Give the gift of reading this Christmas

Books make brilliant gifts – for children, foodies, fact fans, thrill seekers and romance lovers.

We’ve visited Waterstones to find a few of the books that would make great reading this Christmas.

1. Best for children

New: The Big Dreaming – Michael Rosen, £12.99

A heartwarming tale from master storyteller Michael Rosen, with gorgeous illustrations by Daniel Egneus. The Cold is coming, and it's time for Big Bear and Little Bear to get ready for their long winter sleep. But Little Bear is worried they won’t have enough dreams to last them till spring, so he sets out on a big adventure to find enough dreams to see them through cold nights ahead.

Classic: The Jolly Christmas Postman – Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg, £12.99

A seasonal favourite and a justified classic that never loses its magic as it invites you to peek inside the jolly postman's special Christmas mailbag

2. Best for foodies

New: 5 Ingredients Mediterranean: Simple Incredible Food – Jamie Oliver, £14

This brilliant cookbook serves up 125 flavour-packed, hassle-free recipes in the latest of Jamie’s hugely popular 5 Ingredients series. There are more than 125 delicious, easy-to-follow recipes, that serve up maximum flavour with minimum fuss. And 65% of the recipes are meat-free or meat-reduced.

Classic: Real Food, Nigel Slater, £20

Filled with recipes you’ll keep coming back to again and again, this invaluable book has gone a long way to create a nation of food lovers. Nigel Slater writes passionately about using good ingredients to create uncomplicated, memorable food you’ll want to eat again and again. This book should be on every cook’s kitchen shelf.

3. Best for fact fans

New: Night Sky Almanac 2024: A Stargazer's Guide, £9.99

You’ll never miss a night sky event with this beautifully presented and essential guide for all budding astronomers, that shares easy-to-understand monthly calendars and maps of the starry canvas overhead.

Classic: Guinness World Records 2024, £11

The best book to give every year! This edition features mind-boggling new and classic records with categories from longest hair to the furthest distance to blow a pea. This year’s edition is themed on the Blue Planet, so you can plunge into facts on shipwrecks, seabeds, and bizarre and deadly sea creatures.

4. Best for crime addicts

New: The Last Devil to Die – Richard Osman, £16.99

The fourth crime caper from Richard Osman sees our favourite geriatric sleuths facing their toughest case yet. It’s Boxing Day, and a dangerous package is smuggled across the English coast. But when it goes missing, the body count starts to rise, and the Thursday Murder Club is faced with a race against the clock and solve the mystery before their luck runs out.

Classic: Classic Christmas Crime Stories - Macmillan Collector's Library, £10.99

Christmas is not always the season of goodwill – it can also be the season of hidden poison bottles and blunt instruments! This collection features classics from the Golden Age of British crime writing, with entertaining festive whodunnits from authors including Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Arthur Conan Doyle.

5. Best for romance lovers

New: The Paris Affair – Anton Du Beke, £16.99

This romantic wartime saga from our favourite Strictly star sees the heroic Raymond de Guise away fighting in North Africa, while his beloved wife Nancy tries to balance her position as Head of Housekeeping at the Buckingham Hotel with life as a new mother. As the war rages on, a charismatic stranger from Raymond's past arrives on Nancy's doorstep, asking for work and bringing dark secrets to the surface.

Classic: Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen, £5.99

Arguably the greatest romance novel of all time, the story of sparring lovers Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy never fails to warm the heart.

6. Best memoirs

New: The Woman In Me – Britney Spears, £12.50

Britney reveals all as she shares her journey to become one of the greatest pop performers in history.

Classic: The Moon’s A Balloon – David Niven, £10.99

The debonair actor’s charming and heartfelt memoir is a glorious, gossipy insight into the golden era of Hollywood, packed with tales featuring legends of the silver screen including Lawrence Oliver, Vivien Leigh, Cary Grant and Elizabeth Taylor.

7 Best for gardeners

New: The Green Gardening Handbook: Grow, Eat and Enjoy, £14.99

Great British Bake Off winner Nancy Birtwhistle has gone on to become a big name in green living, sharing easy, inexpensive ways to care for your home and garden sustainably. This beautifully illustrated guide is packed with eco-friendly advice to help you embrace the joy of growing and eating from your own garden, whether you have sweeping grounds, a modest patch of grass or a windowsill.

Classic: RHS How to Garden When You’re New to Gardening: The Basics for Absolute Beginners, £16.99

A must for any aspiring gardener, this guide is full of clear step-by-step help and advice on how to kickstart your new outdoor hobby. There are lots of simple projects to complete, clear definitions and descriptions, and practical advice on keeping your plants healthy both outdoors and indoors.