A FANTASTIC STOCKING FILLER by Milton Crawford

Ten reasons why The Hungover Cookbook makes a fantastic (adult) stocking filler this Christmas:

1.  Booze and Christmas go together like Santa Claus and Reindeer. This also means that hangovers come along for the ride too (there’s a downside to reindeer too: they create a lot of shit, but no-one ever mentions that). It means that this gift will be put to immediate practical use (always gratifying for the ‘giver’).

2.  For drinkers that don’t cook, it might provide them with the incentive to pick up a frying pan and start cooking.

3.  For cooks that don’t drink, you can give it to them so they can look after you when you have a hangover.

4.  It’ll make the person you’re giving it to wet their pants with laughter. It really is that funny.

5.  It comes in a very fetching, and dare I say it, Australian, yellow colour.

6.  On the subject of Australia, there’s going to be one big collective hangover when you guys lose the Ashes. This might help you get over it.

7.  Not only is it a humorous book and a cookbook, it’s also brilliantly and wittily illustrated by my friends at 300million.

8.  It offers a revolutionary approach to dealing with hangovers, by using quizzes and visual tests to diagnose the type of hangover you have before matching it with suitable recipes. This should make you not only feel better but have fun while you’re making yourself feel better.

9.  Its compact size means it would probably fit in a very narrow stocking (though I haven’t tried this yet).

10.  Did I leave it until now to say that it’s really not expensive at all! Buy it now!

Gifts for Him by Shannon Lane – RHA Publicity

As an American who has recently moved to Australia I am VERY excited for my first holiday season on the beach.  Since moving here with my husband we have embraced the lifestyle, new TV shows, Australian authors, music and more.  The first show we started watching was Top Gear (not widely available in the US), followed by Master Chef!  He is now totally obsessed with Top Gear (James May is his favourite) so I am definitely planning on getting him a copy of The Big Book of Top Gear 2011.  With the geeky car facts, photos of fast cars and fun trivia from Clarkson, Hammond and May he’ll be very happy on Christmas morning!

When we were contemplating our move from chilly Boston to sunny Sydney one of the biggest draws was the beach.  We are lucky enough to live very close to the beach and try to go every weekend (weather permitting).  My husband has started surfing and despite a small injury that resulted from his knee twisting around the board he can’t get enough!  I will be giving him a copy of Surf For Your Life: Grommets Edition by Mick Fanning & Tim Baker.  What surf enthusiast or sports lover in general wouldn’t want to read the inspirational story of Mick Fanning overcoming the odds to become a two-time world champ?

I am feeling very confident in my gift choices for him and can’t wait to see what thoughtful treasures he has chosen for me!

Holiday Eating by Alysha Farry RHA Publicity

Let’s face it, you can forget about the eggnog, the Christmas tree and the carols, the best part of Christmas is the eating, and who better to invite into your kitchen for inspiration than the lovely Nigella Lawson.  Nigella, to me, embodies all things good that come out of the kitchen, onto my plate and into my mouth. Decadence.  Indulgence.  Just plain good food that anyone can make – even those who are a little gastronomically challenged, like me.

To this end, this year I’ll be giving the original domestic goddess (my mother!) a copy of Nigella’s new cookbook, KITCHEN, which is filled with – seriously – delicious recipes for all year round.

I have been especially organised this Christmas and ear marked the Gooseberry Crumble recipe on page 250 in the hopes that Mum will make it for Christmas dinner.  The delightfully sweet tang of gooseberries reminds me of my childhood as my Nana had a row of bushes on her farm in New Zealand.  My siblings and I used to run up and down the paddocks, dodging cows and jumping over lambs, in order to reach the delicious berries, always suffering the inevitable tummy ache afterwards.  In my mind, no Christmas is complete without a rendezvous with a gooseberry or two.

So, for anyone who likes their BBQ prawns juicy, custard creamy or humus with a dash of peanut butter – then Nigella’s KITCHEN is the book for you this Christmas.  Bon appétit and Joyeux Noel!

The best present in the world! by Golda Mitchell – RHA Publicist

I am the queen of the last-minute presents. I have stopped at services stations for a less than stellar bunch of flowers, I have peeled off tags and written out gift cards as I dashed to engagements, once I even bought a bottle of bubbly as a present in the hotel bottle shop where the party was held… yes folks I’m that bad.

So I have to say one of life’s little blessing is working for Random House Australia and the ease of access I have to the universally acknowledge best present in the world– the book.

I can not tell you how many times I have been running out of the house late to a birthday party having forgotten to buy the obligatory present, only to be saved by my wonderful stockpile of Random House gems.

From classics to memoirs to the latest best seller I have yet to be stumped for a last-minute pressie and the reason is this… a book is the only present I know that can be given to anyone, no matter what their tastes are.

Your friend is not a ‘big reader’ you say, well what about the ultimate book of Australian trivia: Homework for Grown-Ups: Australian Edition? They may not want to read Tolstoy but I bet they would love to sound like they have. 

Couldn’t get your bestie tickets to see Jay-Z performing with U2, well who needs them? With Jay-Z’s new book Decoded you get a backstage pass into the life of this music mogul.

Your mates are more about consuming booze than books, I hear you but what better way to help them prepare for the silly season than The Hungover Cookbook.

So for a fail safe, fool-proof, no brainer gift that can be given to even the toughest person to buy for give your friends a book this Christmas.