Buy a book for Christmas
If you've got a lot of gifts to buy this Christmas, a trip to the bookshop can often prove a time saver, because there's undoubtedly something for everyone on the shelves.
Pic: Getty
From the latest tell-alls to coffee table treats and mouth-watering cookbooks, we check out some of the bestsellers available this festive season.
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Fiction
If you've a friend or loved one that's always got their head in a book, a good read will never go unappreciated. One of this year's most highly anticipated novels is Mad About the Boy (£9). Bridget Jones is back and pondering the modern dilemmas associated with single motherhood, tweeting, toyboys and middle age.
Crime thriller fans, on the other hand, can sink their teeth into Ian Rankin's latest tome, Saints of the Shadow Bible (£9), where Inspector Rebus is back on the case. Alternatively, Donna Tartt's new novel The Goldfinch (£9) is a more intense affair, in which 13-year-old orphaned Theo Decker is captivated by a painting that draws him deep into an increasingly dangerous criminal underworld.
Autobiography
Christmas is traditionally boom time for autobiographies and this year is no different. Topping Amazon's bestsellers list at the time of writing is Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography (£12). It's already made headlines with its no-holds-barred honesty, and footie fans are almost certainly in for a treat.
Hot on Fergie's heels is TV star David Jason, with his autobiography My Life (£9), which tracks his rise from wartime Eastender to comedy icon. And whether you love him or hate him, there's no doubting Morrissey is one of music's most outspoken frontmen, and that makes his newly released autobiography (£3.85) a must-read for music lovers.
Cookbooks
Cookbooks are a classic seasonal gift, and thanks to celebrity chefs, there are no shortage of new recipes on offer in bookshops. Bake-off silver fox Paul Hollywood will satisfy any sweet-toothed relatives with his Pies & Puds (£9), while there's hearty, high-end grub to be made courtesy of the Hand & Flowers' Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge, with his first book Proper Pub Food (£9.99).
At the other end of the scale, Jamie Oliver is back to help recession-hit cooks' lives easier, with Save with Jamie (£9.99), which aims to help the nation 'shop smart, cook clever and waste less'.
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Kids and coffee table
Kids are well catered for in the bestsellers list ahead of Christmas, with the Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck (£5) currently at number two, and funnyman David Walliams' latest offering, Demon Dentist (£5) climbing the charts at number four. Terry Pratchett, meanwhile, promises another fantastical treat with Raising Steam (£9).
For those that prefer to dip in and out, a coffee table book is the way to go. The 2014 Guinness Book of World Records (£8.99) will undoubtedly amaze, while even more bizarre facts are on offer in Ripley's Believe It or Not (£9), with rubber chickens in space and bees that make blue honey are just a few of the strange but true stories revealed.
*Prices from Amazon as of time of writing
What book are you hoping to find under the tree this Christmas? Leave your comments below...
