Browns Best New Books for November 2024
1st November 2024
Every month we carefully select our favourites from the fabulous new titles on offer. The evenings are dark, the heating is most definitely on, someone in the local area has had Christmas lights up for weeks and you have a firm favourite on Strictly Come Dancing – it’s November! The countdown to winter festivities is well and truly on for many people with decorations being dusted off and plans of how to celebrate starting to form. After the bumper month for new books that is October, November can feel quiet in relation but there are still some great new books published this month - here are some of our favourites.
Check back next month for our roundup of the best books of 2024.
Adult Non-Fiction
An Absolute Casserole
Horne, Alex
Hardback
Taskmaster has to be one of the most silly, joyful and hilarious shows on TV. I love Taskmaster and particularly like the fact that it appeals to so many people and across ages and demographics; watching comedians take part in some seriously ridiculous challenges and seeing the Taskmaster’s reaction to their efforts is always huge fun and something that is great to share with others.
Covering 10 years of the show and many of the bizarre and outrageous tasks that have featured, this new compendium will be a must-read for fans. Packed with stats, inside information and answering some key questions – what is the worst thing that Alex has eaten on the show? Are you more likely to win if you wear a hat? – this book will delight Taskmaster devotees. A great gift for anyone who loves the show or wants to know what tasks the shows insurers have deemed too dangerous over the years and a celebration of one of the most silly, joyous and brilliant shows on TV.
More DetailsAdult Fiction
The Proof of My Innocence
Coe, Jonathan
Hardback
Phyl isn’t enjoying life after university, living back at home with her parents and working a zero-hours job in food service, she has plans to be a writer but that isn’t going anywhere until she chances upon a forgotten novelist from the 1980s. When family friend Chris comes to stay, he shares that he is on the trail of a sinister think-tank founded in Cambridge and quietly working to push the British government towards extremism. Chris is led to a secretive conference in the Cotswolds and when Phyl hears that one of the delegates has been murdered she starts to wonder if real life is merging with the novel she is writing. Will the solution be found in the world of politics or a decades-old literary puzzle?
Jonathan Coe is one of Britain’s most popular novelists and his books often feature political themes as well as hugely enjoyable plots and plenty of satire. Coe’s books are often very funny as well as showing the effect of political decisions on real people and this new book will not disappoint his many fans. With a story told from different character’s perspectives and with shifting timelines this has the clever and satisfying storytelling that are often Coe’s trademark. Political satire and murder-mystery in one and with both laugh-out-loud moments and chilling observations this is another great read from a wonderful writer.
More DetailsChildren’s Non-Fiction
History as it Happened
DK
Hardback
History is a favourite subject of many students, learning about great events of the past and how people lived in previous eras can be fascinating and important as well as lots of fun. This fabulous new book from DK looks at world history using over 200 maps, bite-size text and photographs to cover notable historical information across every continent. From famous events such as the journey of the Titanic to the expanse of the Roman Empire and the huge importance and global influence of the Silk Road, this child-friendly book will have something to appeal to everyone.
Ideal for Upper KS2 and lower KS3 students, the visual representation of global historical developments really help with understanding the scale of events and eras. With a focus on how physical geography has shaped human history and how humans have changed the way our world looks, this is a great way for students to investigate the past and gain understanding of the roots of current world events. Great visual information and clear text make this a book that will help to turn even more students onto learning about the past and the stories of human history.
More DetailsChildren’s Fiction
The Murder Hypothesis
Wishart, Sarah
Paperback / softback
How do you solve a murder if you don’t even know who the victim is? Grace and her dad are seeking a fresh start in a tiny Devon village, but hopes for a quiet life are dashed when the second-hand smart speaker in their new home comes to life in the middle of the night and tells them: I’m going to murder you. Grace soon realises that the speaker has previously been used by four people in the village – all of whom are now dead - and decides to work out which of these deaths must be a murder, applying scientific logic to the puzzle facing her. But the murderer has noticed Grace and will do anything to keep her quiet…
This new YA thriller from the author of Four Good Liars is a fabulously twisty mystery that will have readers hooked from the very start. The way Grace approaches her investigation with STEM methods is really interesting and engaging and a great way of unpacking the case, the visual elements throughout the book are interesting too. With drama, intrigue and romance (not to mention a sinister smart speaker!) this is a great read and one that fans of books like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and We Were Liars will love.
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