It’s tough trying find just the right gift for your loved one, and even tougher when you’re trying to pick a book for someone.
Buying someone a book for a Christmas gift is a touching and thoughtful gesture which allows you to show the true depths of your connection and friendship.
To help get you started, Bloomsbury Publishing has shared their top picks of 2017’s best books for all those wonderful humans in your life.
Books for Mum
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
Trade Paperback $24.99
A contemporary retelling of Sophocles’ Antigone, Home Fire is the story of two families whose lives are torn apart when love, religion and politics collide – confirming Kamila Shamsie as a master storyteller of our times.
‘Left me awestruck, on the edge of my chair, filled with admiration for her courage and ambition’ Peter Carey
Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss
Trade Paperback $24.99
From the international award-winning and bestselling author of The History of Love and Great House, comes Nicole Krauss’ fourth novel, Forest Dark.
Opening in New York City but moving to Tel Aviv, Forest Dark is the story of a novelist and mother whose marriage is fraying, of an elderly lawyer retired and divorced after 35 years of marriage.
‘One of America’s most important novelists and an international literary sensation’ New York Times
Books for guys
Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman
Trade Paperback $21.99
From a universal basic income, to open borders and giving free money to the poor, this is a bold, optimistic and internationally bestselling book that gives us cutting-edge ideas for how we might reshape society for the better.
A visionary manifesto for a disillusioned age A manifesto to spark debate and inspiration A manifesto to change the world…
‘A boisterously good read’ Independent
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Trade Paperback $29.99
The extraordinary first novel by the bestselling, Folio Prize-winning, National Book Award-shortlisted George Saunders, about Abraham Lincoln and the death of his eleven-year-old son, Willie, at the dawn of the Civil War.
‘Magnificent’ Colson Whitehead
‘A masterpiece’ Zadie Smith
Books for the foodie
River Cottage Much More Veg! By Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Hardback $45.00
Hot on the heels of River Cottage Veg Every Day, comes the much-anticipated follow-up, River Cottage Much More Veg.
A delicious collection of healthy, tasty and easy recipes inspired by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s belief that plant foods should be the dominant force in our kitchens. Hugh has put cheese, butter, cream, eggs, as well as refined flour and sugar firmly to one side.
Instead, he uses veg, fruit, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, spices and cold-pressed oils to explore the myriad of ways natural, unprocessed plant foods can be used to create utterly fool-proof and delicious dishes!
Books for the history buff
The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan
Paperback $29.99
A major reassessment of world history, The Silk Roads is a dazzling exploration of the forces that have driven the rise and fall of empires, determined the flow of ideas and goods and are now heralding a new dawn in international affairs.
‘This is history on a grand scale, with a sweep and ambition that is rare … a remarkable book on many levels, a proper historical epic of dazzling range and achievement’ William Dalrymple, Guardian
Hottest books for the Instagrammer
Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang
Paperback $24.99
The book everyone is talking about, including Lena Dunham!
A stunning collection of stories that plunge readers into the tender and chaotic hearts of adolescent girls growing up in New York City.
‘One of the most exciting young writers around,’ Vulture.
A book for the sport addict
Barry Sheene by Rick Broadbent with a Foreword by Freddie Sheene
Hardback $39.99
An official landmark photographic book charting the private and public lives of Barry Sheene – one of motor sport’s best-loved and most charismatic figures.
For the first time Barry’s widow, Stephanie, and family have agreed to open up their personal archive to give an unprecedented insight into the two-time 500cc world champion. Via private photographs, memorabilia and letters, award-winning Times journalist and author Rick Broadbent will tell the story of a remarkable man in unprecedented fashion.
