In another life, I would have time to sit and read every day. I love reading, it is such a wonderful way to escape and lose yourself. Hey ho, not just yet Joanna! But that doesn’t stop me drooling over books I see reviewed online or actually stroking them lovingly in shops (I’m sorry, but it has been known!) It’s been very hard to narrow my choices for 2017 down to five, some that I’d like to give, the others to receive, but here they are:

Dairy Diary

Look, I know this isn’t exactly ground-breaking, but my Mother always had this diary and, when it comes to keeping track of appointments I am still very happy with good old paper and pen rather than technology, thank you very much. But of course, this best-seller is much more than just a diary, it is both practical and pretty with delicious weekly recipes, year planners, calendars, home budgeting, interesting garden and leisure features plus kitchen tips and tricks, stain removal and laundry tips – phew! It’s a traditional treasure trove and I’m very fond of it…and anyway, it reminds me of my Mum.

Down to Earth by Monty Don

I will hear no wrong about Monty Don! Here, he shares 50 years of his gardening experience with us in this easy to digest gardening book which covers a wide range of subjects including shrubs, containers, pests and compost, to growing your own edibles and useful pointers on what to do in each month of the year. In his gentle, easy way, he tells us not to worry about the plants in the garden – they are tough, and can look after themselves. Thank goodness for that! There is sensible design advice for small gardens in here too. It’s really rather good and both a great starter book for a novice gardener and a handy reference guide for others.

Little Miss Busy Surviving Motherhood (Mr. Men for Grown-ups)

Mr Men arrived too late for me, but my older daughter Pippa enjoyed them when small… but now, thanks to this new range I can enjoy them as a grown up! These are no great literary works, but they are fun and make a super stocking filler with their various characters getting into all sorts of humorous adult predicaments! The author of the original Mr Men, Roger Hargreaves, is Britain’s third best-selling author of all time having sold more than 100 million books. He wrote the first Mr. Men book in 1971 when his 8-year-old son, Adam Hargreaves, asked ‘What does a tickle look like?’ In response, Roger drew a figure with a round orange body and long, rubbery arms and Mr. Tickle was born. And the final twist to this rather lovely story is that Adam Hargreaves himself, now draws the characters for the modern day stories that his late father originally created.

Mary Berry Everyday by Mary Berry

If, like me, you are a Mary Berry fan, then you need to add this book to your collection. The blurb says: “In this brand-new, official tie-in to Mary’s much anticipated 2017 BBC series, the nation’s best-loved home cook will show you how to inject a little Mary magic into your everyday cooking, with over 120 delicious recipes.” And indeed it does! Mary is so no nonsense and has so much knowledge, you can’t go wrong with her recipes – easy to follow and using normal ingredients. Although these are billed as ‘everyday’ recipes, there are plenty that would do well for special occasions too.

5 Ingredients – Quick & Easy Food by Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver is a clever chap. This is yet another brilliant cook book from him and one that I shall be both giving and (thanks Richard!) receiving. Every recipe uses just five key ingredients, ensuring you can get a plate of food together fast, whether it’s finished and on the table super-quickly, or after some minimal hands-on preparation – just my sort of cooking! As the blurb puts it: ‘We’re talking quality over quantity, a little diligence on the cooking front, and in return massive flavour.’