14 December

Here's what IPG Board Member John Hudson will be gifting, reading and hoping to get this Christmas! 

Island Dreams by Gavin Francis (Canongate) . I've always been fascinated by islands having spent childhood holidays in the Hebrides, and  perhaps reading about life where physical isolation is normal has something to say about our present times, or could equally be sheer escapism.

A guilty pleasure. A large box of Christmas books descends from the attic with the onset of Advent. The one I read first is Babar and Father Christmas, which is in huge format but takes just 15 minutes to read. Pure nostalgia. Elephants are under-represented in the Christmas story and this redresses the balance. Once homage has been paid to Babar I enjoy dipping into the Oxford Book of Christmas Poems, edited by Michael Harrison.

A recommendation this year was J B Priestley's Delight, republished in 2018 by Great Northern Books. I know his novels but this was new to me. Over 100 short pieces on what gave him....delight. Several people will get it from us this Christmas. It's a hot chocolate type of book, and Priestley is one of those writers who is long overdue some new recognition.