Great gifts for Christmas

11:04am Tuesday 18th December 2007

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Finding Violet Park by Jenny Valentine When 16-year-old Lucas finds Violet she is already dead, but that didn't stop (him) getting to know her'. Jenny Valentine's first novel took the Guardian Children's Fiction prize for 2007.

The Thing with Finn by Tom Kelly Another Hereford-based author whose debut novel was shortlisted for a prestigious prize, in this case, the Waterstones' Children's Book Award.

Wagner by Stephen Johnson An involving portrait of one of music's greatest yet most difficult composers, written by the well-respected local author and broadcaster, Stephen Johnson.

Discovering the Smallest Churches in Wales by John Kinross Illustrated in colour and black and white, John Kinross's book covers almost 50 churches with naves of 30ft or less in Wales, many of them on or close to the Herefordshire borders.

The Essence of Herefordshire Features information about the landscape and agriculture, prehistory, churches, castles, inns and cider, all of which contributed to making Herefordshire.

The Pubs of Radnorshire by Tony Hobbs Tony Hobbs sets off across the border from his Dilwyn home to find out more about the quirky and independent-minded bufferstate' of Radnorshire, tracing the story of its pubs and hotels.

Flying for Fun in the Southern Marches by Tony Hobbs A look at the early history of manned flight in Herefordshire and the surrounding areas - taking in ballooning, gliding and parachuting.

Cricket in Herefordshire in the 20th Century by Ken Hook and Frank Bennett The authors cover an enormous amount of ground in their 236 pages, crossing the county from north to south and east to west both in text and photographically.

This is a book that should find its way into the library of any lover of Herefordshire sport.

Garway Hill through the Ages compiled and edited by Joan and Brian Thomas Following the foot and mouth epidemic of 2001 all the sheep on Garway Hill were culled and a project begun to investigate the history and archaeology of the common. This book provides a picture of the hill and its surrounding area.

Hidden Trees of Britain by Archie Miles An exploration by local photographer Archie Miles of many secret and fascinating treescapes.

A Cotswold Mystery by Rebecca Tope A Cotswold Mystery sees house-sitter Thea Osborne and her daughter stumbling across an unexplained death.

Soon the secrets of the village of Blockley are uncovered as the women investigate the crime.

Imagining Egypt - a living portrait of the time of the Pharoahs written and illustrated by Mark Millmore Explore the history and culture of ancient Egypt as you learn how to decode hieroglyphs, find out how the pyramids were built and experience the daily life and culture of everyday Egyptians, their rulers, and their gods and goddesses.

The Fabric of Sin by Phil Rickman Garway and its church, built by medieval Knights Templar, is the latest Herefordshire landmark to find its way into local author Phil Rickman's series of novels featuring diocesan deliverance consultant Merrily Watkins. It has all the elements essential for a page-turning read: violent death, sin and retribution and a feud with roots embedded in medieval times.

Mad Dogs and an English Girl by Caroline Waterman An amusing, moving book that depicts a vanished Spain, one that would be unrecognisable to today's holidaymakers and visitors. In the 1950s, local author Caroline Waterman, arrived in a cathedral town in a remote corner of Castile to teach English and found a place where women were repressed and men were chauvinistic. She also found passionate love, stunning scenery and overwhelming hospitality.

A Load of Old Bones by Suzette A Hill An unusual murder mystery which thwarts the Reverend Francis Oughterard's dreams of a bit of peace and quiet in the country and sees his life spiral out of control instead, watched at every turn by his supercilious cat and bone-obsessed dog.

Singing the Life by Elizabeth Bryan An inspirational memoir, this is the story of a family living in the shadow of cancer which is ultimately as much about love as it is about illness. Elizabeth Bryan and both her sisters have all had cancer, the result of inheriting the BRAC1 cancer gene - Bernadette died of ovarian cancer, Felicity has had two episodes of breast cancer and Elizabeth developed pancreatic cancer. This moving book explores how this inheritance has affected and shaped the family.

Reading in Bed by Sue Gee The latest novel from the award-winning Sue Gee opens with Dido and Georgia, two women of a certain age leaving an unnamed (but instantly recognisable) literary festival, and follows them back into their individual lives, one shaped now by unexpected widowhood and the other about to be rocked to its core.

Portrait of Herefordshire by Malcolm Scott A collection of black and white photographs depicting contemporary life in Herefordshire, with an introduction by Will Chase, founder of Tyrrells Crisps.

The Penny Bangle by Margaret James Thirteenth novel from Hereford-born author tells the story of 19-year-old munitions worker Cassie who leaves Birmingham for life as a land girl in Dorset.

To order any of the listed titles, post-and-packing free, visit www.sparkledirect.com, call The Hereford Times Bookshop on 08700 713 317 or send your cheque/postal order made payable to Hereford Times Bookshop to: Hereford Times Bookshop, PO Box 60, Helston, TR13 0TP. Allow 7-10 working days for delivery. All titles supplied subject to publisher availability.