Looking for an unputdownable present? One that unlocks great adventures and inspires grand passions; that intrigues and enchants in equal measure? Brilliant books do all this and more. Shop our library of good reads and gift literary treats to treasure. 

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When Lea Ypi discovers a photo of her grandmother, Leman, honeymooning in the Alps in 1941 posted by a stranger on social media, she is faced with unsettling questions. Growing up, she was told records of her grandmother’s youth were destroyed in the early days of communism in Albania. But there Leman was with her husband, Asllan Ypi: glamorous newlyweds while World War II raged.

Lea Ypi

Hu Anyan has held nineteen different jobs since he graduated. He’s been a convenience store clerk, a bicycle salesman, a security guard and a delivery driver (among many other things). Every time the work gets punishing or the bosses too bossy, he moves on, from city to city, carrying with him nothing but his copies of Chekhov and Carver. This is his story.

Hu Anyan

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In Homework, Geoff Dyer reflects on his childhood and what it means to come of age in England in the 60s and 70s, in a country shaped by the aftermath of the Second World War but accelerating towards change.

Geoff Dyer

Collected for the first time into one volume, these inimitable diaries show Garner like never before: as a fledging author in bohemian Melbourne, publishing her lightning-rod debut novel while raising a young daughter in the 1970s; in the throes of an all-consuming love affair in the 1980s; and clinging to a disintegrating marriage in the 1990s.

Helen Garner

Jung Chang’s Wild Swans was a book that defined a generation – the story of ‘three daughters of China’: Jung, her mother and her grandmother and their lives during a century of revolution. Fly, Wild Swans is, quite simply, what happened next.

Jung Chang

‘Absolute heaven.’ Jilly Cooper A hilarious and heartfelt year following one woman and her puppy – from chaos and tears to healing and new beginnings. It’s a love story, but not as you know it.

Sophia Money-Coutts

On October 7th, 2023, Hamas terrorists stormed Kibbutz Be’eri, shattering the peaceful life Eli Sharabi had built with his British wife, Lianne, and their teenage daughters, Noiya and Yahel. Dragged barefoot out of his front door while his family watched in horror, Sharabi was plunged into the suffocating darkness of Gaza’s tunnels, where he endured 491 days in captivity. As war raged above him, Sharabi held onto the hope that he would be reunited with his loved ones.

Eli Sharabi

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Raised by scientifically minded parents, Atwood spent most of each year in the wild forest of northern Quebec: a vast playground for her entomologist father and independent, resourceful mother. It was an unfettered and nomadic childhood, sometimes isolated but also thrilling and beautiful.

Margaret Atwood

The bestselling debut from psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz, The Examined Life, was about learning to live; his much-anticipated new book is about learning to love. Grosz reveals how to navigate the obstacles – the jealousies, grievances, boredom and betrayals – which can get in the way of two people falling, and staying, in love.

Stephen Grosz

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Rediscover the brilliance of Fenny in the Mermaid Collection – timeless classics by pioneering female authors, beautifully reissued to enchant today’s readers. A richly evocative coming-of-age novel, Fenny follows a young English governess who falls deeply in love with Tuscany in 1933, even as she faces the pain of unrequited love and the shadows of political unrest.

Lettice Cooper

When she first meets Adam, Coralie is new to London and feeling adrift. But Adam is clever, witty, and (he insists) a quarter of an inch taller than the average British male. His charming four-year-old daughter, Zora, only adds to his appeal.

Jessica Stanley

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'Reads like a feminist War and Peace. A magnificent novel' SUNDAY TIMES ‘A complex, multi-layered beauty of a book.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

'You knew I'd write a book about you someday' Our narrator understands good love stories - their secrets, their highs and free falls. But her greatest love story, the one she lived, never followed the rules. She was in her senior year of college when star students Sam and Yash swept her into an intoxicating world of academic fervour, rapid-fire banter and raucous card games. Their lives became quickly intertwined - with friendship but also with unpredictable passions and the intimations of first love.

Lily King

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In Winter Stories, we meet a teenager on the run from social services with her younger half-sister and half-brother in tow, a young single mother struggling to provide adequately for her daughter, and an ex-convict striving to overcome personal shortcomings and build a relationship with his son. We watch these characters stumble, fall and climb to their feet again, even though the deck inevitably seems to be stacked against them.

Ingvild Rishøi

'Tomorrow - if morning comes, if the storm stops raging - Cora will register the name of her son. Or perhaps, and this is her real concern, she'll formalise who he will become.'

Florence Knapp

Thomas lives a slow, deliberate life with his mother in Longferry, working his grandpa’s trade as a shanker. He rises early to take his horse and cart to the grey, gloomy beach to scrape for shrimp; spending the rest of the day selling his wares, trying to wash away the salt and scum, pining for Joan Wyeth down the street and rehearsing songs on his guitar. At heart, he is a folk musician, but it remains a private dream.

Benjamin Wood

Cece is in love. She has arrived early at her in-laws' beautiful lake house in Salish, Montana, to finish planning her wedding to Charlie, a cardiac anaesthesiologist with a brilliant future.

Eric Puchner

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A landmark of Japanese historical fiction, Ikenami's enthralling crime caper novel sends a freshly created samurai, his father and a formidable female warrior into the Edo underworld to uncover a deadly conspiracy.

Shotaro Ikenami

The Pink Labyrinth is one of the bomb-scarred city's most shady neighbourhoods. There, in the dead of night a patrolling policeman catches a young Buddhist monk digging in the back yard of The Black Cat Cafe, a notorious brothel. In the shallow grave at his feet lie the dead body of a woman, her face disfigured beyond recognition, and the corpse of a black cat.

Seishi Yokomizo

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From the devious mind of New York Times bestselling author Joël Dicker - master of the plot twist - comes this gripping domestic thriller that transforms into an ambitious heist mystery involving a famed Geneva jewelry boutique.

Joel Dicker

Not every house is a home... Belinda Bainbridge has spent her life in the shadow of her anxious mother, so when her father-in-law dies at The Bridge, his remote ancestral seat, she is secretly thrilled. His death means she, her husband Wilfred and their children can relocate and finally begin to create their own happy home together: born a merchant’s daughter, she will now be lady of the manor.

Laura Purcell

An alarm sounds in the middle of the night for a burglary in progress at a winter-closed campsite in Bredäng, outside Stockholm. The police spot a light in one of the farthest caravans and when the officers open the door they are greeted by a horrific sight. Floors, walls and furniture are completely covered in blood. A man has been killed with an axe and brutally dismembered.

Lars Kepler

Old spies grow ridiculous, River. Old spies aren't much better than clowns. Or so David Cartwright used to say, but he forgot to add they can be dangerous too, especially if they've fallen on hard times - as Diana Taverner learns when the past lands on her desk. An operation carried out during the height of the Troubles laid bare the ugly side of state security, and those involved are threatening to expose details. But every threat hides an opportunity, and the would-be blackmailer is soon being used as Taverner's solution to a much newer problem.

Mick Herron

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THE THRILLING THIRD BOOK IN THE HILDUR SERIES As Christmas comes to the west cost of Iceland, a corpse is found in a fish farming pond. Detective Hildur Rúnarsdóttir and trainee Jakob Johanson barely have time to start their investigation before another body is discovered. And soon a third.

Satu Rämö

Gabriel Dax, travel writer and accidental spy, is back in the shadows. Unable to resist the allure of his MI6 handler, Faith Green, he has returned to a life of secrets and subterfuge. Dax is sent to Guatemala under the guise of covering a tinderbox presidential election, where the ruthless decisions of the Mafia provoke pitch-black warfare in collusion with the CIA.

William Boyd

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Wes Anderson is a true icon of contemporary cinema. His films are consistent cult favourites, starring a cast of top actors and have made indie films popular again.

Clarisse Loughrey

Publisher: Redstone Press Number of pages: 160 Dimensions: 245 x 167 mm

Julian Rothenstein

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In her later years, Jane Austen made a patch­work quilt. She folded thousands of tiny scraps of fabric over diamond-shaped slips of paper and painstakingly stitched them together. Kate Evans employs these slivers of cloth to illustrate Jane Austen's life story. Evans teases apart the threads that connect Austen's beloved novels, the events of her life, and the fabric of society in Regency England.

Kate Evans

The life-affirming follow up to mega-selling former Waterstones Book of the Year The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, Mackesy's exquisitely illustrated volume finds our four friends navigating both literal and metaphorical dark clouds.

Charlie Mackesy

Outrageous, passionate and glamourous - a stunning graphic biography of the six sisters who blazed their way through the 20th century, beguiling their peers, the press and then the rest of the world

Mimi Pond

The Courtauld gallery is home to one of the greatest art collections in the UK, located in the magnificent historical setting of Somerset House. Its much-loved collection of masterpieces ranges from the Middle Ages to the Twentieth century. Featuring over 30 treasured and important works from across the collection by British and international artists such as Paul Cézanne, Raoul Dufy, Roger Eliot Fry, Georges Seurat, Mary Cassatt, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Berthe Morisot and many more, this week-to-view desk diary is a stunning gift or a treat for yourself. Printed on FSC-certified paper.

The Courtauld 2026 Desk Diary Planner

A beautiful and inspirational celebration of creativity by the dynamic and popular artist Mark Hearld. This beautiful book throws open the doors to the wonderfully vibrant and energetic world of Mark Hearld. He is a highly versatile artist, using a wide range of media and design projects to explore his love of nature, his interest in English popular art and his belief in the importance of living life visually. Hearld’s exuberance, the endless inspiration he finds in the natural world, and his unbridled passion for making are evident on every page.

Mark Hearld

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In his debut book, Ben Lippett distils his years of experience as a professional chef in restaurants all over the world to reveal the hows and whys behind everything we do when preparing food. Through over 100 recipes you’ll learn skills and techniques that can be applied to any recipe, enabling you to chop, fold, sauté and whisk your way through this book and gain confidence and competence in the kitchen.

Ben Lippett

In the hands of Rogers and Ruscha, the humble lemon is transformed into the ultimate kitchen hero. Packed with fifty inventive recipes, the book casts the lemon as the star of sweet and savory dishes alike. Whether you are whipping up a creamy risotto al limone, baking a showstopping lemon tart, or brightening a salad with a burst of citrus, Rogers s signature style makes every recipe, from appetizers to mains, approachable and unforgettable. Elevating this journey is the singular artistry of Ed Ruscha, whose images, created specifically for this project, transform this book into a visual delight. Ruscha s style is both visually accessible and intellectually layered and invites viewers to appreciate the beauty in the very ordinary and mundane. Known for documenting a single subject in intensive detail, a Ruscha book is an instant collectible.

Hardback book by Ruth Rogers and Ed Ruscha

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Based on the hugely popular blog, magazine, and Instagram account of the same name, The Bible of British Taste explores the meaning of traditional British style. Rejecting the pristine and predictable in favour of the lived-in and characterful, this is an aesthetic created from art, antiques, the reused, found and hand-made and the layers of history laid down by generations of home makers.

Ruth Guilding

The legendary Schumacher design house presents a masterclass on one of the world’s most iconic interiors motifs Celebrating the versatile power of stripes in all their myriad variations, Everybody Loves Stripes offers a treasure trove of ideas for incorporating the dynamic pattern into your home.

Alexandra Morris Flint and Emma Bazilian

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'Quintessentially indispensable … brimming with generosity and love of life. I want to share this book with everyone I love and those I don’t … in the conviction that Home will make them NICER by association' Juliet Nicolson 'India's voice is one of irrepressible joy, guiding you through making your home a reflection of yourself - a testament to your own personality, rather than what’s ‘in’ on social media ... a must-buy for anyone looking to bring more joy into their homes’ Rukmini Iyer In this book inspired by her phenomenally popular Substack newsletter, India Knight explores the essence of what makes a home, debunking intimidating ideas about ‘taste’ and trends, offering practical and reassuring advice for every room, and above all celebrating the joy and comfort that comes from being surrounded by things you love.

Hardback book by India Knight

Buy this book and get some stones. Josh Donald, author of Sharp & founder of Bernal Cutlery. The practical guide to knife sharpening you never knew you needed. Blunt kitchen knives, scissors and garden tools.

Gareth Heaton

Purdy Rubin and Charlotte Figg were just like us - fed up with all those plastic spray bottles full of harsh chemicals under the kitchen sink, most of which were never used. So together they embarked on a mission to find a better solution. The result? Purdy & Figg, the UK's fastest-growing natural cleaning brand.

Purdy Rubin and Charlotte Figg

A collection of over 90 rule-breaking recipes of unpretentious cooking for everyone from the well-seasoned cook to the kitchen-shy greedy-guts.

George Egg

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'When it snows, I am a child again. I must go out for a crunching, snowy walk, and experience the landscape transformed. It is a cliché to call it Narnia, but when the snow falls thickly it does bring dramatic change that makes our familiar village feel like a new place, a place unknown. Hare, rabbit and bird tracks become visible in the lanes and fields. The world is quiet and still. Birds no longer sing, except for the robin; the robin song becomes voluminous. This small bird puffs up his red breast, the song notes tumble into the frosty air.'

Angela Harding

In this beautiful and practical guide, Martha Swales makes it easier than ever before to start growing your own slice of nature with her collection of fool-proof projects.

Martha Swales

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The story of craft is the story of who we are. Britain has always been a craft land. For generations what we made with our hands defined our families, communities and regions. Craftland brings to life the vanishing skills, traditions and trades that shaped the fabric and governed the rhythms of everyday life in Britain for hundreds of years.

James Fox

Close to Adam Nicolson’s home in Sussex, there is a forgotten field overrun by bracken and thicketed by brambles. It is the haunt of deer and many birds – nightingales, the occasional cuckoo, ravens, robins, owls and in summer the sweet-singing warblers that come north from Africa to breed in English woods.

Adam Nicolso

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At its heart is a single, transformative idea: that rivers are not mere matter for human use, but living beings – who should be recognized as such in both imagination and law. Is a River Alive? takes the reader on an exhilarating exploration of the past, present and futures of this ancient, urgent concept.

Robert Macfarlane

Paul Lamb is a hedgelayer. From the end of summer until the birds nest in the spring, he maintains the ancient boundaries of the British countryside. He lives in his wagon, as many itinerant farm workers used to, and travels the south-west corner of England, restoring an important but often forgotten part of our country.

Paul Lamb

In The Golden Mole, Katherine Rundell, the award-winning author of Super-Infinite and Impossible Creatures, takes us on a globe-spanning tour of the world's strangest and most awe-inspiring animals, including pangolins, wombats, lemurs and seahorses. But each of these animals is endangered. And so, this most passionately persuasive and sharply funny book is also an urgent, inspiring clarion call: to treasure and act - to save nature's vanishing wonders, before it is too late.

Katherine Rundell

Hearing, touch, smell are privileged over vision. It is after dark that we humans become more sensitive to nature, more ‘animal’. But the lights of the modern world are obliterating any meaningful connection to the night. We have lost touch with its wonders as well as its terrors.

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