Brilliant books for dad: perfect for Christmas, birthdays or Father's Day

From brutal schooldays to 80s anarchy, through The Young Ones and beyond, Berserker! is the one-of-a-kind, fascinating memoir from an icon of British comedy, Adrian Edmondson. His star-studded anecdotes and outrageous stories are set to a soundtrack of pop hits, transporting the reader through time and cranking up the nostalgia. But, as one would expect, these stories are also a guaranteed laugh as Ade traces his journey through life and comedy. 

After hitting rock bottom having suffered with depression for years, Christian Lewis made an impulsive decision to walk the entire coastline of the UK. Just a few days later he set off with a tent, walking boots and a tenner in his pocket. Finding Hildasay tells us some of this incredible story, including the brutal three months Christian Lewis spent on the uninhabited island of Hildasay in Scotland with no fresh water or food. It was there, where his route was most barren, that he discovered pride and respect for himself. This is not just a story of a remarkable journey, but one of depression, survival and the meaning of home. 

Ninety-seven-hour weeks, life and death decisions, a constant tsunami of bodily fluids, and the hospital parking meter earns more than you. The life of a junior doctor may not sound funny, but Adam Kay’s memoir certainly is. These true stories of life on the hospital ward were scribbled in his diaries after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends.

When David Harewood was twenty-three, his acting career began to take flight and he had what he now understands to be a psychotic breakdown. He was physically restrained by six police officers, sedated, then hospitalized and transferred to a locked ward. Only now, thirty years later, has he been able to process what he went through. In this powerful and provocative account of a life lived after psychosis, critically acclaimed actor, David Harewood, uncovers a devastating family history and investigates the very real impact of racism on Black mental health.

Presenter, commentator, (sometimes masked) singer, footballer, manager and campaigner, Kammy's action-packed career has made him a bona fide British hero. Kammy had a tough upbringing, faced racism on the terraces during his playing career and has, in recent years, dealt with a rare brain condition – apraxia – that has affected his speech and seen him say goodbye to Sky Sports. With entertaining stories of his playing career from Pompey to Leeds and beyond; his management at Bradford City and Stoke; his crazy travels around the world; of Soccer Saturday banter; presenting Ninja Warrior; and the incredible friendships he's made along the way, Kammy is an unforgettable ride from one of Britain's best-loved broadcasters.

Double world champion and Team GB heptathlete Katarina Johnson Thompson’s path to success has not been easy. Raised by a single mother, she recounts times when she struggled to keep up with other athletes – many of whom received more funding than her – but she persevered. Unbroken provides an intimate insight into the pressures she faced representing Britain at just sixteen, building a champion mindset through discipline, and navigating a complex relationship with mentor turned rival Jessica Ennis-Hill. This is an inspiring memoir that explores Katarina's path to recovery from multiple injuries and highlights the power of believing in yourself.

This inspiring read follows rugby league legend Rob Burrow on his career, his friendship with fellow Leeds Rhino Kevin Sinfield, and his battle with motor neurone disease. As a boy, Rob was told he was too small to play the sport. Even when he made his debut for Leeds, people wrote him off as a novelty. But Rob never stopped proving people wrong. And then in December 2019, Rob was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and given a couple of years to live. Far more than a sports memoir, Too Many Reasons to Live is a remarkable story of boundless courage and infinite kindness.

After fifteen years at the top of test rugby, Dan Biggar shares his story in The Biggar Picture. Known for his brash and aggressive playing style, Dan has faced critics throughout his career but remains one of the game’s most grounded figures. In this honest and self-reflective memoir, Dan delves into his rugby journey, from the Premiership to the Lions, and the dynamics within Wales' most successful squad. He offers an intimate look at his relationships with teammates, coaches, and managers, including Warren Gatland and Alun Wyn Jones. The Biggar Picture captures the highs, lows, and personal insights of one of rugby’s most compelling personalities.

In the last forty years, only a handful of climbers have pushed themselves as far, ‘free soloing’ to the absolute limit of human capabilities. Half of them are dead. Although Alex Honnold’s exploits are probably a bit too extreme for most of us, the stories behind his incredible climbs are exciting, uplifting and truly awe-inspiring. Alone on the Wall is a book about the essential truth of being free to pursue your passions and the ability to maintain a singular focus, even in the face of mortal danger. This updated edition contains the account of Alex's El Capitan climb, which is the subject of the Oscar and BAFTA winning documentary, Free Solo.

In his Booker Prize shortlisted novel, Percival Everett lays out a precise and painful depiction of the Antebellum South on the cusp of Civil War, shot through with his trademark dry humour and semantic flair. The novel is told from the perspective of James (formerly ‘Jim’), the affable companion of Huckleberry Finn in Mark Twain’s novel. Crucially in Everett’s re-telling, James is resurrected from the graveyard of racist archetypes, and is given multiple dimensions and a character arc of his own: when James embarks on a quest to secure his wife and daughter’s freedom, Huck tags along for the ride.

Alone, exhausted, and scarred by what they’ve seen on their travels, a man and child search for safety in a sunburned and stony desert. Chancing upon an abandoned mine, the man knows that this desolate place is their best bet for shelter, even though they have no idea who or what lurks in the mine’s depths. Set in an apocalyptic dystopian future, in Juice Tim Winton asks: how far will humans go to survive when the world has been turned upside down? 

When enigmatic sailor Jem Rosco arrives in Greystone, Devon, the town celebrates are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But when he disappears and is later found dead during a storm, DI Matthew Venn faces an uncomfortable case. Having left the Barum Brethren community in Greystone, Venn's judgment is clouded by superstitions and rumors as another body is discovered in Scully Cove. Isolated by the storm, Venn and his team embark on a perilous investigation, unaware that their own lives may be at risk. This gripping mystery unfolds amidst the winds of uncertainty and danger in a remote coastal village.

Critically acclaimed author Jane Harper returns with Exiles, securing her place as the trailblazer of the 'outback noir' genre. After Kim Gillespie disappears from a busy festival, leaving her baby alone in the pram, her absence casts a long shadow over her friends and loved ones. A year later, Kim's loved ones gather to welcome a new addition to the family. Among them is Aaron Falk, a federal investigator, who soon becomes suspicious about Kim's case. As long-held resentments and secrets are exposed, Falk will have to tread carefully to get to the truth . . . 

In Signs, Music, Raymond Antrobus meditates on his journey to becoming a father and the impact of losing his dad almost a decade ago, as he prepares for the birth of his son and the hypotheticals of parenthood become real. 

Dr John Cooper Clarke, the esteemed 'People's Poet', presents his dynamic new collection, WHAT. His influential voice, affecting generations of poets and musicians, takes aim at subjects including James Brown, John F. Kennedy, Jesus Christ: nobody is safe from the punk rocker's acerbic pen – and that's just the first poem. Vivid and alive, with a sensitivity only a writer with a life as varied and extraordinary as Cooper Clarke's could summon, WHAT is an exceptional collection from one of our foremost satirists.

A cutting-edge new vision of biology that proposes to revise our concept of what life is – from Science Book Prize winner and former Nature editor Philip Ball. Today we can redesign and reconfigure living systems, tissues, and organisms. Some researchers believe that ultimately we will be able to regenerate limbs and organs, and perhaps even create new life forms that evolution has never imagined. Incorporating the latest research and insights, How Life Works is a sweeping journey into this new frontier of the nature of life, a realm that will reshape our understanding of life as we know it.

In Space Oddities, physicist Harry Cliff takes readers on a tour of a baffling universe, discovering odd phenomena that challenge established cosmic theories. Unexplained particle energies are appearing under Antarctic ice, unidentifiable forces are meddling with matter's building blocks, and stars are inexplicably speeding away. Cliff delves into these mind-bending puzzles, meeting scientists seeking answers and questioning if these are natural anomalies or signs of hidden worlds. Through wonder, clarity, and humour, Cliff paves a path to investigate evolving physics and cosmology.

In her enlightening book, Dr. Becky Smethurst explores the enigmatic phenomenon of black holes, which we orbit along with the Sun in the Milky Way center. From early cosmic observations and massive star collapse, to the famous black hole photographs and her research findings, Dr. Smethurst unravels mysteries. She explains why black holes aren't truly 'black', the dire consequence of 'spaghettification', their resemblance to sofa cushions rather than hoovers, and the future direction within the event horizon. The book reveals secrets of the universe, hidden in black holes.

What happens if the First World War breaks out while you’re at university? How does a young woman born without arms or legs make a living in Georgian London? What turns a rugby-obsessed teenager from a Welsh mining town into Richard Burton? In this witty history, award-winning writer and broadcaster Alice Loxton delves into Britain’s past, exploring the country through eighteen inspiring figures at the formative age of eighteen. 

Spanning continents and centuries, and celebrating unsung heroes and familiar names, Black History for Every Day of the Year is the new book from David Olusoga and his siblings, Yinka Olusoga and Kemi Olusoga. Each day of the year covers a different event in Black history, from the anti-slavery movement of the nineteenth century to the World Wars, the Harlem Renaissance and beyond. Richly presented with quotes, illustrations, pictures, and poems, this beautiful book will inspire and educate history lovers of all ages.

In his revisionist account of the origins of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, Robert Service explores the factors that led to the abolition of Tsarist rule in and the rise of communism in Russia. Exploring the period from the beginning of the First World War to Lenin’s death in 1924 through primary source material, Service argues that the seeds of revolution were planted not by the workers pushing for socialism, but by the Tsar’s unpopular decision to join the war against Germany in 1914. This compelling new book by one of the foremost experts on Russian history is a must-read.