Book
Politis to the point invites two of its own book lovers: Niki Laou, journalist at Politis To the Point, and Nicholas Sparsis, author and radio producer of the Politis Radio 107.6 programme The History of Rock and Roll. Between them, their choices range from Hemingway’s pared‑back brilliance to the enduring pull of Kafka, a reminder that across generations and genres, certain stories always find their way back under the Christmas tree. Their reflections reveal how books become personal rituals: for Niki, a gesture of intimacy and memory, and for Nicholas, a family tradition shaped by classics that speak to the absurdity of our times.
is intimate and deliberate.
Niki Laou: Rituals, old pages & book bonds
For Niki Laou, books have always carried a particular kind of magic because they find a way to stay with you. She recalls the first big girl book she received one Christmas from her teenage cousins, a moment that stayed with her and shaped her understanding of what a thoughtful gift can be. To her, the act of choosing a book for someone is intimate and deliberate, a gesture that binds readers together through shared curiosity and affection. It is this sense of connection that makes books, a great Christmas gift, a sentiment that resonates with the quiet nostalgia of childhood reading.
If she were to choose a book to give this year, she would reach for Ernest Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants. She admires its restraint, its emotional tension and its deceptive simplicity, a story that reveals new layers with every reading. It is, she says, unforgettable in its clarity and depth.
At the moment, she is immersed in Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, having recently discovered the audiobook narrated by Tartt herself. Hearing the author read her own work has transformed the experience for her, adding weight, rhythm and intention to every line. It is the book that has most successfully drawn her into its world, helped along by the distinctive cadence of Tartt’s voice.
Her favourite book is Lena Divani’s Τα Ζευγάρια που Έγραψαν την Ιστορία της Ελλάδας (Couples Who Wrote the History of Greece), a work that traces the lives of influential couples from the Greek Revolution to the dictatorship of 1967. What she loves most is the way the book treats intimacy as a political force, showing how private relationships can shape public life and, ultimately, the course of a nation.
The last time she received books as gifts was last summer, when she and her friend Nefeli exchanged around ten titles. Among them, her most treasured is a rare 1970s Athens edition of Agatha Christie’s Five Little Pigs. She delights in the feel of the old paper and the scent that seems to carry her back to the era in which it was printed, a reminder of the timeless charm of vintage books.
Nicholas Sparsis: Classic novels & the soundtrack of a good book
The tradition of giving books at Christmas is woven into family life, says Nicholas Sparsis. Each year, during the family’s Secret Santa on Christmas Eve, books are exchanged alongside wine, gadgets and warm wishes. It is a ritual that blends playfulness with the pleasure of choosing something meaningful for someone else, a moment that captures the spirit of shared celebration.
If he finds himself gifting a book this year, he is inclined to choose Joseph Heller’s Catch‑22. Though not new, it remains a classic exploration of the absurdity of human existence, a theme he feels is painfully relevant to the world today.
The last book he received as a gift was Paul Auster’s Brooklyn Follies, which he enjoyed greatly. Yet his all‑time favourite remains Kafka’s Metamorphosis, a work he would happily revisit with a glass of wine in hand and Nick Cave’s album Wild God playing in the background. It is a pairing that reflects his appreciation for the dark beauty of existential storytelling.