Many people have asked for my recommendations for books to read or buy as presents for friends and colleagues. So today I am going to link some suggestions of books by authors that I strongly admire. You cannot go wrong when buying their works as they are all incredibly talented and know how to capture an audience and make them want to read on.

AFF – I will provide a US and UK Amazon link for each suggested book and if you use them I will receive a small kickback at no extra cost to yourself.

1) First of all try a Joanne Harris novel.

There are so many to choose from and she writes in several genres. If you like a drama, then why not start with the brilliant ‘Chocolat’ which is all about tradition, challenging beliefs and a touch of magic. Turned into a 2000 movie starring Judi Dench and Juliette Binoche, this French story will have you hooked and warm your heart.

Alternatively, try one of Joanne’s YA Norse mythology books, starting with ‘The Gospel of Loki’. This fits into a set of mythology books, including ‘Runemarks’ and a Loki sequel. The skilful way she carves out stories in small, first person chapters is immersive and clever.

2) Liane Moriarty is the gift that keeps on giving.

When thinking about books by this talented writer, it is hard to know where to begin. Two of her prominent stories have already been made into brilliant television series and the rest have all been bought up by Hollywood.

If you want to start by getting to know just how well she develops characters, try ‘The Last Anniversary’ which I reviewed here. It is a story of a family who lived on an island just off the coast of Sydney, where they celebrated a mysterious event annually. In fact this event had become big business for them, so much so that they created a museum about it. The family, however, had a closely guarded secret. Some knew about it; others didn’t… yet!

3) Dash and Lily

Of course, if you want a YA book and you fancy buying something set at Christmas time, I’d have to suggest ‘Dash and Lily.’ More to come on this in future posts. Anyone who appreciates good writing and a wintry setting would be thankful to receive the first instalment in this brilliant trilogy.

As winter approaches and books become a really good present choice, why not consider buying one of the suggested books for your friends. family or even for yourselves? I cannot get enough of these authors’ brilliant novels.

Thank you for reading my recommendations. Please consider following my blog and commenting your thoughts.