Present and correct
The Food Almanac Volume II Miranda York Pavilion, £22
Let this beautifully illustrated food almanac lead you through the year with its judicious range of food writing, recipes, reflections, poems and a celebration of seasonal ingredients. You’ll find ideas for cooking with Seville oranges in January, “wine snacks” in March, a Mary Berry Madeira cake recipe in May and, in September, Diana Henry contemplates autumn’s abundance of fresh ingredients.
Wild Light Angela Harding Little Brown, £25
Gifted printmaker Angela Harding shares 100 illustrations of the natural world that surrounds her, whether around her home in the Rutland countryside or from travels on her boat. Inspired by changes in the light over the course of day and night, each beautifully rendered print or drawing opens a window onto her world, from dawn through her bedroom window to a night walk in Suffolk. A coffee table book to treasure, it’s also a fascinating insight into her artistic techniques.
The Light We Carry Michelle Obama Viking, £25
The iconic Michelle Obama returns, offering up her “personal toolbox” of advice and reflections to help us navigate turbulent times. Drawing on her own experiences, she offers insights into building confidence, taking risks, developing strong relationships, finding purpose, and suggests coping strategies for times when we’re overwhelmed. And always, she reminds us, go high.
Masterclass Abigail Ahern Pavilion, £30
Put an individual stamp on your interiors with Abigail Ahern’s guide to creating characterful rooms. She offers advice on developing each room’s focal point and encourages us to build around the right seating – after all, most of us spend two-thirds of each day sitting down – while paying attention to lighting, walls and floors.
So seek out strategic contrasts and blend diverse influences, but use colour and pattern to create a coherent whole, stealing ideas from the characterful homes pictured.
What To Sow, Grow And Do Benjamin Pope Frances Lincoln, £22
Believing we all have a gardening seed in us, Benjamin Pope hopes to nurture it and coax it into full bloom with his elegant, stylish guide to maximising your outdoor space.
It’s divided into four seasons, early and late, while the Plants In Season section shows you how to inject your garden with colour, whatever the time of year.
He takes beginners back to basics but there’s a wealth of information and inspiration for seasoned gardeners too.
A beautiful book to treasure.
The Story Of Art Without Men Katy Hessel Hutchinson Heinemann, £30
Frustrated by the lack of women artists in museums, galleries and art history, Katy Hessel sets out to redress the balance in this well-researched and enlightening account.
Spanning 400 years of art, we encounter the work of Renaissance miniaturist painter and nun Plautilla Nelli, quiltmaker and former slave Harriet Powers, and Scottish portrait artist Maud Sulter, among others.
What Writers Read Edited by Pandora Sykes
Bloomsbury, £12.99
Thirty-five writers reveal their all-time favourite read in this small but perfectly formed hardback.
Marian Keyes shares her love for Cold Comfort Farm, Nick Hornby tells us why Emil And The Detectives inspired him, and William Boyd explains how Catch-22 showed him the power of fiction.
All profits will be donated to the National Literacy Trust to spread a love of reading among the next generation.
Good Pop, Bad Pop Jarvis Cocker Jonathan Cape, £20
You don’t need to be a Pulp fan to appreciate this nostalgic, playful, and beautifully designed book about Jarvis Cocker’s mission to clear out his loft, dusting off souvenirs and mementoes from his formative years.
As each item inspires a trip down memory lane, we learn about his musical influences, his unique style, and the time he was hospitalised after falling out of a window when trying to impress a girl.
Frozen Planet II Mark Brownlow and Elizabeth White
BBC Books, £28
Over a fifth of Earth is covered in ice – some of it 5km thick – and home to a unique range of creatures. Now the ice is melting, we risk losing all of these habitats forever, but the Frozen Planet team brave extreme conditions (in winter, East Antarctica can drop to minus 94C) to capture dramatic landscapes, from ice caves to volcanoes, and their occupants including walruses, snow monkeys and the grumpy-faced Pallas’s Cat.
High Street JM Richards, illustrated by Eric Ravilious
Thames & Hudson, £20
This is a reproduction of a book first published in 1938, only for the lithographic plates to be destroyed in the Blitz. Eric Ravilious’ charming illustrations of real high street shops evoke a bygone age when most shopkeepers made what they sold on site, while the text explains what happened within. It’s like time travel in book form.
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse: The Animated Story Charlie Mackesy Penguin, £20
Over seven million copies of Charlie Mackesy’s book have sold to date and the accompanying short film will air on BBC One this Christmas.
Telling the tale of a lost and lonely young boy searching for home, this book of the film is illustrated with the work of over 100 animators who helped translate the story from page to screen.
Queen Elizabeth II David Souden BBC Books, £22
Drawing on the BBC’s archive of photos and recordings, this collection of images spans the Queen’s long life. Royal devotees will relish a chance to relive key events in the life of this iconic monarch, from her birth in 1929 to her first radio broadcast during the Second World War, and from her coronation to the Platinum Jubilee.