Shuffling of the Shelves – February Part 1 2023
By Serena Kerrigan-Noble, Hannah Moore, Lucy Shardlow and Melissa Tran
Things are beginning to heat up this month with Valentine's Day on the horizon. Whether you’re looking for the perfect read to gift to a loved one, a ‘galentine’ or ‘palentine’, or even yourself, there are plenty of newcomers to the charts that you’ll be sure to fancy the look of!
Over on the WHSmith charts this month, we have Murders at Fleat House by Lucinda Riley taking the number four spot. Published posthumously, this suspenseful and compelling crime novel comes from the author of the bestselling The Seven Sisters series. The sudden death of a pupil in Fleat House is a shocking event that the head teacher is very keen to call a tragic accident. But, with the return of high-flying detective inspector Jazz Hunter, the event surrounding the tragic death of Charlie Cavendish soon takes a troubling turn. A thrilling whodunnit for any crime fiction fans. At number nine is Godkiller by Hannah Kaner. After Kissen’s family were all killed by zealots of a fire god, Kissen now makes a living killing gods and it’s safe to say she enjoys it too! That is until she discovers one god that she cannot kill: Skedi, the god of white lies. Pursued by demons and in the midst of a burgeoning civil war, they will all face a reckoning and only they can be the ones to stop it.
Waterstones have some exciting new additions to the charts to kick off a new month. At number three (also named as Fiction Book of the Month) is Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors. Set in a richly evocative New York, Mellors’ wondrous debut novel discovers the temporary magic and long-term chaos of a spontaneous relationship between young artist Cleo and wealthy older gentleman Frank. Placing fourth in the charts is Final Offer by Lauren Asher: book three of the Dreamland Billionaire series by the TikTok sensation. This second-chance romance novel features Callahan Kane and his mysterious ex, Lana Castillo. Once childhood sweethearts, the pair find themselves fighting over the deeds to Callahan’s family lake house, whilst also trying to navigate their undeniable passion for one another. Readers are already calling this the best Lauren Asher book that they have ever read!
There are so many exciting reads dominating the Amazon Bestsellers chart this month. Kicking things off at number one we have Jane Fallon’s Just Got Real. When Joni finds Ant on a dating app, neither of them are honest about who they are. But when it comes to them meeting in real life, they end up completely falling for each other! This hilarious and addictive revenge comedy already sounds like the perfect read for Valentine’s Day. Taking the number two spot is A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Now a major film starring Tom Hanks, readers are falling back in love with the story of the grumpiest man you will ever meet. Perfect for fans of Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine as well as Ruth Hogan’s The Keeper of Lost Things – there is just something about this character that is quite irresistible.
Our noteworthy book this week is Dr Alex George’s mental health guide A Better Day. Recently the book has seen its most sales to date with “4,296 copies sold in a week” at the end of January (The Bookseller). Since its publication in September 2022, the book has soared through the Children’s book charts and currently sits in the number one position of the non-fiction and top 20 Children's book charts. The book is described as a ‘toolkit’ for young people to start thinking about their mental health and caring for their minds the same way they would their bodies. Its aim is to empower kids and provide them with techniques for coping with issues such as depression and anxiety. With Alex being the UK’s Youth Mental Health Ambassador and his massive social media presence, it is unsurprising that A Better Day is doing so well.
A book that has been recently trending across social media, specifically ‘Bookstagram’ and ‘BookTok’ is Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The story follows a band through a fictionalised version of the seventies in a documentary style account of how the band was formed, their best years, their worst years and exposing the truth about why they really broke up. Due to the Amazon Prime TV show adaption of the book being released in March, the book has seen a rise in popularity. Last week, a highly anticipated song from the book, adapted for TV, was released on streaming platforms, taking the Jenkins Reid fan base by storm and reviving readers’ love for this book.