10 books which will make ideal gifts this Christmas

Whether your loved one likes cooking or life stories, sagas or romances, there’s a book out there which you can gift them to make them happy on Christmas Day.

Here are 10 which might suit anyone from hobbyists to history buffs, dystopian fans and real life readers.

1. Padella by Tim Siadatan (Bloomsbury, £25)

If you are already tired of the traditional Christmas fare, dip into cook and Padella restaurateur Tim Siadatan’s mouthwatering recipes, inspired by his iconic pasta restaurants. A graduate from the first intake at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen, he has become synonymous with bold Italian cooking, and this one has made the shortlist for Waterstones Book of the Year.

Featuring delicious dishes including pappardelle with beef shin ragu, pici cacio e pepe, tagliarini with crab, chilli, lemon and parsley, and fettuccine with nduja, lemon and mascarpone along with many off-menu favourites, it will make you hungry all over again.

2. Exclusive Deluxe Slipcase Edition of The Rose Field: The Book Of Dust Volume Three by Philip Pullman (£50, only available at Waterstones)

(David Fickling Books/ Penguin Random House UK/PA)

In celebration of the conclusion to His Dark Materials and The Book Of Dust sequence, Philip Pullman fans should be overjoyed to receive this exclusive cloth-bound slipcase edition of The Rose Field: The Book Of Dust Volume Three, a collectable featuring foil embossed covers and original illustrations by long-time Pullman collaborator and illustrator Chris Wormell, reflecting the intricate and fascinating universe of Lyra Silvertongue.

There are two further exclusive editions – one featuring foiled endpapers and a foiled cover design, exclusive to Waterstones, the other incorporating block-sprayed edges and a bespoke case design, available in participating independent bookshops.

3. Ocean by David Attenborough and Colin Butfield (John Murray Press, £28)

Sir David Attenborough needs no introduction but for those who want to take a dive into our oceans, exploring unique saltwater habitats, kelp forests, mangroves and coral reefs to the deepest corners of our most unexplored ecosystems, this book is a must.

With long-term collaborator Colin Butfield, Attenborough shares the story of our last great critical wilderness, uncovering the mystery, wonder and frailty of our ocean, showing its amazing resilience.

4. The Look by Michelle Obama with Meredith Koop (Mitchell Beazley, £35)

Fashionistas will be slipping into something comfortable to browse this beautifully illustrated book which explores Michelle Obama’s style evolution, from when she first entered the public eye during her husband’s US senate campaign, through her time as the first black First Lady.

With insights from Koop, Obama’s trusted stylist, as well as her make-up artist, hairstylists and many of the designers who have dressed her for notable events, the book takes readers behind the scenes to reveal how Obama’s most memorable looks have come together.

5. Sharp Force by Patricia Cornwell (Sphere, £22)

Who doesn’t want to curl up with a nail-biting page-turner over the festive season? The queen of forensics is back with a tale which begins in the early hours of Christmas morning when chief medical examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta receives a call that a serial killer known as The Phantom Slasher has struck again.

His pattern is to stalk with a sophisticated technology that enables him to invade his victims’ homes and watch their every move. They wake up to a ghost-like hologram before being murdered in their beds. Then Scarpetta discovers that she could be the next victim…

6. Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory (HarperCollins, £25)

The brilliant historical author who brought us The Other Boleyn Girl reframes Tudor history once more through the world of Jane Parker, wife of George Boleyn and sister-in-law to Anne Boleyn, whose testimony took two queens to the scaffold for adultery.

This book explores the Boleyn traitor in a story of one woman’s survival in Henry VIII’s court as she navigates power struggles, ambition and danger.

7. Paper Heart by Cecelia Ahern (HarperCollins, £20)

Lose yourself in this poignant, heart-wrenching tale set in rural Ireland from the best-selling author of PS I Love You, in which a young mother who makes sandwiches in a petrol station has tucked away her dreams and is living a much smaller life than she would have wished.

Her only passion, it seems, is origami, until an astronomer comes along to offer her the stars and helps her to see a world which is bigger and more beautiful than she imagined.

8. Coming Home by Freddie Flintoff (Blink Publishing, £22)

You don’t have to be a cricket fan to enjoy this heartfelt memoir by the man who recalls not only key moments in his sporting career, but also the run-ins with the media and the doctors telling him he couldn’t continue to play.

Told in short scenes, he zeroes-in on the crucial instances in his life, some highly celebrated, others less well-known, private, away from the cameras, but pivotal in shaping the man he is.

After retiring, he thought he’d left the game behind, relaunching himself in the world of entertainment, but following the car crash that turned his life upside down, it was cricket to which he returned. It’s honest, open, reflective and funny, like the man himself.

9. Circle Of Days by Ken Follett (Quercus, £25)

More historical mastery from the best-selling author of The Pillars Of The Earth, this time focusing on the building of Stonehenge.

It follows the intertwined lives of Seft, a flint miner, and a visionary priestess named Joia as they unite disparate tribes – herders, farmers, and woodlanders – to construct the enormous stone monument. Follett cleverly pieces together the story of ordinary people doing seemingly impossible things.

10. Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic, £19.99)

If they can tear themselves away from the films, fans of The Hunger Games series could not fail to enjoy this prequel, in which fear grips the districts of Panem on the 50th anniversary of the annual games. It finds Haymitch Abernathy in District 12 trying to make it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When his name is called, his dreams are shattered as he is wrenched from his family and shuttled to the Capitol with three other District 12 tributes – but he’s determined to fight far beyond the deadly arena.

This book, another on the shortlist of Waterstones Book of the Year, is the fastest selling YA title of all time in the UK.