Icon – Essential Stocking Fillers and Coffee Table Books for Christmas
By A.N Other
It’s now early December, and we all know what that means, Christmas is rolling around once again. Wondering what to buy for your loved ones and friends is often a bit of a challenge, especially with those who are hard to buy for. But among all the presents that will be tossed aside this festive season, a good book never goes amiss. Here are some ideas for some great reads to fill your stockings with, and some new ideas for coffee table books that may pique your interest.
Stocking fillers:
Every Day a Word Surprises me & Other Quotes by Writers
With some strong opinions but some valuable advice from some well-known writers, this is a great little book that you can open on any page to find a quote to put life into perspective when you find yourself getting down about the little things. Some positivity which we can quickly access in time for the new year.
Hokusai Manga by Katsushika Hokusai
Including sketches of flora and fauna, landscapes, the supernatural and everyday life from the nineteenth century by the artist Katsushika Hokusai, this beautiful set of three allows us to indulge in the elegance and beauty of the artist’s illustrations from 1814. ‘Flights of Fancy’, ‘The Wonders of Nature’ and ‘Edo Life’ will have you simply mesmerised in the detailed beauty of Hokusai’s art.
Pet-tecture Design for Pets by Tom Wainright
This book is perfect for the animal lovers among us. Pet-tecture Design for Pets is filled with designs of miniature houses and objects by some of the world’s leading designers with our furry friends in mind. Cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, horses, fish, mice, guinea pigs, kangaroos and turtles, this book has accommodation for them all.
How to Go Plastic Free: Eco Tips for Busy People by Caroline Jones
Want to be more environmentally friendly? Want to know how to use less plastic – and fast? Caroline Jones can show you how in How to Go Plastic Free. This book is filled with 100 tips at going plastic free in your eating and drinking, shopping responsibly and resourcefully, phasing plastic out your life and overall maintaining a normal lifestyle without it.
How to go Meat Free: Eco Tips for Busy People by Stepfanie Romine
Similar to How to Go Plastic Free, Stepfanie Romine guides us through 100 easy-to-follow steps to achieve a meat-free lifestyle. So if you’re thinking about cutting meat out of your life, this could be the book for you. Including some tasty meat-free alternatives, this book could be the start of a healthy new year for you.
Where to Drink Beer: the Experts’ Guide to the Best Beer Places in the World
This is a book for the indulgers among us, a real treat for the stocking. A guide to beer in every possible way. Over 70 different countries in which you can buy the beverage are detailed including maps, reviews, suggestions and key information. If you’re planning on going away on a boozy holiday in the new year, or if you’re just the ultimate beer geek, then buy this book.
Coffee table books:
Modern Design Complete by Dominic Bradbury
Moving onto coffee books now, Modernist Design Complete is a must have this season for your coffee table. It provides more than enough culture for your home with a book that explores the powerful aesthetic and philosophical framework that modernism piloted in the 20th century which transformed our lifestyles and living spaces. Flicking through this book immediately gives one an insight into the way we have thought about design and how that has changed throughout time.
The Great Explorers and their Journeys of Discovery by Beau Riffenburgh
A fascinating read, The Great Explorers and their Journeys of Discovery details the Golden Age of exploration, starting with the Vikings, then moving onto the early Chinese travellers and the discovery of the Americas by French and Spanish explorers. The travels of explorers such as Drake Livingstone, Marco Polo and Armin Vambery are recounted by Riffenburgh in this absorbing book.
Capturing The Universe by Rhodri Evans
Perfect for the science geeks among us, Capturing The Universe takes us through a mesmerising exploration of our universe, distant galaxies and other elements of space. Incredible images have been collected here, with detailed descriptions to read about the formation of distant galaxies and the atmospheres and geology and celestial bodies. This book takes us deep into the solar system and the wonders that exist deep in our universe. A spellbinding read.
Red: Architecture in Monochrome
An architectural read, this book delves into the colour red and its significance in contemporary creations. Superb photography is included with informative text as 150 of the most outstanding buildings in the world are displayed. Examples of such are LA’s Petersen Automotive Museum and Moscow’s red-brick State Museum.
So those are our favourites for coffee table reads and perfect literature stocking fillers. There is nothing quite like indulging in a book to inform you, to comfort you, to excite you, to or to teach you something new. Now that it’s Christmas, we’ve finally got the time to pamper ourselves, and take some time out to do something simple but important that sadly many people don’t anymore – pick up a book and read!
Elizabeth Greatrex
