Kev McCready is a writer, born in Liverpool but now living in Devon. Always with his nose in a book and a cuppa brewing. A fanatical reader since the age of five, Kev has a collection of bookmarks as esoteric as his bookshelves…

The 13th of October was “Super Thursday”. No, it’s nothing to do with superheroes, or posh expressions of delight that it’s nearly the weekend. It marked the start of the season for Christmas books. And I know we’re all worried about this one more than all the others combined. But a book is a perfect gift, the perfect thing to lose yourself in. And this list is neither inclusive; nor selective. It’s a guide.

Let’s begin with Fiction: Fairy Tale by Stephen King looks to be more fantasy than horror, but I still think he’s an underrated writer, a satirist of American life. The Bullet That Missed is the third in Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series. I found the first amiable, but inherently unsatisfying. But you can’t deny their massive popularity. Essex Dogs is the historian Dan Jones’ first novel, about the infamous regiment during The Hundred Years War. Expect male bonding, blood, archery and cries of “ARRR!” A Heart Full of Headstones by Ian Rankin sees Rebus on trial, but presumably still both laconic and sardonic in his 24th case. Finally, The Satsuma Paradox (27th October) is the debut of Bob Mortimer. Trainee solicitor Gary Thorn meets the woman of his dreams in a pub, falls in love, but can’t remember anything other than the eponymous self-help book she was reading.

In Non-Fiction, we’ll begin with Lucy Worsley’s biography of Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman. She discusses the queen of crime’s best-selling career, but also her love of surfing, psychology and fast cars. Undoctored is the sequel to Adam’s Kay’s This Is Going to Hurt; a book as popular on TV and stage as it was in print. Terry Pratchett: A Life with Footnotes is a long overdue biography of a much-missed talent by Rob Wilkins. A Pocket Full of Happiness is painted as both Richard E Grant’s autobiography and a self-help book on how to cope with the joy and pain of being alive. On a similar note, Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries is edited by Alan Taylor and Emma Thompson. It promises to be as impish and as arch as the man himself. Footballers used to produce awful books; this has improved in recent years. Jordan Henderson: The Autobiography (27th October) is, as you’d expect a book by Liverpool’s Stakhanovite midfielder. Surrender (1st November) should be the factual big-hitter, an autobiography by U2’s diminutive demigod Bono.

In Miscellaneous, One is a book of recipes by Jamie Oliver showing us recipes that can be cooked in one pan. Presumably these will “raise things to a whole new level”? Menopausing sees Davina McCall and Dr Naomi Potter continuing to make something that’s part of every woman’s life an open conversation. Despite the title, Is This a Cookbook? definitely is. Heston Blumenthal treads the same path as Nigella Lawson and Mrs Beaton – recipes with hints, notes and tips. However, this one has illustrations by comic artist Dave McKean. Finally, Tom Daley is Devon’s nicest man. Made With Love (27th October) offers encouragement, patterns and tips for the amateur as much as the casual knitter.