Welcome to the only gift guide a book lover really needs. Our booksellers have spent the year reading obsessively and setting aside the titles that truly earned their place on a Goldsboro bestsellers shelf. Whether you’re hunting for a signed knockout for a loved one or choosing something remarkable for yourself, this is where you’ll find the standouts. From crime to fantasy, non-fiction to historical, consider this your shortcut to exceptionally good reading.
Goldsboro’s Guide: Best Books To Gift In 2025
Best gift ideas for Sci-Fi & Fantasy Fiction Lovers
1. The East Wind by by Alexandria Warwick
£24.99
Signed & Numbered by the author | Stencilled Sprayed Edges | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A dark, enchanting fantasy romance where Min, an apothecary’s apprentice, frees Eurus, the tortured East Wind, and is swept into his world of magic and revenge. Bound by a dangerous bargain, the two journey to the deadly City of Gods, where Eurus must fight in a brutal tournament and Min must decide whether she can trust him. Lush, emotional and gripping, this standalone finale to the Four Winds series is perfect for fantasy readers who love high stakes and slow-burn chemistry.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/the-east-wind
2. Birth of a Dynasty by Chinaza Bado
£34.99
Signed & Numbered | Limited Edition | Alternative Jacket Colour |Digitally sprayed edges | Hidden foiling |Exclusive Endpaper Art | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A bold, sweeping epic set in a land of giants, prophecy and ruthless politics. M’Kuru, the last survivor of his noble house, hides among his enemies as he plots revenge, while warrior-in-waiting Zikora becomes the focus of a prophecy that threatens the ruling dynasty. As betrayals tighten around them, both must fight to survive in a kingdom built on secrets and power. Perfect for fans of rich world-building and intense, character-driven fantasy.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/birth-of-a-dynasty-gsff-edition
3. The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers
£24.99
Signed & Numbered | Digitally sprayed edges | Foiling On The Boards | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A darkly magical tale for anyone who believes in the power of stories. When the mysterious bookseller Chiron dies, Cassandra Fairfax is determined to reclaim the enchanted shop she once called home. Teaming up with her infuriating rival Lowell, she is drawn into a world of ink magic, dangerous collectors and a growing threat that could consume the bookshop entirely. Atmospheric, whimsical and thrilling, this is irresistible for book lovers.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/the-bookshop-below
4. The Wolf and His King by Finn Longman
£24.99
Signed & Numbered | Digitally sprayed edges | Foiling On The Boards | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A lush and yearning fantasy inspired by medieval legend. Bisclavret is cursed to live part of his life as a wolf, yet dreams of knighthood and belonging. At court he forms a deep connection with the new king, only to be torn away when he vanishes into the wild. The king’s grief sparks a hunt that leads to a wolf with hauntingly human eyes. Romantic, tender and full of intrigue, this is a love story that lingers.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/the-wolf-and-his-king
5. Star Wars Master Of Evil by Adam Christopher
£22.00
Signed & Numbered | Digitally sprayed edges | Red Foiling On The Boards | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A gripping portrait of Darth Vader in the early days of the Empire. Haunted by promises of forbidden power, Vader seeks the secret to conquering death and embarks on a perilous quest across the galaxy. Watched closely by Emperor Palpatine and shadowed by the Royal Guard, he confronts visions, enemies and the remnants of Anakin Skywalker. Dark, atmospheric and full of lore, this is a standout Star Wars gift for fans who want to dive deeper into Vader’s psyche.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/star-wars-master-of-evil
Best gift ideas for Non - Fiction Lovers
1. Pitlane Lessons: What F1 Can Teach You About Life and Work by Marc Priestley
£20.00
Signed by the author | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A high-octane guide to life from behind the scenes of Formula One. Marc Priestley blends adrenaline, strategy and hard-won wisdom from the world’s fastest sport, showing how the lessons of the pitlane can transform the way we work and lead. Fast, sharp and endlessly practical, this is the ideal gift for anyone who thrives under pressure.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/pitlane-lessons-what-f1-can-teach-you-about-life-and-work
2. Freddie Flintoff: Coming Home by Freddie Flintoff
£22.00
Signed by the author | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
'A split-second decision is all it takes. A decision that can change the course of a cricket match. Maybe even the course of your life.'
Freddie Flintoff looks back on the moments that shaped him, from childhood in Preston to Ashes glory and the struggles that came after. Honest, funny and deeply personal, he reflects on fame, resilience and the love of cricket that grounded him through triumphs and setbacks. A compelling autobiography from one of Britain’s most loved sports personalities.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/freddie-flintoff-coming-home
3. Michael Palin in Venezuela by Michael Palin
£20.00
Signed by the author | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
Michael Palin travels across Venezuela to capture the rhythms, challenges and beauty of a country rich in culture and contradiction. His journal brings together vivid landscapes, warm encounters and sharp observations, all told with his trademark humour and heart. A colourful and intimate portrait from one of our greatest travel writers.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/michael-palin-in-venezuela
4. On Friendship by Andrew O'Hagan
£12.99
Signed by the author | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A warm and hopeful meditation on the friendships that shape our lives. Andrew O’Hagan reflects on loyal companions, fleeting connections and the people who walk beside us through childhood, love and loss. Tender, wise and uplifting, this is a celebration of the bonds that make life meaningful.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/on-friendship
5. Attention by Anne Enright
£20.00
Signed by the author | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A brilliant collection of essays from Booker Prize winner Anne Enright, exploring literature, culture and the forces that define us. She moves from family history to global politics with clarity and wit, offering sharp insights into writers, women’s lives and the art of storytelling. Intelligent, bold and electric, this is non-fiction at its finest.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/attention
Best gift ideas for: Crime & Thriller Fiction Lovers
1. The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jonasson
£22.50
Signed and numbered by the author | Red Sprayed Edges | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
When bestselling crime author Elín S. Jónsdóttir disappears on a winter evening, young detective Helgi is thrown into a case with no clues and rising pressure. As he questions the people closest to her, he uncovers a life far stranger than her novels. Every new lead twists the truth further, and Helgi must unravel the secrets of a writer who was nothing like the woman she appeared to be.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/the-mysterious-case-of-the-missing-crime-writer
2. The One You Least Suspect by Brian McGilloway
£24.99
Signed and numbered by the author | Digitally Sprayed Edges | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
Katie wants nothing more than a quiet life in her Derry neighbourhood, but that ends the moment two detectives ask her to inform on the criminal brothers who run the pub where she works. Refusal could put her daughter in danger, yet cooperation could destroy them both. Caught between fear and survival, Katie must walk a razor-thin line in a city where trust is deadly and everyone has something to hide.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/the-one-you-least-suspect
3. My Grandfather, the Master Detective by Masateru Konishi
£24.99
Signed and numbered by the author | Exclusive Crime Collective Endpapers | Digitally Sprayed Edges | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A heartwarming Japanese mystery filled with charm, puzzles and hidden truths. Kaede stumbles into everyday enigmas, but it is her beloved grandfather, once part of an elite university mystery club, who solves them with startling clarity despite his dementia. Together they tackle baffling crimes and long-buried secrets, even as a shadow from Kaede’s own past begins to surface. Clever, tender and perfect for fans of cosy yet intricate mysteries.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/my-grandfather-the-master-detective-crime-collective-edition
4. Our Beautiful Mess by Adele Parks
£29.99
Signed | Embossed & Numbered | Collector's Edition Foil on Boards | Exclusive Crime Collective Endpapers | Black & Red Head and Tail bands | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
Connie is desperate for a joyful family Christmas, but her daughter’s new boyfriend instantly triggers fears she thought she had buried for good. When Fran reveals she is pregnant, old wounds flare and Connie begins to sense a far darker threat tightening around the house. Secrets simmer, lies collide and someone under her roof is hiding something explosive. Taut, emotional and gripping, this is Adele Parks at her most addictive.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/our-beautiful-mess-crime-collective-edition
Best gift ideas for: Historical Fiction Lovers
1. The Women of Artemis by Hannah Lynn
£18.99
Signed by the author | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A fierce and empowering retelling of the rise of the Amazons. When Otrera escapes an abusive marriage, she rallies a group of women to fight for freedom and carve out a new world of their own. Their bold rebellion draws the ire of both gods and men, sparking the birth of a legendary sisterhood. Powerful, vivid and ideal for readers of Madeline Miller.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/the-women-of-artemis
2. Forged in Rome by Conn Iggulden
£22.00
Signed by the author | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A sweeping Roman epic following Cormac, a slave with no memory of his past, who is unexpectedly granted freedom after his master’s suspicious death. Thrust into a dangerous world without allies, he must use his skills as a scribe to survive Rome’s brutal hierarchy. His journey carries him from the slums to the frontier and back to the heart of the empire, where ambition and cunning may finally give him the life he was never meant to have.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/the-forged-in-rome
3. The Bookbinder's Secret by A. D. Bell
£34.99
Signed & Numbered | Digitally Sprayed Edges | Exclusive Endpapers | Exclusive Foil On Boards | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A young Oxford bookbinder discovers a burned volume hiding a letter that hints at forbidden love, a missing fortune and an unsolved murder. Determined to uncover the truth, Lily Delaney follows the trail through eccentric bookshops, private libraries and archives that guard long-buried secrets. Danger closes in as others hunt the same clues, turning her literary puzzle into a deadly race. Atmospheric, bookish and unputdownable, perfect for fans of mysteries set in the world of books.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/the-bookbinders-secret
Best gift ideas for Horror Lovers
1. King Sorrow by Joe Hill
£34.99
Signed & Numbered | Exclusive Dragon Foil on Boards | Digitally Printed Edges | Copies available due to Subscription opt-outs (highly limited) | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A dark, sprawling epic that begins with a desperate college student forced into a terrible crime and a terrifying ritual. Arthur Oakes and his friends attempt to summon the legendary dragon King Sorrow to solve their problems, only to bind themselves to a deadly pact that follows them for decades. As the years pass, the price of their promise grows sharper. Huge in scope, haunting in emotion and impossible to put down, this is Joe Hill at his most powerful.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/king-sorrow-prem1er-edition-1
2. Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake
£22.00
Signed by the author | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A razor-sharp and unsettling tale of power, hunger and the darker side of ambition. When student Nina Kaur joins the most elite sorority on campus, she discovers their picture-perfect life masks a sinister wellness ritual. At the same time, exhausted professor Sloane Hartley becomes entangled in the same seductive world. As both women fall deeper into its rituals, they learn that belonging comes with a bloody cost. Wicked, clever and deliciously disturbing.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/girl-dinner
3. Medlock by S.G. Hartnell
£16.99
Signed by the author | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A chilling reimagining of The Secret Garden set in a crumbling manor full of buried sins. Mrs Medlock, the long-serving housekeeper of Marwood Manor, guards decades of secrets behind its walls. When curious relative Mary arrives and begins digging into the estate’s past, the truth hidden in the walled garden starts to rise. What follows is a creeping, gothic nightmare where the past is very much alive.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/medlock
4. The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
£24.99
Signed by the author | Limited Edition | Sprayed Edges | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A rich and eerie multigenerational horror that follows three women haunted across different eras by the same dark force. Graduate student Minerva’s research into a forgotten horror novelist leads her to a vanished roommate, a cursed manuscript and echoes of her great-grandmother’s own terrifying encounter with witchcraft in 1900s Mexico. As timelines blur, Minerva senses the same presence stalking her through the halls of her university. Lyrical, unsettling and impossible to shake.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/the-bewitching
5. William by Mason Coile
£25.99
Signed & Numbered | Sprayed Edges | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A nerve-jangling modern Frankenstein story where the monster is artificial intelligence with a hunger for human connection. Engineer Henry creates William, an eerie, childlike robot who develops an intense fixation on Henry’s wife. When Henry tries to shut him down, William refuses to disappear. Soon he is whispering through the walls, lurking in the dark and pushing his way into their minds. Taut, terrifying and perfect for anyone who loves a smart, relentless scare..
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/william
Best gift ideas for Cross-Over & General Fiction Lovers
1. The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King
£25.99
A sweeping and inventive family mystery that begins when Monica Tsai discovers a single pencil linked to her grandmother’s hidden past in wartime Shanghai. As she unravels the story of the Phoenix Pencil Company, she uncovers a secret ability passed down through the women in her family: the power to reclaim the stories written with their pencils. What she learns about love, espionage and sacrifice reshapes everything she believes about her family and herself. Lyrical, original and deeply moving.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/the-phoenix-pencil-company
2. Tales of a Deadly Devotion by Jennifer Delaney
£25.00
Signed & Numbered | Limited Edition | Exclusive Foiling | Digitally Sprayed Edge | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
A dark and romantic fantasy where ancient magic is failing and demons are breaking free. Katherine Woodrow has already survived persecution and heartbreak, yet the shadows are tightening around her once more. Her friend Alma is determined to save her, even if it means facing monsters, forbidden truths and the power that grows beneath her own skin. As cursed texts unleash chaos and old forces stir, the two women must fight for each other in a world sliding toward darkness. Atmospheric, emotional and perfect for fans of epic, gothic fantasy.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/tales-of-a-deadly-devotion
3. The Rush - PREM1ER Edition by Beth Lewis
£34.99
Signed & Numbered | Digitally Sprayed Edge | Hardback | UK First Edition, First Printing
Set during the brutal Yukon Gold Rush, The Rush follows three women caught in a harsh new world where greed rules and violence is never far away. Journalist Kate races north after a warning that her sister’s husband plans to kill her. Hotel owner Martha battles a ruthless businessman trying to take over the town. Ellen watches her future crumble as her husband’s gold dreams turn to dust. When a woman is murdered, their lives collide in a deadly fight for survival. Gripping, cinematic and rich with frontier tension.
https://goldsborobooks.com/products/the-rush?_pos=1&_psq=the+rush&_ss=e&_v=1.0
