Waterstones Piccadilly Book Haul

I recently visited Waterstones Piccadilly, so here is a book haul of all the books I bought, ranging across genres from historical fiction to fantasy to romance.

This week, I visited Waterstones Piccadilly for the first time with my sister. As book lovers, we knew we had to visit the biggest bookshop in Europe.

We spent the entire day in Waterstones, going floor by floor, and came away with quite a big haul. It is definitely a place any reader should visit.

Waterstones Piccadilly consists of seven floors and three cafés/restaurants in total. The books are spread across five floors with the Booker Library on the lower ground floor.

My sister and I worked our way from the top floor back down to the entrance, browsing every section of every floor. There were so many good books we could have easily bought, but we limited ourselves to five books each. We also bought our mum a book and a couple of Spanish dictionaries for work.

But I thought I'd do a quick book haul of the books we bought and what they're about.

Historical Fiction

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Since VE Day, I've been wanting to read something related to World War II, whether it was fiction or non-fiction. Kristin Hannah has been praised all over social media, so when I saw that this book was set during WW2, I knew I had to buy it.

The Nightingale tells the story of two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, each making their own dangerous path towards survival in France during the war.

Fantasy

Throne of the Fallen by Kerri Maniscalco

I've wanted to read this book since reading the Kingdom of the Wicked trilogy, so when I saw it in Waterstones, I was so happy, I knew I had to buy it.

Throne of the Fallen tells the story of Envy, one of the seven princes of hell, as he is drawn into a deadly game where he meets Camilla. The two make a bargain and must travel through the underworld, whilst avoiding the most dangerous trap of falling in love.

The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare

The Shadowhunter universe has expanded with Cassandra Clare writing more and more novels about the characters in that world.

The Red Scrolls of Magic is a novel about Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood as their relationship is put to the test while they race across Europe to try and stop a new demon-worshipping cult.

Dystopian

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins has continued writing in The Hunger Games universe with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which tells the story of President Snow.

This novel is set prior to The Hunger Games trilogy and explores the life of President Snow and Lucy Gray during the tenth annual Hunger Games. Snow is trying to fix his family's name by mentoring the winning tribute of the Hunger Games, only he's given District 12's Lucy Gray, and things become tougher than he first thought.

Magical Realism

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

This book was longlisted in the fiction category of the 2025 Women's Prize and has received rave reviews since its release.

The Ministry of Time is about a civil servant being offered a job to gather 'expats' from throughout history to prove the existence of time travel. However, love blossoms, and it's a question of whether love can triumph over the history that we know.

Romance Books

Beg, Borrow Or Steal by Sarah Adams

A classic romance of enemies-to-lovers that is book two in the When In Rome series by Sarah Adams.

Beg, Borrow, or Steal tells the story of Emily and Jack, two authors who write under secret identities and are each other's nemesis. But when they're neighbours and forced to become colleagues, the tension reaches an all-time high as Emily needs Jack's help.

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams

Practice Makes Perfect is the third book in the When In Rome series by Sarah Adams and is another feel-good romance.

It follows the story of Annie, a florist who wonders if the reason she can't find love like that in the movies is because she's the problem. When Will Griffin returns to town, providing security for Annie's soon-to-be sister-in-law, Annie hatches a plan for Will to tutor her in the world of dating, but the line of their friendship soon starts to blur.

Happily Never After by Lynn Painter

Lynn Painter is a new author to my sister and me, but we were intrigued by her writing due to the praise and the premise of her books.

Happily Never After is a romance novel about Sophie, who hires Max to interrupt her wedding and confront her fiancé, as he cheated on her again. Sophie and Max form a plan to work together to expose other cheating partners, but when Max's ex becomes involved, Sophie's got a choice to make: does she take a chance on love?

Love Unwritten by Lauren Asher

I'm currently reading Love Redesigned by Lauren Asher and loving it, so I knew I had to pick up book two in the series.

Love Unwritten, book two in the Lakefront Billionaires series, follows Rafael and Ellie as they navigate their relationship when lines begin to blur past the fact that Ellie works for Rafael as his son's nanny.

Next of Kin by Hannah Bonam-Young

Hannah Bonam-Young's Next of Kin is an uplifting romance about familial relationships and the power of love bringing people together.

It follows Chloe and Warren, two people trying to get custody of their younger siblings. They both join a new initiative that brings them together to qualify for guardianship over their siblings, but living together no longer feels forced when the chemistry between them increases.

You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry

You and Me on Vacation is the book that my sister and I bought for our mum because we're trying to get her into reading Emily Henry's books.

This novel is about Poppy and Alex, who met 12 summers ago. 11 summers ago, they made a pact to vacation with each other once a year. And that goes on for so many more years, except two summers ago, it all went wrong. Now, they're going on one last trip, which could make them realise that they're not 'just friends'.

I'm so excited to start reading these books and delving into the different worlds the authors have created.

If you've read any of them, feel free to let me know what you thought in the comments below.

Until next time...