It’s December, so odds are you may well be looking for a gift. For your consideration:  Karen Swan’s The Perfect Present.  If there is such a thing as Christmas chick-lit, this is it. Long story short: a jewellery designer is commissioned to design a gift for a charming man’s wife, and as she grows to know them both, things get more complicated, as they do in novels like this. This is a great gift option for anyone seeking a romantic winter read. Karen herself has written a short blog on the topic of perfect presents, which we’re happy to share today.  The Perfect Present is available now, in-store and online. **** Christmas is almost here and most of us are already on the hunt for the perfect present – the one object that so perfectly encapsulates the recipient’s style and taste and aspirations that it could have been made for them alone. My perfect present last year actually had been – a pair of chocolate brown cashmere socks embroidered with ‘Top Ten Karen’ in celebration of cracking The Sunday Times best-seller list with my book, Christmas at Tiffany's. They’re gorgeous but clearly my husband had missed the rather massive clue…

From its devastating first chapter to its perfect last sentence, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie never ceases to astonish. Ayana Mathis’ first novel is one of the strongest debuts of 2012, and will be talked about, shared, and loved for years to come. Mathis tells the story of Hattie Shepherd as she and her family navigate, negotiate, and survive the twentieth century. Each chapter moves from child to child, and through them Mathis paints a portrait of a mother who has sacrificed everything, not for her children’s happiness, but for their mere existence. The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is an accomplishment in that even while Mathis shows us the depths of selfishness, cruelty, and betrayal, she finds moments to let a ray of light shine through dirty windows. She allows her characters to be real – infuriatingly and often tragically real – but so real that you’ll be frustrated at their failings and joyful at their moments of quiet optimism.  The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is a book that will live with you long after the last page. It is a book that showcases the talent of a powerful new voice in fiction, and it is certainly a book that…

British humorist Dawn French’s second novel arrives on November 27. Oh Dear Silvia retains all the humour one would expect from Dawn French, although its setting doesn’t make that apparent at first glance. The entire book takes place in Coma Suite 5, wherein lies Silvia – her story is told through the various visitors and hospital staff who visit her, and double as narrators. Despite this setting, this is a novel that manages to be simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking, a charming tale with characters that seem like real people – something not all comic novels can achieve. But why listen to me? Without further ado, Dawn French sets up her novel herself: *** Hello! Dawn Roma Rice Pudding French here, writer of the No.1 bestseller – A Tiny Bit Marvellous. Number one because YOU bought it, so thank you very much indeed for that. It meant an awful lot to me to be accepted, at last, as an author, after my previous long career as a laptop dancer. I used to dance… on laptops… Your support gave me the confidence to write my latest novel; here’s the title, are you ready for it… Oh Dear Silvia - yep, that’s what…

Some of our customers and followers are wondering where our Best of 2012 list came from. Long story short? We got together and talked about what we’d read this year, debated, and voted. That’s it. No science, no data.  It’s not based on any lists of nominees or prize winners, certainly not based on sales (or you’d see Fifty Shades of Grey at the top of the list, which of course we’re very thankful for). It’s a reflection of our favourites this year, plain and simple. And lots of you pointed out great books that didn’t make our list – though some of them almost did.  A quick scan of the Facebook comments reveals plenty of your suggestions that we considered, but didn’t quite make the cut. All lists are subjective, and there’s no right or wrong in any creative endeavours – there’s just what moves you or doesn’t. Bring up the Bodies certainly was discussed, but in the end must have been a couple of votes short. But to be honest, Hilary Mantel has already got plenty of recognition this year, being a two-time Man Booker Prize winner and all. Some of our Facebook friends have wondered where the…