Trends. Our lives are led by them. Politics is influenced by them. Economies rise and fall depending on them.
The association of that little hashtag symbol with the goings-on of the world has successfully shifted the way we think about global news. It’s also deeply affected the way we consume media, fashion trends, film, music, literature and everything else situated under the ‘culture’ banner.
Trends are a double-edged sword. Keeping up with them is part of what makes us cosmopolitan citizens. We trade cultural capital at posh coffee shops with friends and family, discussing this hit TV series or that fiction thriller that everyone is obsessing over while sipping on some uber-trendy flat whites topped with premium microfoam. Trends make us feel more connected than ever before, but they can also make us feel isolated when we’re not up to date.
“Oh, you’re wearing Brat green? Looks cool, but Brat summer is so over...” The rise of micro-trends has threatened to destroy our enjoyment of popular culture, with new and exciting aesthetics thrown into the internet’s dustbin before you can ask what the Apple dance even is.
One trend-led list that is always going to be a reliable companion is the literary best-seller list. No matter what platform you search, novels which have truly captured society’s attention will be listed at the upper end of the best-seller list, translated into countless languages for true global reach.
Good books never go out of style. Keep scrolling for the best-selling books currently topping Amazon’s literary selection.
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It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
A novel that tugs on just about every heartstring imaginable, Hoover explores complicated and triggering topics including domestic abuse and heartbreak through the tried and tested love-triangle plotline. She nevertheless manages to treat these incredibly emotionally vulnerable subjects with a gentle warmth that ultimately feels like a much-needed hug.
Buy now £5.00, Amazon
It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover
Since you’re likely to race through Hoover’s It Ends with Us, why not simultaneously add the best-selling sequel to your basket? We won’t spoil the plotline for fear of ruining the end of the first book, but rest-assured it picks up exactly where the epilogue ends.
Buy now £5.00, Amazon
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
That’s right, we can expect yet another release from the literary machine and author of the beloved Thursday Murder Club series Richard Osman by September 12. In We Solve Murders, we’ll be following a father and daughter-in-law duo as they attempt to stay one step ahead of a deadly enemy.
Available from September 12, pre-order now
Buy now £11.00, Amazon
An Inspector Calls by J.B Priestley
With students heading back to school in September, it certainly makes sense that J.B. Priestley’s classic play is at the top of the Amazon best-seller list. Originally written in 1945, An Inspector Calls has been used as a GCSE primary text for as long as we can remember. The contemporary morality play revolves around the suspected suicide of a young woman called Eva Smith.
Buy now £9.38, Amazon
Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious Slow Cooker Cookbook
Professional chef and TikTok maestro Poppy O’Toole has finally put all those reels and videos that you’ve saved and never gone back to into a handy cookbook. Following the success of The Actually Delicious Air Fryer Cookbook, this Slow Cooker sister compendium is sure to come in clutch over the festive period. Get-ahead recipes include, tomato and paneer curry, chicken tikka masala, the ultimate chilli con carne, lamb tagine, honey-glazed pigs in blankets, pulled turkey buns, and so much more.
Available from September 12, pre-order now
Buy now £10.00, Amazon
Verity by Colleen Hoover
With three books in the top ten Amazon best-selling list, it’s safe to say that Colleen Hoover is having her moment in the literary spotlight. Not part of the It Ends with Us series, Verity is about a struggling writer who is offered a job by Jeremy Crawford, the husband of a best-selling author named Verity Crawford. Our protagonist and ghostwriter Lowen Ashleigh arrives at the Crawford home ready to begin the mammoth task of completing the injured author’s remaining books in a wildly successful series when she stumbles across an autobiography that Verity never intended anyone to see.
Buy now £5.00, Amazon
Want: Sexual Fantasies by Anonymous, collated by Gillian Anderson
Along with her own anonymous confession, actor and proponent of sexual liberation Gillian Anderson collates a series of anonymous sexual fantasies from women across the globe in this ground-breaking book. Answered questions include: What do you want when no one is watching? Who do you fantasise about when the lights are off? When you think about sex, what do you really want?
Buy now £15.19, Amazon
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Filled to the brim with heart-racing twists and turns, the first in McFadden’s Housemaid trilogy is a thrilling yarn about a recently paroled maid named Millie who is employed by the wealthy Winchesters. She soon learns that her strange employers have countless skeletons in the closet, and that the lady of the house Nina Winchester is seemingly out to get her.
Buy now £5.50, Amazon
The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
A classic, cosy romance set in a small town, The Pumpkin Spice Café can be described as a literary version of everyone’s favourite autumnal drama, The Gilmore Girls. New girl in town Jeanie has been gifted her aunt’s beloved café in the heart of Dream Harbor, much to the dismay of local farmer Logan.
Buy now £5.00, Amazon
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
A ferociously passionate fantasy tale which follows an enemies-to-lovers trope taking place within the mythical lands of Prythian, where faeries and humans live in violent opposition.
Whether you’ve come across A Court of Thorns and Roses via social media platforms such as TikTok, or are simply in the market for a new erotic fantasy series to devour, you’re in the right place. The first of Sarah J Maas’ five-book series, A Court of Thorns and Roses follows the plight of a huntress named Feyre who kills a wolf in an act of survival to feed her family. However, the wolf that Feyre killed was not what it appeared, and her violent act had untold consequences for the young huntress and her people.
For her actions, Feyre is kidnapped and taken away from her family. While held captive by the masked Tamlin, Feyre’s feelings become complex – turning from hatred to lust, as the two lovers attempt to navigate the bloody consequences of their relationship and fight to break an ancient curse.
Buy now £4.49, Amazon
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Say goodbye to bad habits in 2023 with James Clear’s fantastic, bad habit-busting book. An expert in habit formation, Clear outlines practical strategies that gently guide you into learning how to form good habits and break the bad ones.
With the New Year often comes an array of unrealistic New Year’s Resolutions. Think: “I’m going to work out every day for the entire year,” or “I’m not going to ingest an ounce of sugar in 2023.” These lofty declarations pretty much never work out, and result in massive feelings of disappointment and self-hatred.
In Atomic Habits, Clear breaks down the nature of habit formations to provide a more realistic handbook for reaching your goals. If you’re looking for a simple, yet empathetic guide into becoming a better version of yourself this year, pick up a copy of this bestseller.
Buy now £10.00, Amazon
Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken
If working towards a healthier lifestyle in Western society feels like a thankless task in contemporary society, it’s because it is. As Chris van Tulleken explains, it’s not you, it’s the food. While he doesn’t have all the answers, Tulleken takes readers on a journey of discovering how to exist when we’re living in a food environment which is out to destroy us.
Buy now £5.49, Amazon
Pinch of Nom: 100 Slimming, Home-style Recipes
Embarking on a weight loss journey doesn’t have to mean saying goodbye to foods you once loved and replacing them with dull salad leaves. Instead, with Pinch of Nom, you can tuck into mouth-wateringly good recipes that are so delicious you won’t notice they’re slimming. Every meal we tried was satisfying, tasty and we never felt like we were missing out - there’s even a chapter on fakeaways for when we’re craving Chinese noodles.
For a healthy family meal try out the Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta and if you’re craving something sweet, then the Apple and Apricot Oaty Crumble is perfect. So, whether you’re trying to shed some pounds or just looking for easy meals that work for the whole family, this cookbook is a must have.
Every recipe comes with a substitute ingredients list that is great for helping you use what components you already have.
Buy now £10.07, Amazon
