If you’re stumped for a gift for the avid bookworm in the family, here are a few choices that will make fabulous book stocking fillers this Christmas.
My First Lift-the-flap Atlas by Lonely Planet
£12
Give your kids the world this Christmas with this beautifully illustrated lift-the-flap atlas. Each double-page spread explores a different continent, with over 50 flaps to lift and discover something new. There’s a pull-out world map, too, so they can see the whole globe and locate each continent as they learn.
A fabulous book to ignite their imagination and even spark a little wanderlust for the future.
You’re The Captain: A Flightradar24 Puzzle Book by Gareth Moore
£8
This is the perfect gift for anyone who loves quizzing, travel, or both. Puzzle creator Gareth Moore wrote the compilation of over a hundred brainteasing aviation-themed puzzles, which will test your geographical knowledge, memory and 3D visualisation skills.
You will find yourself plotting routes and navigating time zones and coordinates, all using the huge cache of data around flight paths and statistics from Flightradar24.
A unique book that will challenge the sharpest of minds this Christmas, from would-be Captains to puzzle enthusiasts, this stocking filler is bound to be a hit.
Military Mindset by Ant Middleton
£13
Ant Middleton is a man who has survived situations that most of us can’t even comprehend, having served as a commando in the Royal Marines and SBS. If there is a person to give life lessons and daily doses of inspiration to help you aim for success against adversity, he’s probably your guy.
That’s precisely what he aims to do with his latest book, Military Mindset. It is part military memoir and part self-improvement manual with 52 lessons segmented into six parts with titles like “Training”, “Disaster and Adversity”, and “Leadership and Teamwork”.
It’s engaging and insightful and would make a great Christmas gift for anyone who could do with a nudge in the right direction and a dose of self-belief with a real-world basis.
Flight-free Europe: 80 Inspiring & Sustainable No-fly Travel Itineraries by Lonely Planet
£16
Road-trip fans will love unwrapping this Lonely Planet collection of European trips, which is perfect for eco-conscious travellers. Divided into two sections with itineraries for a shorter, one-week break and more extended travels of two weeks or more, something will catch your eye.
The book is packed with tips and facts to help you pick your perfect route, whether you want to travel by train, boat or bicycle. There are detailed route maps, carbon counts and even (approximate at the time of the book’s publication) travel budgets for each route.
It would make a great Christmas gift for teenagers considering a gap year or those wanting to avoid airport stress when travelling.
The Thomas Bell Thriller Collection by Richard Gill
From £7
For avid adult readers of thriller novels, this trio – Paloma Azul Death and Ecstasy, Lebens Rune Life Is The Nation, and Kitto Katsu Mischief Island – has been likened to James Bond with extra spice.
Thomas Bell is a member of an ultra-secret branch of British Military Intelligence, which takes him across the globe on no-holds-barred action adventures. These well-written novels incorporate sex, drugs, and body count for an absorbing read that you’ll lose yourself in.
While the novels are all in the same series, each is a stand-alone book, so you won’t feel details are missing no matter what order you choose to read them in.
Exciting to read and a great way to pass winter evenings with a nice glass of wine or a nip of whisky.
Raised By A Serial Killer: Discovering The Truth About My Father by April Balascio
£20
For fans of non-fiction and true-crime writing, this unflinching memoir from Balascio will make an un-putdownable Christmas gift. The book describes the complicated and often brutal relationship the author had with her father, who had had a complex childhood of his own.
Balascio sets the scene for readers by detailing her home life and younger years, gradually realising that her father, while still the man she loved, was not a good man but a serial killer.
It’s a story that no child should ever have to share, but she does it elegantly, drawing readers in as they devour the pages, eager to see how the story plays out. This is most definitely one for the Christmas list.
