Janet Gordon is married, retired, obsessed with her Westlake Terrier, Rollo – and books are her passion. She reads multiple books a week across all genres and reviews them for Rest Less.
This month’s round-up features The Secret Life of Lego Bricks, A Backstage Betrayal, An Absolute Casserole: The Taskmasker Compendium, You All Die Tonight, Charlie and the Christmas Factory, Murder in Tinsel Town, The Girl on the Ice, The Hampstead Terror, The Christmas Market, and Decadent Divorce: Scandal and Sensation in Victorian Britain.
Note: Prices can change often, so you may notice some variations on the providers’ websites. Prices and availability are accurate as of the 10th of December 2024.
I know I’m biased, but I can’t think of receiving a better present than a book or, if you don’t know what genre your loved one likes, a book token. Though, that book token never lasted me longer than a couple of days after the shops re-opened! I can still remember the thrill of browsing and sorting all the books I wanted to read into must-haves, maybes, and ones to borrow from the library.
So, here are some suggestions if you’re looking for last-minute books to gift this festive season.
The Secret Life of Lego Bricks by Daniel Konstanski (Amazon £23.13, Unbound £30)
My son and grandson are Lego-mad – the top floor of their house has shelves lined with collectible Lego figures. So, gifting them The Secret Life of Lego Bricks – the first official Lego book – is a no-brainer this festive season.
Crammed with illustrations and covering Lego’s entire history, this will get your Lego-loving gift recipient ready to enter Mastermind with Lego as their specialist subject (other quiz shows are available)!
A Backstage Betrayal by Michael Ball (Amazon £9.50, Kindle £9.02, Zaffre £20)
Michael Ball is such a terrific entertainer – I love singing along with him on his radio show, you just know he’s having the best time. I even saw him when he was playing Sweeney Todd in the West End – it’s my favourite musical and he was so good.
His first novel, The Empire, was such a great read. It provided insight into how the backstage of the theatre worked in the 1920s. Now, darling Michael Ball is back, and just in time for Christmas! This is a feast of a read – it’s 1926 and The Empire Theatre is putting on a pantomime (oh no they’re not!).
Jack is the theatre’s young proprietor whilst his wife Grace is a playwright. Jack’s Mum, Lilian, has a new boyfriend who is not all he seems…
I love that the cast is set out just like a theatre programme. What a treat of a read!
An Absolute Casserole: The Taskmasker Compendium by Alex Horne and Jack Bernhardt (Amazon £9.50, Kindle £11.49, Quercus £20)
Fans of the TV show Taskmaster, which took six years to find a home on the screen after Alex Horne initially had the idea, will love this book.
It’s a comedy read for anyone who appreciates weird jokes, strange tasks, and all things Taskmaster.
You All Die Tonight by Simon Kernick (Amazon £17.57, Kindle £9.99, Headline £17.99)
Imagine waking up in a strange bedroom in an isolated mansion, with absolutely no memory of how or why you got there. This is what happens to Colton, and wandering out of the room, he finds six other people who are in the same situation – and they can’t escape.
The only thing they have in common is that, somehow, they were all connected to a horrific crime that happened four years ago. Then, a terrifying voice booms out across the house explaining that they’ve been injected with a slow-acting poison, and only the voice knows the antidote. He’ll only administer it when one of the seven confesses to the murder.
Wow – what a read!
Charlie and the Christmas Factory by Roald Dahl (Amazon £7.49, Kindle £7.99, Puffin £14.99)
This is the most wonderful book of short stories. Each story is written by a best-selling children’s author, such as Pamela Butchart, Hannah Gold, and Adam Kay. Inspired by Roald Dahl’s most beloved characters, it features 12 brand new stories, with a Christmassy theme throughout.
There are also wonderful illustrations; what better way to get a little one involved in reading? It’s suitable for children aged around eight to 12. Gosh, I would’ve loved to have found this in my Christmas stocking.
Murder in Tinsel Town by Max Nightingale (Amazon £13.95, Kindle £0.99, HarperNorth £16.99)
Sometimes, I find myself disagreeing with the actions of the detective in a thriller, thinking I just wouldn’t have investigated the murder like that. Well, Murder in Tinsel Town is a choose-your-own-story mystery and is set in 1950s LA.
The most glitzy, glamorous, and over-the-top stars of the film world have congregated at a famous hotel for an awards ceremony. But, soon, the leading lady is found dead. You are the detective, and you choose how the investigation proceeds. I’ve always wanted to be a detective!
To be honest, I’m saving this to read on those weird days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. This is perfect for those of us who enjoy a good ‘who done it?’ mystery.
The Girl on the Ice by Amy McCulloch (Amazon £5.50, Kindle £5.99, Penguin £9.99)
I’ve always wanted to go on a voyage to Antarctica – either that or become an Ice Road Trucker.
Here, we meet Olivia and her boyfriend, Aaron, who are putting together an exhibition of the original works of the deceased artist, Yennin, who was killed in a tragic motor accident. To help with the exhibition, Olivia and Aaron board a cruise ship headed for Antarctica. But, as the ship leaves its moorings, Aaron is not on board.
This is a cracking read – Olivia doesn’t know who to trust and murders begin to mount up… Even better, this is one of Asda’s Tickled Pink reads; 45p from every sale goes to Breast Cancer charities.
The Hampstead Terror by Kate Wiseman (Amazon £8.15, Zuntold £9.99)
When I worked at London Bridge Hospital on the banks of the River Thames, my husband and I always used to walk through those little alleyways that lead down to the Thames foreshore. If the tide was out, I used to wander about to see if I could spot any treasures. Not that I knew what I was looking for, unlike Kate Wiseman’s Mudlark Gang.
This is the second outing for the foursome who, in Wiseman’s first book, found a floating body that thrust them into the Victorian criminal underworld. Now more established as a group, they meet Flea, a street urchin who leads them into Hampstead’s dark underground sewers in search of treasure. But, a group of baddies also know about the treasure… My grandchildren loved reading this.
The Christmas Market by Linda McEvoy (Amazon £4.99, Kindle £3.99, Bedford Square Publishers £9.99)
I simply couldn’t resist this cover – it conjures up everything I want in a traditional Christmas and it’s exactly how I like all my Christmas cards to look.
Jas runs a vintage fabric stall and had planned to launch a hat-making business at the Christmas market in her hometown’s beautiful Georgian square. However, her ex chucks all her fabric out onto the street – the rotter!
It’s been nine years since Jas went home and the town has changed. The market isn’t even running this year, so Jas sets to work to organise it. And then she meets Niall. This is such a gloriously romantic story.
Decadent Divorce: Scandal and Sensation in Victorian Britain by Ruth Derham (Amazon £17.99, Kindle £15.60, Amberley Publishing £22.99)
It’s said that the Christmas season can be triggering for some marriages, and with both my husband and I having been through horrific divorces and leaving our marriages with absolutely nothing, we can relate. But at least we didn’t cause a national scandal! Although, my mother told me I had caused a scandal when I got divorced – totally forgetting that she’d married her first husband at the beginning of the war, ran away from him after a couple of months, and got divorced only when I was born. If that didn’t cause a family scandal, I don’t know what would!
Anyway, in January 1883, the Royal Courts of Justice opened for business. From then on a constant stream of unfaithful, dissatisfied, and disloyal spouses of both sexes passed through its doors.
Older readers may remember that in the ‘olden days’, unfaithfulness had to be proved. A whole industry was set up with ‘detectives’ who’d be on the scene when an adulterer was caught. What an absolutely fascinating read.
For more reading inspiration, head over to the books, literature, and writing section of our website. Or, for further book and literature discussions, you might be interested in joining the thriving book club or short story club over on Rest Less Events.
Have you read any of these books? Or have you added any of them to your reading list? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.