Bookish Gift Guide

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For young book worms 

Neil J Hart 

Award-winning fantasy / sci-fi / adventure for ages 12+. Follow fierce and determined female protagonists Harper, Sadie, and Erin on dark, perilous adventures to the other side of the galaxy, into dream and memory, and across the Endless Blue.

https://neiljhart.com/buy-now/

Paranormal Cozy Mystery with a Cat with Cattitude

Hades’s Haunt by Jo Buer

Grieving her mother, Alice seeks solace with her enigmatic Great Aunt Mara in the enchanting town of Widdershins. But when Mara goes missing, Alice is accused of murder by both magical and non-magical law enforcement — while Hades, Mara’s mischievous cat, stirs chaos among the living and the dead.

Hades’s Haunt is Book 1 in the Widdershins Magical Mystery Series. 

Buy Link: https://books2read.com/Hadess-Haunt

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jobuerauthor/

Website: https://jobuer.com/

For lovers of supernatural fantasy cosy crime comedy

Salmonweird by MG Mason

Karl Blackman thought his retirement to the sleepy Cornish village of Salmonweir would be idyllic. And it was until the ghosts arrived: Among them a pirate crew, an Iron Age queen, a Roman officer, a medieval monk, and a Cromwellian preacher.

https://mgmasoncreative.com/all-my-books/

https://www.instagram.com/onechaoticauthor/

For lovers of epic fantasy

Sentinals Awaken by Helan Garraway

Sentinals Awakenis the first book in the Sentinal epic fantasy series. If you like endearing characters, immersive world-building, and gritty conflict, then you’ll love Helen Garraway’s award-winning tale.

https://bookshop.helengarraway.com

For Cosy Crime Lovers

Death On A Tiny Scale by Julie Broussely

For fans of twisty mysteries, cosy crime and cats!

Londoner Toby Solano inherits a private detective agency in a different country and from a complete stranger. Forced to investigate the agency’s bizarre final case, he teams up with the singularly blunt Meredith Wright and an insistent stray cat. A witty and charmingly surreal whodunnit, with heart-warming characters and unpredictable twists.  

The first book in The Shamrock Detective Agency series. https://books2read.com/deathonatinyscale

Instagram: @juliebrousselybooks | Facebook: @juliebroussely |Website: https://www.juliebroussely.com

For contemporary women’s fiction/romance

Purple Dove - J A Crawshaw

Married to a respected High Court Judge, Heather escaped her dysfunctional parents and found the security and comfort she never thought possible. But beneath the idyllic facade lies a suffocating web of control and emotional oppression.

From secret coves to harbour life, the coastal storms mirror the tempest brewing in Heather's heart. Will she find the fortitude to set sail toward her true destiny, or will fear anchor her to a life that is slowly drowning her soul? This is a story of forbidden attraction, hard-won courage and the liberating power of true love.

Signed paperbacks - www.jacrawshaw.com/bookstore 

Paperback/Ebook/ Kindle Unlimited - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1917019092

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@j_a_crawshaw_author 

Instagram - http://instagram.com/j_a_crawshaw_author 

For crime and police procedural fans

Number One Fan by Helen Aitchison 

David Creighton is author, Emily Robinson’s number one fan. Not content with just reading her books, he wants to be in her life, be her real-life hero and love interest – and he’ll do anything to
achieve that, even kill! 

Available online and in bookshop. Signed copies from writeonthetyne.com 

Facebook: Helen Aitchison Writes | Instagram: Helen.aitchison_writes | Web: helenaitchisonwrites.com

For thriller-lovers

David Palin

Published author of dark, psychological thrillers; whether crime, history, adventure, sometimes a hint of the supernatural - all bases covered!

Two more novels coming out in 2026.

Buy now from David Palin Author | Dark psychological thrillers
 

For cozy fantasy lovers

To Dye For by G. Clatworthy

If you love small town, low stakes, cozy fantasy with all the feels and a slow burn sweet romance with a grumpy woodsman, then check out award nominated A Colour to Dye For today.

Instagram: Instagram.com/gemmaclatworthy 

Website: www.gemmaclatworthy.com

For young adult fantasy
readers 

Matthew Hillsdon 

Step into the vast war torn land of Alidor, where unlikely heroes unite against the rising darkness. The Ridiculous Rambles is the sixth book in the Alidor series that you’ll be happy to hear contains not one but two epic tales from the world of Alidor and beyond. 

Buy link: Alidorbooks.co.uk/books | Instagram: @alidorbooks | Website: Alidorbooks.co.uk

For the multigenre Reader

Fanny Garstang

Love reading a mix of genres then check out my selection of books from the violence of a dragon filled fantasy world to the supernatural historical romance where you decide if he truly is a vampire or not to a spicy historical romance and then the crazy world of the Egyptian gods in a historical fantasy.

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Fanny-Garstang/author

Instagram: @f_garstang-author

For rebel readers of YA fantasy

Rebecca L. Fearnley

An award-winning dark
fantasy full of monsters, mystery and mayhem! Join Annie and her lightning-snake familiar, Wriggler, as they travel between worlds to hunt a vengeful monster. Annie has demons of her own to face. Can she catch the beast without becoming the thing she most fears?

For readers of magical realism and heartfelt small-town stories

The Plymbury Witch by Kendra Vaughan

In the seaside town of Plymbury, Massachusetts, Ravenna Greene inherits the mystical Sea Glass Apothecary and its legacy of granting wishes. When a new pastor sparks prejudice—and an unexpected attraction—Ravenna must choose between her family’s magical legacy and a love that could change it all.

Holiday Promotion: Ebook currently $2.99 through the season.

Buy link: https://books2read.com/theplymburywitch/

Facebook:  @KendraVaughanAuthor

Instagram: @AuthorKendraVaughan

Website: kendravaughan.com

For older teens & adults

The Unraveling of Luna Forester by Marisa Noelle

The Unraveling of Luna Forester is an award-winning dark fantasy retelling that will make you question everything you think you know. Red Riding Hood x Sleeping Beauty with a good dose of psychological horror…

https://geni.us/UnravelingLuna

Signed Copies: https://marisa-noelle.sumupstore.com/product/the-unraveling-of-luna-forester-paperback

For inspirational nonfiction lovers

Joyful Creating by Kate Tremills

Joyful Creating is a soulful companion for anyone who’s lost momentum whether you’re burned out, overwhelmed, or ghosted by your own ideas. If you wonder where your spark went, this book offers a way back. The bestseller that’s lighting hearts up all over the world!

https://www.katetremills.com/joyful-creating-book 

Instagram: @katetremillsauthor Substack:https://substack.com/@katetremills

Website: https://www.katetremills.com/ 

For lovers of a good, twisty crime mystery 

Cry from the Grave by Carolyn Mahony

Hannah Walker is living in limbo. Six years ago, her daughter was abducted, and her world fell apart. She’s tried to pick up the pieces of her life, tried to move on, but not a day goes by when she doesn’t relive the guilt and horror of that day. And then one afternoon she gets a phone call that tips her fragile existence on its head. A discovery in a local garden could be related to Sophie’s disappearance.

When DS Harry Briscombe is called out to investigate a macabre discovery in a local garden, a cold case suddenly gets red hot. But nothing is as it seems. As he is drawn deeper into the web of deceit and pressure to solve the case builds, it soon becomes obvious that someone is
determined to keep secrets buried – no matter what the cost.

Buy link:  Amazon:  https://geni.us/GQVn07      

Facebook: @carolynmahony

Website: www.carolynmahony.com