My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises
by Fredrik Backman

Fredrik Backman is fast becoming our favourite author. We loved A Man Called Ove last year and this is every bit as good. A phenomenal story about little Elsa and her relationship with her grandmother. This will have you laughing, crying and rereading phrases and paragraphs again and again. This is a story about life and death, and one of the most important human rights: the right to be different. This is bound to feature in our Top 10 fiction picks of 2015... more

I'll Give You the Sun
by Jandy Nelson

We can't say enough wonderful things about this beautiful YA novel. Twins, Jude and Noah are incredibly close - until a tragedy drives them apart, and now they are barely speaking. Told from the perspective of each twin over two different timelines, you will fall in love with Jude and Noah, faults and all. I'll Give You the Sun is a brillant read, and highly recommended by our YA fans who devoured it from cover to cover. Five stars!... more

The Mountain Story
by Lori Lansens

Reading the blurb for The Mountain Story you can't help but think it will be another typical survival story - guys gets lost on mountain, guy has to drink his own wee, guy survives minus a digit or limb. But Lori Lansens has woven a surprising story full of suspense, courage and thrills, with just the right amount of grit to make this one of my top reads for the year so far. This is most definitely Lansens best book and, it has to be said, there's not a cup of pee to be seen. Although be warned, there is toe sucking... more

A God in Ruins
by Kate Atkinson

Kate Atkinson's new novel tells the story of Ursula Todd's beloved younger brother Teddy-would-be poet, RAF bomber pilot, husband, and father - as he navigates the perils and progress of the 20th Century. For all Teddy endures in battle, his greatest challenge is facing the difficulties of living in a future he never expected to have. The stunning companion to Life After Life, A God in Ruins explores the loss of innocence, the fraught transition from the war to peace time, and the pain of being misunderstood, especially as we age. A God in Ruins is the triumphant return of a modern master... more

Touch
by Claire North

Touch is a captivating and thought provoking second novel from Claire North, taking you on a unique chase of cat and mouse as Kepler, a ghost who can take over people's bodies and lives by touch, tries to uncover answers to the murder of one of his inhabitants. It is a brilliant, fascinating read and early favourite for 2015!... more

A Year of Marvellous Ways
by Sarah Winman

This is a stunning and magical book by Sarah Winman. At its heart is a story of friendship between an unlikely paring of an old woman and a young man just back from the war. It’s a beautiful and moving story of Marvellous and her full life. A life affirming and truly special book... more

Relativity
by Antonia Hayes

Ethan is a bright young boy obsessed with physics and astronomy who lives with his mother, Claire. Claire has been a wonderful parent to Ethan, but he's becoming increasingly curious about his father's absence in his life, wanting to fill in the gaps. Claire's life is centred on Ethan, she is fiercely protective of her talented, vulnerable son, and of her own feelings. When Ethan falls ill, tied to a tragic event from when he was a baby, Claire's tightly held world is split open... more

The Other Side of the World
by Stephanie Bishop

Written by an Australian debut author Stephanie Bishop, this is the story of Charlotte and Henry who are newly married and decide to move from England to Australia in the 1960s. Bishop has written such a strong story of time and place, drawing vivid scenes that depict heartfelt emotions and capturing both the male and female voice brilliantly. The frustrations and tensions at the heart of a faltering marriage are honest, real and raw. This is a new talent we are really excited about!... more

Church of Marvels
by Leslie Parry

Be transported into this gritty, exciting world of 19th Century lower class New York and uncover the secrets of four intriguing characters as their pasts and present worlds become entwined. The series of events that unfold is nothing that we expected. You won’t be able to put down this thrilling, dramatic and vibrant debut... more

The Girl on the Train
by Paula Hawkins

What can we say! This book exploded in early 2015, and in a post Gone Girl-era,The Girl on the Train satisfied your need for thrilling noir fiction. A week has rarely gone by when this hasn't sat in our top 10 bestsellers and most deservedly so. This cracking, addictive debut will keep you engrossed until the final word. Fans of Gillian Flynn, if you haven't read this one yet, what are you waiting for?... more

The Buried Giant
by Kazuo Ishiguru

Ten years after his super selling futuristic Never Let Me Go, Ishiguro takes us back to Dark Ages Britain to set his fable on memory, forgetting, love, war and revenge. As ever with Ishiguro, the beauty of his prose is deceiving, hiding an unsettling edge which can be hard to pinpoint... more

If She Did It
by Jessica Treadway

What if you began to suspect your child of an unspeakable crime? When Dawn introduces her family to her new boyfriend, Rud, they hide their unsettled feelings because they're glad that Dawn, always an awkward child, seems to have finally blossomed. Then Dawn’s parents are savagely beaten in their own bed… Crime and mystery fans, this one’s for you!... more

Leap
by Myfanwy Jones

This novel doesn't shy away from the hard stuff. Leap is the story of Joe who feels guilty for the death of his first girlfriend. Three years on and he still does not allow himself any happiness or success. Across town is Elise who is also suffering from grief and watching everything else come crumbling down. There is such sadness in the book but each character goes through huge development and ultimately there is hope that they will be able to keep living with more happiness in their hearts... more

The Secrets of Midwives
by Sally Hepworth

Neva Bradley, a third-generation midwife, is determined to keep the details surrounding her own pregnancy - including the identity of the baby's father - hidden from her family and co-workers for as long as possible. Her mother, Grace, finds it impossible to let this secret rest, even while her own life begins to crumble around her. Find out what our Super Reviewers thought... more

The Skull Throne
by Peter V. Brett

Heroic fantasy at its best and arguably the most anticipated fantasy release of this year, The Skull Throne is the fourth instalment of The Demon Cycle and is even darker than its predecessors. Brett isn't scared of turning things on their head and doing the unexpected (and perhaps unbelievable). We can't wait to see how everything will wrap up in the fifth and final book... more

An Ember in the Ashes
by Sabaa Tahir

Set to be a major motion picture, An Ember in the Ashes is the book everyone is talking about. What if you were the spark that could ignite a revolution? For years Laia has lived in fear. Fear of the Empire, fear of the Martials, fear of truly living at all. The price of freedom is always high and this time that price might demand everything, even life itself... more

Inside the O'Briens
by Lisa Genova

From the author of the bestseller and Oscar nominated film Still Alice, comes a new novel about Huntington's Disease. Lisa Genova has once again delivered a novel as powerful and unforgettable as the human insights at it core... more

Luckiest Girl Alive
by Jessica Knoll

As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiance, she's "this close" to living the perfect life she's worked so hard to achieve. But Ani has a secret. There's something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything... more

Girl at War
by Sara Novic

Touted as one of the big fiction debuts in the first half of the year Girl at War is the story of Ana, a carefree tomboy at the time the civil war breaks out in Yugoslavia. It is a haunting, compelling debut from a brilliant young writer, rooted in historical fact and personal experience... more

Trigger Warning
by Neil Gaiman

In this new volume, Neil Gaiman pierces the veil of reality to reveal the enigmatic, shadowy world that lies beneath. Trigger Warning includes previously published pieces of short fiction-stories, verse, and a very special Doctor Who story that was written for the fiftieth anniversary of the beloved series in 2013-as well as Black Dog, a new tale that revisits the world of American Gods. Trigger Warning is a rich cornucopia of horror and ghosts stories, science fiction and fairy tales, fabulism and poetry that explores the realm of experience and emotion... more

I Saw a Man
by Owen Sheers

The event that changed all of their lives happened on a Saturday afternoon in June, just minutes after Michael Turner - thinking the Nelsons' house was empty - stepped through their back door. After the sudden loss of his wife, Michael Turner moves to London and quickly develops a close friendship with the Nelson family next door... more

A Reunion of Ghosts
by Judith Claire Mitchell

What if the man who invented chemical weapons was also a grandfather, and what if his great-grandchildren grew up to be three hilarious, introverted, deeply-haunted sisters? And what if those sisters co-wrote a fascinating, funny, and deeply sad 350-page suicide note? Then you'd have A Reunion of Ghosts, Anthony Doerr Meet the Alter sisters: Lady, Vee and Delph. See what our Super Reviewers had to say... more

The Book of Lost and Found
by Lucy Foley

There's a shadow creeping across Europe when she and Thomas Stafford - now a world famous artist - find each other once more. In 1986 Kate Darling uncovers a legacy that takes her to Corsica, Paris and beyond. And as the secrets of time fall away, a love story as epic as it is life-changing slowly reveals itself. Sweeping and heartrending - the perfect read for fans of Victoria Hislop and Kate Morton. See what our Super Reviews had to say... more

The Mirror World of Melody Black
by Gavin Extence

Gavin Extence's debut novel The Universe Versus Alex Woods made our top 10 in 2013. Now, here comes this wonderful second book in which the endearing, fascinating protagonist, Abby, spirals into mental illness. It is obvious while reading that Extence has had some personal experience with depression and hypomania, and his author's note goes into that. This no doubt makes the character of Abby that much more real. Although the subject matter is serious, there are a lot of laughs in this. Told with empathy, compassion and wonderful wit, this charmed us completely and cemented Extence as a favourite author... more

Black Rabbit Hall
by Eve Chase

Amber Alton knows that the hours pass differently at Black Rabbit Hall, her London family's country estate where no two clocks read the same. Summers there are perfect, timeless. Not much ever happens. Until, one stormy evening in 1968, it does. The idyllic world of the four Alton children is shattered. Fiercely bonded by the tragic events, they grow up fast. But when a glamorous stranger arrives, these loyalties are tested. Forbidden passions simmer. And another catastrophe looms... more

The Anchoress
by Robyn Cadwallader

In her debut novel, Australian historian Robyn Cadwallader tells the story of seventeen year old Sarah, who opts to become an Anchoress by enclosing herself for life in a cell nine by seven paces. Although the setting is medieval, it allows for a fantastic exploration of what it is to be human in any era, and is a wonderful work of literary historical fiction... more

Red Queen
by Victoria Aveyard

A dystopian reality mixed with X-men. What more could you want? Red Queen is completely engrossing, full of mystery, intrigue and will keep you wanting more with the many unexpected twists. This highly anticipated debut is perfect for anyone who likes Kiera Cass and Marissa Meyer. We can't wait for the next book!... more

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly
by Stephanie Oakes

This debut is captivating, absorbing and brilliant. The reader is quickly pulled into Minnow’s story as she struggles with a new world, her identity and her secrets. Despite how gruesome and awful some experiences are, Oakes injects a dry humor into the narrative and characterisation which will at times have you laughing out loud, breaking up the sadness and intensity. A highly recommend read for ages 14+... more

The Illuminations
by Andrew O'Hagan

Andrew has written a quiet and evocative story of Anne, a grandmother with a past long buried but that comes through in her translucent moments as she battles with dementia, and in a separate story her grandson Luke, who is on a tour of duty in Afghanistan. When Luke comes home to Scotland and takes the time to really understand his grandmother's life we see that not all is what it seemed. This novel will appeal to those that liked Yellow Birds or Narrow Road to the Deep North... more