Books & Literature

Christmas Through the (P)Ages

Our book review team gives you their recommended gift list featuring fiction, cookbooks, audiobooks, memoirs and more.

If nothing else, this year has proved that truth is stranger than fiction. As we enter the final month of 2020, now’s the time to escape it early. Our tireless book review team has once again dug into their archive of reviews to come up with a Christmas gift list for you. Whether you want to laugh, cook up a storm, get into gardening, go on an adventure, learn a skill or live someone else’s life, there’s something here to cater for everyone on your gift list (including yourself!).

All of our entertainment teams are volunteer contributors and they’ve done a tremendous job keeping the entertainment pages alive this year, especially during the lockdowns. A big thanks to all of them, especially our three volunteer Editors, Brian (arts), Tracey (film) and Rod (books) who coordinate each team. Enjoy the fruits of their labour with these recommended books and audiobooks.

Click each book title to read the review, and don’t forget to grab a title or two for yourself while you’re shopping.

Glen Christie recommends:

| Read more of Glen’s reviews |

Sue Mauger recommends:

  • Plantopedia: The Definitive Guide to House Plants, by Lauren Camilleri & Sophia Kaplan (Smith Street Books)
    A great Christmas gift for the person who loves indoor plants and needs a little bit of help choosing what to buy.
  • An Alice Girl, by Tanya Heaslip (Allen & Unwin)
    One of my favourite novels. How can the memoirs of someone between the ages of 6-11 be interesting? This biography answers this in spades.

| Read more of Sue’s reviews |

Rod Lewis recommends:

  • Danger 5: Stereo Adventures, by Dario Russo and David Ashby (Audible)
    Audible’s revival of this outrageously funny SBS series makes a brilliant transition to audio featuring the original TV cast in more outlandish spy adventures.
  • You Suck at Cooking (Penguin)
    This legitimate cookbook is comedy gold, making it an ideal Christmas gift to help unconfident cooks to start “sucking slightly less at making food

| Read more of Rod’s reviews |

Jessica Incoll recommends:

  • The Boy, The Wolf and The Stars, by Shivaun Plozza (Penguin)
    A lovely, magical tale that is reminiscent of childhood fantasy movie classics The Never Ending Story (1984) and Labyrinth (1986).
  • A Year of Simple Family Food, by Julia Busuttil Nishimura (Pan Macmillan)
    A delicious mix of quick and simple dishes, as well as weekend treats (recipes that are simple to make but require more time).

| Read more of Jess’ reviews |

Michelle Baylis recommends:

  • Cyanide Games, by Richard Beasley (Simon & Schuster)
    This is the first Richard Beasley book in years and I nearly flattened people to get to it, given I loved “Hell Has Harbour Views”. This is a great story that introduces the main character, Peter Tanner.
  • The Burden of Lies, by Richard Beasley (Simon & Schuster)
    This is the second book featuring Peter Tanner and it only gets better!

| Read more of Michelle’s reviews |

Jo Vabolis recommends:

Copenhagen Cult Recipes, by Christine Rudolph and Susie Theodorou (Murdoch Books)
With a Christmas close to home looking likely, get cosy with this collection of favourite Danish recipes and bring some Copenhagen classics to your table.

| Read more of Jo’s reviews |

Rebecca Wu recommends:

The Commando Way, by Bram Connolly (Allen & Unwin)
The perfect gift for the friend that wants to make lasting changes to their life in 2021.

Hazelwood, by Tom Doig (Penguin)
An enlightening read on the importance of external governance, this is a gift for the frustrated champions who know it’s not all about climate change and the land; keep on fighting!

| Read more of Bec’s reviews |

Tracey Korsten recommends:

Adelaide Festival 60 Years: 1960-2020, by Catherine McKinnon (Wakefield Press)
The perfect gift book or holiday read for anyone who loves the Adelaide Festival

Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, by Anna Jackson (Bloomsbury)
Buy this rich homage to the kimono for yourself, or drop hints to Santa!

| Read more of Tracey’s reviews |

DC White recommends:

If It Bleeds, by Stephen King (Hachette)
You just can’t beat a master of the game.

V2, by Robert Harris (Penguin)
Gripping and thought provoking, this will challenge anyone’s notion of a ‘just war’

| Read more of DC’s reviews |

Kristin Stefanoff recommends:

When I Was Ten, by Fiona Cummins (Pan Macmillan)
This book would make a great gift for lovers of suspense. This is a fast-paced, engaging thriller, with characters that come to life in a heart-wrenching story of childhood trauma that makes this book very difficult to put down.

Just an Ordinary Family, by Fiona Lowe (Harper Collins)
Fiona Lowe had been compared favourably to Liane Moriarty, and with good reason – this multi-character driven story of family, love, lies, and consequences would be perfect for a fan of Moriarty’s work, and a chance to introduce them to potentially a new favourite author.

| Read more of Kristin’s reviews |

More News

To Top