Book of the Month: Christmas Special

As it is the season of giving we've decided to recommend not one, not two, but 16 titles that we at Scottish Book Trust think are ideal Christmas gifts. Every member of staff has chosen a book that they think makes a perfect pressie, with a short explanation why. And yes, there really is something for everyone here...

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
A moving and powerful story about Joey, a farm horse who is sold to the army to serve in World War I, War Horse tells of his capture by the German army  and the farmer’s son’s quest to bring him home at the end of the War. It’s a great holiday read for children and adults alike, telling the story of WWI through Joey’s eyes. (Recommended by Jeanette)

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, A Life by Gerald Martin
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, or ‘Gabo’ as he is known, has a strong claim to being the world’s most famous writer. Enlivened by Marquez’s own mischievous sense of fun, the line between absolute truth, fairytale and myth is uncertain. This is slippery territory for a biographer, especially when one’s subject is also formidably reticent on his private life, but Martin deals with it with aplomb. Seventeen years in the making, his ‘officially tolerated’ biography is exemplary in sensitively uncovering the facts of the life.
(Recommended by Marc)

The Complete Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson
I always really struggle to recommend just one book – so many to choose from.  But I have plumped for a book that will offer hours and hours of joy in its first reading and which will be a firm favourite for years to come with anyone who receives it this Christmas.  The Complete Calvin and Hobbes brings all of the comic strips together in a fine, hardback triple-volume set – itself enough to send the pulses of die-hard fans racing. The adventures of six year old Calvin, he of the short attention span and fantastically overdeveloped imagination, and his best friend, the tiger Hobbes are simply one of the best things ever written. Giving someone the opportunity to laugh out loud every time they open a book is a fantastic gift, and with the complete Calvin and Hobbes it is virtually guaranteed!
(Recommended by Philippa)

Ottolenghi: The Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi
If you are lucky, the grateful recipient of the present will make some of the delicious recipes for you...
(Recommended by Sophy)

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
This book is an absolute must for fans of catastrophe thrillers and tells the story of a world crumbling and a population blinded by a freak cosmic event. But there is also a green plant menace stalking the street, and one which seems set to wreak havoc and finish off the survivors. What sets this apart from other survivor books is the way Wyndham portrays his characters, particularly Bill, with such humanity and compassion. Imagery of desolate streets, roaming blind citizens, silent countryside and carnivorous plants will stay with you long after you have finished reading this book.
(Recommended by Chris)

The Princess Bride by William Goldman
What could possibly be better than poison, pirates and a horrific torture device?
(Recommended by Caitrin)

The Black Island by Hergé
This is the book that introduced me to Scotland as a child and is one of my all-time favourites. Everybody in Scotland should have it! Although first published in 1938 in black and white, the colour version – as well as the first English version – came out in 1943. In 1965, the British Publishers asked Hergé for a more up-to-date and modern version and that’s the one we all know. Fortunately, it is now possible to buy the facsimile of the 1943 edition, which together with the 1965 edition makes a great Christmas present for all ages!
(Recommended by Olivier)

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Ever since I finished reading this book I have been fruitlessly searching for another that could keep me so enthralled, captivated and generally desperate to hide in a corner and read forever. My colleague found me crying in the staff room on the day I finished it. If there is a lady in your life (or a sensitive man) who hasn’t read this story you should buy it for her and do it quick before the planned film - which can never possibly live up to this beautiful book’s vivid tale of love - comes out and ruins it forever. If you are still in doubt as to how powerful I found this book, know this: I have struck a friend off my Christmas card list for not returning it to me!
(Recommended by Jo)

Blankets by Craig Thompson
Craig Thompson’s semi-autobiographical tale of childhood and first love is my recommendation for older teenagers and adults. The setting of a snowy Wisconsin winter makes it particularly good for snuggling with while it’s cold outside. The story is honest and poignant and the artwork is absolutely stunning; it’s one of my favourite graphic novels ever.
(Recommended by Celia)

The Little Prince by Antoine Saint-Exupéry
A little gem of a book that says everything about almost everything. Do not be fooled into thinking this is simply a children’s book – I know many an adult who calls this little book their Bible! After a plane crash in a desert, a pilot finds himself learning to see life through the eyes of the little prince he happens to meet… I shall say no more – add this to a Christmas stocking for a perfect holiday read.
"On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." (One cannot see well except with the heart, the essential is invisible to the eyes)
(Recommended by Clare)

Emperor series by Conn Iggulden
From the dark depths of history comes four historical-fiction novels detailing the life and death of Gaius Julius Caesar. Though Iggulden takes some artistic license with history, this is a formidably written account. From Caesar’s tumultuous childhood to his capture by Cilician pirates, through the revolt of Spartacus and his conquest of Gaul and invasion of Briton, to his relationship with Cleopatra, and ultimately to his death at the hands of his life-long friend Brutus, this epic story is brilliantly woven into the tapestry of treacherous, and often highly lethal, Roman politics. Beware the Ides of March (and Christmas puddings)!
(Recommended by Michael)

Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama
A great stocking filler for anyone who like me has developed a bit of Barack Obama obsession during and since the election! Elegantly written memoir of Obama’s search to find out more about his father and his heritage.
(Recommended by Anna)

The Diving-bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
This is only a short book, easy to read in one sitting on a lazy afternoon, but it’s a profoundly moving one, and could even provoke you to change your life. Written letter by letter as Bauby, paralysed but for the use of his left eyelid, blinked in response to the alphabet being read to him over and over, the book is at once deeply sad and hugely inspiring. (Recommended by Paul)

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume One: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson
Not only has this book got the longest title of any young adult book I have come across in recent years (which makes recommending it rather difficult, nobody remembers the whole title), it’s also written in 18th-century Johnsonian Augustan prose which you’d think would makes it pretty inaccessible to most young readers by today’s standards. It might put some off, I admit, but if you give it 5 pages, you’ll be hooked and the experience is incredibly rewarding. Set against the disquiet of Revolutionary Boston, it tells the story of Octavian Nothing, who grows up in very unusual circumstances.
(Recommended by Jasmine)

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
A nice hardback edition of this classic is my present idea, especially for those who have read it so many times that their copy is falling apart (speaking from experience).
(Recommended by Julia)

True Tales of American Life edited by Paul Auster
This is an amazing array of true short stories sent by ordinary Americans to the author Paul Auster. From the dog who uncovers a Klan leader, to the chicken taking a stroll in New York, these stories reveal the emotions and dramas at the heart of all human experience. It makes for great reading and is easy to get in and out of - a brilliant snapshot of America.
(Recommended by Marion)

What would be your choice of the ideal book to give as a Christmas gift? Add your suggestion below.