Ben's Christmas Gift Guide 2024
it's hard to be much more explanatory than this
As hotly anticipated as Oasis tickets or Sally Rooney proof copies, here is this year’s Christmas Gift Guide as promised!
There’s a load of different books for all ages alongside some other varied suggestions, from clothes to home decorations to flowers to memberships.
And speaking of memberships, if you’d like to get someone a gift membership then click the button below! I’ve really enjoyed Substacking this year and given I’ve not got a book project going in earnest right now, for the immediate future I’ll be focussing my creative energies right here. Take out a paid subscription to get all the good stuff or give a gift with the button below.
And now, I bring forth seasonal bounty for your perusal.
books
intermezzo by sally rooney
The big release of 2024, Intermezzo somehow survives the hype and perhaps even surpasses its expectations. If you have a reader in your life that hasn’t got it yet or even someone you think might like some modern fiction, Rooney’s latest is ideal.
true grit
Charles Portis’ western novel True Grit (amazon / independents) was one of my favourite reads of the year. It’s short but sweet and like some of the other recommendations on this list, there are some striking covers if you look around. One for any cowboys hanging round your tree.
the players’ tribune: i’ve got a story to tell
Maison Assouline do beautiful and striking coffee table books and this exquisitely photographed collection of Players’ Tribune stories makes a great big gift for a more aesthetically conscious sports fan.
the goldfinch by donna tartt
I took down this doorstop of a novel at the beginning of the year and I’m glad I did. It was the sort of thing that disappears 50 pages at a time until suddenly you’re left at a thoroughly satisfying end. There are some special editions around the place too.
doppelganger by naomi klein
Doppelganger deservedly won the Women’s Prize for Nonfiction. It begins with a confusion Klein finds initially amusing, then very serious, the common mixing up of her and far right mouthpiece Naomi Wolf, taking us for a ride through the land of alternative facts. It’s the best exploration I’ve read of contempt and how it prevents us from examining real world events in a reasoned way. An interesting and important book.
the hypocrite by jo hamya
My smart summer beach read of 2024 where concurrent narratives a decade apart detail a father-daughter relationship. It’s messy, funny, nuanced and moving, it’s extremely readable and partly set by the sea. One of my favourite fiction reads this year.
all the beauty in the world by patrick bringley
A beautifully written, moving book about the power of art. in the wake of his brother’s death, Patrick Bringley quit journalism to become a security guard at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The effects of being around great work are wonderfully evoked in this little memoir.
these heavy black bones by rebecca achieng ajulu-bushell
Shortlisted for the Sports Book of the Year Award, this artsy, sporty memoir from the first black woman ever to swim for Great Britain does a great job of relating how it feels to be the fastest swimmer in the world, while also touching on broader issues of race, identity, performance and solitude.
books for the yute
The more I work on the boys’ literacy project, the more I see the importance of giving boys books. Not only that, if you’re a boy of any age, giving another boy a book is something akin to a revolutionary act.
Many young people don’t own any books. Those who do have usually been introduced to them by the women in their life, who are doing them a great service, but there’s space and possibility for men to normalise reading for boys by giving them gifts.
It’s a small thing to do that could have mighty consequences.
anything by oliver jeffers
I love to gift his beautiful children’s books. Here We Are, What We’ll Build and Lost and Found are all perennial picks but there are plenty of other gems in his oeuvre as well.
illustrated abridged classics
There’s evidence that graphic novels and comics are excellent ways to get children into reading and I love the idea you can whet their appetite for the really good stuff by giving them an illustrated classic. Recently I rediscovered the Ladybird Children’s Classics that would do the trick and their Adventures from History range would be great too.
northern lights by philip pullman
Northern Lights is one of my all-time favourite books and while I’ve long had my eye on these illustrated versions of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, I had no idea there was a graphic novel version that younger children could perhaps enjoy more easily.
other stuff
aeropress
This coffee maker for those in the know/the fussy is on my list as mine appears to be losing its powers. Now they’ve got fun colourful versions and I’ve just found out there is an extra-expensive and probably unnecessary premium version that I can’t help but find appealing…
bookends
There’s something satisfying about the heft of a bookend. I found some in a Scottish cabin that I admired and while I can’t find them online, these two in concrete or marble caught my eye too.
membership
Wherever you find yourself, there’s probably a cultural institution you could enrol a loved one in (make sure they get guest passes!) In London I’d consider somewhere like The National Gallery, where the the art and the food are fantastic, or the Royal Academy.
Otherwise, I’d like to get outside. The National Trust, Westonbirt Arboretum or Kew Gardens are all places worth supporting with a membership.
flowers
In other outdoors projects worth supporting, Petalon Flowers grow their own beautiful blooms in the southwest of England and they have a range of great gift ideas. You could send a festive wreath, a gift card or even a subscription to your nearest and dearest.
thick socks
I love getting thick socks at Christmas and while I regularly go for Finisterre, these from Kavu and Happy Socks look fun.
gingerbread house
This one from Annas is a great gift to give kids. You can have fun making it and then you get to have fun eating it!
sweater
Finally, after many moons and miles of shelves perused, I’ve found my festive turtleneck. Not to brag, but I also got it on sale so it was even more reasonably priced than it is already. Just the right weight, it’s a woollen treat for any recipient.
That’s your lot right now! If I find anything else that catches my eye then I’ll add it to the list but for now, I wish you happy shopping and bon courage for the upcoming festive season and I’ll leave you withe some timely wisdom from Maya Angelou.
I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
Love the colored Aeropress in here! And as the lady who is usually the one introducing books to children in her life, I loved this: "if you’re a boy of any age, giving another boy a book is something akin to a revolutionary act."