Nottinghamshire &amp; Derbyshire


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cookbooks">COOKBOOKS</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-chocolate-spoon-italian-sweets-from-the-silver-spoon-34-95"><em>The Chocolate Spoon: Italian Sweets from the Silver Spoon</em>, £34.95</h3>



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<p>The desserts from the now classic Italian cookbook <em>The Silver Spoon</em> are perfect for those with a sweet tooth and a flare in the kitchen. Expect sumptuous treats to transport you to sun-bleached balconies and the gorgeous Italian lakes.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gin-a-tasting-course-19-99"><em>Gin: A Tasting Course</em>, £19.99</h3>



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<p>Mother’s ruin has gone from bootleg liquor to sophisticated tipple, with hundreds of distilleries and flavours to try. A fun gift for the gin-lover in your life.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-spanish-at-home-feasts-from-the-iberian-peninsula-26"><em>Spanish at Home: Feasts from the Iberian Peninsula</em>, £26</h3>



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<p>Spanish at Home is both a wonderful resource for those wanting to expand on their Mediterranean cooking as well as explore recipes off the beaten culinary track. Emma Warren’s beautiful book takes us from the Basque Country all the way to the Balearic Islands.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-history">HISTORY</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beyond-the-wall-east-germany-1949-1990-by-katja-hoyer-25"><em>Beyond the Wall: East Germany 1949-1990 </em>by<em> </em>Katja Hoyer,<em> </em>£25</h3>



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<p>A fascinating look behind the wall of the West’s caricature of East Germany from acclaimed historian Katja Hoyer. For those who like their history well-researched and immensely readable. This book has received rave reviews for good reason.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nature-amp-environment">NATURE &amp; ENVIRONMENT</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fire-weather-a-true-story-from-a-hotter-world-by-john-vaillant-25"><em>Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World </em>by John Vaillant, £25</h3>



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<p>In 2016 a wildfire in Alberta, the heart of Canada’s oil industry, drove 90,000 people from their homes and caused billions of dollars’ worth of damage. From this central story Vaillant weaves an exploration of fire, its chemistry, and our long and complicated relationship with its power. Deeply researched and written with a poet’s eye for detail, <em>Fire Weather</em> is a page-turning warning of what we can expect in a warming world. This is nonfiction at its best.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-owl-a-biography-by-stephen-moss-14-99"><strong><em>The Owl: A Biography </em></strong>by Stephen Moss, £14.99</h3>



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<p>The latest in Stephen Moss&#8217; series of biographies of birds, this lovely book explores the life cycle of these birds and reveals mysteries about the way they live and their part in the ecosystem. There&#8217;s also tips on bird watching for the keen twitchers.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-home">HOME</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-gardening-book-by-monty-don-28"><em>The Gardening Book </em>by Monty Don,<strong><em> £28</em></strong></h3>



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<p>Rather like when Delia taught us how to boil an egg, Monty is taking us back to basics with his latest tome. For those new to gardening or those tackling a new garden, this is a real gem from the ultimate master in all things horticulture. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-art-of-home-by-shea-mcgee-30"><em><strong>The Art of Home</strong></em> by Shea McGee, £30</h3>



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<p>Off the back of her Netflix series, <em>Dream Home Makeover</em>, and her five million social devotees, it&#8217;s no surprise Shea McGee has written a book. It&#8217;s all about dreaming big then making it happen with real life stories along the way to encourage you. A really practical and yet beautiful book.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-handbook-of-home-design-by-laura-jane-clark-22"><em>The Handbook of Home Design </em>by Laura Jane Clark, £22</h3>



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<p>Another Netflix (&amp; BBC) spin-off book &#8211; the architect Laura Jane Clark&#8217;s series&nbsp;<em>Your Home Made Perfect</em>, is all about remodelling and in this book she tackles some serious DIY from sketching your designs to managing building works.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-arts">THE ARTS</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-story-of-art-without-men-by-katy-hessel-30"><strong><em>The Story of Art Without Men</em> by Katy Hessel</strong>, £30</h3>



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<p>Try talking about the major eras of art without mentioning Monet, Dali, Renoir, Hockney, Banksy even, and it&#8217;s tricky territory. This beautiful book explores the lesser-known names of the Renaissance right up to the 2020s, this is the history of art retold with girl power.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-archive-nbsp-by-sofia-coppola-55"><em>Archive&nbsp;</em>by Sofia Coppola, £55</h3>



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<p>A photographic exploration of the rich and visionary career of Sofia Coppola, covering everyone of her works from&nbsp;<em>The Virgin Suicides</em> to the upcoming <em>Priscilla</em>. The photos include behind the scenes snaps, inspiration boards, annotated scripts, and more. An absolute trove for the film buff in your life.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-prefer-a-good-yarn-here-s-some-top-picks"><strong>Prefer a good yarn? Here&#8217;s some top picks:</strong></h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-house-of-doors-by-tan-twan-eng-20"><em>The House of Doors</em> by Tan Twan Eng, £20</h3>



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<p>A gorgeously-crafted novel set in 1920s Malaysia. The famous writer William Somerset Maugham visits his old friend, Robert, and his enigmatic wife Lesley. The two strike up an uneasy friendship and begin to slowly reveal the hidden parts of themselves. The beautifully evocative writing manages to perfectly capture time, place and emotion in sparse, precise language. A reading experience to savour.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-in-memoriam-by-alice-winn-14-99"><em>In Memoriam </em>by Alice Winn, £14.99 </h3>



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<p>Two boarding schoolboys, both desperately in love with each other but ignorant of the other’s affections, find their lives irrevocably altered by the outbreak of WWI. Alice Winn’s electric and transporting debut takes us from the school halls to the mud and blood soaked hellscape of trench warfare. It is at once a tender love story, a swan song to a lost world, and an unblinking look at the violence of WWI.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-fraud-by-zadie-smith-20"><em>The Fraud </em>by Zadie Smith, £20 </h3>



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<p>This is Zadie Smith’s first foray into historical fiction, and it does not disappoint. Bold, inventive, and immensely readable it follows two characters, housekeeper Mrs Touchet and former slave Andrew Bogle, as they are embroiled in the case of the Tichborne Claiment, a legal drama which gripped Victorian Britain in the 1860s. One of the standout releases of the year.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wandering-souls-by-cecile-pin-14-99"><em>Wandering Souls</em> by Cecile Pin, £14.99</h3>



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<p>Debut author Cecile Pin spins a heartbreaking and hopeful story which takes the reader from the war-torn jungles of Vietnam to London in the 1980s. In fewer than three-hundred pages, Pin brings to life an epic and timely family saga with a narrative inventiveness that marks her out as an exciting new voice.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-monsters-a-fan-s-dilemma-by-claire-dederer-20"><em>Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma</em> by Claire Dederer, £20</h3>



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<p>What do we do – or what should we do – with the art of those that have committed bad deeds? Dederer’s book doesn’t pretend to be a singular guiding light towards a definitive answer. Instead, it is a clear-eyed and intimate look at art and morality, at who gets to make art and at what cost. Claire’s style, which sparkles with humour and empathy, turns what could a bleak subject into a thought-provoking and hugely enjoyable read.</p>



<p><strong><em>Put together with the help of former Muddy Award winner, <a href="https://mostly-books.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mostly Books</a> in Abingdon. </em></strong></p>



<p>Read Muddy&#8217;s guide to the <a href="https://nottsderbyshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/books/best-books-for-children-christmas-notts-derbyshire/">best books to gift kids this Christmas.</a></p>


Stacked! 16 coffee table books to gift

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