WHAT I BOUGHT TODAY ...

THE following novels, a short-story collection and a collection of essays make ideal Christmas gifts. And for those who love collecting books, these books make excellent additions to the library, a treasure trove of endless wonders and delights. After all, books do make better gifts than fruitcake.

A Long Long Way (2005) / Sebastian Barry
This Blinding Absence of Light (French, 2001; English, 2003) / Tahar Ben Jelloun (trans. from the French by Linda Coverdale)
Heaven Lake (2004) / John Dalton
A House of Air (2005) / Penelope Fitzgerald
The Ghost Writer (2004) / John Harwood
Collected Poems (2003) / Ted Hughes
The Stories of David Leavitt (2005) / David Leavitt
Beyond Black (2005) / Hilary Mantel
The Razor’s Edge (1944) / W. Somerset Maugham
A Tale of Love and Darkness (Hebrew, 2003; English, 2004) / Amos Oz (trans. from the Hebrew by Nicholas de Lange)
My Michael (Hebrew, 1968; English, 1972) / Amos Oz (trans. from the Hebrew by Nicholas de Lange)
Snow (Turkish, 2002; English, 2004) / Orhan Pamuk (trans. from the Turkish by Maureen Freely)
Gilead (2004) / Marilynne Robinson
Shalimar the Clown (2005) / Salman Rushdie
The Kitchen God’s Wife (1991) / Amy Tan