book gift ideas for Christmas

Christmas will undoubtedly be different for us this year, but I also think it will be a little bit more special too. We’ll appreciate what we have, and when it comes to giving gifts, we won’t be mindlessly wrapping socks, aftershave or popping a gift voucher in the post. Instead, we’ll be thinking a little more about the gifts we give and what better gift to give than a book. After all, I think we all deserve to escape the dumpster fire which has been 2020, so why not escape into another world for a bit?

For the Netflix doco addict

Deep Fakes and the Infocalypse: What You Urgently Need To Know by Nina Schick

Recent advances in AI mean that by scanning images of a person (for example using Facebook), a powerful machine learning system can create new video images and place them in scenarios and situations which never actually happened. When combined with powerful voice AI, the results are utterly convincing.

So-called ‘Deep Fakes‘ are not only a real threat for democracy but they take the manipulation of voters to new levels. They will also affect ordinary people. This crisis of misinformation we are facing has been dubbed the ‘Infocalypse’.

Deep Fakes is the perfect book for those that love Netflix Docos such as The Social Dilemma and Don’t F*ck With Cats.

book gift ideas for christmas

For the comedian

Remarkable Guide To Happiness by Bill Bailey

In Bill Bailey’s Remarkable Guide to Happiness, Bill explores the nature of happiness and ways to be, well, happy. Being Bill Bailey, however, he does so in his own, remarkable, Bill Bailey way.

From paddle-boarding down the Thames in a Santa hat to wild swimming in a glacial river, Bill considers the exhilaration of the outdoors, as well as the quieter pleasures of clearing out your moth-eaten grey t-shirts. He attempts to see beyond the mumbo-jumbo of the wellness industry and aims for the heart of real joy and contentment – and how we can all achieve it.

This collection of funny, meditative and thoughtful essays seeks out simplicity and clarity as a corrective to the endless background noise of anxiety-inducing news chatter. Whether it’s whooping aloud while cycling through a pine forest, putting pen to paper, or immersing yourself in music, Bill’s guide to happiness is an antidote to the frenetic whirl of modern life.

The perfect gift for someone who may be over lockdown and looking for a damn good laugh. I found it funny, touching and sprinkled with amazing facts on a range of random topics like mini-golf!

book gift ideas this Christmas

For the true crime sleuth

Reasonable Doubt by Xanthé Mallett

We all put our faith in the criminal justice system. We trust the professionals: the police, the lawyers, the judges, the expert witnesses. But what happens when the process lets us down and the wrong person ends up in jail?

Henry Keogh spent almost twenty years locked away for a murder that never even happened. Khalid Baker was imprisoned for the death of a man his best friend has openly admitted to causing. And the exposure of ‘Lawyer X’ Nicola Gobbo’s double-dealing could lead to some of Australia’s most notorious convictions being overturned.

Forensic scientist Xanthé Mallett is used to dealing with the darker side of humanity. Now she’s turning her skills and insight to miscarriages of justice and cases of Australians who have been wrongfully convicted. 

Exposing false confessions, polices biases, misplaced evidence and dodgy science, Reasonable Doubt is an expert’s account of the murky underbelly of our justice system – and the way it affects us all.

One of my favourite reads of the year and a must read for any murderino.

book gift ideas for Christmas

For the Game Of Thrones fan

The Birth of the Plantagenet series by Blanche d’Alpuget

Henry II’s rise to power and his marriage to the French Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, is said to be the inspiration for the Game of Thrones series. The medieval dynasty had scandal, plot, urder, double crossing, allies and enemies.

Blanche d’Alpuget writes with a deep richness which draws you right into one of histories most dysfunctional families. The Birth of the Plantagenets series is one hell of a series to lose yourself and d’Alpuget deftly weaves historical fact with a drama and intrigue.

The film and television rights for the series have also been optioned, so get stuck into the book series before it hits the screens!

book gift ideas for christmas

For the little ray of sunshine

The Switch by Beth O’Leary

The funny and uplifting new novel from the bestselling author of THE FLATSHARE.

Eileen is sick of being 79.
Leena’s tired of life in her twenties.
Maybe it’s time they swapped places…

When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She’d like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen.

Once Leena learns of Eileen’s romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. Meanwhile, Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. But with gossiping neighbours and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flatmates and online dating to contend with in the city, stepping into one another’s shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected.

Leena learns that a long-distance relationship isn’t as romantic as she hoped it would be, and then there is the annoyingly perfect – and distractingly handsome – school teacher, who keeps showing up to outdo her efforts to impress the local villagers. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, but is her perfect match nearer home than she first thought?

The Switch An uplifting, heartwarming, joyful read which is what everyone needs right now, don’t you think?

best book gifts this Christmas

Grab these great book gift ideas for Christmas from Booktopia and all good book stores!