New books to give (or keep) this Christmas
A well-chosen book makes the best gift, but we're sacking off the online giants this festive season to give our local independent bookshop the love it deserves. Here are the top picks for your loved ones from The Oundle Bookshop.
The Oundle Bookshop
It’s been at the heart of this historic Northamptonshire market town since way back in 1923. As well as a large Fiction section, a beautiful Children’s department and every other category of book you could want to get your sticky mitts on, there’s also an extensive selection of local interest titles. There’s nothing to compare to the vast knowledge a friendly, real-life bookseller can impart, so drop in and see them once they’ve opened back up on the other side of Lockdown, or order here.
A PROMISED LAND by Barack Obama
Well, doesn’t the Obama era feel like a looong time ago now? And while Trump’s making blanket forts and barricading himself in the White House, Obama’s showing us how to raise the bar in his hot off the press personal memoir. A riveting, deeply personal account that tells the story of a young man searching for his identity and who rises to become leader of the free world, this beautifully written and powerful book captures Barack Obama’s conviction that democracy is not a gift from on high but something founded on empathy and common understanding and built together, day by day.
£35
COOK, EAT, REPEAT by Nigella Lawson
This lipsmackingly indulgent tome is exactly what we all need to bring us some Christmas cheer this year. Cook, Eat, Repeat is a delicious and delightful combination of recipes intertwined with narrative essays about food, all written in Nigella’s engaging prose. Whether asking ‘What is a Recipe?’ or declaring death to the Guilty Pleasure, Nigella’s wisdom about food and life shines forth.
£26
THE PUFFIN KEEPER by Michael Morpurgo
This beautifully presented book celebrates 80 years of storytelling from Puffin and tells the tale of a life-changing friendship, a lost puffin, and a lonely artist. It’s the story of how one event can change everything. This magical tale will enchant readers of all ages and you’ll be looking forward to putting the kids to bed just so can bask in its feel good vibes.
£12.99
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
The breakout winner of this year’s Booker Prize and it’s a debut novel. Wowza, there’s hope for us yet! It’s early Thatcher era in a decimated Scottish mining town, Shuggie’s Mum, Agnes, is raising three kids on her own but is broken down by alcoholism and grinding poverty. Inspired by Stuart’s own childhood, Shuggie Bain exposes the soul destroying hardships experienced through the collapse of the British industrial heartlands and the tragic limits of love.
£14.99
THE ICKABOG by J.K. Rowling
Brought to life with fabulous illustrations by the young winners of The Ickabog competition, this beautiful book is the perfect gift for mini Mudlets. Rowling spins a brand new fairytale about a mythical monster, a kingdom in peril, an adventure that will test two children’s bravery to the limit, and where the power of hope and friendship can triumph against all odds.
£20
ONE AUGUST NIGHT by Victoria Hislop
25th August 1957. The island of Spinalonga closes its leper colony. And a moment of violence has devastating consequences. Number one bestselling author Victoria Hislop returns to the world and characters she created in The Island – the award-winning novel that remains one of the biggest selling reading group novels of the century. It is finally time to be reunited with Anna, Maria, Manolis and Andreas in the weeks leading up to the evacuation of the island… and beyond.
£14.99
ANOTHER NOW by Yanis Varoufakis
In Another Now renowned economist Yanis Varoufakis imagines a world with no banks, no stock market, no tech giants and no billionaires. How could such a thing come about and would we even want it? Varoufakis’s boundary-breaking new book confounds expectations of what the good society would look like and reveals the uncomfortable truth about our desire for a better world…This is the book to make you reconsider how we live and what we can change for the better this Christmas.
£16.99
TOMORROW WILL BE A GOOD DAY by Captain Tom Moore
Don’t be deceived by appearances. The image of the frail, elderly man you’ve seen on your tellybox conceals a rich and well-lived life. Tom Moore’s war ripped him from his idyllic Yorkshire boyhood to places that would steal his heart: India, the Far East and the distant peak of Everest. In this rich, happy life packed with incident, we get to know a man who’s curiosity, courage and generosity both sets him apart and binds his story to our collective history.
£20