Christmas books

Books are small and (mostly) inexpensive pleasures that transport you to amazing worlds, that make you think, help you learn and many will be books for keeps. They're also some of the easiest presents to wrap and some of the best presents that I've received. Add a small box of chocolates and most readers will be delighted. Readers do seem to prefer it if you keep it simple and look at their wish list or shelves for obvious collectible gaps. On receipt of the present they may also be planning their disappearance to a quiet corner with a good reading light at the earliest possible opportunity.

All my Christmas shopping, if not wrapping, is done and I can enjoy Christmas Eve tomorrow in peace. I can also make a start on some of the books I've bought this year with the intention of reading. I never quite seem to have the time to do all the reading I'd like. This may sound odd, but do believe me that publishers don't spend all their time reading novels.

Cornelia Funke's Ghost Knight. I've loved her work since The Thief Lord was recommended to me, so a new novel is something to look forward to.

Joanne Harris. Peaches for Monsieur le Cure. Again, a favourite author and I've started this one, but other deadlines got in the way rather and I haven't quite finished. That's not to say I haven't enjoyed what I've read so far.

Clara and Mr Tiffany. The story of one of Tiffany's female glass designers by Susan Vreeland. The cover is beautiful and the story sounds fascinating. I remember reading some sort of factual article about the history of the women in Tiffany's workshop - they worked as a separate department and one woman seemed to have creative control reporting to Tiffany himself. 

Heavenly Pleasures by Kerry Greenwood. Having read every Phryne Fisher that I could get my hands on, I thought it was time to move to a series about a baker. The extracts on her website were all tempting and I chose at random.

For anyone hoping for one of my titles for Christmas, I hope you're pleased. Plenty of husbands and boyfriends have been buying from me this month so you may well have dropped enough hints or given him a list. Anyone disappointed that the hints didn't work, well, I close the shop over bank holidays, but will be posting at any other time.