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Best books for your Secret Santa and stocking filler gifts

Best books for your Secret Santa and stocking filler gifts

by Kat Brown, Katie Russell, and Eppie Shepherd

min read

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We’ve all been there: drawing the Secret Santa short straw of a distant relative or colleague you know nothing about. But don’t worry: we’ve put together the following guide to help you find a book that’s interesting, thoughtful, and a perfect match for their personality.

These wonderful books are tried-and-tested great gifts for Christmas – be it a stocking filler or a gift for a friend or family member. The only drawback is that you might just decide to keep the books for yourself and get them a giant Toblerone instead.

From funny books to the ultimate puzzles and brainteasers, here are the best books for Secret Santa and stocking fillers.

Fun game and puzzle books to keep them entertained

The Sweary Word Puzzle Book (for Adults) by C. Hill (2023)

Best for: Your foul-mouthed friend who also loves a crossword.

It’s not very big and it’s not very clever, but it is extremely funny. Packed with cros-swear-ds, along with variants of every word game you could imagine, this immature book for grown-ups is just the release valve needed to fend off swearing in everyday life. Line it up for someone who is foul-mouthed or who could really do with letting off some steam.

Murdoku by M. Garand (2025)

Best for: The armchair detective who thinks they could solve a murder before Poirot.

Murder and logic puzzles: a festive combo if ever there was one. Murdoku serves up 80 colourful cases to crack, each one a visual feast packed with clues, suspects and the odd suspicious-looking poodle. It’s practically made for the crime-reading sudoku lover – or anyone who secretly fancies themselves a detective in disguise.

Think Twice by Alex Bellos (2024)

Best for: The family know-it-all who needs something genuinely difficult to solve over Christmas

There’s something irresistible about a puzzle – especially one that, on the surface, looks simple. In Think Twice, Alex Bellos, creator of The Guardian’s Monday Puzzle, has created 70 confounding conundrums that are guaranteed to catch even the brainiest of puzzlers off-guard. Drawing on problems across mathematics, physics, geography, psychology and more, there’s a brainteaser for everyone in this collection.

Merry Quizmas Everyone! by Chris T. Massy (2023)

Best for: The competitive family member who insists on being the quizmaster every Christmas.

Is it the holidays if there hasn’t been a quiz? If you said no, award yourself two points and order a copy of this bumper book of Christmas quizzing. It’s got plenty of festive-themed questions to keep the family on side during that dangerous period when everyone’s too full to move, but not quite full enough not to argue.

Novelty Secret Santa books for the person who’s hard to buy for

Is Your Cat a Psychopath? by Stephen Wildish (2022)

Best for: Your cat-loving colleague whose wallpaper is a photo of their furbaby.

While most cat owners will already know the answer to this book’s central question, usually to cries of “He’s a big softie, really,” Is Your Cat a Psychopath? is great fun. Forget Myers-Briggs, he has designed 16 personality profiles to ascertain where your cat lies along the psychopathy scale. Cat books are always a wonderful gift for cat owners, who treasure anything even vaguely linked to their beloved.

The Traitors by Alan Connor (2024)

Best for: The person who thinks they’d spot a Traitor within five minutes of entering the castle.

Family game time is an essential Christmas tradition for many of us. But if you want a break from Monopoly, charades or Scrabble this year, we suggest the bestselling puzzle game book, The Traitors. Inspired by the hit BBC show, put your sleuthing skills to the test in this collection of 20 standalone games, where you’ll have to figure out if the characters before you are “100% Faithful” or secret Traitors…

The Christmas Stocking Murders by Denzil Meyrick (2024)

Best for: The cosy crime fan who likes their mince pies with a side of murder.

‘Tis the season for a cosy murder mystery. In The Christmas Stocking Murders, the year is 1953 and Inspector Frank Grasby is spending Christmas in a remote village when a fisherman washes up on the shore, a stocking wound tightly around his throat. As hundreds more stockings start to wash up, and another murder takes place, Grasby realises everyone in the village is a suspect.

Sense and Situationships by Satu Hämeenaho-Fox (2025)

Best for: Your single friend who loves Dolly Alderton and has dating-app fatigue.

Imagine Jane Austen navigating the chaos of modern dating and you’ll get a sense of what this brilliant book delivers. From ghosting to cringy DMs, Sense and Situationships is a smart, funny, and oddly comforting guide to 21st-century romance – as told through the lens of the ultimate Regency icon. This one is ideal for anyone trying to survive dating apps with their sense (and sensibility) intact.

Thoughtful gifts for the bookworm in your life

Why We Read by Josephine Greywoode (ed.) (2022)

Best for: Your friend who’s curious, open-minded, and loves reading non-fiction.

This deceptively academic-looking book is, in fact, a delightful read for the post-Christmas, pre-New Year period when you’re feeling reflective. Seventy significant writers share their thoughts on what makes reading non-fiction so compelling. Whether it is, as Malcolm Gladwell suggests, the joy of finding out what makes people tick, or Michael Lewis’s take on books as secret discoveries, this is a lovely gift for a passionate reader.

All God’s Chillun Got Pride by Chester Himes (1990)

Best for: Your reading-obsessed relative who’s always looking for an overlooked classic.

Any book from the Penguin Archive collection would make a perfect gift for a serious reader, but this is one of our favourites. Best known for his razor-sharp Harlem Detective series, Chester Himes was also a brilliant literary writer who began penning short stories in the 1930s whilst serving time for armed robbery. His collection of fierce, funny and chilling stories depict mid-century America, including a satirical take on race in Los Angeles.

Reading Lessons by Carol Atherton (2024)

Best for: The lifelong reader who can’t let go of the books they’ve read and loved.

Part memoir, part literary journey, Reading Lessons traces how books shape who we are – from schoolroom favourites to the stories that stay with us for life. Drawing on her experience as both a teacher and a lifelong reader, Carol Atherton explores why reading matters and how it connects us to one another across generations. It’s a perfect gift for a fellow bookworm.

Stories of Books and Libraries by Jane Holloway (ed.) (2023)

Best for: The bookworm who spends almost as much time in libraries and bookshops as they do reading.

Libraries take centre stage in this collection of stories and essays, featuring magical libraries, eccentric librarians and nods to classics like Wuthering Heights and 84 Charing Cross Road. Beautifully clothbound and finished with a silk ribbon marker, this is the sort of bookish gift that looks at home on an overflowing bookshelf – or next to the rest of the Everyman’s Library Pocket Classics series.

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Small books that would make for perfect stocking fillers

The Book of Gifts by Lucy Claire Dunbar (2024)

Best for: The friend who sends you an inspirational Instagram post exactly when you need it.

Illustrator and designer Lucy Claire Dunbar has long been sprinkling joy on our Instagram feeds with her intricate, inspirational art. Now, in her debut collection, she has created a range of uplifting drawings to celebrate the joy of the everyday, while also giving hope in times of need. If you’re looking for the book equivalent of a warm hug, this is it.

Into the Taylor-verse by Satu Hämeenaho-Fox (2024)

Best for: The Swiftie who can identify a Taylor era from the first three seconds of a song.

Jump then fall into the world of musician and self-proclaimed mastermind Taylor Swift, with this pocket-sized book that charts her life through her songwriting. Into the Taylor-verse is a deep dive into the musical influences and personal experiences that have shaped each era of Swift’s work. This is the perfect stocking filler or Secret Santa present for the Swiftie who’s still mentally on The Eras Tour.

The Cheese Wheel by Emma Young (2023)

Best for: Your favourite foodie who knows their Stichelton from their Stilton.

Emma Young seriously knows her cheese, being a cheesemonger, cheese maker, and a judge at the World Cheese Awards. In The Cheese Wheel, Young shares her knowledge. From finding the perfect drink to pair with your cheeses, to designing your own cheeseboard and finding new types to try, this is a must-read manual for anyone who goes misty-eyed over Beaufort or Y Fenni.

Lady Susan by Jane Austen (1871)

Best for: The literature-loving feminist who has read all of Austen’s other works.

Jane Austen is known for her sharp, satirical wit and spirited heroines, from the eponymous Emma to Pride and Prejudice’s Elizabeth Bennet. But for a short, snappy sample of her wickedly funny writing, Lady Susan is a must-read. The scandalous tale, of a recently widowed woman whose manipulative charms cause chaos, is the perfect novella to gift your rule-breaking friend.

Books for the friend who loves learning new things

Unruly by David Mitchell (2023)

Best for: The history buff who likes Horrible Histories just as much as a serious biography.

History doesn’t have to be dry – and Unruly proves it. David Mitchell brings his signature wit to the British monarchy, telling the story of England’s royals through strange facts, hilarious tangents and a healthy dose of cynicism. This is the perfect read for fans of QI and Horrible Histories or anyone who likes their non-fiction with a side of sarcasm.

Fascinating Facts to Blow Your Curious Mind by @officialmjmatthew (2023)

Best for: Your colleague who starts every conversation with, “Did you know…?”

Devastating news for those hoping to fund their retirement by finding the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow: rainbows are actually circular. And did you know that New York was once called New Orange? Or why? This book of trivia is packed full of genuinely surprising facts – plus a section of little-known ones that could one day save your life.

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Best books for your Secret Santa and stocking filler gifts

Fun game and puzzle books to keep them entertained

Beautiful books that make unforgettable gifts

Books to get you in the mood for Christmas

Best quiz and puzzle books for adults

Novelty Secret Santa books for the person who’s hard to buy for

Thoughtful gifts for the bookworm in your life

Where to start reading the Penguin Archive collection

Books we’d recommend to Jane Austen’s best characters

Funny books guaranteed to make you laugh out loud

Find more bookish gift inspiration...

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Books for the friend who loves learning new things

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