8 brilliant books for Christmas
These are the best festive reads recommended by your favourite TV and radio broadcasters
Tony Robinson - actor and TV presenter
The books I want for Christmas
The Widow by Fiona Barton (£12.10, incl p&p)
A debut novel from a former British newspaper journalist, I’ve heard The Widow is as good as Gone Girl and The Girl on a Train, both of which I loved.
Shylock Is My Name by Howard Jacobson (£14.85, incl p&p)
It takes Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and reimagines the story in the present day. I love Jacobson but one of the reasons this book really appeals to me is because it tackles the contemporary rise of anti-Semitism. I don’t think any other author writes as well about the experience of Jewishness and he manages to be serious but with that laconic humour.
The book I’ll be giving
Lamentation by CJ Samson (£16.90, incl p&p)
Lawyer-turned-author CJ Samson mixes two of my favourite genres – thrillers and historical novels – and writes like the lovechild of Raymond Chandler and Hilary Mantel.
Order Tony Robinson’s No Cunning Plan for £16.90, incl p&p
