2025 Gift Guide: Special editions, non-fiction books

January is a funny in-between month. The festive chaos is over, the decorations are coming down, and with post-Christmas sales in full swing, it suddenly feels like the perfect time to think about what we actually want to read next. It’s also a good excuse to treat ourselves. This list brings together practical nonfiction and eye-catching special editions. Whether you’re browsing sale tables, spending gift cards, or just adding “one more” to the pile, these are the titles worth a look.

Fiction

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters (Deluxe Collector’s Edition)

Rick Riordan’s Sea of Monsters gets the deluxe treatment with this special edition. This special edition includes a new author’s letter from Rick Riordan, written while he was on set of the Percy Jackson TV adaptation. It also features full-colour interior illustrations printed on sturdier paper. Add in the sprayed edges, and it’s a thoughtful, shelf-worthy upgrade for fans who want a more permanent edition.

The Inheritance Games (Special Edition) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Penguin)

Penguin’s deluxe collector editions of The Inheritance Games have been a hit with fans who love a bit of glamour on their shelves, with the first special clothbound hardback arriving in 2025 complete with metallic foils, sprayed edges, designed endpapers and ribbon markers that feel very much in keeping with the Hawthorne mystique. Looking ahead, Books 2 (The Hawthorne Legacy) and 3 (The Final Gambit) are due in January and March 2026 respectively, both continuing the deluxe format with cloth bindings, sprayed edges and ribbon bookmarks for readers building a matching set. If you’ve been holding off on the series or have gift cards burning a hole in your pocket, this is a good moment to catch up and display them together.

Nineteen Eighty-Four (Illustrated Edition) by George Orwell (Faber)

Faber’s illustrated edition of Nineteen Eighty-Four offers a fresh visual lens on Orwell’s dystopian classic. The illustrations add an extra layer of atmosphere to an already unsettling novel, reinforcing the themes of surveillance, control and isolation without overwhelming the text. This edition feels especially suited to readers revisiting the book rather than encountering it for the first time — a thoughtful, striking take on a story that continues to feel uncomfortably relevant.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (Electric Monkey)

The Shatter Me series has been getting a collector-friendly refresh in 2025, with hardback special editions like Defy Me and Imagine Me featuring exclusive cover designs and gold reading ribbons, making them ideal for fans who want a display-ready set. For those building a full collection, there’s even more to look forward to in 2026, with three novella companion bind-ups being scheduled for release. These editions make it easy to own the series in a cohesive, polished way without hunting down individual hardbacks from earlier years.

The Chronicles of Narnia (75th Anniversary Edition) by C.S. Lewis (HarperCollins)

To mark 75 years since The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was first published, HarperCollins has released a new anniversary edition of The Chronicles of Narnia. This celebratory release brings renewed attention to a series that many readers first encountered as children, with refreshed design elements that feel respectful rather than flashy. It’s a nostalgic set, but also a reminder of how enduring Lewis’s world-building remains — perfect for longtime fans or for introducing a new generation to Narnia.

My Brilliant Friend: The Four Volumes by Elena Ferrante 

For readers who fell hard for Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet, this collected edition of all four novels is a tempting proposition — and that’s probably most readers, given that My Brilliant Friend was named #1 on The New York Times’ list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. Bringing the quartet together, this special edition highlights just how cohesive the story feels when read as one long arc, tracing years of intense, complicated female friendship against a changing social backdrop. It’s weighty, both physically and emotionally, but one we’d happily lug around, especially with those sprayed edges.

The Roots of Chaos Box Set by Samantha Shannon

Non-fiction

Cult Sandwiches by David Paw (Welbeck Publishing)

David Paw is here to introduce us to 100 “sandwiches” from around the world. “Sandwiches” put in quotations because like internet memes, it’s hard to define what counts as a sandwich. The book details the ingredients found in these sandwiches, as well as the origin stories. While we love the illustrations and colours in the book, as they remind us of signs in sandwich shops, we do wish there are more photos of the sandwiches though. Guess it’s time to hit the road and find these sandwiches ourselves!

Lessons in Mixology by Jordan Spence (Welbeck Publishing)

Jordan Spence keeps things simple and easy to follow in his Lessons in Mixology. After a quick but detailed introduction on the essential items you need for any cocktail, including the shapes of ice, and types of glasses, the book dives right into the cocktail recipes. Each cocktail recipe is drawn in the glass the drink is served in, in “bar” chart or pie chart format, along with 1-3 lines of instruction. Can’t really go wrong!

The Mocktail Deck by Jai Breitnauer (Summersdale Publishing) 

Not everyone drinks, so this mocktail deck is a great alternative. This handy box contains 52 colourful and sturdy cards, and a wooden stand for easy referencing while you learn these new recipes. The box also features a little booklet that contains information about glassware choices, and glossary. Definitely great for when you are hosting a party and want guests to be able to flip through options without fighting over a book.

The Guide to Chinese Cooking by Handa Cheng (DK Publishing)

The English title doesn’t do the Chinese subtitle justice — those 4 words actually mean “simple home-style meal”, but also almost an idiom for “nothing out of the ordinary”. But this book is no ordinary cookbook — in this 380-page guidebook, Handa Cheng teaches people the basics of Chinese cooking, from the essential techniques and spices,  to the Do’s and Don’ts of table manners. The recipes are divided into 14 chapters, such as cold dishes, rice, and snacks, and many of them are dotted with “tips” for easier alternatives.

Jeremy Pang’s Hong Kong Kitchen (Octopus Publishing)

Hong Kong cuisine is inspired by many other nations’ food, hence you will find recipes here that are borrowed from Vietnamese and Korean culture, among others. The recipes are very, very detailed, with page-long descriptions so you wouldn’t need to worry about missing a step and misunderstanding instructions. Recommended for those who are already familiar with Hong Kong cuisine!

The Potato Book by Poppy Cooks (Bloomsbury Publishing)

Anyone who loves potatoes would have seen Poppy’s reels, and while we saved every single one of them every time her reels popped up on our feed, nothing beats having her recipes written down all in one place. From mashed potatoes, roast potatoes, baked potatoes, to potato salads, Poppy got you covered. We love how it’s clearly listed which type of potato we would need for each recipe, and that there are sometimes variations of a recipe that people can try once they have mastered the classic version.

Road Trips in Europe: 50 Adventures on the Open Road (DK Publishing)

One great thing about living in the UK is that it’s super easy and fairly cheap to get to Europe. But the question is: where in Europe should we go next? This latest Road Trips in Europe book by DK gives you 50 ideas (well, 45 given that 5 of them are based in the UK), from a 2 to 3-week long Grand Tour of Switzerland, to a short Norway one that would take only 3-6 hours. For each trip, there are details of the road conditions (in case you don’t feel too ready in your driving abilities), and the ideal time to embark on that journey.