Pop into the shop and let us help you pick out the right books for your whole Christmas list!
In the meantime, here are our picks for
the best books for Christmas 2023
Happy Christmas!
Popular
History
The Rest is History
From the hit podcast - answers to many questions you wished you'd asked about history
A History of the Roman Empire
in 21 Women
Rome as you've never seen it before - brazenly unconventional, badly behaved and very feminine
Unruly
Comedian David Mitchell gives his view of which Kings were good and which were frankly a bit crap
Hardcore History
The Savage Storm
The story of the little known Battle for Italy from the best of the new generation of WW2 historians,
Hunting the Falcon
Examines the seismic impact of the marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn across Europe
Emperor of Rome
The Queen of Classics shines her spotlight on the office of "emperor" - its privileges and constraints
Serious Thinking
The Identity Trap
A balanced critique of how identity politics makes it harder to achieve progress towards genuine equality
Politics on The Edge
Insights into the murky world of politics from one of the few politicians to retain his integrity
This is Not America
Why the US model is a distraction - a bold new framework for understanding race in Britain today
Lighter moments
The QI Book of Sports
A wonderfully curious grand tour of the world of sports, brought to you by the QI Elves
The Private Eye Annual 2023
A classic - packed, as always,
with the best satirical fun
and cartoons galore
Terrible Maps
Celebrates fun cartography in all its glory, like a map of countries that eat their national animals
Explore
the limits
The Bathysphere Book
An enigmatic treasure trove of a biography, from the 1930 diaries of the first deep sea exploration
Space
An inspirational human history of space travel, from the Apollo missions to our forays to Mars
White Holes
Beyond the edge of theory and experiment, experience the fever and the disquiet of deep science
Sporting Heroes
Broadly Speaking
The autobiography of one of England's most popular - and most competitive - cricketers
Throwing the Book
The world's best referee lifts the lid on a lifetime spent keeping the biggest names in rugby onside
What It Takes
Learn about the revolutionary leadership style of England's most successful sports manager
Lives of
Note
Lawrence of Arabia
A gripping account of this mysterious adventurer, with unique insights from personal experience
Making it So
The wonderful life story of a British great - from 40 years in the RSC to Star Trek and comedy
Berserker!
The anarchic autobiography of a legend, of alternative comedy - combining wit and wisdom
Gardens of
delight
The Gardening Book
A fresh approach to gardening from the nation's favourite gardener - refreshingly accessible
The Book of Wilding
How to avoid being overwhelmed by climate change through practical individual actions
The Beekeeper's Bible
The most comprehensive beekeeping resource ever published - the ultimate guide!
Musical
notes
McCartney: The Lyrics
The definitive texts of 161 songs with intimate, autobiographical commentaries on life and music.
Scattershot
A hugely entertaining lyrical memoir of life alongside Elton John, in all its surreal craziness
The Reluctant Beatle
A revealing portrait of George Harrison, the most undervalued and mysterious Beatle
Kitchen
secrets
Mary Makes It Easy
Stress-free, easy and delicious - a new collection of 120 fool-proof recipes arranged in clear chapters
The Secret of Cooking
Packed with solutions for how to make life in the kitchen work better for real life cooking
Rick Stein's Simple Suppers
Informal, yet stylish, cooking for midweek, weekends and everything in between
Poetry to ponder
Hansel & Gretel (for adults)
Hansel & Gretel as a darkly glittering contemporary fairy-tale for adults, from the poet laureate
And So This Is Christmas
51 poems showcasing the signature wit of Brian Bilston to celebrate the festive season
The Iliad
A new translation of the timeless classic - resonant language gallops along - very readable
New fiction,
old friends
Light Over Liskeard
A novel of life and love in the face of the crisis of modern civilisation from the author of Captain Corelli
The Fraud
A first historical novel from literary titan, Zadie Smith, set in 1873 Jamaica and England
Absolutely & Forever
A piercing story of first love in 1960s Chelsea - blighted by a secret that will alter everything
Rollicking reads
Tackle
Another bonkbuster with the legendary Rupert Campbell-Black
Surely everybody's guilty secret?!
The Three Graces
Tuscan friendships strained by an intriguing cast, convincingly presented - enthralling and funny
The Figurine
Bittersweet memories and the mystery of an inherited collection, set in the sun-soaked Aegean
Prizeworthy fiction
The Bee Sting
A funny, thought-provoking story of one family desperately clinging on as their world falls apart
So Late in the Day
An exquisite new short story of Dublin life from the bestselling author of Small Things Like These
In Memoriam
An epic tale of the devastating tragedies of war and the forbidden romance that blooms in its grip
Thrilling
blockbusters
Kennedy 35
The latest in the Box88 spy series taking our hero into the Rwandan genocide and an on-off love life
Killing Moon
Scandi-noir crime - drags Harry Hole out of retirement and back to an Oslo murder mystery
The Secret Hours
A standalone Berlin spy story, alongside the hugely popular Jackson Lamb series
Stocking
filler fun
The Winter Spirits
A dazzling collection of never-before-seen ghostly tales by a roll call of leading authors
Mistletoe Malice
A festive classic with fangs: A dysfunctional family reunites for the Christmas holiday from hell...
Adventure of the Christmas Pudding
Classic seasonal collection of five short stories featuring
Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple ...
Stocking
shocking
Oxblood
Three generations of women confront the legacy of the men who defined their lives by crime
The Sorcerer of Pyongyang
The power of empathy and the human imagination cuts through the oppression of 90s North Korea
Hitman's Guide to Housekeeping
Top hitman for the NY Croatian mafia gets stuck in limbo in Reykjavik - on Eurovision night...
Christmas
capers
You Choose Christmas
A new story every time - we love how this series helps children free their imaginations. Enjoy!
Bunnies in a Sleigh
It's Christmas Eve and Santa's elves have fallen suspiciously ill - cue the bunnies and chaos
Little Robin Red Vest
A 25th anniversary deluxe edition of the picture book classic about the true meaning of Christmas
More festive
frolics
The Completely Chaotic Christmas
A brand-new Lottie Brooks story - will Lottie survive the festivities intact? A hilarious romp!
156-storey Treehouse festive frolics
A quickfire sequence of festive frolics and sneaky snowmen for Andy and Terry on Christmas Eve
The Snow Girl
A truly special book of snow and winter magic with the warmest and most cheering beating heart
Great gifts
for children
The Football School Encyclopedia
A fun, essential guide to the world of football, packed with hilarious illustrations and fascinating facts
A Treasury of Ballet Stories
Four stories from beloved classical ballets, illustrated with swans, princesses and sugar plum fairies
The Observologist
A playful field guide for budding natural scientists and observers of the world right under our noses
