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10 books that will make brilliant last-minute Christmas gifts

Go and grab ‘em.

NOTHING GOT? Don’t panic. Books are almost always a welcome gift – here are 10 great ones.

1. About Face by Aisling McDermott and Laura Kennedy

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Packed full of great beauty tips and recommendations, this book would be great both for people just starting off in the world of makeup, and people already well-versed in it.

2. Colouring books by Millie Marotta and Johanna Basford

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Yes, for the adults in your life. Grown ups everywhere are turning to colouring books to relieve stress and help them focus – these two are particularly gorgeous.

3. The Long Gaze Back, edited by Sinéad Gleeson

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An anthology of thirty short stories by Irish female writers, including Mary Costello, Belinda McKeon, Lisa McInerny and Maeve Brennan.

4. The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante

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This four-part series tells the life stories of two women from a poor neighbourhood in Naples, Italy – and the first book (or indeed, all of them) would be a great gift for your mam, your granny, your aunt, your best mate…

5. Weird Dublin by Reggie Chamberlain-King

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Far from your average history of the city, this ‘miscellany, almanack and companion’ unveils the dark side of Dublin, from murders to clairvoyance to so-called ‘miracle cures’.

6. The Green Road by Anne Enright

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This Booker Prize-nominated novel about an Irish family splintered by emigration should satisfy the literature-lovers in your life.

7. Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

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Switching from the world as we know it to the earth after a flu pandemic wipes out 99% of humanity, this gripping novel follows a group of survivors as they deal with loss.

8. Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

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This look at relationships in the age of the smartphone is ideal for any pal who raved about Ansari’s excellent Netflix show, Master of None.

9. Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words by Randall Munroe

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Basically: How stuff works. Because we all know someone who’s pretty much the human version of Google.

10. Anne of the Green Gables/Matilda/Where The Wild Things Are

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Have young nieces and nephews? They’re notoriously impossible to buy for, but these classic children’s novels are bound to put you in their good books (sorry).

More: 25 books every twentysomething should read>

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Author
Valerie Loftus
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