At a time of year when bookshop shelves are brimming with new releases, it can be hard to know where to look for that perfect Christmas gift for a friend or family member. This year, to help you navigate through the sea of brilliant non-fiction and lifestyle books on offer at the moment, we have compiled a list of our top picks for this festive season.
Health & Wellbeing
By Meera Lee Patel (Michael O’Mara Books)
After a year like 2020, what better gift for a loved one than this beautifully illustrated interactive journal from the bestselling author of Start Where You Are? Featuring decorative quote pages and various prompts, it provides a toolkit to help you feel motivated and calm.
By Emma Pusill & Janet Wilkinson (Unbound)
This photographic guide celebrates the 130 community lidos in the UK in all of their art deco fabulousness, alongside practical information to help you plan your next swim or road trip to tick off a lido from their (very) extensive list.
By Bella Mackie (HarperCollins)
Originally released back in 2018 yet still as relevant and brilliant as ever, Bella Mackie’s bestselling book offers a laugh-out-loud motivational insight into how running helped her through her struggles with mental health. The accompanying Jog On Journal, makes for the perfect pairing to get first-time runners reaching for their trainers.
Cookbooks
By Nigella Lawson (Chatto & Windus)
The ideal gift for the Nigella fans in your life: full of insights into the inspiration behind many of her recipes, it is shaped around the comforting concept of the rhythms and rituals of cookery.
By Meera Sodha (Fig Tree)
The perfect present to surprise the vegetarians and vegans in your life, full of enticing dishes that go beyond your standard vegetarian fare, from sweet potato cakes with kimchi mayo and mushroom bao buns, to salted miso brownies.
By Yotam Ottolenghi & Ixta Belfrage (Ebury Press)
Soaring up the cookbook charts for good reason, Ottolenghi’s FLAVOUR features over 100 vegetable-based recipes that elevate the humble vegetable to centre stage in dishes packed with flavour, including hasselback beetroot, portobello steaks with butter bean mash, and romano pepper schnitzels.
Gifts for Book Lovers
British Library Publishing
This festive compendium from the British Library is full of seasonal stories, poems, and passages from authors including Dickens, Pepys, Austen, and Wilde, that will delight literature fans and Christmas lovers alike.
By Michiko Kakutani (William Collins)
Famed literary critic Michiko Kakutani compiles a personal selection of 100+ must-read works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, accompanied by passionate essays explaining each choice and vibrantly colourful illustrations of each of the chosen books, from The Handmaid’s Tale to The Great Gatsby.
By Martin Latham (Particular Books)
Described as being ‘part cultural history, part literary love letter and part reluctant memoir’, this brilliant book by bookseller Martin Latham explores society’s love affair with books, leading readers on a literary journey through street book stalls, radical pamphleteers, comfort reads, accompanied by joyful anecdotes about bookselling, making it the perfect pick for bibliophiles.
Coffee Table Books
By Patrick Mauriès & Adélia Sabatini (Thames & Hudson)
The epitome of a coffee table book, this newly updated edition of the best-selling Chanel Catwalk is the first book to list every collection ever created by Karl Lagerfield within a single volume. Full of biographical details and notes on the influences behind each collection, positioned next to carefully curated catwalk images, this book is a fashion lover’s dream.
By Hélèna Dove and Harry Adès (Hoxton Mini Press)
This stunning hardback from Kew Garden’s Kitchen Manager, Hélèna Dove and expert on London wildlife, Harry Adès stands out most for its intricate 18th-century botanical artwork, but delve inside, and you will find a treasure trove of hidden secrets about the plants, flowers and wildlife growing out of the urban landscape of the city.
By Emilio Pimentel-Reid & Sarah Hogan (Quadrille)
Nothing says a coffee table read quite like a home decor book and Bold British Design’s striking cover would add a touch of class to any coffee table. Weaving together interviews showcasing the homes of 21 British interior designers with insights into Britain’s interior design history, alongside inspiring images from photographer Sarah Hogan, this book is bound to impress the next time someone stop by for a coffee.