Iwona Derda

Margaret’s Christmas Eve, India Desjardins (illustrated by Pascal Blanchet)
A lonely Christmas Eve of an elderly lady – because she’ve chosen so, because it’s simpler for the family, because of the… fear that sometimes won’t let you go on. A great book about the Christmas miracle. It has little text, but it’s still more a book for adults and teenagers than for children. The atmosphere of this magic story is brought to the reader by Pascal Blanchet’s drawings, who has earned one of the most prestigious awards in the category of illustrated books – BolognaRagazzi 2014.

French Will, Andrei Makine
In this poetic autobiography Andrei Makine tells about his French grandmother, who followed her beloved Russian husband to Russia during World War I. Her name, Charlotte, brings to mind the flavour of a sun-warmed vine. But in the steppe of Saranza it connotes nothing but a weed among the local population. The memory of mythical, sweet France clashed with Russia ruled by Stalin forms the young narrator: his sensibility, his identity, his language. This exceptional, vibrant text is like music. In 1995 the author won for this book the most important literary awards in France: Prix Goncourt and Prix Medicis.

Ewelina Jamka

The Group, Mary McCarthy
The life of middle-class women living in New York in the 1930s. Kind of “Sex and the city” vintage-style. When the book appeared in early 1960s, it caused a stir with its bold depiction of sexuality, and even though it remained a “New York Times” bestseller for long, few people officially admitted they’ve read it. But there’s much more to it than sex. This is primarily a book about entering adulthood, becoming a woman and verifying what that actually means.

Winter in Lisbon, Antonio Munoz Molina
A tale of passionate love with no happy ending, making Lisbon – with its dim-lit streets and jazz flowing out from behind the closed doors – the perfect background. The atmosphere is so suggestive that it will make your fingers freeze of cold during reading. Better cover yourself with a comfy blanket before you start.

Magda Kozińska

I hereby declare I hate Polish writers (most likely the result of enviousness, because I’d rather be writing books than CEO editorials), but to break down the Christmas sweetness I recommend:

Dark, Almost Night, Joanna Bator
Powerful and bold, even the Scandinavian masters of crime novels had not dare to face the tabu that Bator has touched upon.

The Devourer, Katarzyna Bonda
Deep research and skilled writing, plus one of the characters is the only guy that has ever proposed to me, so you do understand why I’m recommending this one:)

Bożena Makowska

Share today with tomorrow, Aleksandra Pawlicka (photo: Jacek Pawlicki)
The Bushman says: “Remember that your brother can come to this spot. Remember that you can come to it – tomorrow. Give yourself a chance to live.”
This isn’t a typical guidebook. This isn’t a guidebook at all – these are beautiful words and pictures about tasting the world in a beautiful way, about beautiful travels. The author does not take you on a step by step journey through various countries and historical places, but shows you the world with key-words: tree, body, mountain, death, road. Aleksandra and Jacek are “worldaholics.” Together from Easter Island to Tierra del Fuego, from Lapland to Papua. 6 continents, 60 countries in 20 years.

Kasia Petruk

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Philip K. Dick
The narration is so fluent you can easily read the book over one night, and it has everything: fast-flowing action, deep thoughts and remarkable humour. Besides, it’s a classic;-)

Hey, Wait…, Jason
A comic that you want to get back to. With simple, minimalistic means (both in drawing and narration) it tells about complex matters, it affects you without any words. Jason is the author you should reach for, even (or maybe especially) if this will be the first alternative comic book in your life.