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Books make great Christmas presents, especially if you’re looking for something on a budget. Here are some ideas for the bookworm in your life this Christmas.
Books for grown-ups
Ready. Set. Life by James Gwinnett
Let’s face it, Sebastian was right: ‘Dee human world, eet’s a mess.’ And Disney’s Jamaican crab and his ‘hot crustacean band’ were crooning long before we were plagued by issues like a mental health pandemic, global obesity and children identifying as cats. Add wars and the climate crisis to the equations and it’s a wonder we don’t retreat into our shells and never come out again.
But, with the right mindset, we don’t need to. We can build resilience to all the negativity that’s going on around us, channel our inner warrior, unlock infinite potential and achieve a load of other fluffy bollocks that hopefully hasn’t completely put you off reading this book – if the depressing first paragraph didn’t already.
In ‘READY, SET, LIFE’ former SAS: Who Dares Wins recruit, James Gwinnett, explores how.
The book might be cynical about the world around us, and it might rant a bit, but it is also honest and inspiring as James opens up about his journey from a broken neck sustained playing rugby, and subsequent depression and alcoholism, to redemption and taking on a series of extreme endurance challenges. Along the way he featured on season 4 of the acclaimed Channel 4 show, SAS: Who Dares Wins.
Throughout the book he also speaks to a fascinating roster of interviewees to get their take on a staggering variety of topics. From Stoicism to anthropology, identity to mental fitness, and a myriad of other weird and wonderful subjects, experts as broad as a Classics teacher, a former special forces soldier, a psychological therapist, a former heroin addict, a record breaking polar explorer and a former England rugby captain share their insights into how to not just survive, but thrive, on the rollercoaster of life.
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The Love Dare by Abiola Bello
Can a dare made at Notting Hill Carnival turn into true love? He’s All That meets How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days in this trope-filled sizzling summer romance, perfect for fans of Joya Goffney and Lynn Painter.
popular girl Eva Òjó is used to boys falling for her without her even trying. So when her friend dares her to dance with a random guy at Notting Hill Carnival, she meets Saint.
Comic obsessed Saint Rowe-Falade thinks Eva is cute, but he’s not interested in her in that way. He’d rather get lost in stories than look for romance.
When Eva’s birthday party gets out of control and causes damage to her dad’s beloved car, her friends set the ultimate dare: get Saint to take her on one date and they’ll help her pay to fix her dad’s car. Operation fall-in-love-with-Eva is set in motion and Eva makes it her mission to make Saint fall head over heels. But just as Saint starts to warm to Eva, and her own feelings towards him grow, Saint finds out about the dare. Can Eva convince Saint she’s truly into him, or has she lost him for good?
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The Tarnished Crown series by C.F.Dunn
1469. England is in turmoil. For almost ten years, the attractive and charismatic Edward IV has ruled with the Earl of Warwick’s support, but now rebellion threatens the fragile peace.
Strong-willed and single-minded, heiress Isobel Fenton is determined that nothing will separate her from her beloved manor of Beaumancote even if she does have to marry to stay there. But as unseen witness to a summary execution, she is propelled into the world of personal feud and national politics, and her life will never be the same.
Left in the protection of the formidable Earl, Isobel soon discovers that she is much more than the daughter of his loyal retainer, but holds the key to the power base in a troubled region.
And she is about to marry Thomas Lacey – heir of the Earl’s enemy for whose peremptory execution he had been responsible.
The Earl of Warwick and the Duke of Clarence foment rebellion. With the Midlands in uproar, King Edward wants peace in the shires and the last thing he needs is potential trouble in the form of an unwed heiress.
Isolated and alone, Isobel turns to the Earl’s younger brother, Robert Langton – newly sworn to Richard, Duke of Gloucester – and as unrest boils into war, she is drawn into the very heart of the conflict.
Facing extremes of courage and moral ambiguity, Isobel has to predict the motivations of those who decide her own and England’s fate. Caught between two men and a lie, and with nothing left to lose, which way will she turn?
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Kitchen Therapy by Charlotte Hastings
Kitchen Therapy is a cookery book and psychotherapeutic adventure in one, explaining the rationale behind the use of food as a therapeutic medium. Rather than focusing on physical nutrition alone, Kitchen Therapy explores the psychological, social and spiritual dimensions food holds for us. In a mechanised, materialistic world solely focused on what we can measure, this presents a return to the kitchen as a place of creativity, nurture and intuitive connection. A place where one can listen and respond to the needs of the psyche, rewilding the human spirit. This book is for anyone interested in applying creative, inclusive self-development, with edible spirituality that you can practise in the kitchen. Practitioners in the helping professions will find ideas for self-care, community and client practice, with useful material for creative therapy and attachment courses.
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Something More by Jackie Khalilieh
Diagnosed as autistic just before joining a new school, 90s-obsessedJessie is determined to make a fresh start. She plans to keep herdiagnosis a secret and creates a list of goals to keep her on track– fromacquiring two distinct eyebrows to getting a magical first kiss. But whentwo very different boys steal her heart, Jessie finds herself re-writing herplans.
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Bright Midnights by LS Delorme
Amelie has always been different.
Most high school students find life challenging, but 17-year old Amelie has a lot more to contend with than typical teenage angst. Ever since she turned 11, others have been irresistibly drawn to her—with tragic consequences. Her only escape is at night when she flies to different times and places through her “dreams”. Her life begins to change when, on one of her flights, she meets Clovis, an alluring and mysterious young man who hides a secret.
As Amelie finds herself increasingly drawn to him, she learns his story, how it intertwines with her own and finally discovers how to live her life in the real world. Until her own secrets are revealed to the wrong people and that world turns upside down.
Bright Midnights is the second in the Limerent Series and continues in the thought-provoking and beautiful style of the first as it considers different dimensions, different ways of looking at the world, and the transcendental power of love.
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Books for kids
How Does Santa Go Down The Chimney?
When Santa arrives at a child’s house on Christmas Eve, does he go down the chimney feetfirst or headfirst? What if he gets stuck? What if there’s no chimney? Maybe he slides under the door, as thin as a piece of paper? Or is it possible he pours himself through the tap? What happens once he’s inside?
Mac Barnett’s iconic talent for earnest deadpan humour and Jon Klassen’s irresistibly funny art honour this timeless question with answers both ridiculous and plausible, mounting in hilarity as the night continues. Channeling a child’s fanciful explanations, this latest collaboration by a bestselling team will find a secure spot among family Christmas traditions.
Buy on Amazon
Mr Santa
Mr Santa, want to hear me play? Do the reindeer talk? And can I ride your sleigh?
When a little girl comes face to face with Santa in her own house, she can hardly believe it! It’s her golden opportunity to ask him the questions – all the many questions! – that she’s been desperate to know… Can Santa eat clouds? Does he stop at traffic lights? Is his belly button innie or outie?
With his signature warmth and visual humour, Jarvis channels the excitement and joy of every child who has dreamed of meeting the loveable guy who personifies the most magical night of the year.
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Bunnies in a Sleigh
The Sunny Town bunnies are back for a third picture book adventure and it’s a perfect Christmas gift!
It’s Christmas Eve in the North Pole and Santa’s elves have fallen suspiciously unwell (just WHO gave them all those candy canes?), so it looks like Santa needs some help. Luckily, our gang of vehicle-loving bunnies are here to the rescue. Cue mischief at every turn – hopping in and out of chimneys, getting stuck in snow, stuffed in stockings and having the time of their lives on Santa’s sleigh. It’s a wild sleigh-ride of a Christmas adventure and it’s SO MUCH FUN.
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You Can Count on Penny by Jordan Cracknell
At the tip of the Arctic lies Frostbrook, a village where arctic foxes perform specific jobs passed down through generations.
Penny Icepaw’s family gathers ice, but Penny’s passion is maths, seeing the magic of numbers everywhere.
When Mr. Pound, in charge of the village’s resources and its fish and berries trade, retires without anyone to pass the job down to, Penny proposes to take over, using her love of maths to organise and improve Frostbrook.
Will Penny convince the village to let her take a new path, something that no arctic fox has done before?
You Can Count on Penny is a book for children aged from six upwards, written by financier Jordan Cracknell to inspire a generation of future little financiers to embrace their love of maths and go after their dream job, no matter how out of reach it may seem.
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Hopefully these gift ideas will give you some inspiration for what to buy for your loved ones this year.