Christmas presents: book tips for the Christkindl

If you ask me, books are the best Christmas presents ever: timeless, long-lasting and sustainable, they enable wonderful journeys in the mind! Of course, the choice is huge and deciding which book to put under the Christmas tree is often difficult. If you're still looking, here are five books that I can recommend without reservation - from children's books to fat tomes to excellently written non-fiction, there's something for everyone. And finally, here's a bonus tip on my own behalf.

We start with the wonderful children's book "Meine Wiese. Discover a wonderful world" by Jan Haft, which is guaranteed to inspire adults too. As a young boy, the author spent every spare minute close to the ground, observing what was crawling and flitting around. The more intensively he occupied himself, the more his love for the "meadow" cosmos grew. After studying biology, Haft devoted himself to animal and nature films. Parallel to the film "Die Wiese. Lure into a Mysterious World", he published the book of the same name in 2019, which became a bestseller. Haft has now adapted the topic for children.

In "My meadow. Discover a wonderful world", he takes readers of all ages on an adventure. They are accompanied by Joe the grasshopper - lovingly designed by illustrator Claire Lenkova, just like all the other protagonists. There are also photographs that sometimes really touch the heart - such as the picture of two sleeping long-horned bees with their heads turned towards each other. Incidentally, the audiobook with the author's unabridged reading is recommended for those on the go. A wonderful Christmas present for little readers that will inspire anticipation for next summer.

Jan Haft, My Meadow. Entdecke eine wunderbare Welt, Penguin Junior Verlag 2024; also available as an audiobook.

They call him "il duca" (the duke) and Luca Cimamonte is not sure whether they are making fun of him or mocking the decline of his family. After all, he is the last scion of an old noble dynasty that once ruled over Vallorgàna.

In the manor house high above the valley, Luca Cimamonte pieces together the family chronicle piece by piece. His contact with the villagers is limited to the bare minimum. Luca Cimamonte feels comfortable in his role as outsider and observer. This changes fundamentally when the big farmer and entrepreneur Mario Fastréda has trees felled in Cimamonte's forest. A dispute breaks out between the two about the boundary high up on the mountain - and about dominance in the valley. Initially just a small flame, the dispute quickly grows into a blazing fire that gets out of control and splits the village into two camps.

"The Last Cimamonte" is the debut novel by Italian author Matteo Melchiorre. In Italy, "Il duca", as the book is originally called, has received numerous awards and was nominated for the prestigious "Premio Strega", among others. An impressive read, my book tip no. 2, perfect for long winter nights! In its slowness and precision, the book develops a tremendous fascination and pull. You'll devour the 488 pages, I promise!

Matteo Melchiorre, The Last Cimamonte, translated from the Italian by Julika Brandestini, Atlantis Verlag 2024

Annie Proulx is one of the most renowned American writers and a committed environmentalist. She has dedicated herself to saving fens, raised bogs and forest bogs. In "Moorland. A plea for an endangered landscape", Proulx goes far back into history, wanders through the Teutoburg Forest, the "sacred great moor" of the Germanic tribes, visits the peat bogs of England, the wetlands of Hudson Bay in Canada and the swamps of Florida.

She impressively tells of the fascination of these structures, which are hostile to humans but not to life, and also focuses on the lives of the people who lived near the moors. They have always been regarded as uncivilized outsiders. The author also devotes herself to the bog bodies, which have repeatedly come to light (and continue to do so) and are of enormous scientific importance. Because the ambience preserves them almost perfectly.

With "Moorland. A plea for an endangered landscape", Annie Proulx contributes to a better understanding. Anyone who reads this book will learn a lot about moorland, gain an exciting cultural and historical insight and fundamentally rethink their relationship to moorland and wetlands.

Annie Proulx, Moorland. A plea for an endangered landscape, translated from the American by Thomas Gunkel, Luchterhand Verlag 2023

Maja, who keeps her head above water as a ghostwriter, and her niece Cordelia are an interesting couple. They live together in a small house in the Viennese suburbs. This is where they bring Isidora, a hackney carriage horse who has suddenly followed them from work, and their lab dog Kracherl. It goes without saying that this does not go unnoticed and causes some mistrust in the neighborhood, especially among the "Kargls". But they find an ally in Nadja Kargl. As a member of the activist group MOrPH, she supports the rebellion of the animals, who are planning a general strike. Cordelia is fascinated and joins them, while Maja takes a more reserved view of the whole thing.

Thoughts of Pippi Longstocking and associations with Doctor Dolittle are probably not wrong. In her new novel "The Best Day in a Long Time", Jana Volkmann deals with a topic that concerns us all: our relationship to the non-human world, to animals, especially so-called "farm animals". Anyone who thinks this will be dry is mistaken: the author spins a captivating, subtle and volatile story. And so, as with Volkmann's first novel "Auland", you feel as if you are reading : as soon as you immerse yourself in this world, you move naturally through it, accompanying the characters and their animal companions through all the vagaries and uncertainties. A reading experience that will stay with you!

Jana Volkmann, "The best day in a long time", novel, Residenz Verlag 2024

What happens when bestselling author Benedict Wells takes a break from writing? - A new book! One about writing and the stories that lie within us all. Having just finished his coming-of-age novel "Hardland" (Highly recommended! Also available as an audiobook.), I came across "The stories in us. About writing and about life" fell into my hands. A stroke of luck: Benedict Wells not only tells how tenaciously he pursued his dream of becoming a writer, experiencing ups and downs, doubts and setbacks along the way. He also talks about himself and his life in an open , unpretentious tone, never chumming up or sinking into navel-gazing.

So "Die Geschichten in uns. Vom Schreiben und vom Leben" is a book for anyone who wants to know how an idea develops into a novel, how characters become vivid and realistic, how to create suspense and how to take the reader with you to the end. But it is also a book that brings us closer to the author. Long a successful writer, Wells tells of his difficult childhood and the strength he nevertheless drew from it. A truly exciting book in the seemingly endless series of writing guides and autobiographical texts. Wells fans will also devour this book - and rightly so!

Benedict Wells, The Stories Within Us. On writing and on life, Diogenes Verlag 2024

And finally, on my own behalf: in summer 2024, the completely revised new edition of my book "111 Orte in Tirol, die man gesehen haben muss" (111 places in Tyrol that you have to see) was published in the highly successful series of the same name by Emons Verlag. Also available there are my "111 places in Innsbruck that you must have seen"(click here for the article by my blogger colleague Tamara Kainz) and "111 places in East Tyrol that you must have seen".

Lovely gifts - preferably with a voucher to visit one place or another together: a walk to the "Murals", the numerous graffiti on house walls and walls in Innsbruck, or a hike on the Wolfele-Wilde-Weg in Hötting ... or a stroll through the old town and a stop at the Flüsterbogen to pass on Christmas messages to each other ...

Susanne Gurschler, 111 places in Tyrol that you must have seen, completely revised new edition, Emons Verlag 2024

Innsbruck's booksellers have countless other book tips and offer a huge selection of books. It's always worth popping into Haymon Buchhandlung, Liber Wiederin, Tyrolia or Wagner'sche to browse!

Photos, unless otherwise stated: © Susanne Gurschler