Treat Your Shelf: Christmas Book Recommendations - Part 2

Treat your shelf this Christmas! We have some amazing books in this year’s autumn-winter catalogue for you and your nearest and dearest to experience. Books that will keep everyone warm and cosy while letting imaginations run wild, be it from the comfort of the couch, over a well deserved cup of tea, in a bustling kitchen, on a long train journey, or a very comfy bed...and beautifully designed so they look great on your book shelf!

Check out the second blog in our recommendation series that will have your loved ones grinning from ear to ear this Christmas.

The history buff

For the person in your life who’d rather be deep in the narrative of an earlier age we recommend two amazing history books. Recommended in our last blog, Paisanos: The Forgotten Irish Who Changed The Face of Latin America by Tim Fanning is perfect for those with a keen interest in history and the role Irish men and women played in shaping Latin America. The second book we recommend is 1847: A Chronicle of Genius, Generosity and Savagery by Turtle Bunbury, a rich and stirring portrait of a chaotic globe surging towards the modern age. Featuring an eclectic cast of characters and a host of barnstorming set-pieces, it reveals a world of bold genius, fearsome savagery and the most noble generosity. Both of these fascinating books are available online and in all good bookstores.

The people person

For that someone in your life who loves learning more about those around them, we recommend the beautiful Humans of Dublin by Peter Varga. A collection of over a hundred stunning portraits and remarkable personal stories, it’s a moving and inspirational testament to the people who call the capital home. A little over two years ago, Peter Varga began a photo project that would change the course of his life. Inspired by the success of similar projects internationally, he began to walk the streets of Dublin, interviewing and photographing those he met along the way, and worked to uncover the powerful stories hiding in plain sight and post his work online. The result is a remarkable collection of character studies, drawn from the blog, which captures the vibrancy and diversity of Dublin life. Available online and in all good bookshops.

The athletic one

If you barely get to see them as they whizz past you on a run, we have the perfect book for the athletic person in your life. Following on from her massive bestseller, Eat Yourself Beautiful, Rosanna Davison is back with her second book Eat Yourself Fit. Packed with over 100 recipes to complement and enhance fitness routines, as well as sample diets, exercise plans, as well as mental tips and tricks to help keep even the most reluctant athlete motivated, it has everything you need to help make 2017 your fittest year yet. Available online and in all good bookshops.

The best friend who is always asking for advice

Is your best friend always asking your advice on clothes, fellas and all the rest? For Christmas, treat your favourite hun to How To Be Massive by Aoife Dooley. In How to be Massive Your One Nikita shares her illustrated guide to being massive. From masso make-up to stunnin’ accessories, the vital difference between your ‘going out’ and ‘staying in’ PJs, as well as simple lifehacks, like where to hide your naggin on a night out and how to whiten your runners with toothpaste. Through her popular Instagram account, Your One Nikita, illustrator Aoife Dooley has made the spicebag part of our everyday language. Informed by her experiences growing up in Coolock and affectionately parodying fiery Dublin women, it provides the inspiration for her hilarious and brilliantly observed first book, How to Be Massive. Not only will your best friend get a great laugh from reading it, Nikita will show them How To Be Massive with her tips, anecdotes and advice so you don’t have to! Available online and in all masso bookshops now.

The inquisitive one

For the inquisitive people in your life we have two books that will keep them holed up on the couch for hours. If they are curious about the human mind, The Line, the debut book from Dr Ian Gargan, will help them unlock the door to the criminal mind. In The Line Dr Ian Gargan unravels the motives of some of the nation’s most violent and prodigious offenders, mapping the fine line between right and wrong – highlighting the set of life circumstances that could make any of us cross the line into criminality and violence. The second book we recommend is for those who love or love to hate numbers! In That’s Maths meteorologist Peter Lynch shows us that mathematics isn’t just for academics and scientists, a fact he has spent the past several years proving through his Irish Times newspaper column and blog, That’s Maths. In his debut book Peter shows how maths is all around us, with chapters on the beautiful equations behind designing a good concert venue, predicting the stock market and modelling the atom bomb, as well as playful meditations on everything from coin-stacking to cartography. If you left school thinking maths was boring, think again! Both books are available online and in all good bookshops.

The busy family

It’s hard juggling work, life and family, especially in the kitchen. As a registered dietitian and a trusted face for Irish TV audiences in her dietitian role on Operation Transformation, Aoife Hearne is here to help develop healthy eating habits for the whole family. In her first cookbook The Plan, Aoife brings together all the recipes and practical advice you need to reach and maintain a healthy weight. Aoife’s focus is on developing sound eating habits that benefit the whole family through delicious dishes that are accessible rather than intimidating. As well as tempting breakfasts, lunches and dinners, The Plan includes a section on strategies for healthy living, with tips for preparing a weekly meal plan, cooking ahead and other good habits to support long-term healthy eating. Available online and in all good bookshops now.

The one that lives abroad

For those people in your life that live abroad we have the perfect book that ensures they take a piece of home with them when they leave. In his second book Irishography Ronan Moore, author of Irishology, has created a humorous and irreverent guide to every county in Ireland: Galway, where rainfall is measured not in millimetres but in days; Limerick, which is ‘a little like the Keyser Soze of Irish counties with a name far more notorious than the place ever was’; and of course Fermanagh, which regularly tops the list of Irish counties that people forget when trying to name all 32. Be warned this cheeky tour of Ireland might just make them want to move home for good! A Taste of Home by Catherine Fulvio (recommended in part 1 of this blog series) is also the perfect gift for anyone who lives abroad and wants to create a taste of home in their kitchen - no matter where they are in the world. Both books are available online and in all good bookshops.

We hope our book recommendation series helped you with your Christmas book shopping list. Stayed tuned for our upcoming Christmas holiday recipes to help make Christmas 2016 one to remember! Follow us @GillBooks on Twitter, @gillbooks on Instagram and like us on Facebook for the latest author news.