Out & About December 2017

OA Christmas books gift guide

Whether it’s a fantasy story to fire the imagination, a history, your favourite chef’s latest tome, a book of laughter or a bumper annual, the gift of a book can give great pleasure to all ages. LISSA GIBBINS and HELEN SHEEHAN recommend a few of the books on offer this festive season

Adults – old and young

Adventures of a Young Naturalist by David Attenborough In 1954, a young David Attenborough was offered the opportunity of a lifetime – to travel the world finding rare and elusive animals for London Zoo’s collection and to film the expeditions for the BBC for a new show called Zoo Quest. This is the story of those voyages – not just the story of a remarkable adventure, but of the man who made us fall in love with the natural world, and who is still doing so today.

Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh In his new baking and desserts cookbook, chef Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh, bring fresh, evocative ingredients, exotic spices and complex flavourings – including fig, rose petal, saffron, aniseed, orange blossom, pistachio and cardamom – to indulgent cakes, biscuits, tarts, puddings and ice cream. Goodbye Christopher Robin by Ann Thwaite Based on the film of the same title, this is a glimpse into the relationship between Milne and his son, the real-life Christopher Robin, whose toys inspired the magical world of the Hundred Acre Wood. Along with his mother Daphne and his nanny Olive, Christopher Robin and his family were swept up in the international success of his father’s books; the enchanting tales brought hope and comfort to an England ravaged by the First World War. But with the eyes of the world on Christopher Robin, what will the cost be to the family?

Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys

A stunning, atmospheric novel in the tradition of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile , which tells the story of a young girl’s terrifying journey trapped on a cruise liner to Australia on the eve of the Second World War.

The Postcard by Fern Britton

Witty and warm novel from author and TV presenter Fern Britton. Life in the Cornish village of Pendruggan isn’t always picture- perfect. Penny Leighton has never told anyone why she’s estranged from her mother and sister. For years she’s kept her family secrets locked away, but they’ve been quietly eating away at her. When an unwelcome visitor blows in, Penny is brought face-to-face with the past.

A Column of Fire by Ken Follett Continuing the saga of The Pillars of The Earth and World Without End , A Column of Fire charts a turbulent half-century, where the love between Ned and Margery seems doomed as extremism sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva. Queen Elizabeth I clings precariously to her throne as true battle pitches those who believe in tolerance and compromise against the tyrants who would impose their ideas on everyone else – no matter the cost. The things you can see only when you slow down: How to be Calm in a Busy World by Haemin Sunim In this timely guide to mindfulness, Haemin Sunim, a Buddhist monk born in Korea and educated in the US, offers advice on everything from handling setbacks to dealing with rest

Munich by Robert Harris Hitler is determined to start a war. Chamberlain is desperate to preserve the peace. Their meeting in Munich will forever afterwards be notorious for what takes place there. As Chamberlain’s plane judders over the Channel and the Führer’s train steams relentlessly south from Berlin, two young men travel with secrets of their own. When the stakes are this high, who are you willing to betray?

A Legacy of Spies by John Le Carré

Peter Guillam, staunch colleague and disciple of George Smiley of the British Secret Service, has retired to Brittany, when a letter from is old service summons him to London. Intelligence operations that were once the toast of secret London are to be scrutinised by a generation with no memory of the Cold War. Somebody must be made to pay for innocent blood once spilt in the name of the greater good.

and relationships, in a beautiful book combining his teachings with calming

full-colour illustrations. These simple messages remind us of the strength and joy that come from slowing down.

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