Tag: Bookends Christmas Questions

Bookends Christmas | Favourite thing about the festive season

Bookends Christmas | Favourite thing about the festive season

By Hannah Winter

The festive period has officially arrived and we could not be more excited! In the run up to Christmas we’ll be talking to authors, Linda Green, Jill Mansell, Jo Thomas and Holly Miller about Christmas traditions, presents and books for next year. To start spreading the Christmas joy, we asked our authors what’s their favourite thing about the festive season.

Linda Green, author of One Moment

One Moment

Spending time with my family. My husband and I are both self-employed and my teenage son is always busy with drama classes, rehearsals and filming, so it’s a rare treat for the three of us to have a couple of days off together. Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the festive season and we usually go to the theatre and for a nice meal. Christmas Day involves a lie-in, a walk in the glorious West Yorkshire countryside, followed by a late veggie mezze lunch and snuggling in front of some good films with Booja Booja chocolate truffles on hand!

Pre-order One Moment by today – out in e-book December 1st and in paperback March 5th 2020.

Follow Linda on Twitter here and on Facebook here.

Jill Mansell, author of It Started with a Secret

I have loads of favourite things about Christmas, but driving around at night looking at decorated houses is right up there. I think people who do this are always lovely people, and the more extravagantly sparkly their homes are, the more I love them. (And yes, of course we decorate ours – if people wouldn’t think I was mad I’d happily keep them up all year!)

You can pre-order It Started with a Secret is now – out January 23rd 2020

Follow Jill Mansell on Twitter here and on Facebook here.

Holly Miller, author of The Sight of You

Christmas tunes have got to be up there. The cheesier, the better. A bit of Mariah, a few bars of Buble, and I’m happy. Oh, and carte blanche to eat mince pies for breakfast throughout December.

The Sight of You is out June 2020 and available to pre-order now.

Follow Holly Miller on Twitter here.

Jo Thomas, author of Coming Home to Winter Island

What is your favourite thing about the festive season? I love getting the Christmas Tree. We usually go to a Christmas Tree farm and choose it as a family. It’s the start of festive season. I just love the smell of it filling the house. And then of course, my other favourite time is cooking the Christmas dinner! A glass of bubbly, in the kitchen, BBC Radio 2 playing whilst the family either walk the dogs or go to church.  That quiet time in the kitchen as the smell of turkey fills the house like a great big hug is my favourite time.

Coming Home to Winter Island is available to pre-order now – out December 12th 2019.

Follow Jo Thomas on Twitter here and on Facebook here.

Make sure you sign up to the Bookends newsletter so you don’t miss out on our Christmas blogs!

All I want for Christmas is… we hear from Graham Norton, Cate Woods, Jo Thomas and Olivia Beirne about which books are on the top of their wish list

All I want for Christmas is… we hear from Graham Norton, Cate Woods, Jo Thomas and Olivia Beirne about which books are on the top of their wish list

By Ellie Morley

Can you believe that it is Christmas Day TOMORROW?! In the final blog as part of our Bookends Christmas author series, we asked Graham Norton, Cate Woods, Jo Thomas and Olivia Beirne, which books would you most like to find under the tree on Christmas morning?

A Keeper Graham Norton

Graham Norton, author of A Keeper

I still haven’t got around to reading Kate Atkinson’s new book Transcription or Normal People by Sally Rooney. I’m also very excited by the prospect of a new novel from David Nicholls next year!

More Than a Feeling Cate Woods

Cate Woods, author of More Than a Feeling

One of my favourite books of the year was Uprooted by Naomi Novik, a bewitching fairytale-inspired novel with a fantastic, kick-ass heroine, so I can’t wait to read Novik’s next book, Spinning Silver.

A Winter Beneath the Stars

Jo Thomas, author of A Winter Beneath the Stars

Milly Johnson’s The Mother of all Christmases. I love Milly’s books and I know this will get me right in the Christmas mood. 

The List That Changed My Life by Olivia Beirne cover

Olivia Beirne, author of The List That Changed My Life

So I never usually ask for specific books, I ask my family members to pick me out something (which we all tend to do for each other). Last Christmas our house was like a library. Saying that, I am really desperate to read Libby Page’s The Lido, Joe Heap’s The Rules of Seeing and Emma Cooper’s The Songs of Us.

From all of us here at Team Bookends, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Graham Norton, Jill Mansell, Holly Bourne and Beth Good tell us which of their characters deserve a special Christmas gift!

Graham Norton, Jill Mansell, Holly Bourne and Beth Good tell us which of their characters deserve a special Christmas gift!

By Amy Batley

Christmas is just around the corner now, and we couldn’t be more excited for mulled wine, pigs in blankets, and lots of presents under the tree! 

To get us in the mood ahead of the big day, we’ve asked four more of our fantastic authors to tell us which of their characters deserve an extra-special Christmas gift this year, and what they would choose to give them…

A Keeper Graham Norton

Graham Norton, author of A Keeper

When Elizabeth was a little girl, I wish her mother Patricia had bought her a puppy, so that she would have felt less alone.

Jill Mansell, author of This Could Change Everything

Definitely Zillah, everyone’s favourite character from This Could Change Everything (and named after my own glamorous grandmother.) She’s eighty three, incredibly stylish and glamorous, and I’d love to buy her something wonderful. I’d get her a stunning violet hat with a wide brim and a swooping green and purple peacock feather at the side. And a Chanel lipstick in fuschia pink with velvet gloves to match.

How do you like me now cover

Holly Bourne, author of How Do You Like Me Now?

I’d get Dee one of those dummies which makes your baby look like it has a moustache. I’ve been waiting my whole life to see a baby have one of those moustache dummies. If I ever have a baby myself, that will be one of the major reasons I choose to have one. 

Winter Without You

Beth Good, author of Winter Without You

Lizzie from Winter Without You, one of my heroine’s besties, who’s a complete darling. She loves to dance about, but hardly has a penny to her name,so I would get her an iPod and load it with great pop songs!

Jo Thomas, Karen Cole, Cate Woods and Joanna Nell grant their characters’ Christmas wishes!

Jo Thomas, Karen Cole, Cate Woods and Joanna Nell grant their characters’ Christmas wishes!

By Hannah Winter

We’ve all got those pesky hard-to-buy-for people on our Christmas lists, but it turns out the best people to buy for are fictional! In this latest blog post four of our fabulous authors positively spoil their characters with presents…

Jo Thomas, author of A Winter Beneath the Stars

I’d buy Halley, from A Winter Beneath the Stars, a new suitcase, one that looks different from everybody else’s! But then, if she had that, she may never have gone on the journey of a lifetime! So maybe just a new travel journal, to write down all her new adventures!

Karen Cole, author of Deliver Me

Hmm, I would probably by some paints for Abby as painting is her true passion and maybe the creative process would help her come to terms with all she’s been through.

Cate Woods, author of More Than A Feeling

I would buy a Christmas pudding costume for Dot, my lead character Annie’s six-month-old daughter in More Than a Feeling, because one of the best things about babies is that you can dress them up in ridiculous-slash-adorable costumes. Plus it would give Annie something to put on Instagram – and she really needs new material after that social media mortification in chapter 37…

Joanna Nell, author of The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village

As those who’ve read The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village will know, Peggy desperately needs a new swimming costume. I’d dearly love to buy her one for Christmas, but after her debacle with the “Miraclesuit”, I’m apprehensive. We all know that choosing swimwear is tricky at the best of times and after her marathon shopping trip with Angie, I’m not sure I’d get Peggy anywhere near a changing room. I think I’ll play it safe and treat her to a day out at Cadbury World instead.

Find out more from our wonderful authors as they tell us their ultimate Christmas dishes…

Camembert, parsnips and sherry – we ask, what is your go-to Christmas dish?

Camembert, parsnips and sherry – we ask, what is your go-to Christmas dish?

By Ellie Morley

Can you believe that it is December already? Here at Bookends HQ, we are MORE than ready for all the joys that the Christmas season brings – including the food! Next up in our Bookends Christmas author series, we’ve asked, what is your go-to Christmas dish?

Jill Mansell, author of This Could Change Everything

Coconut Lindt Lindors, amazing roast potatoes and a glass of sherry. Maybe not all at the same time. Then again, now that I’ve written it down it’s starting to sound rather delicious.

Beth Good, author of Winter Without You

Roast parsnips, for sure. I love them crispy brown on the outside and soft in the middle, and I don’t know why but they taste better at Christmas than any other day of the year.

Holly Bourne, author of How Do You Like Me Now?

My friends and I always have a girls’ night in on Christmas Eve, where we eat one baked Camembert each. Then we feel so ill afterwards that we can’t sleep when we get home, and spend actual Christmas day sleep-deprived, sweaty, groaning and messaging one another: “We’ve got to stop doing this each year. One cheese between three is enough.” But it’s sort of an unbreakable ritual now.

Cate Woods, author of More Than a Feeling

Nigella’s Christmas book introduced me to an Italian liqueur called Tuaca, which she winningly describes as panettone in a glass. A splash of this mixed with Prosecco is the perfect accompaniment to Christmas brunch: it’s like the beverage equivalent of ‘Good King Wenceslas’

This Could Change Everything coverWinter Without YouHow do you like me now coverMore than a feeling cover

 

For more content from authors like Jill, Beth, Holly and Cate, sign-up to our Bookends newsletter here!

Who’s the trickiest person to buy for on your Christmas list? Graham Norton, Joanna Bolouri, Jo Thomas and Joanna Nell fill us in!

Who’s the trickiest person to buy for on your Christmas list? Graham Norton, Joanna Bolouri, Jo Thomas and Joanna Nell fill us in!

By Amy Batley

From difficult dads, to best friends who already have everything – we all have someone on our Christmas present list who is impossible to buy for.

Luckily, some of our fabulous authors are here to share the trickiest names on their lists… and offer up some much-needed Christmas gifting inspiration!

 

Graham Norton, author of A Keeper

Some people are truly gifted when it comes to shopping for presents. I am not. My solution is to throw money at the problem so that while the gift may be unsuitable and disliked, it will at least be expensive so I can’t be accused of being ungenerous. My mother is always a challenge because whatever good ideas I might have had were all used up years ago.

Jo Thomas, author of A Winter Beneath the Stars

Hmmm, I think maybe my Mum. She always says she doesn’t want anything! And I always want to get her something she’d really enjoy. Usually I buy her books which I know she’ll enjoy, especially armchair travel ones.

Joanna Nell, author of The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village

My husband is always tricky to buy for, especially since he stopped wearing ties to work and shaved off his beard (who knew fancy beard products were a thing?). It’s the one time of the year when I wish he wasn’t such a “low maintenance man”. When I ask for ideas (we’re fairly pragmatic in our family), he reminds me that he already has more books on famous explorers than he has time to read, owns a shirt for every day of the week and the less said about that kite-surfing lesson I bought him one Christmas the better. This year I’ve decided to give my husband a voucher for dinner for two at our favourite restaurant. That way, hopefully I get to enjoy it too.

Joanna Bolouri, author of Relight My Fire

My dad, definitely.  He doesn’t like anything ‘specific’ so inevitably he gets something sensible from Marks and Spencer.

And for a gift that’s sure to be a winner, here are some brilliant new reads courtesy of our lovely authors!

 A Keeper Graham Norton Relight my fire  

Which book is top of your wishlist? Erin Kelly, Holly Bourne, Jill Mansell & Beth Good tell us what they’re coveting this Christmas

Which book is top of your wishlist? Erin Kelly, Holly Bourne, Jill Mansell & Beth Good tell us what they’re coveting this Christmas

By Hannah Winter

Black Friday has been and gone, and we’re in full swing curating our Christmas list. In this latest blog post, authors Erin Kelly, Holly Bourne, Jill Mansell and Beth Good tell us what book is top of their list!

Erin Kelly, author of  He Said/She Said

I can’t resist a cookbook and I’ve heard great things about The Big Green Roasting Tin.

How do you like me now cover

Holly Bourne, author of How Do You Like Me Now?

I collect English language editions of To Kill A Mockingbird so I keep waiting for the day I’m gifted a hardback first edition. They’re only about seven grand and I reckon I totally deserve it.

This Could Change Everything cover

Jill Mansell, author of This Could Change Everything

The New York Times Book of the Dead, please. There’s nothing I love more than a good obituary and this is a selection of the very best. Over the years I’ve probably stolen more tiny character ideas from obituaries than from any other source. (Sorry if that’s a bit weird and unfestive. I’m a big fan of wandering around cemeteries reading the stories on gravestones too!) Happy Christmas!

Winter Without You

Beth Good, author of Winter Without You

Past Tense, Lee Child’s latest thriller featuring Jack Reacher, easily one of the sexiest fictional heroes around. Of course, Jack would never get tied down, so I can read and daydream without worrying about the reality!

 

Discover the inside scoop on more of our fabulous authors this Christmas…
Jo Thomas, Joanna Nell, Karen Cole and Olivia Beirne share their go-to Christmas dishes!

Jo Thomas, Joanna Nell, Karen Cole and Olivia Beirne share their go-to Christmas dishes!

By Amy Batley

Here at Bookends HQ, Christmas has come early as we ask a selection of our lovely authors to fill us in on their favourite festive dishes!

From pigs in blankets to advent calendar chocolates…
Keep reading if you want to feel seriously hungry!

 

Jo Thomas, author of A Winter Beneath the Stars

I always make a big Christmas chilli con carne for Christmas Eve. That way it doesn’t matter what time people arrive, dinner is simple and ready to go when we are!

Joanna Nell, author of The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village

The sweltering Australian Christmas takes some getting used to. I’m often homesick for England at this time of the year, and especially nostalgic for my gran’s homemade Christmas puddings (complete with traditional tooth-crumbling sixpence). My rudimentary skills in the kitchen could never match my grandmother’s so I don’t even try. Each year I buy a beautiful brandy and Macadamia nut pudding from a charity that raises money for a school in Uganda. I can pop it in the microwave for a couple of minutes, which leaves plenty of time to swim and sip chilled champagne, my new Christmas day traditions.

Karen Cole, author of Deliver Me

I love Christmas food and my mouth is watering just thinking about it! I make a delicious cashew nut loaf and my mother-in-law makes great veggie sausage rolls. My mum’s Christmas pudding with my aunt’s brandy butter… I could go on!

Olivia Beirne, author of The List That Changed My Life

Oh my lord pigs in blankets. I’m obsessed with them. It was a testing Christmas the first year I wasn’t living with my parents and realised that nobody could stop me from buying twelve packets and eating them all whilst watching Miranda. I also love advent calendars (obviously) and think we should have them for every day of the year. I once wanted to be grown up and sophisticated (always a terrible idea) and insisted on buying a picture calendar (urgh). I aggressively cursed my smug past self for the following 24 days. 

   

Who’s the hardest person to buy for on your Christmas list?

Who’s the hardest person to buy for on your Christmas list?

By Hannah Winter

Guys there’s no denying it, we’re feeling festive. We’re ready to wallow in tinsel and mull everything in sight, so we’ve asked some of our fabulous authors to give us a sneak peek into how they spend their Christmas. First up we’ve got Jill Mansell, Karen Cole, Daniela Sacerdoti and Beth Good telling us all about those hard-to-buy-for relatives on their Christmas list!

 

Jill Mansell, author of This Could Change Everything.

Oh, my other half of course. Nightmare! After 32 years together, I’m forbidden from buying him any more bright stripy shirts. Because apparently 748 of them is enough. He’s so unhelpful too – he just tells me not to worry about what to get him because there’s nothing he needs. Anyone who says that needs to be slung into a police cell until they can come up with a more constructive answer.

Karen Cole, author of Deliver Me

Probably both my teenaged sons. They just want money and anything I buy them will probably be ‘cringe.’

Daniela Sacerdoti, author of I Will Find You

Nobody really! I love buying gifts and I don’t usually run short of ideas. If I’m stuck I enjoy making up themed boxes, like a Night In box with things like pjs, nail polish, a book and some chocolate, or a Traveller’s box with a journal and a passport holder, a Winter Holidays box with gloves, a mug and hand cream…and more chocolate! I like being inventive and I like spoiling my friends and family.

Beth Good, author of Winter Without You

Probably my elderly father, who’s not in the best of health. He shouldn’t have the presents he used to love best – brazil nuts in dark chocolate and a bottle of cognac, for instance! – but is rarely impressed by anything cosy and practical, like a scarf or slippers.

For some fabulous reads to add to your Christmas list, check out what our lovely authors have to offer: