Listmania!
Some gift ideas for Xmas 2009
Simon's CatSimon's Cat by Simon Tofield
Buy new: £5.20 / Used from: £6.65
Charming word-of-mouth picture book. A must for cat lovers everywhere.
Wolf HallWolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Buy new: £7.60 / Used from: £8.53
A welcome antidote to Philippa Gregory's bodice rippers; Mantel's Tudor England is a more vivid place altogether.
The Girl with the Dragon TattooThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Buy new: £3.95 / Used from: £3.16
Sassy Scandinavian crime novel with a social message. Better than its prequel.
The Einstein GirlThe Einstein Girl by Philip Sington
Buy new: £8.94 / Used from: £2.94
Dark, thought-provoking and powerful mystery about an Einstein family secret. Beautifully done.
The Hell of It AllThe Hell of It All by Charlie Brooker
Buy new: £5.20 / Used from: £5.07
Booker's sardonic view of the modern mass media. He's got a point, though. Lots of them, in fact.
Guinness World Records 2010Guinness World Records 2010
Buy new: £8.99 / Used from: £4.00
The default present for any under-21 male you aren't in touch with much.
The White TigerThe White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £0.11
The lively but improbably confession of a Bombay murderer with ambitions to rise.
The Angel's GameThe Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Buy new: £9.49 / Used from: £3.91
More gothic shenanigans from the auther of The Shadow of the Wind. Doesn't take itself too seriously, and falls a bit flat when it does.
The History of LoveThe History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Buy new: £6.49 / Used from: £0.01
Charming tale, wittily told in a New York/magic realism kind-of-way.
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
Buy new: £7.49 / Used from: £6.10
Latest, last and longest in this hugely successful romantic/vampirical saga. We live in strange times, is all I can say.
The Boy in the Striped PyjamasThe Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
Buy new: £4.23 / Used from: £0.89
Spare but affecting story a child growing up with the Holocaust on his doorstep.
The Luminous Life of Lilly AphroditeThe Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite by Beatrice Colin
Buy new: £4.76 / Used from: £0.05
Lively if slightly over-long yarn of movie-makers in Weimar Germany. A rich period piece.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' NestThe Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson
Buy new: £9.49 / Used from: £10.00
Last in this gritty Swedish crime trilogy, fuelled by genuine indignation at corruption in high places.
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: or the Murder at Road Hill HouseThe Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: or the Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale
Buy new: £4.30 / Used from: £0.01
Don't read this as a whodunnit. It's an intelligent and revealing look at Victorian society, revealed through the prism of a seminal murder investigation.
Suite FrancaiseSuite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
Buy new: £4.76 / Used from: £0.01
Astute, tragic unfinished novel.
HypothermiaHypothermia by Arnaldur Indridason
Buy new: £5.14 / Used from: £3.00
Chilly Icelandic murder mystery. Strong on atmosphere.
The Making of Modern Britain: From Queen Victoria to V.E. Day: 1The Making of Modern Britain: From Queen Victoria to V.E. Day: 1 by Andrew Marr
Buy new: £8.75 / Used from: £8.30
Controversial but readable account of Britain's recent history.
Tickling the EnglishTickling the English by Dara O Briain
Buy new: £8.54 / Used from: £6.50
Intelligent and humorous take on the English - and not too hostile either!
The Shadow Of The WindThe Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Buy new: £3.99 / Used from: £0.01
Convoluted gothic mystery redeemed by humour and occasional panache. But no masterpiece.
LustrumLustrum by Robert Harris
Buy new: £9.46 / Used from: £10.63
Blood, conspiracy and power struggles in Ancient Rome. Like Tony and Gordon without the togas.
The RoadThe Road by Cormac McCarthy
Buy new: £2.99 / Used from: £2.50
Miserable subject; oddly uplifting story. Not too long either, which makes a pleasant change.
The Children's BookThe Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
Buy new: £9.48 / Used from: £9.00
Top class historical saga about children's writing 100 years ago.
Me Cheeta: The AutobiographyMe Cheeta: The Autobiography by James Lever
Buy new: £4.69 / Used from: £2.58
Rollicking showbiz 'memoire' about apes and the Hollywood of yesteryear.
The Book ThiefThe Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Buy new: £3.95 / Used from: £0.75
Original and creepy take on the Holocaust. For younger readers.
The Lost SymbolThe Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Buy new: £9.00 / Used from: £7.00
The publishers worldwide waited seven years for this. Personally, I wish they had waited a lot longer...