Our Booksellers’ Christmas Picks

Our four-year-old son has been into Adventuremice for a little while now: fascinated by the miniature feats of engineering, delighted by the cinematic scope of the gang’s perilous adventures, speechless with laughter at the confused crab in Mice On The Ice etc.

So when the latest instalment dropped, we were ready for more of the same. And we got it! Adventure, scrapes, wordplay, peril, lols, and this time a whole bunch o’ dinosaurs. But what I didn’t expect was to be shown anew the indefatigable emotional aptitude of storytelling itself. When, at the end of the story, our plucky Adventuremice had to say goodbye to their new friend Ptiny (he’s the pterodactyl on the cover) so he could rejoin his family, I looked into the now-glistening eyes of my four-year-old reading companion and understood the enormity of this departure: the adventure had come to an end for all of us. (I should add that Ptiny was fine, in the end, unlike me.)

I’m not literally guaranteeing you a profoundly moving experience if you give this book to a kid this Christmas, but if you do, it’s important to know that you too could find yourself in the grip of *some emotions*.

(recommended by Dan)

This is one of those “I don’t know how you pulled this off” books. A concept that’s so ambitious and Deborah Tomkins not only seriously delivers on that concept but dives deeper and deeper into it. It’s also one where the less you know, the better, because it goes in directions that are so unexpected and brilliant. 

But to give a little back-of-the-envelope pitch, Aerth follows the life story of Magnus from childhood through his life via a series of snapshots through his life on Aerth, an seemingly edenic, non-hierarchical Earth-ish planet (near-future society?) slowly descending into an ice age, through to his life travelling to Urth, its newly discovered twin planet where another seemingly human society has evolved in parallel.

If you’ve read and loved The Dispossessed you’re in for a treat, because this feels like a gentle nod to Ursula K Le Guin’s masterpiece if she’d written it in 21st century Britain.

Science-fiction lovers rejoice, but if you’re not a sci-fi person this is still for you – just trust me. 

FFO Ursula K Le Guin, well-executed eco-fiction, epics-in-miniature 

(recommended by Callum)

Looking for something juicy and informative? Look no further, for there is no better gift than baker-extraordinaire-turned-writing-legend Ruby Tandoh’s deep dive into the modern food landscape. Tackling cultural touchstones such as the celebrity chef, bubble tea, Wimpy, Instagram ‘food porn’, and much more, this is a delicious read for the foodies and cultural historians in your life.

(recommended by Tasha)

One for the Weird Walk fans! Hoxton Mini Press’ essential field guide to tramping round mounds, stone circles, barrows and the like.

This bad boy fits comfortably in a coat pocket and has spreads over 90 ancient sites including but not limited to: Silbury Hill, the largest man-made mound in Europe; Long Meg & Her Daughters; and the alarmingly phallic Cerne Abbas Giant.

(Recommended by Callum)

An ode to a simple life! Bear enjoys his own company; he loves to wander in the forest, singing his songs, and he loves to potter in the town, thinking his own thoughts. Bear takes pleasure in the nature around him, smelling the weather and watching the clouds, and he enjoys observing the day changing into night.

This simple, lovable picture book was first published in 1976 and the sketchy illustrations and calming palette endure in this beautiful new edition. A tranquil picture book for all ages that will make you yearn for the easy solitude of bear’s life.

(recommended by Emily)

Christmas in Exeter Street. Stone. Cold. Classic. In the Christmassy kids books sphere, it doesn’t get any better. Go home Tom Fletcher, perfection was penned in 1988 by Diana Hendry. In my family, this gets referenced basically anytime any family come to stay and especially at Christmas. Also, Storysmith is literally on Exeter Road. But seriously, this picture book is hilarious. People sleeping in sinks, aunties stacked on shelves in the dresser while their Pekinese dogs each take a laundry basket. It’s hilarious. 

Yes, I recommended this last year. But listen: we ran out of stock and it went out of print, so I didn’t get the chance to do it justice. Don’t worry, we’ve stocked up this year.

(recommended by Callum)

OK, this one is specifically for all the dads, uncles and any other mid-to-senior ranking adult male acquaintances in your life with a penchant for the novels of John Le Carré. If you’re looking to rewire their brains a little and push them towards breaking the male crime fiction habit of a lifetime, then Creation Lake is the book to do it.

A philosophically rich thriller with a ruthlessly entertaining narrator, a labyrinthine plot that spikes the pious superiority of a gang of French revolutionaries with a dose of American detachment: what more do you need? Male-skewing assumptions aside, Sadie Smith is a character for the ages, a terminally ambivalent and detached operator with a limitless stock of withering putdowns for her adversaries.

Some have claimed the narrator’s voice is like Marmite. I happen to very much enjoy Marmite.

(recommended by Dan)

If you have this book on your coffee table, you’re also going to want a pack of cigarettes, a big mug of drip coffee, and massive massive quantities of cherry pie.

This is a comprehensive retrospective of Lynch’s work from Eraserhead to Twin Peaks: The Return, as well as explorations of his music, photograph and philosophy. You’ll also get to enjoy plenty of big full colour photographs from various sets, regularly featuring the exceptionally handsome Kyle MacLachlan. What a dreamboat!

But seriously this is the perfect gift for any David Lynch lovers or general cinephiles. Even comes in a satisfying and very classy slip-case. Wowzer!

(recommended by Callum)

Ever wondered which creatures were roaming the oceans in the Jurassic period? Why a centrosaurus has such an impressive frill, or what on earth a quetzalcoatlus is?? Dinosaur Dynasty is absolute compendium of info about the biggest, smallest, fastest and most fearsome creatures of the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

With beautifully bold illustrations and fold out-pages (to include even more facts!) this is a gift book that pre-history fans will keep coming back to.

(recommended by Emily)

Originally written in 1969 but lovingly reissued and repackaged in time for this Christmas, this deliciously chilly and darkly comic speculative novel from Danish novelist Anders Bodelsen is a sharp antidote to festive tweeness in all forms.

When Bruno, a story-obsessed magazine editor, is told the abnormality in his neck is both cancerous and inoperable, he is offered a remarkable opportunity: freeze your entire body, and wake up again once medical science has found a cure. The future world into which he reawakens is in some ways completely predictable, and in other, more insidiously troubling ways, completely terrifying. Bodelsen unravels the mysteries with a barely-registering cool humour, a curious delight for anyone with a penchant for prescient, realist sci-fi.

(recommended by Dan)

Is there a better way of showing a friend how much you care about them than preparing a delicious and seasonally appropriate meal for them? Actually, yes! You can buy them a book about preparing a delicious and seasonally appropriate meal for friends, and arrange a time to cook together (or sit back and wait for your thoughtfulness to be directly repaid with nourishing food, lovingly prepared!)

Michelle Roberts’ beautiful book celebrates the seasonal, evolving nature of friendships, and uses food and cooking as a way to show love and appreciation for friends. The recipes are seasonal, simple, (so as not to take away from precious time together), and interspersed with illustrations and anecdotes about the author’s own friends and relatives. Highlights include some musings on artichokes, and a recipe for an excellent picnic!

(recommended by Emily)

Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat is one of my personal Bibles. I read it cover to cover, like it was a novel. And if you want to learn about the fundamentals of great cooking in an accessible way, that’s the book for you. But if you want the unbelievably infectious enthusiasm of Samin Nosrat but in actual, actionable recipes that you can use in your day-to-day, then Good Things is the answer.

Samin is famously anti-recipe, preaching the belief that intuition is king. That said, recipes are a way of sharing really great food without having to be in the same room as someone. These are some of Samin’s “Good Things”. They’re easy, they’re accessible, they’re delicious and in the spirit of the intuition they often come with ideas for substitutes, or suggestions to amp up or adapt to your needs.

(recommended by Callum)

Witches aren’t just for Halloween. They’re for life! Show your support for Witchcraft this Christmas with this lovely little graphic novel.

When Dani and Dorian miss the bus to the school of magic, they decide to hide their mistake and find a tutor to teach them their lessons instead. On their hunt, however, they end up getting mixed up in all sorts of trouble. They rendezvous with the Wizard Pendragon, rub shoulders with traitors of the state, and even stumble upon coups to overthrow the King of Witches! And all because they tried to play hooky!

(recommended by Holly)

You’ve got a movie-lover in your life. You’ve got a music-lover in your life. This is a great book for either of them, especially if they’re one and the same person.

Film critic, musician and podcaster Mark Kermode has teamed up with producer and longtime Kermode colleague Jenny Nelson to bring us this deep dive into the evolution of film music.

Some of the best bits include Kermode’s nostalgic detours into memories of buying soundtrack LPs throughout his youth, a few of which would actually have dialogue from the film in between tracks (remember, this is a time when you couldn’t just watch a film a second time from home) as well as the mini-chapters throughout which are simply recommendations for excellent soundtracks (including Vangelis’ epic synth score for Bladerunner and Mica Levi’s quite disturbed work for Under the Skin).

But for the most part, you can just enjoy the deeply interesting history of how and why the moving image was paired with music, featuring interviews with some absolute legends of the game (Howard Shore and Hans Zimmer to name a couple) that get deep into the gritty special relationship between director and composer.

(recommended by Callum)

When it comes to festive picture books this year, top of the pile for usis undoubtedly Mr Santa, by the mononymous author-illustrator known simply as Jarvis. We were honoured to have Jarvis come and paint a massive Mr Santa in our window, truly the perfect way to kick off the festive season.

The book itself is a perfect story for the nights leading up to the big day, as our strong-willed and inquisitive narrator absolutely grills Santa with the most important questions: dogs or cats, can reindeer talk, do you eat clouds, that kind of thing. Santa, naturally, reacts by taking her on a magical trip to answer some of those pertinent queries…

(recommended by Dan)

Ok, so Richard Scarry’s books aren’t the most obscure, but any books where cars can be pickles and worms wear Tyrolean hats are worthy of celebration.

It’s Christmas Eve Eve, and Mr Frumble is eager to get in the Christmas spirit, helping his neighbours in Busytown with their Christmas errands. But everyone’s on top of their to-do lists, and they don’t need his help at all. So, he hops in his pickle car and heads further afield to find someone who’ll definitely need a hand: Santa Bear. It turns out Santa Bear’s in a bit of a pickle himself, and needs even more help than Mr Frumble thought. Can Mr Frumble, his skipickledoo, and a few mousy helpers save Christmas from being completely ruined?!

(recommended by Holly)

For those interested in the nuts and bolts of filmmaking, Suddenly Something Clicked is the perfect guide. Written by esteemed film editor, director, writer and sound designer Walter Murch (winner of a casual three Oscars), this is an encyclopaedic exploration of the filmmaking process, jam-packed with practical advice, meditations on the impact of cinema, and personal stories from some of the many films Murch has worked on (deep cuts such as The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, to name a few). 

(recommended by Tasha)

Leanne Shapton’s Swimming Studies has been one of my all-time favourites since I first read it back in my early bookselling days (in 2016? Oh jeez) but it has frustratingly been out of print in the UK for quite a while now. No longer! Luckily Daunt Books have saved the day with this gorgeous new edition which means I can finally recommend it again without having to loan out my totally battered copy. Plus an intro from my fave, Rita Bullwinkel. What else do you need!

Those who know Leanne Shapton’s work will probably know her through her art, and probably won’t know (unless you’ve already read the book) that growing up in Canada she was one of the best swimmers in the country, making it all the way to Olympic trials. Swimming Studies is about this experience, but it’s also a springboard (sorry) that launches the reader into unexpected places, confounding preconceived ideas of what swimming is in a way that’s super personal and yet expansive.

And like all the best books about a hyper-specific subject-matter, it manages to be a book for both enthusiasts, as well as readers with little-to-no prior knowledge (like me). This is in part because through the magic, concentrated focus that all good books have. That it makes you obsessed with swimming, art-making, ritual and obsession itself while between the pages (and likely far beyond). But it’s also because of its fluid formal brilliance: the way the different memories layer on top of each other to create a rich, full, immersive feeling; the sections that feel like an art installation of paintings, catalogues of swim suits, visual interpretation of very specific smells; and how all these things come together to create a book that doesn’t feel fractured but instead smooth and indivisible.

(recommended by Callum)

Big coffee-table-size anime retrospective. This bad boy is comprehensive. Starting in the 1940s and working chronologically through some of the biggest films, series and directors of the past hundred years of Japanese anime in a way that’ll satisfy your dabblers and hardcore ani-maniacs alike.

Featuring everything from Studio Ghibli to Final Fantasy, Cowboy Bebop, Street Fighter, Fullmetal Alchemist, Sailor Moon, Demon Slayer, Death Note, Akira, and many, many more…

(recommended by Callum)

The inimitable and prolific director, writer, documentarian, poet and Bavarian iconoclast Werner Herzog has already written his life story (his spectacular memoir Every Man For Himself and God Against All is well worth a read, I probably forced you to buy it last Christmas), and this much more digestible vignette suggests that now it’s out of his system, he’s ready, in his 84th year, to bring fresh insight to a topic which has dominated his oeuvre: truth itself.

Living a life full of scarcely believable exploits and experiences would naturally stand Herzog in good stead for tackling such a lofty theme, but the examples he uses to illustrate his ideas (opera plots, dictators ancient and modern, a pig stuck in a drain) are brilliantly jarring even for him. His grand unifying theory of what he calls Ecstatic Truth is, whether or not you find it sympathetic (or indeed truthful), a compelling centrepiece in this small but exquisitely prepared table of delights.

(recommended by Dan)

From the author of the brilliant An Illustrated History of UFOs, and the other editions in the series on Filmmaking, Ghosts, and Urban Legends. This new series on The Unexplained also features an edition on ghosts as well. Both books are digestible, illustrated intros to historical cases, mysteries and possible explanations for alien junkies ~9+

(recommended by Callum )

At Christmas, what’s better than a spooky story? Luckily the British Library have us covered every single year.

This year’s Tales of the Weird anthology is the second edited by the folks at Weird Walk (you might remember The Haunted Trail from last year). This one collects some of the best of British weird fiction on walking, rambling and wild places, and doesn’t settle for being merely spooky. It actually has notes on the locations and potential rambles that occur in the stories (though some of these are actually more like warnings than advice).

(recommended by Callum)

All three volumes of Tokyo These Days by Taiyo Matsumoto easily rank alongside the best things I’ve read all year (had they been published this year they’d be top of my BOTY) and I’ve since put Matsumoto’s entire oeuvre on my to read list.

Tokyo These Days follows legendary manga editor Shiozawa on his quest to curate the perfect manga. First, he leaves the business entirely as way of atonement for low sales on his recent magazine. He gets a local manga dealer to come and price up his extensive collection, but changes his mind last minute, instead vowing to redeem himself and many of his favourite artists (some of whom are no longer working or who have been destroyed by their love of manga) by creating something truly pure and perfect.

What follows is a contemplative, cinematic journey through the interconnected world of artists, writers, readers, editors, publishers and booksellers in Tokyo–some young and green, others washed up and past their best–as they struggle with what it means to create something artistically true or to create something that might be the next big thing. It’s a beautiful manga with a great sense of place and a big cast of obsessive artistes slogging away to meet their gruelling deadlines. All in the name of ART!

O Come all ye Cat-lovers! It’s the Usula K. Le Guin Book of Cats, a book about the most venerable of pets, written by one of the most venerable Sci-Fi writers – what could be better?

This collection of poems, letters, drawings, and comics celebrates her beloved ‘old furballs’ and ‘demons of innocence’, or ‘Cats’ for us common folk. Alongside 26 poems, we’re treated to a how-to-guide for cat Thai chi, and an illustrated introduction to the lesser-spotted balloon cat. And the crowning glory, a ‘Supermouse Comix’, follows the heroic Supermouse Clark Clark, who, realising that violence is a weapon for the weak, defeats his great cat enemy with loving kindness and back scratches.

Cats, comics, and moral principles: an unbeatable combination.

(Recommended by Holly)

Christmas is all about carefully crafted collections: Quality Street, festive playlists, and now a collection of Yokai, one hundred of Japan’s weirdest myths and folktales.

There’s something horrific and freaky for everyone! Take Shirime, for example: an urban trickster who asks passers by for help, only to horrify them by lifting his kimono to reveal a huge glowing eyeball where you’d expect a bum to be. Or how about Tohoku No Tsurubeotoshi, the delightful disembodied heads that fall from trees and crush unassuming travellers below? Oh, and don’t forget Chokuboron, miniature monks who wear sake cups on their heads and play little ditties on their tiny flutes!

Whatever your preference, put your feet up, throw a log on the fire and cosy up with Yokai: unsettling fun for the whole most of the family!

(recommended by Holly)

If you’ve gotten this far, your tastes are maybe chiming with ours? But if not, our top gift is always our subscription for curious readers. It’s the gift that keeps on giving: basically a Storysmith-endorsed recommendation every month.

How it works:

Every month the recipient will receive a hand-picked new book in the post from us. It’ll be something we’ve loved in the shop, recommended to countless friends and customers and spent ages chatting about. From forgotten classics and cutting-edge curios to prize-winners and underground hits, we think you’ll love our selection.

You can select either a fiction or non-fiction package (or you can alternate), and we’ll include some useful notes from us, as well as some delicious coffee from our friends at Triple Co Roast (roasted close to us in Bristol) to sip while you devour your latest read. It’ll slide through your letterbox every month, all in a beautiful hand-stamped bundle.

We also do subscriptions for babies! It’s just like our adult subscriptions, but specifically designed for very new readers! They make a wonderful gift for newborns and babies aged 0-12 months: the perfect way to start a library of colourful, exploratory and enriching books.