Unwrapping a book on Christmas Day is a thing of sheer joy. Particularly if it’s one of these…
Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson. £9.99 (hardback)
Shirley Jackson was born 100 years ago today. This new collection of short stories is absolutely frightening. A young lady runs away from home and when she returns a year later her family don’t recognise her and refuse to let her in; a college girl steals treasured goods from her friends; a man is on his way home when he is followed by another man. There are 17 truly fantastic stories in here. A must for any Shirley Jackson fan.
Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple
When Bernadette employs an online personal assistant, little does she know she is actually in regular contact with a member of a Russian mafia who the FBI are after. Written as a collection of emails, transcripts, school reports, Where’d You Go Bernadette is an absolutely hilarious read.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
A fantastic book (particularly for young adults / age 16+). Celie addresses God and writes of her sadness regarding her son and daughter being taken away from her by her father who impregnated her. Then she meets Shug, who offers her the first signs of kindness she has ever known. It will change the way you see the world.
The Poems of Catullus (£8.99) and Catullus’ Bedspread by Daisy Dunn (William Collins) £14.88 (hardback)
Of course I’m including sister Surrey Edit’s books in the list! Interested? Watch the video of Daisy talking about her books and Catullus here. The best book on Catullus will be out in paperback in January! (£9.99)
Also, Daisy will be on the University Challenge Christmas Special, playing for her old college St Hilda’s Oxford with other alumni. It will be aired on BBC 2 Christmas Day 6.45pm.
W.H Auden Selected Poems (Faber and Faber) £14.88
Worried that you don’t have as much time to read as you’d like? Invest in a fantastic poetry book and allow yourself to read a poem or two just before bed.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens £5.99
The wintery tale of Paris and London during the French Revolution. No one tells a story quite like Dickens.
