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Books

  • Best new kid’s reads, from picture books to YA

    From Olaf Falafel's Blob Fish to the pre-teen adventure novel snapped up by Netflix and Julia Walton's latest YA romance, we've got your family summer reads covered.

  • Your summer reading list – sorted!

    Need a new read to bring to the beach (or, y'know, to keep on the bedside table)? The literary brains at Muddy have rounded up the best new and upcoming novels to add to your TBR pile.

  • 8 gorgeous new gardening books

    Bountiful borders, striped lawn and artfully placed sculptures here we come, but first, sit down, grab a coffee and get lost in the sublime pages of these beauties (those weeds can wait another hour or so)

  • 10 hot new releases: what to read this April

    The team at Oxford's oldest bookshop, Blackwell's, reveal their faves from gripping thrillers to Oxford in two very different eras and Dolly Parton's crime debut. Bye-bye reading rut!

  • 8 new books to get stuck into this month

    This month's releases include a dazzling debut, the latest from the Anatomy of a Scandal writer, Sarah Vaughan, and the last of a popular tween trilogy.

  • Books for bright sparks – a top school librarian’s picks

    Maltman's Green manages to churn out well-rounded girls with top results, despite being non-selective. Where better to tap up for smart suggestions on the best books to captivate kids?

  • Culture’s calling! What to see in London in 2022

    Thrilling theatre, exhilarating art, fantastic festivals - these are the tickets you need to book now. Settle in for a capital city culture hitlist, and a jam-packed 2022.

  • Are We Having Fun Yet? Highs & lows of the nativity

    In an extract from her hilarious new book, Lucy Mangan tells the all-too-familiar tale of a Christmas nativity, from the sublime to the ridiculous

  • Best teen and young adult books for 2021

    TikTok begone! Get your teens hooked on reading instead with these hot new YA releases, suggested by Muddy Award-winning Mostly Books in Abingdon.

  • Ready, set cook! 9 new cookbooks for Autumn

    Want to switch up your meal plan for the new season? Or just a sucker for tempting pictures of food? If any of the above apply, we have you covered

  • High brow vs low brow: Muddy’s holiday reads

    Need a new page-turner? From high brow tomes that'll impress your book club to bingable guilty pleasures, here's what we're *really* reading this summer.

  • 8 cool new coffee table books

    Can't be bothered to read a novel right now? No problem, have a languid browse through the best new coffee table books instead, with a little help from Abingdon's Mostly Books.

  • Best new books for June 2021

    It's time to get that summer reading list together so we've roped in our friends at The Marlow Bookshop to give us the lowdown on the brand new titles coming out this month.

  • May’s top releases for Children’s Book Week

    It's Children's Book Week! Need some new reading material for your little bookbugs? These seven new releases should have them captivated (and quiet).

  • Stratford Lit Fest 2021: the line-up

    There are so many fantastic headliners at Stratford Literary Festival’s brilliant Spring Festival (May 8-16), I don’t know where to begin…

  • Best new books out this April

    What better way to embrace a new season that with a new slew of books? Our friends at The Book House, Thame, have offered up their favourites of the month.

  • Books for bright sparks – a top school librarian’s picks

    Magdalen College School in Oxford is one of the top academic successes in the UK. Where better to tap up for smart suggestions on the best books to captivate kids?

  • Home schooling help: Stratford Lit Fest & the RSC

    Stratford Literary Festival and the RSC have created FREE online home schooling content with top UK authors and actors including Michael Rosen.

  • Cookbooks 2020

    The best cookbooks to buy now

    Sick of making the same seven dinners, week in, week out? Or just a sucker for tempting pictures of food? If any of the above apply, we’ve got you covered.

  • Best new children’s books for 2020

    Looking for stocking fillers? Or perhaps just a gift that keeps giving once Christmas is long gone? Look no further - here are the best books for every age, from tiddlers to pre-teens.

  • 10 best books for teenagers

    Trying to inspire your teenagers to put down the devices and pick up a boo? The booksellers at The Cobham Bookshop have these suggestions.

  • Aubrey Beardsley

    Culture queen! My August highlights

    A whole month of lolling in the sun (hopefully) requires a whole host of entertainment. Here are the culture picks I'll be soaking up this August, from must-see art to new albums

  • Culture vulture: my July hitlist

    Missing the theatre and live venues? OMG, me too. Until normal service resumes for the arts world (your guess is as good as mine), here's my personal culture planner for July - podcasts, books, music and theatre. I'll budge up on the sofa, come and join me.

  • The Surrey Cook Book

    A new cookbook celebrating some of the best foodie venues in Surrey has just launched - and Muddy Stilettos has a sneak preview of some of the recipes. Read on chef!

  • Q&A with Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson

    The Sussex resident, starring in a show for half term, talks books, performing, fave local attractions and buying a post office

  • Real-life Reads

    Muddy's pro-bookworm Kerry Potter is all about real-life stories this month. Well, the truth is often stranger than fiction, after all.

  • Is this the new Girl On The Train?

    ‘Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life‘ so begins The Girl Before, a psychological thriller by J.P. Delaney, out this month and already destined for the silver screen in a film directed by Ron Howard. I was given an advance copy by Nash at the lovely Much Ado Books which has a shelf […]

  • woman reading a book with a up of coffee and slouchy jumper

    The 20 books we can’t wait to read (part 2)

    So we’re picking up where we left off with Hungerford Bookshop owner Emma Milne-White’s 20 ‘can’t wait to read’ books of the year. This is Part 2 of her list with her final choices from 11 to 20. In case you missed it, Part 1 was published last week. So, kick back and enjoy (I’m afraid I can’t transport you […]

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