Woman in Real Life

Buy The Tea Book in Canada. Buy The Tea Book in the U.S.

For Adults Who Colour: Fantastic Cities: A Coloring Book of Amazing Places Real and Imagined by Steve McDonald

I was drawn to this particular colouring book because it was created by a Canadian and therefore includes cities well known to me. Cities and towns like Toronto, Peterborough, Binbrook and even my hometown of Hamilton, Ontario. There are also intricate drawings of Paris, New York, London and many others. If you are giving the gift of this lovely colouring book, be sure to include some fun coloured pencils like these pretty double-sided pencils designed by Louise Fili and inspired by Italian packaging and stationery.

Buy Fantastic Cities and Tutti Frutti Pencils in Canada. Buy Fantastic Cities and Tutti Frutti Pencils in the U.S.

For the Fiction Lover: The Night Stages by Jane Urquhart

Jane Urquhart is one of my favourite Canadian authors (favourite authors period). Set mainly in a remote area of County Kerry in the ’40s and ’50s, The Night Stages follows Tam, an English woman in her thirties, who has been living in the harshly beautiful region since shortly after the war, having served as an auxiliary pilot. Tam has made the difficult decision to leave her lover, and she is now grounded by fog at Gander Airport in Newfoundland. As she waits (and waits), she ponders a large mural and thinks back to her life experiences and her intense relationship with Niall, who is despondent over his younger brother Kieran’s disappearance years before. The Night Stages is, as expected, beautifully written - it has a rich sense of mystery, poetry, melancholy and history and I highly recommend it for literature lovers.

Buy The Night Stages in Canada. Buy The Night Stages: A Novel in the U.S.

For the Out of Africa Fan: Circling the Sun by Paula McLain

For people for whom Robert Redford and Denys Finch Hatton are synonymous, Circling The Sun takes us back to colonial Kenya in the 1920s to look at Beryl Markham, the record-setting aviator who was left out of Isak Dinesen's classic memoir, Out of Africa. Brought to Kenya from England as a child, Beryl is abandoned by her mother and raised by her father and the native Kipsigis tribe. Her unconventional upbringing transforms her into a young woman not restricted by social conventions. Well, she tries anyway. Although she eventually falls in love with Finch Hatton, getting caught up in a love triangle with the safari hunter and his companion, Karen Blixen, the story is fascinating more for the difficulties Beryl faces as a woman who yearns for a career of her own without the influence of or need for a husband.

Buy Circling the Sun in Canada. Buy Circling the Sun in the U.S.

For Inspiration: Brave Enough by Cheryl Strayed

You remember Cheryl Strayed from her memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, turned into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon. Brave Enough gathers over 100 of Strayed's quotes and thoughts. It's a perfect gift for somebody who wants to start 2016 feeling inspired. And that's everybody, isn't it? "For every quote in this book imploring you to accept and forgive and be brave (enough), to be kind and grateful and honest, to be generous and bold, I'm imploring myself to do the same," writes Strayed.

Buy Brave Enough in Canada. Buy Brave Enough in the U.S.

For the Foodie: My New Roots by Sarah Britton

This plant-based cookbook is first of all beautiful, with lots of gorgeous photos of wholesome looking food. The 100 healthy, whole-foods recipes are broken down into spring, early summer, autumn and winter. They are vegetarian, often with options for making them vegan and frequently free of gluten. From carrot rhubarb muffins to roasted red pepper walnut dip to grain-free black kale sushi rolls with white miso ginger sauce, there is lots here for the foodie to experiment with.

Buy My New Roots in Canada. Buy My New Roots in the U.S.

For the Art Enthusiast: DK Art: A Visual History by Robert Cumming 

Every home needs at least one good art anthology. (We probably have a few more than we need in this house!) DK's Art: A Visual History is a good starting point for the whole family. It looks at art and artists from 30,000 BCE on up to the current day, with a few common questions in mind. When I'm looking at art, what should I look for? What is going on? How was it made? Why? And is it any good? The book comes in a lovely, bold and colourful "paint-splattered" box that speaks to its contents. With plenty of beautiful, full-colour images, Art: A Visual History is a comprehensive guide to western artists and themes.

Buy Art: A Visual History in Canada. Buy Art: A Visual History in the U.S.


I'll be back tomorrow with part two of A Book Lover's Christmas Gift Guide, including a look at books for preteens and teens.

Do you like to get books as gifts? Which of these books would go on your wish list?



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