{"id":223424,"date":"2025-10-14T07:13:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T07:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/223424\/"},"modified":"2025-10-14T07:13:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T07:13:13","slug":"from-a-moving-nature-memoir-to-a-cookbook-full-of-kitchen-staples-these-9-books-would-make-brilliant-gifts-this-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/223424\/","title":{"rendered":"From a moving nature memoir to a cookbook full of kitchen staples, these 9 books would make brilliant gifts this Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

The decorations are up in the shops, jingly tunes are playing through every speaker\u2026 and it\u2019s time to start thinking about the presents you\u2019ll buy for family and friends this Christmas.<\/p>\n

A well-chosen book makes a wonderful gift, but with so much choice out there, it can be hard to know which to pick. We\u2019re here to help: our Good Housekeeping Good Books Christmas Collection is a selection of the best non-fiction of the year, from cookbooks to memoirs.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t just take our word for it \u2013 from a selection of all the books put forward by publishers, these were given top marks by our panel of VIP Members and expert judges. <\/p>\n

What to read next<\/p>\n

Waterstones.com<\/a> is offering GH readers 30% off all these titles* using the code GOODBOOKS30<\/p>\n

Bookshop.org<\/a> is offering 10% off all this titles with the code LOVEBOOKSHOPS<\/p>\n

Good Books Christmas CollectionBest lifestyle books\"good<\/p>\n

Good Housekeeping UK<\/p>\n

The Gifts Of Winter by Dr Stephanie Fitzgerald (Michael Joseph)<\/p>\n

Many dread the colder, darker months, but it\u2019s the ideal time to rest and reset, says Dr Fitzgerald, and a reminder to appreciate the natural world. <\/p>\n

\u2018I liked that the author discussed how she overcomes seasonal affective disorder. The book has made me rethink how I\u2019ll approach winter,\u2019 said one panellist.<\/p>\n

The Gifts of Winter by Dr Stephanie Fitzgerald<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>\"good<\/p>\n

Good Housekeeping UK<\/p>\n

How To Design A Garden by Pollyanna Wilkinson (DK)<\/p>\n

The award-winning garden designer shares what she\u2019s learned over her 20-year career, focusing on optimising the outdoor space you have and making it work for you. <\/p>\n

\u2018This book doesn\u2019t assume prior knowledge \u2013 it talks you through working out your soil type, which plants work best and what goes with what. It\u2019s left me inspired to get into my garden,\u2019 said a panellist.<\/p>\n

How to Design a Garden: Create and Maintain Your Dream Garden by Pollyanna Wilkinson<\/p>\n

\"How<\/a>\"good<\/p>\n

Good Housekeeping UK<\/p>\n

Read Yourself Happy by Daisy Buchanan (DK)<\/p>\n

The power of literature to lift and comfort us is explored by the bestselling author. This memoir\/guide has interviews with writers including David Nicholls, Emma Gannon and Catherine Gray, plus curated reading lists. <\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s like the best reading friend you have in book form \u2013 full of intriguing recommendations,\u2019 said one reader. <\/p>\n

Read Yourself Happy by Daisy Buchanan<\/p>\n

\"Read<\/a>Best cookbooks\"good<\/p>\n

Good Housekeeping UK<\/p>\n

Let’s Eat: Recipes from My Kitchen Notebook by Tom Parker Bowles (Pavilion)<\/p>\n

Food writer Parker Bowles on all the things he loves to cook, from his mum Queen Camilla\u2019s roast chicken to a souffl\u00e9 recipe he\u2019s finally perfected. <\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s a stunning book and I\u2019ve already cooked nine dishes from it. The recipes are easy to follow,\u2019 said one panellist. <\/p>\n

Let’s Eat by Tom Parker Bowles<\/p>\n

\"Let's<\/a>\"good<\/p>\n

Good Housekeeping UK<\/p>\n

Winter In Tuscany by Amber Guinness (Thames & Hudson)<\/p>\n

Packed with stunning photos of Tuscany and its delicious food, this isn\u2019t just a cookbook but also a guide to the Tuscan way of living. <\/p>\n

One reader said: \u2018This book is visually beautiful, with amazing Italian recipes \u2013 it would make a lovely gift.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Winter in Tuscany by Amber Guinness <\/p>\n

\"Winter<\/a>\"good<\/p>\n

Good Housekeeping UK<\/p>\n

Monsoon by Asma Khan (DK)<\/p>\n

Chef Asma Khan is the founder of London\u2019s Darjeeling Express restaurant and known for her Indian home cooking. Here, she offers dishes to suit the seasons. <\/p>\n

\u2018There was so much I wanted to cook in this book. Everything was really well explained and the recipes were easy to follow,\u2019 said one reviewer. <\/p>\n

Monsoon by Asma Khan<\/p>\n

\"Monsoon<\/a>Best biography\/memoir\"good<\/p>\n

Good Housekeeping UK<\/p>\n

Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (Canongate)<\/p>\n

Political adviser Dalton\u2019s beautiful memoir tells the story of the newborn hare she finds and cares for. As well as a love letter to the natural world, it\u2019s a paean to kindness and companionship. <\/p>\n

\u2018I really enjoyed this and found that I reread bits in order to savour passages,\u2019 said one VIP. <\/p>\n

Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton<\/p>\n

\"Raising<\/a>\"good<\/p>\n

Good Housekeeping UK<\/p>\n

I Shop, Therefore I Am by Mary Portas (Canongate)<\/p>\n

From her 70s childhood to her time at Harvey Nichols, this memoir is funny, moving and wise in equal measures. <\/p>\n

\u2018I really admire the fact that Mary came from a very working-class, modest background yet managed to outsmart many of her more privileged co-workers,\u2019 said one of our panellists. <\/p>\n

Mary Portas I Shop, Therefore I Am: The ’90s, Harvey Nicks \u2013 and Me: Signed Edition (Hardback)<\/p>\n

\"I<\/a>\"good<\/p>\n

Good Housekeeping UK<\/p>\n

If Women Rose Rooted by Sharon Blackie (Duckworth)<\/p>\n

This inspiring memoir charts Blackie\u2019s move from corporate London to rural Scotland following a breakdown. It\u2019s a guide to tapping into feminine wisdom. <\/p>\n

\u2018I loved the biographical tales peppered with folklore. It\u2019s beautifully written and thought-provoking,\u2019 said one VIP. <\/p>\n

September Publishing If Women Rose Rooted by Sharon Blackie<\/p>\n

\"If<\/a>What is Good Books?<\/p>\n

We want to make it easier for you to choose your next read. Every season, with the help of our GH VIP Member panel<\/a>, we\u2019ll pick the best new novels and non-fiction so that when you see the Good Books logo on a cover, you can trust that it\u2019ll be a book you\u2019ll love.<\/p>\n

Get involved<\/p>\n

Join our panel of VIP Members to receive free books to review and help us choose the next Collection. To sign up, visit ghmembers.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

*Discount is online only and is available from 7 October to 4 December 2025. Most recent in-print format only.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The decorations are up in the shops, jingly tunes are playing through every speaker\u2026 and it\u2019s time to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":223425,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[223,6837,125462,874,88,982,2245,125461],"class_list":{"0":"post-223424","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-books","9":"tag-content-type-default","10":"tag-contentid-8584f0f6-2d36-464c-ac5e-d62091d391d9","11":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-hasproduct-true","14":"tag-locale-gb","15":"tag-shorttitle-9-brilliant-book-buys-for-friends-and-family-this-christmas"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}