My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent. This shocking, challenging novel is already being heralded as one of the best books of the year. Certainly not for the feint of heart, this dark, mesmerising book explores the psychology around love and abuse with lyrical prose that pulls you through the narrative.

#bookofthemonth #waterstones

Our Thriller of the Month for July is this superbly haunting mystery that demands to be devoured in a single sitting. A clever, beautifully written exploration of grief and family, this is a far cry from your usual psychological thriller. #bookofthemonth #psychologicalthriller

Our July Children‘s Book of the Month is the magical and wondrous The Storm Keeper‘s Island by Catherine Doyle. This is a beautiful but dark, wildly funny but emotional storm of a book that doesn‘t let you go.

Our Children‘s Book of the Month for June is Boy Underwater, a funny, heart warming and breaking tale of a boy with a silly name and a mysterious past.

Our Thriller of the Month for May is this engrossing tale of obsession and betrayal. A gripping love letter to the stage shot through with melodrama and suspense to keep you hooked to the last page.

Our Children‘s Book of the Month is this exceedingly magical story of a young girl who wants to break free of her magical life as the granddaughter of Baba Yaga. A brilliant adventure story full of folk lore and wonder.

Our Fiction Book of the Month is the phenomenally powerful The End We Start From. In a bleak world that could be closer than we think, a woman fights for safety with a new born baby. Utterly moving, beautifully depicted, uplifting and quite honestly unmissable.

Our Fiction Book of the Month is the dazzling, ambitious literary debut The History of Bees. Following three generations of beekeepers, this haunting, vital book is sure to astound readers.

Our Thriller of the Month is the incredible, sinister Spanish mystery The Invisible Guardian. Shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger, this novel has so much lurking in the shadows that you won't be able to stop reading until it has all been brought out into the light.

Our Children's Book of the Month is spookily seasonal. The gorgeous, gothic, gut wrenchingly funny Amelia Fang and the Barbaric Ball.

Our fiction books for this month is the incredible Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi and has already made quite an impact on our booksellers. Beautiful, enlightening, heartbreaking but hopeful. This will become a classic.

The sun and her flowers is the incredible second poetry collection from Rupi Kaur who brought us Milk and Honey. A fantastic follow up and somehow surpasses everything we hoped it would be.

Non-Fiction Pick for September is an awe inspiring, eye opening look at the wonder of trees. Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees will make you look at nature in a fresh new light.

Our Children's Book of the Month for August is the enchanting and heart-breaking Pax by Sara Pennypacker.

Our Thriller of the Month for August is Slow Horses, the first instalment from Mick Herron's incredibly gripping series of spy novels.

Our August Children's Book of the Month is the fantastical A Place Called Perfect. A charming mystery full of whimsy and magic.

Our August Fiction Book of the Month is the outstanding Birdcage Walk. A beautifully written, historical, psychological thriller that is as poetic as it is haunting.

Our fiction Book Of the Month for February is the beautiful and profound The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain. A tender and poignant novel about childhood friendships, this beautiful story is guaranteed to stick with you for a long time.

The Goldfish Boy is our Children's Book of the Month for January; a wonderful mystery full of interesting characters that also deals with issues around OCD. This is such a compelling read that we're sure it could become the next Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.

Our Fiction Book of the Month comes from the inimitable Julian Barnes; The Noise of Time is his first novel since The Sense of an Ending and it is an absolute masterpiece.

Our Non-Fiction Book of the Month is the hauntingly beautiful When Breath Becomes Air. This extraordinary memoir of a young doctor tragically becoming a patient is an absolute must read; heartbreaking, profound and incredibly moving.

The new year is off with a bang thanks to this, our Thriller of the Month for January. Ashes of London is a fantastic, inventive and atmospheric detective novel set against the backdrop of the Great Fire of London. Fans of the Shardlake series should definitely not miss this one.

Our choice for Thriller of the Month is the incredible alternative history thriller SS-GB. It's 1941 and after a successful invasion by Germany, the U.K. is conquered; a simple looking murder catches the attention of high up SS officers and soon embroils Douglas Archer in something much bigger than himself. This is not to be missed.

Today sees the release of Ian McEwan's incredible new novel Nutshell. A twisted retelling of Hamlet, this is like no other McEwan you've read before and totally unmissable.

The long awaited second novel from the incredible Jessie Burton is out today and it is a fantastic read. Burton perfectly hooks the reader with parallel narratives full of mystery and suspense; her writing is gloriously evocative and atmospheric.

A fascinating and different look at the history of the world, focusing on the routes of trade and the influence of the east instead of the Western viewpoint usually portrayed. An incredible achievement. The Silk Roads is our Non Fiction Book of the Month.

This incredible novel, set during the LA riots, reads like like a TV series. Through the eyes of 17 different characters, Gattis recreates 90's LA with astounding clarity. All Involved is our Thriller of The Month this month and it should not be missed.

I have absolutely loved this book about loneliness and the myriad ways people live with or through it. Laing writes as openly and honestly about herself as she does discussing Edward Hopper's Nighthawks or Andy Warhol's self reinvention. A wonderfully enlightening and profound read. - Alex