Christmastime is nearly upon us and if you’re in need of some bookish ideas, Ventura has you covered. Here’s our round-up of the best titles to gift loved ones this holiday season.
For the lover of a best-seller:
Whether it’s a thoughtful gift for your partner or a stocking filler for your friends, you can’t go past a best-seller on Christmas. Paris Savages by Katherine Johnson is based on the true story of three Badtjala people from Fraser Island who travel to Europe to perform as part of ethnographic exhibits in the 1800s.
With praise from Alice Nelson, Kate Holden, Peter Cochrane, and reviews from Better Reading, Good Reading and more, this is one new release not to miss!
After being shortlisted for an Aurealis Award, the MUD Literary Prize, an Australian Book Industry Award, the Readings Prize for New Australian Writing and a Saltire Literary Society Award (Scotland), A Superior Spectre by Angela Meyer has taken the world by storm. If you’re looking for genre- and mind-bending literary fiction, go no further.
For the lover of heartwarming and hilarious women’s fiction:
For many of us, Christmas books means gifting the best new beach reads to fill the time on our summer break. Our November release, The Changing Room by Christine Sykes is just that. Entertaining, captivating and easy-to-read, you’ll be drawn in by the strong character developments and social justice story. Read Better Reading’s review here.
And we can’t forget about other releases from earlier this year! The Age of Discretion by Virginia Duigan is a hilarious and provocative novel that will leave you in stitches one minute and tears the next. A gift that any women in your life will love.
For the non-fiction reader:
If your loved ones are book lovers, then they might already have a copy of Jane Sullivan’s Storytime, but if not, it’s the perfect present. A bibliomemoir delving into your favourite childhood books, Storytime is a wander down memory-lane and a reminder that childhood books have a deep impact on who we become.
And for those who love essays, Split by Lee Kofman is the go-to. Acclaimed Australian writers are brought together in this anthology of writing about leaving, loss and new beginnings. It’s a book to gift to any loved one who has experienced grief, and the overwhelming changes that can come after - all tied together by the literary prowess of Lee Kofman.
For the business minded:
Venturing into the New Year means creating new years resolutions. Maybe it’s time to take the career step you’ve always dreamed of? Career to Calling by Annie Stewart is the guidebook for turning your calling into a reality, from lifetime career coach Annie Stewart. A perfect gift for university leavers, back-to-work mums or anyone in your life who needs a nudge in the right direction.
Then there’s Breaking the Banks by Joseph Healy, the insider’s guide to what went wrong with Australian banking, from a career banker. Exploring the criticisms from the Royal Commission and ideas of how to improve, this book is the gift to give the financially-savvy person in your social circle.
For when you can’t decide what to give:
With climate change gracing the news at all hours of the day and fires burning all over the country, what happens when this becomes a reality? The Warming by Craig Ensor is a climate-fiction-romance about humanity at the end of the world. A stocking-filler to give someone who needs a little bit of hope in these times of crisis.
Happy shopping and Merry Christmas from the Ventura team!