25 November 2025
As we near the end of the year, festive lights are going up and even some surprise snow has made an appearance! To help you get in the festive spirit, if you’re not already, we’ve put together a gift guide of non-fiction reads that we’re sure will bring you joy. From foodie favourites like All Consuming and Moveable Feasts, to reads for history fiends like Sparta and Advance Britannia, thereβs something for everyone here!
Which book will you be adding to your TBR? Let us know on X, Bluesky, TikTok and Instagram.
π§ Food lovers π§
Moveable Feasts by Chris Newens
Hemingway wrote that ‘wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast’. From Congolese cat fish in the 18th arrondissement to Middle Eastern falafels in the 4th, to the charcuterie served at the libertine nightclubs of Pigalle in the 9th, Newens lifts the lid on the city’s ever-changing, defining and irresistible food culture.
A Cheesemonger’s Tour de France by Ned Palmer
Witty, fascinating and endlessly moreish, A Cheesemonger’s Tour de France is the perfect guide to a French cheeseboard – and a terrific insight into la Belle RΓ©publique.
All Consuming by Ruby Tandoh
Exploring the evolution of the cookbook and light-speed growth of bubble tea, the advent of TikTok critics and absurdities of the perfect dinner party, Tandoh’s laser-sharp investigation leaves her questioning: how much are our tastes, in fact, our own?
π Stocking Fillers π¨
The Economic Consequences of Mr Trump by Philip Coggan
Leading financial journalist Philip Coggan lifts the lid on Trump’s economic gamble, why it’s a universal threat and how we can make sense of this new ‘age of chaos’. This is his clear-sighted and powerful rallying cry in defence of global trade – and why it matters for the world.
Dictionary of Fine Distinctions by Eli Burnstein
An illustrated odyssey into minute differences in meaning, Eli Burnstein’s unputdownable guide will hone your wits, tickle your brain, and deepen your appreciation for the infinite (and infinitesimal) nuances all around us.
Wisdom Takes Work by Ryan Holiday
The final instalment in the New York Times bestselling Stoic Virtues series: the essential, life-changing and hard-won virtue of wisdom. Drawing on lessons from heroes across history, including Marcus Aurelius, Abraham Lincoln, Maya Angelou and Joan Didion, Ryan Holiday shows how to keep an open mind in times of division and disruption; to listen more than we talk; to think with nuance and ruthlessly question our own beliefs.
The Daily Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
A beautiful companion to Cameron’s life-changing creative process, The Daily Artist’s Way features 366 page-a-day quotations, minute meditations and journal prompts to follow throughout the year. Helping us start each page anew, Julia’s sage wisdom will inspire and guide readers from all walks of life in finding the possibility that each day brings.
Killing Time by Alan Bennett
A wonderful surprise gift from Alan Bennett, in his ninetieth year – a novella, set in a home for the elderly; a glorious, darkly comic treat.
β¨ Deep-dive into paperbacks π
The Meteorites by Helen Gordon
Helen Gordon reveals the fascinating stories of fallen meteorites and the lives they’ve touched – from collectors to kings, scientists to farmers. She meets amateur astronomers and gem dealers, goes meteorite hunting across rooftops and learns what objects moving through space can tell us about the fragility of life on Earth.
The Unaccountability Machine by Dan Davies
Part-biography, part-political thriller, The Unaccountability Machine is a rousing exposΓ© of how management failures lead organisations to make catastrophic errors.
Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff
In this transformative book, neuroscientist and entrepreneur Anne-Laure Le Cunff reveals the easier, proven method to achieve our ambitions: an experimental mindset. Rooted in science and real-world success stories, Tiny Experiments is packed with tools to help you break free from limiting beliefs, harness the power of imperfection and apply your curiosity – to create a meaningful, productive life in an ever-changing world.
Impossible City by Simon Kuper
From the bestselling author of Chums comes an explorer’s tale of a naΓ―f getting to understand a complex, glittering, beautiful and often cruel city.Β This is a captivating memoir of today’s Paris without the clichΓ©s.
The Bookshop, The Draper, The Candlestick Maker by Annie GrayΒ
Join historian Annie Gray on an expedition down the high street and through the ages, through arcades, department stores and backstreet shopping malls. Peeping through the windows of tailors, tea rooms and grocers, Gray writes an essential reflection on how we lived in days gone by – and what the future might bring.
π History fans ποΈ
Sparta by Andrew Bayliss
Sparta traces the story of Ancient Greece’s most iconic city-state, from its humble beginnings as a hamlet in the Peloponnese to its meteoric rise as the foremost military superpower of the Classical world. Andrew Bayliss uncovers the eclectic quirks that set Sparta above its rivals: its famous double monarchy, the harsh methods for raising children as soldiers and the unique role of women in Spartan life.
Advance Britannia by Alan Allport
In Advance Britannia, historian Alan Allport reveals the Second World War as it was lived – from the battlefields to the ration books, in the War Ministry and in the air raid shelters. Mixing social history with dramatic storytelling, this is a definitive account of the war that reshaped the world.
The Illegals by Shaun Walker
Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews, and newly-discovered archival material, The Illegals is a page-turning tour de force, that shines new light on the long arc of the Soviet experiment and its messy aftermath – and on how that hidden history shaped Russia and the West.
Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
The threat to liberal democracy isn’t just autocrats – it’s a lack of effective action by so-called progressives. Time to rethink liberal answers to society’s biggest challenges – by ditching scarcity politics and embracing visionary action to create an abundant future.
π The Hobbyist π
World Cup Fever by Simon Kuper
Simon Kuper is one of very few people to have attended every World Cup since 1990. In World Cup Fever he looks back at each tournament he’s experienced – from half-empty stands at Italia 90 to the French triumph as hosts in 1998, South Africa’s national dream in 2010 and the troubling legacy of 2022 – to reveal a captivating portrait of sport in a globalised world.
Collared by Chris Pearson
Dogs are our constant companions: models of loyalty and unconditional love for millions around the world. But these beloved animals are much more than just our pets – and our shared history is far richer and more complex than you might assume. Collared by Chris Pearson reveals the fascinating tale of how we made the modern dog.
To the Sea by Train by Andrew Martin
With his signature wit and anecdotal style, Andrew Martin captures an era defined by its railways: from the development of Brighton and Scarborough into pleasure resorts, and the introduction of bank holidays and two-day weekends, to the advent of cheap flights and the British coast’s subsequent decline. Humorous and evocative, To the Sea by Train takes a charming tour through Britain’s most beloved pastime.
How to Build a Haunted House by Caitlin Blackwell Baines
Tiptoe through the haunted gallery at Hampton Court Palace, encounter the spectral residents of Chillingham Castle and lose yourself in the labyrinthine layout of Winchester Mystery House as Caitlin Blackwell Baines unravels the psyche, the history and the folkloric fabrication that make a haunted house take on a life of its own.
Church Going by Andrew Ziminski
Andrew Ziminski has spent decades as a stonemason and church conservator, acting as an informal guide to curious visitors. Church Going is his handbook to the medieval churches of the British Isles, in which he reveals their fascinating histories, features and furnishings, from flying buttresses to rood screens, lichgates to chancels.