The most wonderful time of the year – for a book

From ancient history to new fiction, books make great gifts for all the family. Here’s four tipped to be popular

There can be few better stocking fillers than a carefully chosen book. Here, the experts at independent bookstore The Watermill in Aberfeldy give us their top picks for Christmas 2018.

The Nature of Winter by Jim Crumley Saraband, Paperback £8.99 ISBN: 9781912235179

If the dark days of winter send you into a gloomy downward spiral then this book is the perfect antidote.

Jim Crumley writes about the natural world with a storyteller’s skill. His observations are acute, always passionate and full of a deep love for nature.

You might even start to appreciate those cold, stormy days after Christmas and before spring.

Scotland: Her Story. The Nation’s History by the Women Who Lived It Edited by Rosemary Goring Birlinn

Hardback £20

ISBN: 9781780275314

From Mary Queen of Scots to Nicola Sturgeon, women from Scotland’s history (and present) have been given a voice in this fascinating and well-researched book. One to dip into on those long winter evenings.

Erebus: The Story of a Ship By Michael Palin Hutchinson Hardback £20 ISBN: 9781847948120 The wreck of the HMS Erebus was found in the frozen Canadian arctic in 2014.

Michael Palin’s account of the ship’s exploits – it sailed to both poles – before it reached this sad end makes great armchair travelling.

Castle MacNab By Robert J Harris Birlinn

Hardback £12.99

ISBN: 9781846974571 Dundee-born Robert J Harris has created a new adventure for Richard Hannay and a sequel to John Buchan’s classic novel John MacNab.

A suitable ripping yarn in which Hannay must save Europe from the catastrophe of another world war.