The House of Broken Bricks, Fiona WIlliams (paperback Jan 2025)

£9.99

A clever, heartbreaking, heartwarming depiction of family love, grief and the possibility of hope.'JO BROWNING WROE, author of A Terrible Kindness'

Ain't nothing wrong with being broken. Nothing at all. You're like these houses, not a whole brick in em and look how strong they are. As Tess traces the sunrise over the floodplains, light that paints the house a startling crimson, she yearns for the comforting chaos of life as it once was. Instead of Max and Sonny tracking dirt through the kitchen - Tess and Richard's 'rainbow twins' - Tess absorbs the quiet.

The nights draw in, the soil cools and Richard fights to get his winter crops planted rather than deal with the discussion he cannot bear to have. Secrets and vines clamber over the broken red bricks and although its inhabitants seem to be withering, in the damp, crumbling soil Sonny knows that something is stirring . .

As the seasons change, and the cracks let in more light, the family might just be able to start to heal. This is the story of a broken family, what they see and what they cannot say laid bare in their overlapping perspectives.

Fiona Williams' stunning nature-writing and poetic prose, turns a relatively simple story into a hauntingly beautiful experience. ( Paperback from January 2025)

After A Dance, Bridget O’Connor (paperback Feb 2025)

£10.99

The Women, Kristin Hannah ( paperback Feb 2025)

£9.99

Martyr! Kaveh Akbar (paperback from 6 Feb 2025)

£9.99

This book is thrilling. It's like watching the novel itself be reinvented' - Ann Patchett, author of Tom Lake'This book vibrates with love of life, beauty and language. I’m in awe...' - Natalie Portman

Cyrus Shams is lost. Ever since his mother’s plane was senselessly shot down over the Persian Gulf when he was just a baby, Cyrus has been grappling with her death. Now, newly sober, he is set to learn the truth of her life. When an encounter with a dying artist leads Cyrus towards the mysteries of his past – an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields dressed as an Angel of Death, a haunting work of art by an exiled painter – he finds himself once again caught up in the story of his mother, who may not have been who or what she seemed.

As Cyrus searches for meaning in the scattered clues of his life, a final revelation transforms everything he thought he knew. Electrifying, funny, wholly original, and profound, Martyr! was an instant New York Times bestseller w/c 27/1/24

The Amendments, Niamh Mulvey, paperback March 2025

£9.99

Delving into the lives of three generations of women, The Amendments by Niamh Mulvey is an extraordinary novel about love and freedom, belonging and rebellion – and about how our past is a vital presence which sits alongside us. Nell and her partner Adrienne are about to have a baby.

For Adrienne, it’s the start of a new life. For Nell, it’s the reason the two of them are sitting in a therapist’s office. Because she can’t go into this without dealing with the truth: that she has been a mother before, and now she can hardly bring herself to speak to her own mother, let alone return home to Ireland.

Nell is running out of places to hide from her past. But to Ireland and the past is where she must go, and that is where The Amendments takes us: to the heat of Nell’s teenage years in the early 2000s, as Ireland was unpicking itself from its faith and embracing the hedonism of the Celtic Tiger. To 1983, when Nell’s mother Dolores was grappling with the tensions of the women’s rights movement.

And then to the farms and suburbs and towns that made and unmade the lives at the centre of this story, bound together by the terrible secret that Nell still cannot face. 

James, Percival Everett (paperback Feb 2025)

£9.99

From the Booker-prize shortlisted author of Erasure, adapted into the Oscar-winning film American Fiction'This is the work of an American master at the peak of his powers' – Financial TimesEnthralling and ferociously funny, James by Percival Everett is a profound meditation on identity, belonging and the sacrifices we make to protect the ones we love. It is also a bold reimagining of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as the enslaved Jim emerges to reclaim his voice, defying the conventions that have consigned him to the margins. The Mississippi River, 1861.

When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a new owner in New Orleans and separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson’s Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father who recently returned to town. Thus begins a dangerous and transcendent journey by raft along the Mississippi River, towards the elusive promise of the free states and beyond.

As James and Huck navigate the treacherous waters, each bend in the river holds the promise of both salvation and demise. With rumours of a brewing war, James must face the burden he carries: the family he is desperate to protect and the constant lie he must live. And together, the unlikely pair embark on the most dangerous, and life-changing, odyssey of them all .

. . 'James has the potential to become a classic .Truly extraordinary books are rare, and this is one of them' – Roddy Doyle

James is a profound and ferociously funny novel from one of our greatest living writers, Percival Everett. The Sunday Times 

Last Song of Penelope, Claire North ( paperback Feb 2025)

£9.99

Following the critically acclaimed Ithaca and House of Odysseus comes the final novel in Claire North's Songs of Penelope trilogy - an exquisite, gripping tale that breathes life into ancient myth. This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before. Many years ago, Odysseus sailed to war and never returned.

For twenty years his wife Penelope and the women of Ithaca have guarded the isle against suitors and rival kings. But peace cannot be kept forever, and the balance of power is about to break . .. A beggar has arrived at the Palace. Salt-crusted and ocean-battered, he is scorned by the suitors - but Penelope recognises in him something terrible: her husband, Odysseus, returned at last.

Yet this Odysseus is no hero. By returning to the island in disguise, he is not merely plotting his revenge against the suitors - vengeance that will spark a civil war - but he's testing the loyalty of his queen. 

But first, Penelope must use all her cunning to win a war for the fate of the island and keep her family alive, whatever the cost . . .

This is an impassioned plea for the lost, disenfranchised queens of ancient Greece, a love letter to the silenced women of history' Booklist

The Joy of Wintering : How to Rest, Reconnect and Rejuvenate with Creativity and Conscious Living by Erin Niimi Longhurst

£12.99

How to rest, reconnect and rejuvenate through practical lessons, creativity and conscious living. The Joy of Wintering celebrates the ways in which the joys of spring are made possible at any stage of life by periods of rest and recuperation. Through practical tips and lessons from cultures with a strong wintering tradition, learn why rest should be celebrated not stigmatised, and how to live more consciously and compassionately.

So many of us have experienced periods of burnout, influenced by a range of factors. This book is a rallying cry to make space for times of feast and fallow to improve productivity, make space for creativity and finding your presence in moments of clarity. It is for those who want to unlock their potential and adjust to our new normal, largely inspired by the conversations forced upon us by the pandemic.

Drawing upon different cultures with a strong tradition of rest and recuperation, this book will be full of practical activities, inspirational quotes and aims to provide a space for readers to embrace stillness. The chapters cover: what we see, what to listen out for, what to touch, what to taste, what to breathe; including craft activities, recipes, meditations, and much more.

Accidental, Tim James ( paperback 6 March 2025)

£10.99

Accidental : The Greatest (Unintentional) Science Breakthroughs and How They Changed The World

Who said science was dry? Certainly not Tim James' New York Post 'James writes with infectious enthusiasm and optimism' Kirkus Reviews 'A science teacher by profession, Mr. James knows how to get his audience's attention' Wall Street Journal 'Humorous, yet deep' Professor Charles AntoineA rip-roaring adventure through science gone wrong, and accidentally changing humanity (mostly) for the better. We may imagine that science is a process of breakthroughs and light bulb moments.

But in reality, science goes wrong 99% of the time. Almost every idea a scientist comes up with is quickly disproved by a failed experiment or rival research. Science moves at a rate of inches per decade and we often like it that way.

But occasionally, just occasionally, a complete fluke happens and changes everything as we know it. From an untimely sneeze in a petri dish leading to the groundbreaking creation of antibiotics, to the incredible discovery of microwaves via melted chocolate, Accidental is a rip-roaring adventure through science gone wrong, and accidentally changing humanity for the better.

PB cover ( orange ) out early March 2025 

BPS bookclub choices Jan-March 2025

£9.99

Every quarter we pick a selection of books to read and discuss, across genres of fiction, non fiction and contemporary literature.

These are our choices for the start of 2025, you can join our mailing list by emailing linda@bookspaperscissors.co.uk and follow along, even if you can't join in person!

January : Silence of the Girls 

There was a woman at the heart of the Trojan War whose voice has been silent - until now. Discover the greatest Greek myth of all - retold by the witness that history forgot .

February : If On A Winter's Night a Traveller 

A masterwork by the incomparable, genre-defying, wondrous Italo Calvino.This remarkable novel leads you through many different books including a detective adventure, a romance, a satire, an erotic story, a diary and a quest. But the real hero of them all is you, the reader.

March : A Thread of Violence 

In 1982 Malcolm Macarthur, the wealthy heir to a small estate, found himself suddenly without money. The solution, he decided, was to rob a bank. To do this, he would need a gun and a car.

In the process of procuring them, he killed two people, and the circumstances of his eventual arrest in the apartment of Ireland's Attorney General nearly brought down the government. The case remains one of the most shocking in Ireland's history

How Not to Age : The Scientific Approach to Getting Healthier as You Get Older by Michael Greger

£12.99

I have never recommended a book as good as this, ever.' - Chris EvansThe Sunday Times bestseller and as featured on the trending Netflix show You Are What You Eat. Live better for longer with this ultimate guide to longevity from the bestselling author of How Not to Die. We all want to stay healthy as we age but, with so many different claims out there, it can be hard to know the best advice to follow.

In How Not to Age, Dr Michael Greger digs into the top peer-reviewed anti-ageing research to deliver a complete and optimal guide with simple steps to extend your lifespan and slow the adverse effects of ageing. Inspired by the dietary and lifestyle patterns of the world’s centenarians and residents of ‘blue zone’ regions where people live the longest, Dr Greger presents easy, evidence-based ways to preserve the body functions that keep us feeling youthful, both physically and mentally. Can an apple a day really keep the doctor away? What’s better for your longevity, jogging for four hours or eating two handfuls of nuts twice a week?Brimming with expertise, How Not to Age lays out practical strategies for living your longest, healthiest life – and for enjoying every moment of it.

The Blackbird's Song & Other Wonders of Nature : A year-round guide to connecting with the natural world by Miles Richardson

£14.99

A wonderful "rough guide" to the planet we live on... Read it and pass it on as a gift of love from you to those around you so they can learn to feel comfortable in their own skins and ultimately, be happy.' - Sir Tim Smit, The Eden Project

An almanac, focused on reconnecting with the great outdoors for the benefit of both us and nature. Each month in The Blackbird's Song, Miles Richardson delves into the science and mythology behind our relationship with nature, exploring everything from our kinship with plants to the way in which nature influences our moods.

Along the way, he offers a range of activities to help us access the benefits of the natural world. Whether it be 'joy-watching' birds, rediscovering wonder, foraging for Christmas crafts or going on an urban safari, this book contains all the tools and inspiration you need to unlock the transformative power of nature and find real meaning in your life.

Under the Eye of the Big Bird, Hiromi Kawakami ( hardback Jan 2025)

£14.99

In the distant future, humans are on the verge of extinction and have settled in small tribes across the planet under the observation and care of the Mothers. Some children are made in factories, from cells of rabbits and dolphins; some live by getting nutrients from water and light, like plants. The survival of the race depends on the interbreeding of these and other alien beings - but it is far from certain that connection, love, reproduction, and evolution will persist among the inhabitants of this faltering new world.

Unfolding over geological eons, Under the Eye of the Big Bird is at once an astonishing vision of the end of our species as we know it and a meditation on the qualities that, for better and worse, make us human.

Levitation for Beginners, Suzannah Dunn ( paperback Jan 2025)

£9.99

A sharp eye and keen wit are brought to bear on the secrets and lies of a small rural community - secrets and lies that may prove deadly. It's 1972 and ten-year-old Deborah is living a ten-year-old life: butterscotch angel delight and Raleigh chopper bikes, and Clunk Click, and Crackajack and Jackanory, Layla and the Bee Gees, flares and ponchos. But new girl Sarah-Jayne breezes into school, pretty as a picture and full of gossip and speculation, as well as unlikely but thrilling stories about levitation.

The other girls are dazzled but Deborah is wary and keeps her distance. That same week, eighteen-year-old brickie Sonny turns up on her doorstep with a stray tortoise and begins an unlikely friendship with her young widowed mum. That's bad enough, Deborah thinks, but then Sonny starts work on a site opposite the school and Sarah-Jayne decides he's the latest love of her life.

Nothing escapes Sarah-Jayne, and Deborah fears what she'll make of her mum. It's good to be different, her mum often says; but not, Deborah knows, too different. So, Deborah changes tactics, keeping her friends close and her enemy closer, even stepping up for some of Sarah-Jayne's levitation sessions.

Then she's invited to Sarah-Jayne's lovely house, where she meets her charming family and encounters Sarah-Jayne's big sister's fiance, Max, which is when she senses that all isn't quite as it seems.

Confessions, Catherine Airey ( hardback Jan 2025)

£16.99

It is late September in 2001 and the walls of New York are papered over with photos of the missing.

Cora Brady’s father is there, the poster she made taped to columns and bridges. Her mother died long ago and now, orphaned on the cusp of adulthood, Cora is adrift and alone. Soon, a letter will arrive with the offer of a new life: far out on the ragged edge of Ireland, in the town where her parents were young, an estranged aunt can provide a home and fulfil a long-forgotten promise.

There the story of Cora's family is hidden, and in her presence will begin to unspool…An essential, immersive debut from an astonishing new voice, Confessions traces the arc of three generations of women as they experience in their own time the irresistible gravity of the past: its love and tragedy, its mystery and redemption, and, in all things intended and accidental, the beauty and terrible shade of the things we do.

Tommy The Bruce, James Yorkstown ( paperback Jan 2025)

£10.99

Meet Tommy Bruce, an anti-hero as unlike his historical namesake as could be imagined - very nearly spineless and not at all the man to save himself, until you push him too far... Tommy Bruce is washed-up in a ramshackle hotel inherited from dead parents in the armpit of Perthshire. Saddled with debt, grotty premises that are falling down around him and a crippling loneliness, Tommy is slowly but determinedly drinking himself and his business out of existence.

Until one day, out of the blue, Fiona McLean blows into Tommy's life and the hotel. With the light she brings, Tommy's fortunes might just be turning around. But in her wake has also slipped in darkness - names and faces from the past who mean Tommy no goodwill at all, criminal forces that threaten to ruin him, the hotel and what little happiness he's managed, haplessly, to cobble together.

Ask Me Again, by Clare Sestanovich (paperback Jan 2025)

£10.99

One of The New Yorker's Best Books of the Year'

A finely drawn portrait of the kind of friendship we rarely see in contemporary fiction' - Jonathan Lee, The Guardian

How much knowledge do you need in order to know someone?As her grandmother is dying, sixteen-year-old Eva wanders the halls of a hospital. There, she spots Jamie. Despite having little in common, from this chance-encounter stems a life-changing platonic love.

She is sixteen, living in middle-class Brooklyn; he is the same age, but from the super-rich of Upper Manhattan. She’s observant, cautious, eager to seem normal; he’s bold, mysterious, eccentric. Eva’s family is warm and welcoming, but Jamie avoids going home to his.

As Eva goes off to university and falls in and out of love, Jamie drops out and is drawn towards radical experiments in politics and religion. Their separate spheres seem to be spiralling away from each other, but it soon becomes clear that they are both circling the same question: how do you define yourself and your beliefs in a divided and unjust world?Written with precision and immense wit, Ask Me Again is a journey of intimacy across time. A love story of sorts, this coming-of-age novel explores how relationships can define us, change us and point us towards futures we might not have imagined for ourselves.

A Finalist for The Center For Fiction First Novel Prize

Hope, by Andrew Ridker ( paperback Jan 2025)

£10.99

Tragicomic, piercingly satirical and perceptive about the American dream’ - Observer‘Dark, funny and delightfully unhinged... I just loved this book’ Viv Groskop, author of One Ukrainian SummerThe Greenspan family are the envy of Brookline, Massachusetts. Scott Greenspan is a successful cardiologist.

His wife is a pillar of the community, his daughter works at a distinguished New York publishing house and his son is at medical school, preparing to follow in his footsteps. They are an exceptional family, living in exceptional times. But when Scott is caught faking blood test results, he sets in motion a series of scandals that threatens to shatter his family.

HOPE is an excruciatingly funny account of the tumultuous year that follows, written by one of the most brilliant young American novelists at work today.

Disappoint Me, Nicola Dinan ( Hardback Jan 2025)

£16.99

The brand-new novel from the critically acclaimed author of Bellies, a funny and poignant exploration of millennial angst, race, trans panic, and the allure of bougie domesticity.

Max is thirty, a published poet and grossly overpaid legal counsel for a tech company. She’s living her best life! Or is she?The debris of years of dysphoria and failed relationships rattle around in her head.

When she tumbles down the stairs at a New Year’s Eve party and wakes up in hospital alone, she decides to make some changes. First things first: a stab at good old-fashioned heteronormativity. Enter Vincent, corporate lawyer and hobby baker.

His trad friendship group may as well speak a different language to Max, and his Chinese parents never pictured their son dating a trans woman. It’s uncertain terrain, but Vincent cares for Max in a way she’d long given up on as a foolish fantasy. Yet Vincent is carrying his own baggage.

On his gap year in Thailand a decade prior, he vies for the attention of a gorgeous traveller, Alex, with secrets of her own. Is Vincent really the new face of the Enlightened Man, or will the ghosts of his past sabotage his and Max’s happiness?Funny, moving, and poignant, Disappoint Me reckons with the pressures of living the 'right' kind of life and making peace with the past.

‘A riveting, hilarious and totally devastating love story… will have you gripped and sets Dinan as a literary voice to watch’ Elle, ‘Best Books of 2025’

The Ghosts of Rome, Joseph O’Connor ( hardback Jan 2025)

£20.00

February 1944. Six months since Nazi forces occupied Rome. Inside the beleaguered city, the Contessa Giovanna Landini is a member of the band of Escape Line activists known as ‘The Choir’.

Their mission is to smuggle refugees to safety and help Allied soldiers, all under the nose of Gestapo boss Paul Hauptmann. During a ferocious morning air raid a mysterious parachutist lands in Rome and disappears into the backstreets. Is he an ally or an imposter? His fate will come to put the whole Escape Line at risk.

Meanwhile, Hauptmann’s attention has landed on the Contessa. As his fascination grows, she is pulled into a dangerous game with him – one where the consequences could be lethal. 'As thrilling, beautiful and sensational a novel as you'll read this year or any year' Donal Ryan,, Sunday Times