From delicious cookbooks to cool kids books, these are the 30 best books to give (or keep) this Christmas

We’ve rounded up the best books to buy for your family and friends this Christmas, with options for everyone, from foodies to teens, gardeners to puzzle fans. Read on, and get that shopping list at the ready!

For foodies

Kitchening: Day-to-Day Good Food, Come Rain or Shine by Jeremy Lee

This new cookbook award-winning and acclaimed chef of Quo Vadis in London is packed full of delicious and accessible recipes focusing on what's best to eat each month.

20 Minute Meals: Real Fast Food by Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver delivers another surefire hit, with 120 speedy recipes packed full of flavour. One for all the busy people in your life!

Ottolenghi SIMPLE TOO by Yotam Ottolenghi

Ottolenghi is known for his long ingredient lists but for this beautiful new cookbook he's simplified things with 135 easy, delicious recipres that any level of cook wuill pull off.

Home Made: Comfort Food Cooked Better by Thom Bateman

With food photos so irresistible you want to lick the page, we love this collection of easy but impressive recipes. The GH VIP reader panel chose it as their Winner in the cookbook category in the Good Books Christmas Collection.

For Gardeners

My Gardening Life by Mary Berry

She might be best known for her baking, but Mary Berry is also a keen gardener. This gorgeous book, a photographic ode to her gardens and most-loved plants. The GH VIP reader panel chose it as their Winner in the lifestyle category in the Good Books Christmas Collection.

Drawn To Nature by Caroline Quentin

The Artist's Garden by Jonny Bruce

Find inspiration from the gardens of some of history's most celebrated artists.

For puzzlers

Murdoku by M Garand

This unique grid-based puzzle book blends Cluedo with Sudoku. Each puzzle is a mini crime scene and your job is to work out which suspect was closest to the victim and is therefore the killer. There are 80 cases to solve, each more complicated – and more addictive – than the last.

Murder Most Puzzling

Readers play the part of faithful sidekick to amateur sleuth Medea Thorne in order to solve 20 puzzling cases - from a body in the topiary garden, a death at a clairvoyants' convention, and the mysterious accident of the boating lake.

For fictions fans

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

The wonderfully straight-talking seventysomething Sybil Van Antwerp is the heroine of this unique and charming epistolary novel which won the Women's Prize for Fiction this year. Sybil keeps the world at bay, preferring instead to communicate by letter. When her eyesight begins to go, Sybil is forced to face up to a tragedy from her past.

Land by Maggie O'Farrell

The 10th novel from the award-winning author of Hamnet is another beautiful, immersive novel that explores trauma, family legacy and Irish history. O’Farrell transports the reader to Ireland in 1865, where Tomás and his son Liam are mapping the land for the Ordnance Survey. When they make an unexpected discovery while out surveying, it changes the course of the family’s life for ever.

We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman

Osman brings back the crime fighting team of former cop Steve, his daughter-in-law Amy and bestselling author Rosie from We Solve Murders for another crazy adventure. This time, they’re hired by a wealthy entrepreneur whose life has been threatened.

Murder At The Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley

What a treat it is to have a new Miss Marple novel – her first outing in 50 years! The plot is classic Christie: an isolated hotel in the Swiss Alps, a group of people trapped together by a snowstorm and a dead body within the first few pages. It’s a risk to take on such an iconic character, but Foley has pulled it off.

May We Feed The King by Rebecca Perry

This wildly original historical novel kept me glued to the page with its vivid writing and rich detail. It begins with the story of a museum curator hired to dress the rooms in a former medieval palace, before continuing through the eyes of the reluctant – and soon to be dethroned – king she conjures to life.

For non-fiction nerds

London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe

This compelling narrative nonfiction, summer’s biggest word-of-mouth hit, investigates the death of a 19-year-old man who fell from the balcony of a luxury Thameside high-rise and the double-life he’d been living amongst London’s super-wealthy - one his parents weren’t even aware of.

Alone With A Book by Tessa Hadley

The best-selling author shares some of the books that have made her the person and writer she is, from childho0d favourites to the classics she returns to repeatedly. Any book lovers in your life will love this love letter to reading - full of inspiration.

The Third Eye: Early photographs by George Harrison

An intimate collection of more than two hundred never-before-collected photos of the Beatles at work and at play – the vast majority published for the first time.

Man & Dog: A Love Story by Tony Parsons

When novelist Tony Parsons bought a cavalier King Charles spaniel puppy for his daughter, it was the start of a love affair that he chronicles in this moving memoir.

The Book Was Better by Louise Willder

Book lovers will enjoy this romp through the history of book-to-screen adaptations, which highlights the gems to seek out as well as gently poking fun at the turkeys.

Black Coffee And Red Lipstick by Alexandra Shulman

Former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman’s guide to living well is full of wisdom and warmth. The GH VIP reader panel chose it as their Winner in the lifestyle category in the Good Books Christmas Collection.

Night Sky Almanac by Radmila Topalovic and Dominic Ford

This lovely pocket-sized gem follows the progress of the constellations through the seasons.

For Children

Gruffalo Granny by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

Return to the deep dark wood with a brand new Gruffalo book - this is sure to be a huge favourite.

Bunny vs Monkey: Day of the Heroes! by Jamie Smart

The latest installment in the chaotic comic series which is much-loved by kids. The woods are suffering from a zombie invasion and only Bunny and friends can sabe the day...

Is This A Plum? by Dan and Finn Ojari

Littlies will love this rhyming story with interactive peekaboo holes. Our panel of children's book reviewers chosen this as their Winner in the 4 and under category in the Good Books Children's Collection.

The Rambler's Curse by Mikey Please

Please's previous book The Cafe At The Edge Of The Woods won Waterstones Children's Book of the Year in 2025 and this follow-up, set in the same world, is a pleasing mix of humour and unique illustration style.

Tiny Hercules by Jon Lock and Nich Angell

Tiny Hercules, the world’s smallest hero, is the star of this hilarious graphic novel, which is particularly popular with boys. Our panel of children's book reviewers chosen this as their Winner in the 5-7 category in the Good Books Children's Collection.

The Great Mouse Orchestra by Ella Risbridger and Alice Courtley

A gorgeously illustrated hardback book that follows a small mouse on his journey to find the Great Mouse Orchestra on a wintry night. The festive activities sprinkled throughout add to the Christmas magic.

Quill And The Last Generation by CM Lewis

There are dragons, fighting and friendship in this adventure story about a young boy who’s thrust into the role of hero. Our panel of children's book reviewers chosen this as their Winner in the 8-10 category in the Good Books Children's Collection.

Sunrise Of The Reaping by Suzanne Collins

The prequel to the best-selling Hunger Games series, which follows Haymitch's time in the deadly arena, is a good pick for 12-16 year olds.

Impossible Creatures: The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell

The sequel to the bestselling Impossible Creatures sees Christopher Forrester return to the Archipelago, a cluster of islands where creatures of myth still live. Our panel of children's book reviewers chosen this as their Winner in the 11-13 category in the Good Books Children's Collection.