Forget pudding, carol-singing and cosy nights by the fire, welcome to the twelve day feast of yuletide; a time of excess and hedonistic pursuits overseen not by jolly St Nick but by the devlish Lord of Misrule. As Makepeace, the heroine of the darkly atmopsheric mystery, A Skinful of Shadows, knows only too well, Christmas is a dangerous time for a country in the midst of Civil War and bitter religious division. Here, the novel's author Frances Hardinge introduces readers to the wild, hedonistic danger of a 17th Century English Christmas.

Former Waterstones Children's Book Prize winner Katherine Rundell has had a busy year, publishing not one but two brilliant new novels: the Costa Book Awards shortlisted The Explorer, a heart-stopping adventure in the wilds of the Amazon, and One Christmas Wish, a modern classic brimming over with festive cheer. If that weren't enough, she's even found time to gather together her favourite books from the year for us here at Waterstones. Here is her selection of just some of the remarkable stories she's come across in 2017.

Putting vegetables firmly front and centre, Anna Jones has been transforming how our nation cooks and eats. Now she’s back with an eagerly anticipated new book, The Modern Cook’s Year, bringing a calendar of seasonal vegetarian and vegan delights to make your table sing all year round. This year she’s in good company too and here, exclusively for Waterstones, she slices and dices the best of the year’s crop of new titles.

From surprise election results to wrangling over Brexit, 2017’s been something of a head-scratcher of a year. If you're feeling in need of clarity, fear not, help is at hand from economist Tim Harford. In his latest book Fifty Things That Made The Modern Economy he explains complex world economics through the everyday objects that have transformed our lives, from barcodes to barbed wire. Who better then, to give tips on what to read to make sense of the world in 2017? Here, exclusively for Waterstones, he recommends the best books to provide some much-needed perspective as the year draws to a close.

For those readers who like their wintertime peppered with chills then we’ve got the perfect selection of ghostly tales, classic mysteries and wintry whodunits to curl up with.

After more FAKE NEWS saying the White House has declared a no-fly on Santa, as president, I’m proud to deliver THE BEST CHRISTMAS LIST IN HISTORY. All these books are really good. Most extra especially mine. So go get them. MAKE CHRISTMAS GREAT AGAIN. And remember, you can’t spell Merry Christmas without Me.

As they present their latest eye-opening collection of astonishing and amusing facts, 1,423 QI Facts To Bowl You Over, the team behind QI take you behind the scenes at QI HQ.

Bringing a touch of magic to Christmas cookery, Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain is back with a festive follow-up to Nadiya's Bake Me A Story bringing seasonal tales to life with delicious accompanying recipes. Here, in an extract from Nadiya's Bake Me a Festive Story, she shares her delicious recipe for Christmas cranberry shortbread, complete with a story for the whole family.

Christmas. A time of festivity, feasting, fa-la-la and, of course, your beloved friends and family. Thankfully, If you find all that quality time with loved ones is making the goodwill run a little thin, then help is on hand from Nina Stibbe, the author of the bestselling Love, Nina, in the form of her witty, wise and downright hilarious new book An Almost Perfect Christmas.

As an added bonus, especially for Waterstones (she knows we get grumpy at this time of year), she’s rustled up some essential advice for getting through the season without losing your Christmas cheer. We’re off now to stock up on cheese and thermal socks…

Christmas. A time of friendship, family, festive good will and, of course, fierce competitive instinct. After, all, what is Christmas for if not proving to your nearest and dearest who is boss? Score cards at the ready then, let's get quizzical!

Warning: the following books contain multiple, emphatic uses of the F-word. 

From inspirational reads for the game-changers of the future to the sharpest, wittiest, most exciting contemporary feminist writing in print today, we present ten essential reads. 

Despite being known for much-loved wintertime animal stories such as Lost in the Snow and the new Christmas tale, The Snow Leopards, author Holly Webb isn't much of a fan of too much time spent out in the cold winter gloom, far better to be tucked up in the warm with a good book. We couldn't agree more, so we asked Holly to rustle up a few of her favourite winter reads for us and here are her selections; ideal if the weather looks non-too inviting and even better if you've a mug of hot chocolate to hand.