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 2025
- non-fiction and fiction, for adults
and (if you scroll down the page!) for children
Happy Christmas!
Go worldwide...
The Finest Hotel in Kabul
A modern history of Afghanistan from the focus of the people who have endured it
Battle of the Atlantic
The maritime epic of WW2, from an accomplished popular historian
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Version 2.0 - a revised and updated new edition of the Bill Bryson classic
...or stay in Britain
Sceptred Isle
A new history of a time of catastrophe and conflict - forces which shaped Britain today
WIllie, WIllie, Harry, Stee
A more light-hearted canter through the English kings and queens from comic Charlie Higson
Eleanor
An extraordinary historical journey revisited - on the route taken by the body of Eleanor of Castile
Serious Thinking
Careless People
The inside scoop on the power - for good and bad - of the social media colossus, Facebook
Enshittification
A coruscating critique of what's gone wrong with the internet - and how to take back control
The Hour of the Predator
Further investigative insights from Giuliano da Empoli, exposing the autocratic power of tech titans
Christmas is murder!
The Christmas Clue
Brings the origins of Cluedo to life in a craftily structured new whodunnit!
Death in Ambush
A beautifully redolent 1950s classic, when murder comes to a quiet Kent village...
The Christmas Cracker Killer
21st century cosy Christmas crime that doesn't shy away from the darkness - great fun!
Christmas games
The Rest is... Quiz
Challenging questions from the cream of British podcasts including The Rest is History and The Rest is Politics
The Official Poirot Puzzle Book
100 mind-stretching puzzles to exercise the little grey cells over the Christmas period
Merry Murdle
If you love Murdle, you'll not want to miss Merry Murdle and its fiendishly festive murder mystery logic puzzles
Sporting Heroes
Freddie Flintoff - Coming Home
Having achieved National Treasure status, Freddie's life story offers wonderful insights and memories
More Than A Shirt
Twenty-two football shirts that explain the world, geopolitics and the biggest stories of our time
Ben Youngs - Beyond the Line
Centurion and one-club hero,
Ben Youngs offers a very readable run through his life in rugby
Lives of
Note
Fly, Wild Swans
The long-awaited sequel, bringing us up to date beautifully with Jung Chang's life since leaving China
How to End A Story
The prize-winning diaries of Australian author, Helen Garnet, told with devastating honesty
Indignity
An imaginative investigation into historical injustice, dignity and truth from one family's experience from the Ottoman Empire to the dawn of communism
Nature in
the raw
A Year with Gilbert White
A journey through the seasons, taken from the journals of 18th century naturalist, Gilbert White
Lone Wolf
Follow the 1,000 mile trek through the mountains of middle Europe in an epic of rewilding
The North Sea
The story of the people who lived with and across the North Sea through the centuries of wildness
Musical
notes
Dancing Through the Fire
A treasure trove of personal recollections colouring the past of The Jam's Paul Weller
Old Songs
Storyland's Amy Jeffs works her magic on traditional lyrics of old songs and the stories behind them
Bread of Angels
The early years which shaped the artistic odyssey that led Patti Smith to become a major creative force
Kitchen
secrets
Adventures in Fermentation
A tantalising journey into how microbes have become such an important part of the food we love
The Anthony Bourdain Reader
An essential collection of Bourdain's best writing on life, food and the worlds he explored
3 Doughs - 60 Recipes
Easy-to-master proven recipes to enable you to become a master-baker in your own kitchen
Myth and magic
Mythica
A new history of Homer's world through the women written out of the original version!
Folklore
A gripping guide to the weird yet everyday world of British folklore past and present
Domination
The story of the people and forces that led Christianity from backwater to global force
Fiction to relish
Albion
The English country house novel reimagined for our times - a family forced into opposing factions
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
An epic of love and family, India and America, tradition and modernity - relish it
Drayton and Mackenzie
A chance encounter between old mates sets them on an unpredictable course through the 21st century
Thrillers to excite...
Clown Town
The latest for the "now a major hit series on TV" Slow Horses -
if you like it, you'll love it!
Never Flinch
Stephen King never disappoints - and this thrilling new story intertwines killer and vigilantes...
The Hallmarked Man
Another "latest in the series", but Cormoran Strike's compelling style keeps us all hooked
Here are our Christmas ideas for children!
Festive frolics
You Choose Christmas
A fun book for children to explore and create a new story every time
I am wishing every minute...
Quirky and hilarious - Charlie and Lola love Christmas!
Jolly Snow
A timeless classic with
Old Bear and Friends
Christmas capers
Murder at Christmas
Cosy Crime for children
Noel Streatfeild's Christmas Stories
Charming holiday adventures and festive laughter
The Snow Girl
A modern retelling of
the classic Snow Queen story
Beautiful
gift books
The Philosopher's Stone
A beautifully illustrated
large format Harry Potter
Brambly Hedge - Collection
A gorgeous compendium of the miniature world of the hedgerow
Flower Fairies
Whimsical verses and illustrations that stand the test of time
Musical delights
The Story Orchestra
Beautifully detailed illustrations and musical extracts
at the push of a button
​
Hansel & Gretel
joins old Christmas favourite
The Nutcracker
and the energetic
Carnival of the Animals
Fun reading for all
The latest crazy antics from the usual cast of favourite characters, who need no introduction!
​
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
​
Bunny vs Monkey
​
Dog Man
For the young ones
Oh Dear, Look What I Got
New rhymes from the authors behind "Going on a Bear Hunt"
It's Busy Down in the Woods
So much to see and find
in Brown Bear Wood
Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes
Brought to life by the illustrator of The Gruffalo and other favourites
Great stories
for children
Stonewitch
The latest adventure in the magical world of Hedgewitch
Lottie Brooks vs
The Ultra Mean Girls
A new challenge for Lottie!
The Lone Husky
An exhilarating Arctic adventure
Older readers
The Poisoned King
Katherine Rundell delivers another magical story
Wolf Mountain
The sequel to Professor Alice Roberts' children's series
The Rose Field
The final instalment of Philip Pullman's acclaimed Book of Dust
Natural History??
​
A wonderful series of beautifully illustrated "fact books" that will enchant readers who get lost in the details
​
Dragons
​Magical Beasts
​Mermaids
Non-fiction!
Dig!
Archaeology and
the past brought to life
Amazing Octopus
Our favourite ocean friends are truly amazing
Mega
Learn all about the
magnificent megafauna of the past and present
