Welcome back to Book Break and merry Christmas!
Are you ready to come with me into the most magical winter wonderland you have ever seen?
It is now officially December
which means it's finally time to start decorating your houses
and listening to Christmas music
as if I haven't already been doing that for months already.
Today, we are bringing you the Book Break Christmas gift guide.
In this video, we've got the perfect books for you to buy
any one of your friends or family
no matter what type of person they are
or what their favourite thing about Christmas is.
And my favourite thing about Christmas has to be
coming to magical places like this!
I am standing here today in Winterland
which is just the most exciting winter wonderland I've ever been to.
It's got a bar, it's got arcade games,
it's got igloos,
it's even got a hot tub if you're feeling brave.
It's going to be open all the way through winter
so do come and visit before they get a brand new theme ready for summer.
Let's go have a look around and then I'll show you the books.
It is just so lovely here,
they've got these really cute little cabins for you to snuggle in,
the igloos look absolutely incredible,
and I bet especially by night they will just look gorgeous all lit up.
And I've got to admit I'm kind of tempted by that hot tub!
They've even got a crane grabber game but with pinecones!
I could spend absolutely hours here
so I'm going to drag myself away
and tell you about all the exciting books that we think will be appearing under
Christmas trees across the country this Christmas.
Right, now I'm snuggled up on one of their really cosy benches,
they're these gorgeous fur-lined benches
which again you're going to have to drag me out of at the end,
but let's get on with what we're all here for: the books.
So, what to buy for the person whose favourite thing about Christmas is
the roast dinner?
Well, you can't go wrong with Antoni in the Kitchen,
this is the first cookbook from the lovely Antoni from Queer Eye
and it's got a great range of recipes,
some really accessible ones for newbies,
and some that are perfect for more advanced cooks as well.
And it's got a mix of healthyish, as he calls them,
weeknight meals
as well as some really lovely indulgent meals for hosting.
I mean, have you ever seen a more Christmassy spread than this one?
This is just a lovely treaty cookbook
and it's got pictures of the gorgeous Antoni throughout
so you can't go wrong.
Now, if their favourite thing about Christmas is being with family,
then they will love Lucinda Riley's Seven Sisters series.
The Sun Sister is the latest in the series
but they do all work as standalones so you can just dive straight into this one.
So these books are all about family,
in particular, a family mystery that each of the sisters has to solve.
And each book follows a different sister
and it's all about the theme of sisterhood,
and the different roles that they play within the family.
So The Sun Sister is about Electra,
who is the fiery one.
She is beautiful and successful,
but with an inner turmoil.
But then for the person who spends their Christmas
hiding to avoid their family,
they might be interested in Why Are We Yelling by Buster Benson.
This is basically a guide to having better arguments,
or rather, to having more constructive disagreements
that won't end up in an explosive row
over the roast dinner.
This is a really interesting and useful book,
even for the happiest families,
Christmas can sometimes be a bit of a trying time.
Now, for the person whose favourite thing about Christmas is the songs,
if they're anything like me,
they've already got their Christmas playlist blasting out everything from
Fairytale of New York to Elton John's Step Into Christmas.
So, why not tap into that love for music,
with a copy of Elton John's first and only autobiography, Me.
This is just packed full of incredible stories that have never been heard before,
and it's just this really interesting history of
both Elton John's amazing life so far,
and just this history of British rock and roll.
And it's all told with his really hilarious self-deprecating sense of humour,
and packed with lots of racy jokes as well.
For the person whose favourite thing about Christmas is being snuggly by the fire,
well firstly, they will love this place,
and secondly, they will love this festive Christmas edition
of Dear Mrs Bird by A.J. Pearce.
This is such a lovely book,
it was one of my favourites of last year.
It follows a young woman named Emmy during the second world war
and she gets a job working for an agony aunt named Mrs Bird.
But when she realises that Mrs Bird is refusing to answer any of the letters that she deems
inappropriate or unpleasant,
whether they're from heartbroken war widows
or morally conflicted lovebirds,
Emmy decides to take matters into her own hands.
And now it's got this beautiful festive cover,
making it perfect for curling up by the fire this Christmas,
I may have to give this one a re-read.
For the person whose favourite thing about Christmas is the parties,
you have got to buy them a copy of Karen Swan's The Christmas Party.
Karen Swan is basically the queen of Christmas reads,
and summer reads,
she's basically got all holiday seasons covered.
And The Christmas Party is about a party at a gorgeous country house
where an estranged family are coming back together
and long-buried secrets are going to bubble to the surface.
This will also be a great present for everyone who thinks reading about parties is more fun
than actually going to parties.
For the person whose favourite thing about Christmas is just
being drunk all day,
I mean the fact that you're allowed to start drinking champagne at breakfast
is definitely one of my highlights of Christmas,
well they will definitely appreciate Spirited by Signe Johansen.
This is a cocktail recipe book,
devoted to finding the most indulgent flavours.
And it's got alcoholic and non-alcoholic recipes in here
so everyone can enjoy them,
and Signe Johansen encourages you when making cocktails
to think like a cook, not like a bartender.
So it's all about crafting these delicious tasting cocktails,
and also celebrating that wonderful social experience of raising a glass together!
For the person who's favourite thing about Christmas is all the new presents,
well they might need a copy of The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up
by Marie Kondo.
So, Marie Kondo is of course the author of
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,
and the star of that Netflix show,
which is all about finding the joy in your home and your belongings,
when you learn to actually tidy them up.
So this is a really lovely graphic novel
about a young woman following these methods,
and rediscovering the joy in her life basically.
I absolutely loved this one,
it definitely inspired me to go and Marie Kondo my own house,
and make room for all of the new presents
I hope I'm going to get over Christmas!
If their favourite thing about Christmas are the cracker jokes,
then they will laugh out loud at Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas by Adam Kay,
though I have to say,
Adam Kay's jokes are a lot funnier than anything you will find in a cracker.
So this is a festive follow-up to This Is Going to Hurt.
It's another collection of his diaries,
from the time Adam Kay spent as a junior doctor.
But this time, it's focusing on all the time he spent in the wards
over the festive period,
and all of the unique joys and disasters that that season brings.
If their favourite thing about Christmas is watching the TV Christmas specials,
anyone else so excited for the new Christmas Gavin and Stacy?
Well then they will love Beauchamp Hall by Danielle Steel.
So this is a story about an American woman
who's obsessed with an English period drama called Beauchamp Hall.
And one day, after losing her job and her boyfriend all in one go,
she decides to go to England and visit the set,
and it turns out that life on set might be even more exciting and dramatic
than life on the show.
This might even cheer them up about the fact there's no Downton Abbey Christmas special
this year.
But for the person who's more set in their ways
rewatching their old favourites on TV every Christmas,
from The Snowman to The Gruffalo,
then they will love this beautiful festive edition of The Snail and the Whale.
This is a gorgeous adventure story from Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler,
all about the unlikely friendship between a snail and a whale.
And now it's got this beautiful festive edition,
and there is an animation coming to TV this Christmas,
which I think is just going to become every bit as classic
as The Snowman and The Gruffalo before it.
Or, if their favourite thing about Christmas is the blockbuster movies,
well then,
you have to buy them this set.
So Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi was absolutely huge last year,
and the world has been waiting for the sequel,
and it's finally here!
Children of Virtue and Vengeance.
And now the first one has been republished in this gorgeous hardback
so you've got this lovely matching set.
This is a fantasy adventure series inspired by West African mythology.
There is a movie coming,
it's going to be absolutely huge.
For the person whose favourite thing about Christmas is the fresh starts that New Year
brings,
why not get them this fun astrology collection?
So Sun Signs by Linda Goodman
is the original astrology bible from the 60s,
and the first ever book about astrology to become a New York Times bestseller.
And then Astro Poets is its 21st century counterpart.
So this is a very funny, tongue in cheek approach to astrology,
it's got everything you need to know about each star sign for the modern world.
From what each star sign likes in bed, to their texting styles.
For the children whose favourite part about Christmas is the toys,
they will love Meerkat Christmas,
which is this lovely interactive Christmas book
about Sunny the Meerkat,
who decides that the Kalahari Desert isn't quite Christmassy enough for him.
So he sets off on this adventure around the world,
looking for that picture perfect Christmas,
before realising that the most important part about Christmas isn't the scenery,
it's who you spend it with.
And it's got all of these lovely flaps and pop out bits for them to play with as well.
But you don't have to be a child
for your favourite thing about Christmas to be the magic,
and for those people,
a great present is Deeplight by Frances Hardinge.
So this is a dark fantasy adventure
about a world that was once ruled by these cruel gods
that have now mysteriously vanished beneath the waves.
But their magic is still felt when two teenage boys
come across a relic of the gods
when diving beneath the sea.
And it begins to have a terrible effect on them.
This book is Frances Hardinge at her weird and wonderful best,
just as captivating as ever.
For the person whose favourite part about Christmas is the Christmas markets,
a really lovely present is Frost Fair by Carol Ann Duffy.
So this is her latest Christmas poem,
I love these every year.
This one is set in 1683 during the Great Winter,
and it's about a market held on the frozen Thames.
And it's really beautiful and lively and moving
and it's got these beautiful illustrations the whole way through.
This is a really lovely little stocking stuffer.
And finally,
if their favourite part of Christmas is the traditions,
then a lovely present is Poems for Christmas.
This is a Macmillan Collectors Library book,
and it's just full of the most beloved Christmas poems.
So of course, it's got Twas the Night Before Christmas in here,
it's got things like In The Bleak Midwinter,
it's just perfect for reading aloud as a family on Christmas night
or curling up with on Boxing Day.
So I hope that's given you lots of fab gift ideas,
whether to buy for your friends and family
or to ask for for Christmas yourself,
and I also do hope you come and pay Winterland a visit,
I will put all of the links in the description box below.
And of course, do hit that subscribe button below for new videos every week.
Coming up next week, I've got even more books you might want to ask for for Christmas,
this time if you're planning to try Veganuary,
I've got some suggestions of books that might help you out there.
So give this video a thumbs up, and leave us a Christmas present emoji in the comments
below,
and of course you can always go and follow us over on Instagram @bookbreakuk.
See you next time!