As Christmas approaches and we wrack our brains to find something that suits everyone, there is no present quite like a book. Whether it’s an unputdownable novel, a heart-stopping crime series, a thought-provoking biography or a collection of beautiful poetry, a book provides an escape, the perfect antidote to the hurly-burly of everyday life and, above all, hours and hours of pleasure. Here are half a dozen of my favourites, previously recommended on my Queen’s Reading Room, which you might like to add to your Christmas present list… or (if preferred) keep for yourself!
The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard
This is a series of books that I return to again and again, to reacquaint myself with the irresistibly charming Cazalet family. Elizabeth Jane Howard’s saga continues over five volumes and as the extended family grows, they are forced to conduct their relationships to a background of war, separation and loss. Despite these horrors, the Cazalets manage to greet all of life’s trials with such wit and courageous spirit that the reader cannot wait to get back to them.
The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
Set in the 1920s British protectorate of the Federated Malay States, this incredible work of fiction is based upon the origins of the short story ‘The Letter’ by William Somerset Maugham, which fictionalised the famous murder trial of Ethel Proudlock. Although this sounds like a complicated idea for a book, the immensely skilled writing of Tan Twan Eng leaves no room for confusion.
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
This accomplished and ambitious novel tells the story of Marian Graves, a female pilot who in 1949 was determined to fly a loop around the globe that encompassed both the North and the South Pole. Great Circle is a story of freedom, danger and female independence, often told from a cockpit and set to a backdrop of extraordinary scale. This scale, both physical and metaphorical, examines how a life can be both huge and tiny, slotted into a vast span of time.
Miss Austen by Gill Hornby
Gill Hornby’s careful research into Jane Austen discovered that not only was her sister Cassandra not the humourless curmudgeon her nieces and nephews had portrayed, but actually the emotional crutch that Jane leaned on in order to survive life. Miss Austen is a funny, warm and engaging novel, but crucially it also defends Jane’s much-loved sister, and explains both why she might have burnt all of those precious letters – and why it was imperative that she did.
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
This wonderfully rich family saga tells the story of four families who are trying to find their way through the thorny complications of post-partition India. A Suitable Boy is one of the longest novels ever published in a single volume, but this has only delighted its fans. When reading this epic tale of love and friendship, the reader not only falls in love with the characters, but with India too.
The Predicament by William Boyd
My favourite reluctant spy, Gabriel Dax, has returned this year for the second instalment of William Boyd’s brilliant spy trilogy. Boyd’s addictive storytelling is at its very best as he navigates a collision of chance, ambition and human frailty while Dax tries to intercept a plot to assassinate John F. Kennedy. Shining a light on the intricate dance between fate and free will, The Predicament is a witty and insightful exploration of life’s unpredictable twists.
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