If you are planning to carry out any type of repairs in your home, the “Collins Complete DIY Manual” will be the most indispensable tool at your disposal. From fitting your bathroom furniture to installing dry lining in your basement, this book clearly and concisely explains every step that needs to be undertaken.

Each DIY task is laid out in such a way that you will easily be able to carry out any repairs to your home, and should you be wary of tackling the more difficult jobs yourself, this book’s simple explanations will help you understand what will be happening when you get the professionals in.

Albert Jackson and David Day, who were also behind the publisher’s other popular titles, “Collins Complete Wiring and Lighting “and” Collins Complete Plumbing and Central Heating, wrote the “Collins Complete DIY Manual”.

You should be aware that due to the nature of the tasks included in the “Complete DIY Manual”, it would be fair to say that it is not for the complete beginner and is more suited to people with at least a basic knowledge of the subject.

Underfloor heating and other jobs such as capping chimneys are examples of the type of areas covered. However, though both are easily carried out, the most basic aspects of the tasks involved won’t be covered here.

The “Collins DIY Manual” will make a great Christmas or birthday present for anyone who likes to think they are good at DIY, but who is in need of some expert advice to top up their knowledge.

Some of the most recurrent news issues to hit the headlines in recent times are panics over health – MMR vaccines causing autism, obesity epidemics, bird flu, most recently swine flu, often accompanied with fearful warnings about mass contamination and incalculable death tolls. Most of which, it would appear, fail to materialise. 

For those who are becoming sceptical about the latest media frenzy about health, Ben Goldacre is the perfect antidote. His book Bad Science, published in 2008, is an extended and revised compilation of the weekly columns he writes for The Guardian newspaper, in which he insists on using sound, scientific fact to debunk and refute spurious claims and unnecessary panic. In these articles you will find Goldacre’s forensic analysis of the distorting effects on real science of consumer product marketing, the pharmaceutical industry’s often far too cosy relationship with some prominent medical journalists,  and of pseudo-science and plain quackery masquerading as fact. With the satirical astringency of a radical pamphleteer, he famously exposed the scientific limitations of a certain celebrity ‘health expert’ by obtaining a ‘certified professional membership’ from the American Association she claimed membership of – for his pet cat.

Goldacre is not merely an amateur sceptic – he knows what he is talking about. Working as a junior hospital doctor in the NHS, he is also a qualified psychiatrist. Having won numerous awards for his medical journalism, Goldacre substitutes the voice of truthful reason in place of fear, inaccuracy and, on occasions, sheer falsification.

If you always fancied yourself as a successful casino gambler, but you lack the know-how to win at the tables, “Casino Gambling for Dummies” will be the perfect addition to your book collection. The “for Dummies” series has one of the best reputations for providing tutorials and guides across a wide variety of subjects, and their edition on Casino Gambling is no exception to their high standards.

The book was co-written by Max Rubin and Kevin Blackwood – the former an expert on the Las Vegas casinos, and the latter a writer of a numerous poker and blackjack titles.

“Casino Gambling for Dummies” covers every game that you will find in the best casinos across the world, from blackjack to slots and poker to roulette. It is easy to see that the two authors have spent quite a while accumulating all their knowledge and have explained the vast world of casino betting in a way that is understandable for the complete beginner. With this book you can learn how to understand odds and avoid being suckered into a bad bet; there is even practical advice for dealing with taxes, should you reach the level of a professional.

As well as the world of live casino gambling is covered, the book also provides handy advice for betting in online casinos, where there are an abundance of poker and bingo sites to choose from. Whether you are looking to throw your first chip down on the table, or want to become a better gambler, this book comes highly recommended.

DK Eyewitness Travel Guides are easily among the most popular travel books for holidaymakers and they cover a wealth of destinations right across the world. There is handy and indispensable advice from experienced travellers on everything from cruise holidays and booking flights to the best value accommodation and restaurants. Of course, what has also made them such a sought after name in travel books is the invaluable insider information that can help you discover the more authentic side to the city or country you are visiting.

However, the series’ broad range of destinations is not only limited to towns and countries, as there are also editions that will be the prefect accompaniment for touring different continents. Europe and America are covered, as too are popular regions such as Tuscany in Italy and Provence and the Cote d’Azur in France.

What many people admire most about the DK Eyewitness Travel Guides are the easy to read maps and transport information that is included for every destination. Of course, the content will be accessible and extremely informative for any reader and the wide variety of hotels, restaurants and attractions that they try to include in each edition, ensures that a wide range of needs will be catered for.

Whether you are booking flights to Cairo, are looking for some inside information on the best location for your ski holidays or are searching for cheap cruise deals on your adventure across Europe, DK Eyewitness Guides should be among the first items you pack into your suitcase.

Aravind Adiga was born into a comparatively prosperous Indian family in Chennai (formerly Madras), India in 1974. Despite his privileged origins, his awareness of – and refusal to ignore – the brutalising and endemic poverty in the country he loves (and wishes to reform) became the focus for his Man Booker Award-winning debut novel, The White Tiger in 2008.

The novel vividly illustrates the contrast between objective measures of a ‘healthy economy’ and the harsh, bare privations this generic term often means for vast numbers of people. Through letters written late at night to the Premier of the People’s Republic of China on the eve of his visit to India, the novel’s main character Balram Halwai (the ‘white tiger’ of the novel’s title), describes his rise from a childhood of abject poverty to an adulthood of scheming and criminally acquired wealth. Adiga is not really condemning prosperity – he is attacking the co-existence of surreal wealth with grotesque poverty, which he feels sponsors ruthless and unprincipled individual acquisitiveness at least as much as the noble altruism and solidarity it is often sentimentally supposed to produce.

Aravind Adiga is a calm but passionately engaged voice for justice, a man who fervently believes that superb writing (like that of Flaubert, Balzac, Dickens, and, we must now add, that of Adiga) can help reform societies for the better. Aravind Adiga currently writes on a freelance basis and lives in Mumbai, India.

“1001 Ideas for Bathrooms: The Ultimate Sourcebook” is highly recommended if you fancy designing your own bathroom. Types of furniture, cabinets, bathroom furniture and bathroom sinks are all covered extensively and there are a wealth of inspiring tips and tricks for combining different styles. Its glossy and stylish layout makes it an ideal birthday or Christmas gift.

The book is published by Apple Press and was written by Jerri Farris, who was also the author of “Kitchens and Baths for Today and Tomorrow: Ideas for Fabulous New Kitchens and Baths”, “The Complete Guide to Decorating with Ceramic Tile” as well as numerous other titles. She is also a regular contributor to interior design and home-improvement websites.

No matter what style of bathroom you are looking for, it will be covered in this book. Farris looks into every aspect of bathroom design, including factors such as where it will be located within the house and who will be using it. As much as this glossy book focuses on the style and look of bathrooms, the less-glamorous side of fitting pipes and installing shower enclosures is still given plenty of coverage.

Every step of the installation process is explained clearly, so you will know how far you can go before you have to call on the professionals. Each chapter is conveniently split into sections, such as bathroom taps, shower enclosures, etc. It’s easy to follow layout and jargon-free explanations will make it a recommended read for anyone interested in designing and installing a bathroom.