East Anglian Daily Times

What are top reads this Christmas? Suffolk book shop owner shares his recommendations

Books are always an excellent Christmas gift, whether you’re buying for an imaginative child or a bookworm uncle.

My Brilliant Friend (RRP £11.99 , published by Europa Editions)

For the novel of the year, we choose My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante and its three sequels which make up the Neapolitan quartet. Ferrante-fever has been sweeping the country and our customers are hooked. Mystery surrounds the author – it is said that only her publisher knows her true identity. The books follow the friendship of two girls growing up in a poor neighbourhood of Naples. Addictive reading.