By Gabrielle Pantera
Books make great last-minute gifts. You can shop in person at Barnes & Noble or from Amazon you may be able to get same day shipping. Maybe you procrastinated, or just didn’t see one you liked. Below are more book gift ideas…
Henry V: The Conscience of a King by Malcolm Vale
Hardcover: 328 pages, Publisher: Yale University Press; annotated edition (September 27, 2016), Language: English, ISBN: 9780300148732 $35.00
Shakespeare portrayed Henry V as a warmonger. Henry was hands-on as a king and was interested in the arts. During his reign English became the norm for use in British government, not French. Henry was interested in more then war. Historian Malcolm Vale refers to archival evidence including documents that Henry V either signed or made notes on, the king’s many correspondences with the church, and his influence on the pomp and ceremony in the royal court. As a king he discovered there was more to being a ruler than war.
Victoria: A novel of a Young Queen by the Creator/Writer of the Masterpiece Presentation on PBS by Daisy Goodwin. Hardcover: 416 pages, Publisher: St. Martin’s Press (November 22, 2016), Language: English, ISBN-13: 978-1250045461 $26.99
Victoria replaces Downton Abbey as PBS Masterpiece’s main attraction. Premiering on January 15th this captivating new drama stars Jenna Coleman (Clara in Doctor Who) as the Young Queen Victoria. You can get a jump on the series by reading the book. The eight-part drama produced by ITV follows Victoria from the time she became Queen in 1837 at age 18, through her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert.
Known for her candor and spirit, Victoria was the first woman who seemed to have it all…a passionate marriage, nine children, and the job of being Queen of the world’s most powerful nation. Victoria’s tumultuous reign lasted for 63 years. She was England’s longest-serving monarch until overtaken by Elizabeth II in September, 2015.
Victoria disliked her name Alexandria, and chose her middle name as queen. We see the all-male cabinet that runs the country doesn’t think a young woman is capable of ruling England. However, Victoria gets along well with her first prime minister, Lord Melbourne. She marries her first cousin, Prince Albert, who she’d met three years prior.
Author Daisy Goodwin relies upon Queen Victoria’s diaries, which Goodwin first started reading when she was a student at Cambridge University. Goodwin is the creator and writer of the TV series and the author of the novels The American Heiress and The Fortune Hunter.
Doctor Who: The Official Cookbook: 40 Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey Recipes by Joanna Farrow
Hardcover: 160 pages, Publisher: Harper Design (August 30, 2016), Language: English
ISBN: 9780062455628 $19.99
If you thought there were no Doctor Who television series fan books left to write, you were mistaken. Who can pass up the cooking recipes of Doctor Who? There is Cyberman Pie, Cassandra Pizza, or Supreme Dalek Cake. Doctor Who’s culinary universe will amuse and perhaps inspire your Who fan to get cooking. With illustrations and stills from the television show and quotes.
The BBC: Myth of a Public Service by Tom Mills
Hardcover: 272 pages, Publisher: Verso (November 15, 2016), Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-1784784829 $26.95
The BBC, founded in 1922, is one of the biggest TV networks in the world. Part corporation, part government agency, the Beeb is the establishment. The BBC has always shown bias towards those in power. They pretty much said what the party line for the corporation. Over time BBC has struggled to become more independent from government and business interests. How much are they still being controlled by money and power? Are we watching the news or propaganda?
Britcoms FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About Our Favorite Sophisticated, Outrageous British Television Comedies (FAQ Series) by Dave Thompson Series: FAQ Series, Trade Paperback: 392 pages, Publisher: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books; 1 edition (August 1, 2016), Language: English ISBN-13: 978-1495018992 $ 19.99
Britcoms FAQ covers strives to cover the best in British television comedy, starting in the 1950s. Monty Python, Are You Being Served?, Absolutely Fabulous, Coupling and Red Dwarf. The books shows the cultural impact and how dedicated the shows’ fans are. The book also covers the transition from Radio to TV.
Books also make a great gift for yourself, to enjoy reading during the holidays. Happy holidays!
