Books I’ve gifted for Christmas

Looking for some last-minute stocking fillers? Here are some books I’ve bought for family and friends over the years.

Photo by Andreea Radu on Unsplash

I love books. I love reading. But for years, no one in my family, except my husband, has bought me anything bookish for Christmas.

‘I like books,’ I’d say whenever Christmas presents were mentioned. ‘Book vouchers would be brilliant.’

The years came and went, but the vouchers didn’t. Instead, I’d get asthma-inducing bath bombs, Lindt chocolates (which are not my favourite), tea bags and one year some unforgettable and unstylish dog pyjamas.

While my sister unwrapped a beautiful pair of festive pyjamas, I unwrapped a pair that had dogs printed on them. From dachshunds to dalmatians, poodles to Pomeranians, every breed of dog was featured.

‘Do you like them?’ Mum asked.

‘They have dogs on,’ I said, trying to muster up some enthusiasm.

‘You like dogs,’ she said.

I nodded and smiled. I did like dogs, just not on my night wear.  

‘They were the only ones available in the tall range,’ Mum explained. ‘There wasn’t much choice.’

Please don’t think I’m ungrateful. I’m not, far from it. I just couldn’t understand my family’s reluctance to buy books or book vouchers for me.

‘It’s like they don’t even know me,’ I said to Chris last year. ‘My life and career have revolved around books, but they haven’t noticed.’

‘It’s strange,’ he said.

Even my 11-year-old niece picked up on it. ‘Auntie Liz,’ she said. ‘If you love books so much, why doesn’t anyone buy you a bookshop gift card? That would be the perfect present for you.’

‘Olivia,’ I said. ‘I’ve been going on about this for years. I say it every Christmas, but no-one’s listening!’

She smiled. ‘Well, I’ve been listening.’

On Christmas morning, she gave me a £10 gift voucher and, as soon as the shops were open, I raced to the bookshop and treated myself to a beautiful new hardback. I returned home, put on my dog pyjamas, which turned out to be the most comfortable pyjamas in the world, and snuggled up to read.

It made my Christmas.

As far as I’m concerned, books make the perfect present. I buy them for my family every year—except for my dad. ‘Don’t buy me books,’ he says. ‘I’m a YouTube man.’

But for everyone else, there are books.

I love taking the time to think about what books they might like. Throughout the year as I read, I’ll think, ‘Mum might like this, or my sister,’ and I make a mental note. Other times, I browse the shelves, picking a title I’ve not read but looks right for them.

There are so many books to choose from — fiction, nonfiction, romance, thrillers, short stories, comedies, fantasy — that there’s something for everyone. And it’s not just a book you’re giving, but an experience, the chance for them to escape into another story or world.

There is nothing better than the magic of a book for Christmas. If you want to treat your friends and family, here are some books I’ve gifted over the past few years.

Anything by Milly Johnson (fiction – romance)

My mum loves Milly Johnson. She’s read every book she’s written. ‘Has Milly got a new one out yet?’ she’ll ask.

Or she’ll spot the latest hardback in a bookshop, and I’ll have to wrestle it from her hands. ‘You never know what Santa might bring,’ I’ll say, and then on Christmas morning, she’ll act all surprised.

Sometimes, I wish I had Milly’s number so I could call her and ask her to get a move on with the next book.

‘Come on, Milly! My mum’s waiting.’

Nora Ephron, one of my favourite writers

I love reading Nora Ephron and have gifted her collection I Feel Bad About My Neck so many times I’ve lost count.

It’s a collection of essays about being a woman, written with warmth, wit and wisdom.

Some of my favourite quotes from the book include:

“Never marry a man you wouldn't want to be divorced from.”

“If the shoe doesn't fit in the shoe store, it's never going to fit.”

“When your children are teenagers, it's important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you.”

“If only one third of your clothes are mistakes, you're ahead of the game.”

“Anything you think is wrong with your body at the age of thirty-five you will be nostalgic for by the age of forty-five.”

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn (memoir / nature writing)

This book has sold over a million copies, and I’ve probably bought most of them as presents.

The Salt Path is a memoir about love and loss and the healing power of the natural world.

Just days after Raynor learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, their home is taken away and they lose their livelihood. With nothing left and little time, they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset, via Devon and Cornwall.

Carrying only the essentials for survival on their backs, they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea and sky. Yet through every step, every encounter and every test along the way, their walk becomes a remarkable journey.

It’s such an inspiring and beautifully written book about coming to terms with grief, the healing power of walking, and finding happiness in unexpected ways.

Still Life by Sarah Winman (fiction)

1944, Italy. As bombs fall around them, two strangers meet in the ruined wine cellar of a Tuscan villa and share an extraordinary evening.

Ulysses Temper is a young British soldier, Evelyn Skinner a 64-year-old art historian living life on her own terms. She has come to salvage paintings from the wreckage of war and relive memories of her youth when her heart was stolen by an Italian maid in a particular room with a view. Ulysses’ chance encounter with Evelyn will transform his life – and all those who love him back home in London – forever.

Uplifting, sweeping and full of unforgettable characters, Still Life is a novel about beauty, love, family and friendship.

Still Life was an absolute joy to read. I also recommend Sarah Winman’s Tin Man, which I found so moving it stayed with me for a long time.

This is almost a love story. But it's not as simple as that.

It begins with two boys, Ellis and Michael,

who are inseparable.

And the boys become men,

and then Annie walks into their lives,

and it changes nothing and everything.

Christmassy Books

Christmas just isn’t Christmas without a festive read. If you are looking for something magical to curl up with, I recommend The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk and I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day by Milly Johnson.

The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk

Newly single lawyer Gwen Baker needs a family Christmas to bury her woes, with festive films, country walks and a mountain of chocolate.

Her teenage crush Dev is back in their small village as well – and it turns out he’s just as kind, funny and good-looking as she remembers.

But then Gwen wakes up to discover it’s Christmas all over again. She’s trapped in a snowy Groundhog Day. But would repeat meet-cutes with Dev really be so bad for a heart that needs mending?

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day by Milly Johnson

It’s nearly Christmas and it’s snowing, hard. Deep in the Yorkshire Moors nestles a tiny hamlet, with a pub at its heart. As the snow falls, the inn will become an unexpected haven for six people forced to seek shelter there…

Mary has been trying to get her boss Jack to notice her for four years, but he can only see the efficient PA she is at work. Will being holed up with him finally give her the chance she has been waiting for?

Bridge and Luke were meeting for five minutes to set their divorce in motion. But will getting trapped with each other reignite too many fond memories – and love?

Charlie and Robin were on their way to a luxury hotel in Scotland for a very special Christmas. But will the inn give them everything they were hoping to find – and much more besides?

A story of knowing when to hold on and when to let go, of pushing limits and acceptance, of friendship, love, laughter, mince pies and the magic of Christmas.

My Christmas book-buying mistakes

Not all of my book gifting has gone to plan. There was the incident a few years ago that has now gone down in Champion family Christmas history.

As Mum was opening a present I’d given her, she turned to my father-in-law and said, ‘Do you still like Lee Child? I’ve gone right off the Jack Reacher books.’

At which point, she looked down and realised that the present she was unwrapping was, in fact, the latest Lee Child Jack Reacher book.

‘Oh,’ she said. ‘I didn’t mean it.’

‘I’ve got a receipt,’ I said. ‘I’ll take it back.’

‘No, no, I’ll read it. It looks good.’ And then she spent the rest of Christmas insisting that she was looking forward to reading it.

I have no idea what happened to that Lee Child book and whether or not she did read it. I don’t want to ask. I vowed to stick with Milly Johnson and leave it at that.  

Don’t buy the most tragic book ever written as a Christmas gift.

One of my work colleagues raved about A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. Every lunchtime, he’d head to the restaurant to find a quiet corner to read and return to the office, talking about what an amazing book it was.

My husband also loved this book.

‘It must be a good book,’ I thought. So, a few Christmases ago, I bought it for my friend Robert.

Soon after, I discovered it is quite possibly the most tragic book even written. Robert enjoyed it, but he had to pace himself, reading a few pages at a time to make it more bearable.

In retrospect, it is not the most suitable of jolly Christmas reads. I made it up to Robert by buying him a Mike Gayle book for his fortieth. Turning Forty, if you’re interested.

Do you like receiving books for Christmas? Do you buy them for others? Any favourite books and authors? I’d love to hear.

Liz xx