As it nears closer and closer to Christmas, we’re left making never-ending lists of what gifts we should buy for who this year. It can be an overwhelming time trying to think of a great present for someone important to us, but, if you have a book-lover in your life then we’ve got your back.
Books are such a great present to receive at Christmas as it shows the personal touch and real effort that the gift giver put into matching the perfect book with their loved one. A good fiction book can be read time and time again and is a great way to pass the time when travelling after the Christmas holidays are over. So, whether you have a mum who loves romance novels, a bestie who loves a thriller or an uncle who enjoys some dark humour, we’ve created the ultimate Christmas gift guide of amazing fiction books for you to choose from.
Driving Home For Christmas by Joanna Bolouri
Published by Quercus, out now
It’s the start of the holidays for Kate and Ed, who have made this journey every Christmas of their ten-year long relationship. Typically, the seasonal hits blare from the car stereo, and they are guaranteed to be wearing ridiculous jumpers in anticipation, but this year round, a frosty silence fills the car. A massive argument leads to the immediate collapse of their relationship. But the show must go on, so they decide to brave their families together one last time. With three Christmases to celebrate, an old flame waiting under the mistletoe and a lot of expectation around their future together, this most wonderful time of year is anything but. There will be turkey, tiffs and tantrums galore, but it's sure to be a Christmas they'll never forget.
The Sound of It by Jean Lester
Published by Bench Press on December 1
When sound designer Su, a divorced mother of one daughter, falls in love with Jeremy, a widowed father of two sons, they want to build a new life together. As neither of their houses are big enough for a family of five, they decide to build a dream home in farmland outside the city. For Su, it’s an opportunity to heal the past wounds of betrayal and loss, while failed entrepreneur Jeremy sees a chance to finally impress his overbearing father. But with financial misjudgements, secret transgressions and lies creating cracks where this new family attempts to blend into one, will they ever be able to cement their ‘happily ever after’?
The Other Guinness Girl: A Question of Honor by Emily Hourican
Published by Hachette Ireland, Out now
Honor Guinness is rich, aristocratic, shy and awkward- nothing like her glamorous cousins Aileen, Maureen and Oonagh. But when she marries charming American, Henry 'Chips' Channon, together they make the perfect couple at the heart of the most elite social circles, including a close friendship with the Prince of Wales and Mrs Wallis Simpson. But within the marriage, all is less than perfect. Meanwhile, Honor's best friend, the beautiful Doris, is set on establishing her place in London society. As tensions rise in 1930s Europe, Doris, born to a German-Jewish mother, hears troubling accounts from her cousins in Berlin. Will she be able to secure the right marriage to protect her family, and her future? Set against the rise of Nazism, the abdication of a king, and the slide into World War II, The Other Guinness Girl is a sweeping novel of love, desire, friendship and self-discovery.
Forever Home by Graham Norton
Published by Coronet, Out now
Carol is a divorced teacher living in a small town in Ireland, her only son now grown. A second chance at love brings her unexpected connection and belonging. The new relationship sparks local speculation: what does a woman like her see in a man like that? What happened to his wife who abandoned them all those years ago? But the gossip only serves to bring the couple closer. When Declan becomes ill, things start to fall apart. His children are untrusting and cruel, and Carol is forced to leave their beloved home and move back in with her parents. Carol's mum is determined to get to the bottom of things. It seems there are secrets in Declan's past, strange rumours that were never confronted and the house they shared takes on a more sinister significance.
The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham
Published by Hodder & Stoughton, Out now
For most of the last hundred years, Biloxi was known for its beaches, resorts, and seafood industry. But it had a darker side. It was also notorious for corruption and vice, everything from gambling, prostitution, bootleg liquor, drugs… even contract killings. Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco grew up in Biloxi in the sixties and were childhood friends. But as teenagers, their lives took them in different directions. Keith's father became a legendary prosecutor, determined to 'clean up the Coast.' Hugh's father became the 'Boss' of Biloxi's criminal underground. Keith went to law school and followed in his father's footsteps. Hugh preferred the nightlife and worked in his father's clubs. The two families were headed for a showdown, one that would happen in a courtroom.
The Keepsake Quilters by Felicity Hayes McCoy
Published by Hachette Ireland, Out now
Successful TV producer Penny finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, forcing her to rethink her entire future. Penny's mum Val raised her alone and always taught her daughter to be independent. But she can't understand why Penny seems intent on pushing her away now, when she needs her more than ever. Marguerite, Val's recently widowed mum, has an idea to help heal this rift: sewing together a keepsake quilt for the baby. But as the quilt takes shape, memories surface, and the three women begin to discover more about each other than they ever could have imagined.
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
Published by Hodder & Stoughton, Out now
Olivia returned to her hometown after fleeing from an abusive relationship and took over the family beekeeping business when her son Asher was six. Her baby is now six feet tall and in his last year of high school with a new girlfriend. Lily also knows what it feels like to start over, when she and her mother relocated to New Hampshire it was all about a fresh start. She and Asher couldn't help falling for each other, and Lily feels happy for the first time. But can she trust him completely? Then one day, Olivia gets a phone call- Lily is dead, and Asher is arrested on a charge of murder. As the case against him unfolds, she realises he has hidden a lot from her. Olivia knows firsthand that the secrets we keep reflect the past we want to leave behind and that we rarely know the people we love as well as we think we do.
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
Published by Tinder Press, Out now
In 1561, Lucrezia, Duchess of Ferrara, is taken on an unexpected visit to a country villa by her husband, Alfonso. As they sit down to dinner, Lucrezia realises that Alfonso has a sinister purpose in bringing her here. He intends to kill her. Lucrezia is sixteen years old, and has led a sheltered life locked away inside Florence's grandest palazzo. Here, in this remote villa, she is entirely at the mercy of her increasingly erratic husband. What is Lucrezia to do with this sudden knowledge? What chance does she have against Alfonso, ruler of a province, and a trained soldier? How can she ensure her survival?
It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover
Published by Simon & Schuster, Out now
Before 'It Ends with Us', it started with Atlas. Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil co-parenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date. But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life—and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter’s life.
Dark Music by David Lagercrantz
Published by Quercus, Out now
Professor Hans Rekke was born into a wealthy Stockholm family, world authority on interrogation techniques and observation. But he might just fall apart when the going gets tough, leading to substance abuse and despair. Micaela Vargas is a community police officer, born to Chilean political refugees in a tough suburb, with two brothers on the shady side of the law. Vargas feels she has something to prove. She's uncompromising, but she needs Rekke's unique mind to help her solve the case. Rekke has it all- wealth and reputation- but also a tendency to throw it all away. He needs Vargas to help him get back on an even keel so he can focus his mind on finding the killer before they're both silenced for good.
Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
Published by Penguin, Out now
I was dreading the Cunningham family reunion even before the first murder. Before the storm stranded us at the mountain resort. The thing is, us Cunninghams don't really get along. We've only got one thing in common, we've all killed someone. My brother, my step-sister, my wife, my father, my mother, my sister-in-law, my uncle, my step-father, my aunt. Even me. When they find the first body in the snow, it's clear that only a Cunningham could have committed the crime and it's up to me to prove it. There are plenty of killers in my family. But only one murderer…
Cat Lady by Dawn O’Porter
Published by Harper Collins, Out now
We've all known a cat lady and we've probably all judged her too. But behind the label, the one that only sticks to women, what if there's a story worth nine lives? Cat Lady is a story about defying labels and forging friendships. It's for the cat lady in all of us because a woman always lands on her feet.
Spells For Forgetting by Adrienne Young
Published by Quercus, Out now
Emery Blackwood's life was forever changed on the night of her high school graduation, when the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her best friend, Lily. She'd once dreamt of running away with August. Now, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would, living a quiet existence among this tight-knit community steeped in folklore and tradition, ruled by the seasons and ancient superstitions. But when August returns after fourteen years to bury his mother's ashes, Emery must confront her first love and the reason he left so abruptly. The town wants August gone again. And as the island begins to show signs of strange happenings, the emergence of deep betrayals and hidden promises threatens to reveal the truth behind Lily's death once and for all.
Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
Published by Viking, Out now
As a panicked world goes into lockdown, Lucy Barton is uprooted from her life in Manhattan and bundled away to a small town in Maine by her ex-husband and on-again, off-again friend, William. For the next several months, it's just Lucy, William, and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the moody, swirling sea.
The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman
Published by Penguin, Out now
Trouble is never far away when the Thursday Murder Club are concerned. A local news legend is on the hunt for a sensational headline, and soon the gang are hot on the trail of two murders, ten years apart. To make matters worse, a new nemesis pays Elizabeth a visit, presenting her with a deadly mission: kill or be killed… While Elizabeth grapples with her conscience (and a gun), the gang and their unlikely new friends (including TV stars, money launderers and ex-KGB colonels) unravel a new mystery. But can they catch the culprit and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again?
