Joel Waldfogel first encountered Christmas after he’d become an economist. Seeing it through fresh (and specifically trained) eyes, he was horrified by what he saw: ‘a large and organised institution for value destruction’. He argues (and proves, with detailed social research) that most of our gifts miss the mark – it’s rare that anyone receives a gift that is exactly what they would have chosen themselves. Yet, seasonal gift exchange is firmly entrenched in cultures around the world. What to do? After a curiously intriguing, highly informative journey through the economics and social value of gift giving, liberally spiced with humour, this book offers a handful of helpful and sane solutions, including gift cards and charity donations.

Here at last is the long-awaited sequel to the international bestseller Freakonomics (Penguin. PB. $24.95). Steven Levitt, the original rogue economist, and co-author Stephen Dubner have been working hard, uncovering the hidden side of even more controversial subjects, from charity to terrorism and prostitution. And with their inimitable style and wit, they take us on another gripping journey of discovery. They reveal, among other things, why you are more likely to be killed walking drunk than driving drunk; how a prostitute is more likely to sleep with a policeman than be arrested by one; why terrorists might be easier to track down than you would imagine; how a sex change could boost your salary; and how there really is a cheap fix for climate change.

Oscar Wilde put it perfectly: ‘people know the price of everything and the value of nothing’. Leading off with this much-quoted aphorism from The Picture of Dorian Gray, Raj Patel discusses the thinking that led to the global recession and the economics lesson we all had to have. Conversational, discursive and engaging, he dips into economics, history and philosophy to analyse the true cost of the way we live now. The author of Stuffed and Starved (Black Inc. PB. $27.95), a study of the global food system, Patel argues that the price we pay for goods and commodities reflects neither their true value nor their real cost. His call for new thinking and a fairer, more compassionate and sustainable future exposes the truth behind free market economics, carbon trading and globalisation.

Military strategist Kilcullen takes us on the ground to uncover the face of modern warfare, discussing both the global ‘War on Terrorism’ and small wars across the world.

An updated edition of the book that was originally published as Cover-Up, and on which the film Balibo is based.

Dutch journalist Joris Luyendijk demonstrates the ways in which the media gives us a filtered, altered and manipulated image of reality in the Middle East.

Keane confronts readers with a fresh and irreverent look at the past, present and future of democracy, posing tough and timely questions along the way.

The author of An Inconvenient Truth (Bloomsbury. PB. $35) proposes solutions to the problems of climate change – personal, political and in international law.