20 gifts under $20
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be compiling a host of gift guides to help you with your Christmas shopping.
Here are 20 gift ideas under $20, perfect for office Kris Kringles and other Christmas needs. Find even more budget-friendly suggestions by browsing the collections below.
Milkman by Anna Burns
In this unnamed city, to be interesting is dangerous. Middle sister, our protagonist, is busy attempting to keep her mother from discovering her maybe-boyfriend and to keep everyone in the dark about her encounter with Milkman. But when first brother-in-law sniffs out her struggle, and rumours start to swell, middle sister becomes ‘interesting’. The last thing she ever wanted to be. Milkman is a tale of gossip and hearsay, silence and inaction with enormous consequences.
Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham
Six years ago, Evie Cormac was tangled up in a shocking crime. Now approaching adulthood, Evie has never revealed her true identity. Forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven is investigating the death of champion figure-skater Jodie Sheehan. When Cyrus is called upon to assess Evie, she threatens to disrupt the case with her unique and dangerous gift - she knows when someone is lying. Good Girl, Bad Girl is an unnerving psychological thriller.
Eat at the Bar by Jo Gamvros & Matt McConnell
In Eat at the Bar, Matt McConnell and Jo Gamvros share their love of Europe’s bar dining culture through incredible, vibrant recipes from tapas to mezethes. Retracing their travels through Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece, they explore the amazing flavours and relaxed hospitality that inspired them to embrace and redefine bar dining culture in Melbourne.
Letter To You by Bruce Springsteen
Letter To You is Bruce Springsteen’s new studio album with the E Street Band, and is a rock album fuelled by the band’s heart-stopping, house-rocking signature sound. Recorded at his home studio in New Jersey, this is Springsteen’s 20th studio album. It is also his first album including the E Street Band since 2012, and their first performances together since 2016’s The River Tour.
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Grace is a Victorian orphan. Winsome is a young Windrush bride, recently arrived from Barbados. Amma is the fierce queen of her 1980s squatters’ palace. Morgan, who used to be Megan, is blowing up on social media. Twelve very different people, mostly black and female, more than a hundred years of change, and one sweeping, vibrant, glorious portrait of contemporary Britain. Bernardine Evaristo presents a gloriously new kind of history for this old country.
The Secret Code-Breakers of Central Bureau by David Dufty
A groundbreaking work of Australian military history, The Secret Code-Breakers of Central Bureau tells the story of the country’s significant code-breaking and signals-intelligence achievements during the Second World War. It reveals how Australians built a large and sophisticated intelligence network from scratch, and how the code-breakers played a vital role in key battles.
Madame Badobedah by Sophie Dahl & Lauren O'Hara
Mabel lives with her parents in The Mermaid Hotel, by the sea. Mabel likes to keep an eye on the comings and goings of all the guests. Then one day a particularly interesting old lady comes to stay. There is something very suspicious about her, with her growly voice and her heavy trunks and her beady-eyed tortoise. And why does no one know her REAL name?
On Beverley Farmer by Josephine Rowe
In the Writers on Writers series, leading authors reflect on an Australian writer who has fascinated them. These books start a fresh conversation between past and present, and shed new light on the craft of writing. Here, novelist and short-story writer Josephine Rowe finds a kindred spirit in Beverley Farmer, and argues for a celebration and reclamation of this unique Australian author.
Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn
Patsy yearns to escape Jamaica for a new life in New York. Above all, she hopes to be reunited with her oldest friend, Cicely, and to rekindle their young love. But spreading her wings will come at a price: she must leave her five-year-old daughter, Tru, behind. And Patsy is soon confronted by the stark reality of life as an undocumented migrant in a hostile city. Daring, tender and profound, this is the story of one woman’s fight to discover her sense of self in a world that tries to define her.
Backyard Insects (Updated edition) by Paul Horne & Denis Crawford
Love them or loathe them, we can’t avoid insects. From aphids to flies, ladybirds to wasps, insects of all shapes and sizes share our homes and gardens. Now in an updated edition, Backyard Insects explores the secrets and habits of more than one hundred little critters that are common to backyard Australia. Crawling with full-colour, larger-than-life photographs for easy identification, this is an indispensable guide for nature lovers of all ages.
Recycle and Remake: Creative Projects for Eco Kids
This gentle, but empowering book is full of creative making activities, information, and ideas that give young eco-warriors the know-how to help the environment. Some of the projects included are: making seeded recycled paper from junk mail, cleaning up the oceans by turning carrier bags into kites, repurposing a cardboard box into a periscope and much more . This future-friendly guide book has all the information, ideas, tips, and tools needed to be part of the solution.
On Money by Rick Morton
Money makes the world go round, but does it make us happy? Growing up in rural Queensland, journalist Rick Morton has known poverty from the inside. Now he isn’t poor, but his spending habits and attitude to money are still informed by growing up without it. In On Money , Morton examines the meaning of money and exposes the lie behind the government’s mantra: have a go, get a go.
An Unconventional Wife by Mary Hoban
Julia Sorell was a vivacious and warm-hearted colonial belle from Tasmania. Her marriage to Tom Arnold in 1850 propelled her into one of the most renowned families in England. But Tom’s sudden decision to become a Catholic and Julia’s refusal to convert with him plunged their lives into a crisis that touched the lives of all those who came into contact with them. Told with the pace, depth, and psychological richness of a great novel, An Unconventional Wife is a riveting biography that shines a shaft of light on a hidden but captivating life.
The Glad Shout by Alice Robinson
After a catastrophic storm destroys Melbourne, Isobel flees to higher ground with her husband and young daughter. Food and supplies run low, panic sets in and still no help arrives. To protect her daughter, Isobel must take drastic action. The Glad Shout is an extraordinary novel of rare depth and texture. Told in a starkly visual and compelling narrative, this is a deeply moving homage to motherhood and the struggles faced by women in difficult times.
The Little Mermaid and Other Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen & Minalima
Nearly two hundred years after its publication in 1837, Hans Christian Andersen’s timeless fairytales continue to inspire young imaginations. This beautiful unabridged edition brings together many of the Danish writer’s favourite stories that have become literary classics, including: The Little Mermaid , Thumbelina, The Snow Queen, The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor’s New Clothes, and more. Gorgeously designed, this keepsake illustrated edition will be treasured by readers of all ages.
Songlines: The Power and Promise by Margo Neale & Lynne Kelly
Songlines are an archive for powerful knowledges that ensured Australia’s many Indigenous cultures flourished for over 60,000 years. Much more than a navigational path in the cartographic sense, these vast and robust stores of information are encoded through song, story, dance, art and ceremony, rather than simply recorded in writing. This book invites readers to understand a remarkable way for storing knowledge in memory by adapting song, art, and most importantly, Country, into their lives.
Six Minutes by Petronella McGovern
One Thursday morning, Lexie Parker dashes to the shop for biscuits, leaving Bella in the safe care of the other mums in the playgroup. Six minutes later, Bella is gone. Police and media descend on the tiny village of Merrigang on the edge of Canberra. But as the investigation deepens, relationships start to fracture, and the community is engulfed by fear. What happened in those six minutes and where is Bella? This gripping novel will keep you guessing to the very last twist.
Beautiful World Japan by Lonely Planet
Delve inside the myriad landscapes of Japan with this stunning collection of photographs and discover the nation’s extraordinary diversity of places, people and experiences - from moments in awe-inspiring cities to quiet escapes in remote, exotic corners. On this journey you’ll find powdered ski resorts, snow-covered national parks, gorges and dramatic waterfalls. You’ll then discover sprawling neon jungles, Tokyo in cherry blossom season, ancient temples of Kyoto, powerful memorials, lush rice fields and delectable cuisine.
How to Eat Your Christmas Tree by Julia Georgallis
Evergreen trees are pillars of the winter - they stand tall and thriving, resilient in the face adversity. However, as the festive season draws to a close, they can often be found lining the streets, cast off and disused with wilted branches dotted across dustbins. From simple ideas such as infusing pine needles to make a delicious tea, to more lavish spreads, How to Eat Your Christmas Tree is a refreshing and innovative cookbook that encourages you to be more resourceful in an age of deforestation and climate crisis.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
In this electrifying sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood answers the question that has tantalised readers for decades: What happened to Offred? The Republic of Gilead is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, two girls with radically different experiences of the regime come face to face with the legendary, ruthless Aunt Lydia. But how far will each go for what she believes?
