The C&TH Gift Guide for Book Lovers
3 years ago
Whatever your taste, we've got a book for every reader this Christmas
You can never go wrong with giving a book at Christmas time ā as long as you choose wisely. Luckily, we’ve broken our gift guide for book lovers into handy themes so that, whatever their interests or preferred genre, there’s something for everyone. Happy gifting.
A Gift Guide for Book Lovers
Wine
On Bordeaux, edited by Susan Keevil, is a sumptuous tasting of grand cru writing about the bountiful produce of the worldās greatest wine-growing region, spanning a timeline of three centuries. A wine buffās delight. Ā£30, academieduvinlibrary.com
Food
James Strawbridgeās The Artisan Kitchen will inspire you to teach yourself ā or rediscover ā the time-honoured culinary techniques of preserving, curing, smoking, and potting. This is cooking at natureās pace, unhurried and rewarding. Ā£20, dk.com
The Flexible Family Cookbook by Jo Pratt gives 75 quick recipes with over 200 variations to accommodate fussy children and picky teenagers. Ā£20, bookshop.org
Diaries
Lionel Barber was editor of the Financial Times from 2005 to 2020. His diaries, The Powerful and the Damned, tell the fascinating inside story of these years of political, financial, and economic upheaval in riveting detail. Ā£25, penguin.co.uk
Children
Wild City by Ben Hoare is a charming introduction to the bewildering and often unexpected variety of animals which share our cities with us. Lucy Roseās vivid illustrations bring these unusual city dwellers to life. Ā£12.99, bookshop.org
Maggie OāFarrellās Where Snow Angels Go is an enchanting childrenās story, full of wonder and mystery, beautifully illustrated by Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini. Ā£14.99, walker.co.uk
London
Londonās railway termini are a monument to Victorian taste and ingenuity, now revived and re-imagined for the 21st century. Christian Wolmarās Cathedrals of Steam is their story and Londonās, vividly and intimately intertwined. Ā£25, atlantic-books.co.uk
Travel
Far and Away is a delicious collection of the late AA Gillās travel writing. The pieces bear all the hallmarks of Gillās writing: wit, irreverence, perceptiveness, and the cascading virtuosity of his prose. Ā£20, bookshop.org
Britain
The Official History of Britain by Boris Starling is a cornucopia of statistics illuminating every aspect of our national life, past and present, in life, death, love, work and much more besides, perfect ammunition for every festive debate. Ā£14.99, bookshop.org
For weather watchers and amateur forecasters, Very British Weather would make the perfect present. Ā£16.99, penguin.co.uk
History
GCHQ lies at the heart of this countryās security, eavesdropping on our foes. John Ferrisās fascinating Behind the Enigma lays bare many of its secrets, revealing a century of covert operations, the hidden side of history. Ā£12.99, bookshop.org
Memoir
Kiss Myself Goodbye is Ferdinand Mountās wonderful memoir of his aunt Munca. As gripping as any detective novel, itās occasionally funny but often shocking, sad and moving, a microcosm of human resilience and frailty. Ā£14, bloomsbury.com
Stocking Fillers
Toksvigās Almanac 2021 is a diary of fascinating, obscure and extraordinary facts, ideal for browsing throughout the year. Ā£14.99, hachette.co.uk
The Ordnance Survey Great British Treasure Hunt will entertain the family for hours. Ā£14.99, ordnancesurvey.co.uk
Short Stories
The Golden Age of British Short Stories 1890-1914, edited by Philip Hensher, is a treasure trove of works by some of the great names of British literature from Kipling to Lawrence via Wilde, Hardy and Conrad. Ā£25, penguin.co.uk
Fiction
Robert Harrisās latest novel V2 is a masterly historical thriller set against Hitlerās rocket attacks on London in November 1944. Atmospheric and authentic, Harris simultaneously entertains and informs with great Ć©lan. A terrific read. Ā£20, penguin.co.uk