The Spectator has asked contributors for some of the best and worst books to consider as Christmas gifts.

Some of the intriguing good books listed:

Lustrum - Robert Harris - the second in a trilogy of historical fiction about Cicero.
Reading Chekhov - Janet Malcolm - New Yorker writer reflects on the writing on Anton Chekhov.
Samuel Johnson: A Life - David Nokes - A well-reviewed biography of Johnson published 300 years after Johnson's birth.
That Man Shakespeare - David Ellis - Some guidance on Shakespeare.