books for christmas...
for him
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The Tommy Cooper Joke Book
Tommy Cooper & John Fisher
£9.99Tommy Cooper died on stage at Her Majesty's Theatre, London, 25 years ago in April 1984 and is still revered today as probably the greatest comedian of the second half of the 20th century. More than just a comedian, Tommy Cooper was a born entertainer. Working in a golden age of British comedy, Cooper stood - literally - head and shoulders above the crowd, and had a magical talent for humour that defied description. With a love of laughter stemming from a magic performance gone wrong when he was in his teens, Cooper enlisted in the army in 1939 and began to perfect his comic timing on his army colleagues in the Egyptian desert. The man with the fez was born.
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Monty Python Live!
Eric Idle
£15.99Despite its evergreen, cross-generational fan base, there hasn't been a new Monty Python book by all the (surviving) Pythons in thirty years. On their fortieth anniversary, Monty Python Live! focuses primarily on their stage show and includes original material written for the book -- oral histories, essays -- from all living members, as well as much archival material never before in print. Books, DVDs and other Python paraphernalia have remained bestsellers for the last four decades, and fans are always eager for something new.
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See John Run
Kevin Joslin & Terry Wogan
£9.99Naughtily hilarious parodies of children's stories as read on Terry Wogan's breakfast show.For the last four years, 8 million listeners to BBC Radio 2's Wake Up To Wogan have been beguiled and bewitched by the naughty but nice adventures of John and his wife Janet. In the style of children's stories of yesteryear, John gets up to all sorts. Then he tells Janet all about his day, by which time every perfectly innocent big end, back passage and stiff one acquires a whole new meaning...
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Men And Sheds
Gordon Thorburn
£6.99It has been said that a shed is to a man what a handbag is to a woman - both contain all the essentials for surviving in the modern world and in the same way that no decent man would ever consider looking in a woman's handbag uninvited, so no reasonable woman would dream of setting foot in a man's shed. This book is a study of over 40 men and their sheds around the UK, a quirky look at the personalities and the passions hidden within the shed, whether it is used for eccentric inventions, as a chapel, a housing for a milk bottle collection, an allotment shed, a home for exotic reptiles or a place to make music. The fascinating story of each bloke and his shed is accompanied by photographs of the inner sanctum and of the customized exteriors.
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Where's Stig?
Top Gear
£8.99The mysterious Stig, Top Gear's resident racing driver and one of the most popular members of the 'TG' team, has finally got a book of his own. But you'll have to work hard to find him, as he's been cleverly concealed in a series of brilliantly drawn scenes. You might spot him getting down with the kids at a rock festival; or overseeing his workforce in his secret underground lair. He could be one of the spectators lining the route of Bonneville Salt Flats Speed Week; or soaking up the sun on the Costa del Stig. Filled with visual jokes and references to the TV series, and with extra credits for spotting his colleagues at Top Gear and a few other hidden gems, "Where's Stig?" will give Top Gear fans hours of fun.
for her
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My Favourite Dress
Gity Monsef et al.
£29.95This lavishly illustrated publication is a commentary on the emotional attachment that various key fashion personalities from designers, celebrities, models, photographers, stylists and fashion editors have with the one thing that is treasured in their memory or wardrobe: their Favourite Dress. 75 designers and key industry players from around the world have described the very personal reasons behind their choice, through text, photographs by leading fashion photographers, fabric samples, original sketches and other ephemera their choices come alive on the page.
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Backwards in High Heels
Sarah Vine & Tania Kindersley
£14.99A book for women who never got around to perfecting the art of domestic divinity but would quite like to be able to cook supper for six without having a nervous breakdown; who never quite mastered Cosmo's 101 ways to please your man, but don't want the embarrassment, not to say inconvenience, of him running off with a 19-year-old Russian supermodel. It's your mother, your best friend, your guru and your shrink wrapped up in book form, with jokes.It's the antidote to every stupid, boring, reductive magazine article you've ever read, or every silly, hair-twirling, chick lit confection about girls called Arabella who marry bankers and live in Gstaad.
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The Children's Book
A S Byatt
£18.99This vivid, rich and moving saga is played out against the great, rippling tides of the day, taking us from the Kent marshes to Paris and Munich and the trenches of the Somme. Born at the end of the Victorian era, growing up in the golden summers of Edwardian times, a whole generation grew up unaware of the darkness ahead. In their innocence, they were betrayed unintentionally by the adults who loved them. In a profound sense, this novel is indeed the children's book.
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Home-made Christmas
Tessa Evelegh
£14.99Traditionally, Christmas decorations were always handmade using materials that could be found around the house and gleaned from nature. And it's still immensely satisfying to make your own. Children love to help, and making decorations and gifts is a wonderful way to fill the days of anticipation. You'll find most of the projects in this book require only the most basic skills, so everyone can have a go with guaranteed success! The joy of Christmas decorations is that they're not meant to be masterpieces. They're fun, they're quick, they can even be kitsch, but en masse, they're always beautiful. This book has 35 projects and ideas to get you started, all with full-colour step-by-step instructions and helpful techniques - use them, adapt them, develop your own.
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The Gift
Cecelia Ahern
£7.99If you could wish for one gift this Christmas, what would it be? Everyday Lou Suffern battled with the clock. He always had two places to be at the same time. He always had two things to do at once. When asleep he dreamed. In between dreams, he ran through the events of the day while making plans for the next. When at home with his wife and family, his mind was always someplace else. On his way into work one early winter morning, Lou meets Gabe, a homeless man sitting outside the office building. Intrigued by him and on discovering that he could also be very useful to have around, Lou gets Gabe a job in the post room. But soon Lou begins to regret helping Gabe.
for children
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Mrs Scrooge: A Christmas Tale
Carol Ann Duffy
£4.99With her husband, Ebenezer, now 'doornail dead', the coldest Christmas Eve on record finds Mrs Scrooge outside the supermarket, protesting against consumerism and waste. 'Spoilsport!' shout the passersby as they load up their shopping carts with Christmas goodies. Just as Ebenezer did, Mrs Scrooge keeps to her frugal ways ...but with the current state of the world, perhaps Mrs Scrooge has the right idea. That night, alone in her bed with Catchit the cat beside her, Mrs Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. As each in succession takes her by the hand and sweeps through the scenes of her life, Mrs Scrooge learns not only what the 'Christmas Spirit' really means, but the nature of the real gifts we give and receive.
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A Child's Christmas in Wales
Dylan Thomas & Edward Ardizzone
£4.99A charming account of Dylan Thomas's own childhood and of a Christmas Day in a small Welsh town. This book has become a popular classic and includes illustrations by the award-winning Edward Ardizzone.
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Return to the Hundred Acre Wood
David Benedictus et al.
£12.99Over eighty years since Winnie-the-Pooh first delighted readers, David Benedictus takes us back to the Hundred Acre Wood for more adventures. "Return to the Hundred Acre Wood" allows readers to spend a few more treasured hours with the Best Bear in All the World. The authorized sequel to A. A. Milne's original "Winnie-the-Pooh" stories, by David Benedictus, Illustrated by Mark Burgess in the style of the original E. H. Shepard illustrations.
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Running Wild
Michael Morpurgo
£12.99An epic and heart-rending jungle adventure from the bestselling author of Kaspar and Born to Run. For Will and his mother, going to Indonesia isn't just a holiday. It's an escape, a new start, a chance to put things behind them - things like the death of Will's father. And to begin with, it seems to be just what they both needed. But then Oona, the elephant Will is riding on the beach, begins acting strangely, shying away from the sea. And that's when the tsunami comes crashing in, and Oona begins to run. Except that when the tsunami is gone, Oona just keeps on running. With nothing on his back but a shirt and nothing to sustain him but a bottle of water, Will must learn to survive deep in the jungle. Luckily, though, he's not completely alone! He's got Oona.
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Mr Stink
David Walliams
£12.99The second original, touching, twisted, and most of all hilarious novel for children by David Walliams -- beautifully illustrated by Quentin Blake. "Mr Stink stank. He also stunk. And if it was correct English to say he stinked, then he stinked as well!" Chloe sees Mr Stink every day, but she's never spoken to him. Which isn't surprising, because he's a tramp, and he stinks. But there's more to Mr Stink than meets the eye (or nose) and before she knows it, Chloe has an unusual new friend hiding in her garden shed. As Chloe struggles to keep Mr Stink a secret, and her dad tries to hide a secret of his own, the stage is set for an epic family confrontation. But there's one other person with a an extraordinary secret -- Mr Stink himself!
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