New Paperbacks: February

Blog · Posted January 30, 2025

Our top paperback picks for February.

Clear by Carys Davies | 27th February | £9.99

1843. On a remote Scottish island, Ivar, the sole occupant, leads a life of quiet isolation until the day he finds a man unconscious on the beach below the cliffs. The newcomer is John Ferguson, an impoverished church minister sent to evict Ivar and turn the island into grazing land for sheep. Unaware of the stranger’s intentions, Ivar takes him into his home, and in spite of the two men having no common language, a fragile bond begins to form between them. Carys Davies’s intimate drama unfolds with tension and tenderness: a touching and crystalline study of ordinary people buffeted by history and a powerful exploration of the distances and connections between us.

James by Percival Everett | 27th February | £9.99

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 flees to 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. So begins a dangerous and transcendent journey 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. And the unlikely pair embark on the most life-changing odyssey of them all…

The Women by Kristin Hannah | 13th February | £9.99

Raised on California’s idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, Frances McGrath has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different path for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurses Corps and follows his path. As green and inexperienced as the young men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed America.

One of the Good Guys by Amarinta Hall | 13th February | £9.99

Cole is the perfect husband: a romantic, supportive of his wife,  keen to be a hands-on dad, not a big drinker. A good guy. So when his wife leaves him, he’s floored. She was lucky to be with a man like him. He soon moves to the coast where he meets reclusive artist Lennie.  As their relationship develops, two young women go missing while on a walk protesting gendered violence, right by where Cole and Lennie live. Finding themselves at the heart of a police investigation and media frenzy, it soon becomes clear that they don’t know each other very well at all. This is what happens when women have had enough.

Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar | 6th February | £9.99

Discover the life-affirming debut novel from acclaimed poet Kaveh Akbar: a love letter to the world and our search for meaning – in faith, art, ourselves and those we care for. Cyrus Shams has always been lost. He’s grown up tangled in the mysteries of his past – an uncle who rode through Iranian battlefields, a haunting work of art by an exiled painter, and his mother, whose plane was shot down over the Persian Gulf when he was just a baby. Now, newly sober and maybe in love, he’s headed for an encounter that will transform everything he thought he knew. Can a final revelation change the truth of Cyrus’s life?

Walnut Tree: Women, Violence and the Law – a Hidden History by Kate Morgan | 13th February | £10.99

‘A woman, a dog and a walnut tree, the more they are beaten, the better they’ll be.’ So went the proverb quoted by a prominent MP in the Houses of Parliament in 1853. His words – intended ironically in a debate about a rise in attacks on women – summed up the prevailing attitude of the day, in which violence against women was waved away as a part and parcel of modern living In this vivid and essential work of historical non-fiction, Kate Morgan explores the legal campaigns, test cases and individual injustices of the Victorian and Edwardian eras which fundamentally re-shaped the status of women under British law. These are seen through the untold stories of women whose cases became cornerstones of our modern legal system and shine a light on the historical inequalities of the law.

Cabin by Will Jones,  | 27th February | £12.99

In 2010, journalist and author Will Jones gave up London life to move to rural Canada with his young family. His dream was to build a remote cabin in the woods that would be a silent retreat from the world. This is the story of how he created the ultimate hideaway, inspired by cabin-building practices around the world. Weaving the personal story of his cabin build with illustrated practical know-how on everything from deciding on site and orientation, to foundations and interior design, Jones’s essential book is full of inspirational ideas. The urge to escape the city and live in nature has never been stronger. Part story, part history and part practical guide, this is the ultimate read for anyone dreaming of building a cabin of their own.

My Beautiful Sisters by Khalida Popal | 27th February | £10.99

August 2021: Kabul falls to the Taliban. Overnight, life for women across Afghanistan changes. The national women’s football team faces an imminent threat to their lives, just for playing sport. For Khalida Popal, the team’s first captain and co-founder, this is not an unprecedented event. But advocating for women’s rights in sport put Popal’s life increasingly at risk, forcing her to flee the country, this time alone. Khalida is safe, but her teammates are left behind. Against all the odds, she and a small but mighty network of allies orchestrate an international evacuation strategy to save them. This is a gripping memoir about courage, the power of teamwork against all odds and the existence of hope in dark times.

Sociopath by Patric Gagne | 27th February | £10.99

An astoundingly honest true story of a life lived on the edge of the law, and a fascinating account of one woman’s battle to understand her diagnosis. From stabbing elementary school classmates with pencils to breaking and entering, even stalking, Patric Gagne doesn’t hold back when it comes to describing the behaviour that, eventually, made her realize she is a sociopath. While her darker impulses warred against her attempts to live a settled, loving life with her partner, Patric began to wonder – was there a way for sociopaths to integrate happily into society? And could she find it before her own behaviour went a step too far?

Judgement at Tokyo by Gary J. Bass | 6th February | £12.99

In the aftermath of World War II, the victorious Allied powers turned to the question of how to move on from years of carnage and destruction. The Tokyo trial – the largely overlooked counterpart to Nuremberg – was an opportunity both to render judgment on the Allies’ vanquished foes and to create a legal framework to prosecute war crimes and prohibit the use of aggressive war. For the Japanese leaders on trial, it was their chance to argue that their war had been waged to liberate Asia from Western imperialism and that the court was no more than victors’ justice. Judgement at Tokyo is a magnificent, riveting story of wartime action, dramatic courtroom battles, and the epic formative years of postwar Asia.

These are just some of the exciting new paperback  releases for this month. To keep up to date with more recommendations and new releases, keep an eye on our socials, or join our newsletter.