Got a bookworm in the family and wondering what to get them for Christmas, check out these amazing titles and see if there’s the perfect gift for a loved one.
I used to love reading before having the children, and finally after 25 years I feel like I may get to start sitting down and relaxing with a god book, in fact that will be a 2024 New Years Resolution, to read more books!
But there’s not just books for adults, there are some for children and the teens too!
Page-Turning Fiction Books To Consider For Christmas
The Jugglers Box – Clio Gray
A body is found in a Salt Hedge with a crate of purloined books. Ruan Peat is on the case. Hela believes she has the means to achieve Hungarian Independence, if only she can get her hands on it. No one will be allowed to stand in her way.
Greta Finnerty is smuggling a dead English officer through French lines, with urgent news for the Dutch Authorities. Three strands pulling deftly drawn characters together from remote Norwegian mountains, ancient Russian battles, Irish and French Uprisings, until all three strands become one in the exciting historical adventure that is The Juggler’s Box.
Find out more about the book HERE
The Turning Point – W.J. Blackwood
A story of a rebellion against the fashionable mores of our time. A young American is stranded in Scotland without any idea of how it has happened. She fights to discover the hidden forces which were attempting her abduction.
She is the victim of a shadowy organisation who has a hand in most governments across the world and is completely amoral about the methods they use to achieve their goals – including people trafficking. Her trafficker betrays the organisation due to a hopeless juvenile infatuation with her and pays with his life.
She lands among a group of isolated people whose fight against the threatening lunacy of the times is essentially a fight again the same people who have attempted to abduct her. She is then the subject of a serious and genuine affection which she only at length returns.
Her new companion, and an eccentric retired policeman, have been forced to recognise what is going on in the world by what has happened to her. Accompanied by her two new companions, the trio takes the fight to California to try to discover the nature of who has done this to her. There they meet up with other rebels and they achieve some success in fighting the organisation.
Their progress becomes increasingly violent as their enemy in turn reacts with fury and overplays its hand. It then ruthlessly turns on its own to cover its tracks and retreats to obscurity. But only to await its next opportunity.
Find out more about the book HERE
Artificial Wisdom – Thomas R. Weaver
It’s 2050, a decade after a heatwave that killed four hundred million across the Persian Gulf, including journalist Marcus Tully’s wife. Now he must uncover the truth: was the disaster natural? Or is the weather now a weapon of genocide?
A whistleblower pulls Tully into a murder investigation at the centre of an election battle for a global dictator, with a mandate to prevent a climate apocalypse. While a former US President campaigns against the first AI politician, is someone trying to tip the balance?
Tully must convince the world to face the truth and make hard choices about the fate of the species. But will humanity choose salvation over freedom, whatever the cost?
Find out more about the book HERE
Bright Midnights – LS Delorme
Amelie has always been different. Most high school students find life challenging, but 17-year old Amelie has a lot more to contend with than typical teenage angst. Ever since she turned 11, other people have been irresistibly drawn to her—with tragic consequences.
Her only escape is at night when she flies to different times and places through her dreams. Her life begins to change when, on one of her flights, she meets Clovis an alluring and mysterious young man who hides a secret.
As Amelie finds herself irresistibly drawn to him, she learns his story and how it intertwines with her own, and finally discovers how to live her life in the real world. Until her own secrets are revealed to the wrong people and that world turns upside down.
Bright Midnights is the second in the Limerent Series and continues in the thought-provoking and beautiful style of the first as it considers different dimensions, different ways of looking at the world, and the transcendent power of love.
Find out more about the book HERE
The Push Over – Daney Parker
As reporter Grace investigates the killing of a cyclist, memories of another murder begin to possess her – the murder she committed…Trying to comes to terms with the crime she believes she has got away with, Grace starts writing her confession.
In this twisty-turny domestic thriller, we find out the reasons for the crime of passion that took place on Grace’s wedding day. How each one of four possible victims pushed Grace to her limits, before she pushes one of them to his (or is it “her”?) death from the luxury cruiser where the wedding reception is being held.
Meanwhile, in the peaceful Surrey town where Grace works as a newspaper reporter, there are some strange goings on. Cats go missing, a cyclist dies, and it looks like these events could be connected to an old lady who befriends Grace, called Iris. Could there be two murderesses living within a few streets of each other?
Find out more about the book HERE
The Orpheus Project – A Novel – Valerie Sinason
A shocking tale of sexual abuse, privilege and trauma. It is Christmas Eve and a young woman with Down’s syndrome has just disclosed abuse by two men.
The problem is she is a member of the British aristocracy and the men she accuses are a top ranking politician and a rockstar. This is the world of conspiracy theories.
The Orpheus Project and the secret society that surrounds it seek to offer its members immortality through purposefully installed dissociative disorders. How does a national health team struggle with the situation of alleged abuse by the elite and superrich?
At the core of this powerful novel is the story of a mother and daughter who find a way of reuniting and the revealing of the long-term consequences of childhood trauma.
Find out more about the book HERE
Sarah Needs Saving – DCR Bond
A perfect marriage
Ambitious, attractive and super organised Sarah marries into the wealthy, pretentious Fetherston family. Striving for acceptance by her snooty in-laws and new “friends” she juggles multiple roles: mother; carer;
mopping up after her absent-minded husband; dogsbody for charity committees.
A shocking secret
Sarah discovers a shocking secret – closer to her idyllic Devon home than she could have imagined- she is persuaded to keep quiet for the sake of the family. But this silence quickly backfires, ensnaring her in the grip of an unscrupulous con man and her neatly ordered life starts to topple.
A lonely fight
Unable to confide in anyone will Sarah’s wit be enough to save her liberty, her marriage, and ultimately her daughter’s life?
Find out more about the book HERE
Emily’s Algarve Escape – DCR Bond
Abandoning her glamorous life in London’s Knightsbridge for the breathtaking Algarve, desperate Emily seeks a new life of luxury, sun-drenched days and, most needed of all, her financial freedom.
But, with family in tow, this isn’t a simple relocation… Tensions mount, boundaries are tested, shortcomings confronted, and priorities re-evaluated as the Ellis’s stumble into unexpected roles, discover hidden talents and try to reconcile the fact that their previous way of life has all but ended.
Can Emily prevent catastrophe as she navigates a new culture, language and work-life balance? Will blood ties hold as nerves fray?
Find out more about the book HERE
Mary and Her Seven Devils – Peter Morris
Mary – a bright but slightly frivolous teenager – is wooed by sweet-sounding sirens; the lure of sexual psychopathy with its compulsive quick sands, the trendy student philanthropies, the fake Eden’s of the devious egalitarian social worker.
Her courage and strength of character are the antidote and the solution to these charlatans and other false flags. They enable her to avoid what Kierkegaard calls, ‘The greatest despair of not knowing who you are.’
She evolves into a sound-minded young woman, who also by her love for a poor and lonely fellow student, not only saves him but also deepens her own spirit.
Find out more about the book HERE
Self-help, mind-body-spirit, health, and personal development books
The LDN Book 3 – Linda Elsegood
Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) holds the potential to help millions of people suffering from various autoimmune diseases and cancers. It has been used to help those with autism, chronic fatigue, and depression find relief, and latest research points to its potential for long covid, mold toxicity, even longevity.
Administered off-label in small daily doses (0.5 to 4.5 mg), this generic drug is extremely affordable and presents few known side effects. So why has it languished in relative medical obscurity?
Find out more about the potential of LDN from leading international medical professionals in this updated, third book, edited by Linda Elsegood, founder of The LDN Trust
Find out more about the book HERE
People In Their Element – Yvonne Guerineau
If you have ever wondered why relationships are the hardest part of your leadership role and wished that you knew how to create more positive working relationships, then you are NOT alone.
Relationships are fundamental to being human and to life in general and when it’s going badly it can feel like you are tiptoeing in your socks through a room full of pins, terrified of putting a foot wrong.
This book will help you to:
•Understand your mindset around relationships,
•Learn how the past is affecting your current interactions,
•Identify communication traps people fall into and the impact that it is having,
•Ask yourself powerful questions to improve interactions,
•Set yourself on the path to putting people in their element at work.
This book is for you if you are ready to change your perspective and embark on a dynamic journey of discovery to master the subtle art and ever-evolving science of positive relationship building.
People In Their Element is both thought-provoking and practical, packed with examples, useful tips and exercises to try out on your own or with your team.
Find out more about the book HERE
The Secrets of Life Quartet – SS O’Connor
The Secrets of Life series is written for everyone who, frankly, needs a spot of cheering up, and will provide conversation starters for years after reading! O’Connor’s easy-going, conversational style brings an outsider’s questioning eye to the great forces behind life.
The first book in the four-part series contends that if we set received wisdom to one side and really dig into the facts, there are actually very few ‘secrets’ in life.
The second book in the four-part series debates the steps that led to us being so completely different to anything that had ever appeared before.
The third in the four-part series explains how game theory developed, and why it came to show us not only how humans arrive at their decisions, but why so much of the apparently bizarre behaviour of the natural world has the same mathematical logic to it.
The final in the four-part series shows what the theories, research and science all add up to. It examines the evidence that illustrates how wrong most people in thinking the world is descending into darkness and chaos and shows instead that it’s actually improving at an astonishing rate.
Brilliant ideas for memoir and ‘real-life’ readers
Mirror, Mirror: Facing the hard truth for ‘Dementia Care’ and sufferers and their families in the UK – David Allott
David and Margaret’s story is, sadly, not unique. Margaret was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. This is the real-life story of the husband and wife’s journey to seek support and care.
David shares their experience of dementia “care” so that anyone caring for – or living with – dementia can learn from what happened to them, and hopefully avoid the many obstacles, challenges, and pitfalls that they had to overcome.
One in every 14 people aged 65+ have dementia, that’s around 900,000 people, and the numbers are increasing rapidly every year.
This book is an invaluable resource for anyone embarking on the journey to seek care and support for their loved one once symptoms of dementia set in. From getting a diagnosis to getting the right kind of support for them – and you – written with raw passion and from the heart, Mirror, Mirror is dedicated to the memory of Margaret. And to help every other person feeling lost right now.
Find out more about the book HERE
Making A Difference – Pamela Walker
Making a Difference is a book which aims to help bring about positive change within communities in England and Wales. It is distinctive in being a practical ‘How To’ guide rather than a ‘Why Should’ argument.
It provides a practical step-by-step guide for anyone who wants to set up a project or introduce a service that would benefit a significant number of vulnerable or excluded people, at any age, within their local communities, and which is sustainable for a long period of time.
The author draws on many years of experience within the charity sector to guide the reader through the process, explaining each stage clearly and precisely. The reader will be able to identify and develop key information about their project – why it’s necessary, what it will involve and how to approach it, what challenges might be encountered and how to avoid and overcome them.
An example of a project, which runs through the whole book, enables the reader to see how each stage might apply to a real-life scenario. Packed with reassurance and useful insights into the workings of the Third Sector, this is an indispensable guide to making the world a better place.
Find out more about the book HERE
Paradise Erased – Miguel Angel Monzon
Chronicle of an Exile Before the arrival of the notorious drug cartels, the Colombian coastal town of Santa Marta was an idyllic place blessed with natural wonders, a choice destination for cruise ships and steamboats loaded with visitors and adventurers from all over the Caribbean.
This was the environment in which Miguel angel had aspired to grow up until a case of police brutality and the murder of a young British backpacker he had befriended causes the fabric of his world to unravel.
In the midst of violent persecution enabled by rogue mechanisms of state, a single mother moves heaven and earth in a constant attempt to shield her son from the horrors of being on the run, her search for truth and justice leading to a perilous confrontation with the Establishment – with disastrous repercussions for the future of a nation. PARADISE ERASED is their story.
Find out more about the book HERE
Beautiful non-fiction books
Eltham Lodge – John H. Bunney
In Eltham Lodge: Where Perfection meets Convenience, John Bunney has delved into archives and libraries to unearth fascinating details of the building’s owners and occupants, its architectural history and the evolution of its magnificent parkland setting.
Club members, golf enthusiasts and anyone interested in the rich history of the Eltham area will find much to enjoy in the author’s meticulous research.
The book is lavishly and beautifully illustrated with original photographs, historic paintings, archival maps and architectural drawings to create a complete visual record of Eltham Lodge, from its commission by wealthy merchant Sir John Shaw in 1663 to its current incarnation as an enviable clubhouse.
The author has brought together missing pieces of the jigsaw, from portraits of previous owners now in far-off collections to fragments of exquisite hand-painted wallpaper preserved by the V&A Museum.
Find out more about the book HERE
Cool Books for Kids
Have you Seen the New Forest Unicorn? – Carole Smith (illustrated by Alexandra Wilson)
You may be lucky enough to see the Unicorn, it may be hiding behind the Gorse by the Stone Water Trough at Wootton.
Maybe Willow was right… it may go to Setley Pond for a drink!
It could even be visiting the Trolls that live under Wootton Bridge.
Perhaps the Unicorn did visit Hincheslea, and saw the Hot Air Balloon?
And on a walk at Wilverley Plain or Longslade, you may be lucky enough to see the New Forest ponies grazing or playing: Drummer, Merlin, Peewee, Riley, Willow and Juliet.
If you go to the Deer Sanctuary at Bolderwood or to Pipers Wait you may even see The Monarch.
But on a dark clear night if you look up, the Unicorn may appear among the stars in the sky over The New Forest.
Drummer, Merlin, Peewee, Riley, Juliet and Willow will keep looking, will you join them?
Find out more about the book HERE
The Legend of Childer’s Forest (Crazy Cream Adventures) by Gillian Young
Poppy the golden retriever returns with her younger sister, Devon, in another crazy cream adventure.
When a family of rabbits are driven from their home, Poppy and Devon make it their mission to help.
Their quest takes them to Childer’s Forest, the site of ancient and mysterious events.
But when the safety of their human brother, Jack, is also threatened, Poppy and Devon call on the famous Legend of Childer’s Forest for help.
Find out more about the book HERE
Fab Books For Young Adults
Only For The Holidays – Abiola Bello
City girl Tia Solanké is dreading the festive period. She’s on a break with her boyfriend and the last thing she wants to do is spend Christmas away from London. Arriving at Saiyan Hedge Farm, Tia takes an instant disliking to it. She falls in horse manure, is chased by sheep and the Wi-Fi sucks. How is she meant to stalk her ex now and concoct a fool-proof plan to win him back?
Country boy Quincy Parker and his family run the farm, and this year they’ve been selected to host the biggest event in the town’s calendar – the Winter Ball. Preparations are underway, and Quincy is working around the clock to make it a success. The only problem is, he’s told everyone he has a date to the ball, when in reality that couldn’t be further from the truth.
At first, Tia and Quincy don’t see eye to eye, until they realise they both have something to gain by pretending to be a couple. But when a snowstorm threatens to cancel the Winter Ball, their fake relationship is put to the test. Will Tia and Quincy be able to keep up the pretence and save the day, or will real feelings get in the way?
Find out more about the book HERE
Love In Winter Wonderland – Abiola Bello
Trey Anderson is popular and handsome, and he works at his family’s beloved Black-owned bookshop, Wonderland. Ariel Spencer is quirky, creative, and in need of a holiday temp job to cover her tuition for The Artists’ Studio.
An opening at Wonderland is the answer . . . and the start of a hate-to-love journey for Trey and Ariel.
When Trey and Ariel learn that Wonderland is on the brink of shutting down, can they get over their differences and team up to stop the doors from closing before the deadline?
Find out more about the book HERE
Becky Bexley Series – The Child Genius – Diana Holbourn
Book 1 – Trying to Make the World a Better Place
Even from the moment she was born, it was clear that Becky Bexley was not like other children. Her family were shocked by her behaviour!
Just a few years later, and she’s in secondary school, often seeming wiser than her teachers.
She does her best to help people, whether they like it or not. She has advice for her teachers when they want to give up smoking, gives a boy advice he uses to stop himself being teased, and even gives the headmaster some advice on improving the school’s anti-bullying strategy.
Book 2 – Good and Bad Times At University
Becky Bexley the child genius goes to university at a much younger age than most people do. She copes with the coursework but has a few unexpected difficulties.
Things begin well, as she makes friends she has fun with, and finds herself giving one of her psychology tutors some psychological help. She has a laugh working on a local community radio station with other students and interviews the brother of a founder member of the pop group Fleetwood Mac.
Book 3 – Student Fun and a Mammoth Decision
Child genius Becky Bexley entices a group of her fellow university students to play a rowdy game in class for fun one day that has worried tutors coming to investigate what’s going on.
On another day, she and a group of other students have a long discussion where they talk about such things as world leaders taking foolish risks, false rumours, and interviews with transsexuals, and tell stories about scams and broken friendships.
Book 4 – Comedy, Alcohol, Trauma and Games
Child genius Becky Bexley helps to organise a lot of fun at university, some for charity. She turns out to have a talent for stand-up comedy.
Alcohol comes up for discussion one day as students talk about embarrassing things they did while drunk and the harmful effects of alcohol on the body.
Becky helps a girl overcome post-traumatic stress disorder, and a little boy with an anxiety problem that’s blighting his life.
Becky’s advice is based on genuine therapy techniques and psychological research, and the books in this series combine humour with handy information.
Ten Steps To Us – Attiya Khan
What if you met the boy of your dreams but loving him was forbidden? Aisha Rashid is used to being invisible or bullied and overshadowed by best friend Isabelle.
So no one is more surprised than her when Darren Brady, the hot new boy in school, takes an interest in her and not Isabelle. But Aisha is a devout hijab-wearing Muslim and Darren is off limits.
Does she follow her heart even if it means losing her own identity? And is Darren really all that he seems?
If only there was a way she could keep the boy and her faith. Maybe there is a way? All it takes are ten steps…
Find out more about the book HERE