11:36am Monday 14th December 2009
THERE’S a bumper crop of books to buy friends and relatives this festive season – from cookery and crime to celebrity memoirs and comedy. Here are just a few gift ideas for the loved ones in your life.
FOR HIM
Driven To Distraction by Jeremy Clarkson (Michael Joseph, £20).
MORE humourous rantings from the frontman of Top Gear, who this time focuses on subjects ranging from the prospect of having Terry Wogan as president, to why you’ll never see a woman driving a Lexus.
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Bantam, £18.99)
THOSE who enjoyed the hugely successful mass market thriller The Da Vinci Code won’t be disappointed with Brown’s sequel, which sees resourceful Robert Langdon risking his life to crack a dangerous mystery involving the Freemasons. With reports that one copy has been sold every five seconds, on average, since its September launch, it’s obvious his popularity is not waning.
FOR HER
THE Complete Book Of Sisters by Luisa Dillner (Faber and Faber, £12.99)
A LIGHT-HEARTED look at sisterly love – from famous siblings through the ages, to the rows, rivalries and great friendships of sisterhood. This entertaining collection features sisters ranging from the Brontes to the scrapping Mitfords, the Pankhursts, sisters of Lenin and Hitler, and those of the kings and queens.
Delia’s Happy Christmas by Delia Smith (Ebury, £25)
WHO can resist the festive cheer and mouthwatering menus that the doyenne of home cooking brings?
Planning ahead is the key and Delia arms readers with foolproof turkey and trimmings recipes, delicious puds and even last-minute fast recipes including Gressingham duck breasts with port and bitter orange sauce, caramelised toffee pecan tarts and last-minute brandied Christmas cake. Yum!
FOR TEENAGERS
Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz (Walker, £14.99)
FANS of young super spy Alex Rider will enjoy this latest page-turner in which he is sent to spy on the activities at a GM crop plant. It inevitably leads to trouble as Alex ends up being kidnapped and sent to Africa, where he learns the full horror of the plot, which is to create a major disaster which threatens millions.
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer (Atom, £7.99)
ORIGINALLY published in 2007 but now reissued with a new cover to tie in with the film, this tale of a teenage girl’s love for a beautiful vampire boy should enable new fans to get their teeth stuck into the creme de la creme of this up-and-coming genre.
FOR KIDS
Tollins: Explosive Tales For Children by Conn Iggulden, illustrated by Lizzy Duncan (HarperCollins, £14.99)
IGGULDEN, of The Dangerous Book for Boys fame, has produced this collection of magical stories with bite, introducing us to the Tollins – small, flying creatures (naked to the adult human eye, except for special blue-lens glasses) who try to live inconspicuously in the leafy village of Chorleywood.
That is, until the fireworks factory arrives. Aimed at seven-year-olds and up, the book comes complete with maps of where they live and vivid illustrations of the Tollins in action.
Tabby McTat by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler (Alison Green Books, £10.99)
IF your young child loved The Gruffalo then bag a copy of this duo’s latest offering about a busker’s cat. Donaldson’s rhythmic text carries the reader through this urban fairytale of friendship, singing – and kittens.
Hetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson (Doubleday, £12.99)
IMAGINE Tracy Beaker in Victorian times and you’ll get the gist of this novel, set in the late 1800s, in which the eponymous heroine is abandoned at the harsh Foundling Hospital but is determined to find her real mother.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk