Northern European (especially British) immigrants living in Spain are often accused of knowing little or nothing about their adopted country; of caring little for the language, culture, history and traditions of Spain and, of course there is some truth in this accusation. But for those of us wishing to challenge the stereotype of only being ‘here for the sun’, we are able to partake in the wealth of fiestas around our region and to have a go at the language; indeed there are many thousands of us doing just that and fair play to us!

We are also able to tap into the plethora of books about Spain or set in Spain that have hit the bookshops in the past few years as the demand for knowledge about España has increased in line with the number of UK citizens (currently at around 700000) moving out here.

So with your Christmas present list in mind, here is a list of recent books I would recommend you read in order to increase your knowledge of Spain and your understanding of the Spanish people. They range from the lightweight to more academic works but all share the common characteristics of being about Spain and being accessible and relatively easy to read – well I managed them!

· Winter in Madrid by CJ Sansom is a thriller set in Spain just after the civil war and involves three main characters – Harry a British spy, Brett an old school–friend of Harry and a Communist fighting under the flag of the International brigade and Barbara an apolitical Red Cross Volunteer Nurse. Winter In Madrid offers a good backdrop to the Spanish Civil War, which of course has shaped modern Spain, and once it gets over its rather stuffy start becomes quite a gripping yarn. The viciousness and cruelty described here gives the reader an insight into the shame felt by many Spaniards today about the early Franco years.

· An easier read is Soldiers of Salamis by Javier Cercas which offers us yet more insight into the Civil War but with an attempt to bridge the divide between the defeated left–wing Republicans and the fascist Franco led Falangists. Hugely popular in Spain, Soldiers of Salamis tells the story of how a Republican soldier helps a fascist counterpart escape execution. This book represents the struggle that has existed in Spain for over 70 years and still exists today of politics, violence and suffering yet also of compassion, healing and forgiveness. Soldiers of Salamis is a good book to start with if you know little about the Civil War.

· I have to confess that The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is an all–time favourite book of mine regardless of being set in Spain in the 1950’s. It is a plot–twisting, page–turning yet poetic work full of humour, tragedy and mystery and set in Barcelona some 50 years ago. We get a keen view of the shady, conspiratorial, backstabbing, bureaucratic nature of Spain in this period when neighbour informed on neighbour and the justice meted out by agents of Franco was summary, arbitrary and brutal. So what’s it about? A boy named Daniel selects a novel from a library of rare books, enjoying it so much that he searches for the rest of the author’s works, only to discover that someone is destroying every book the author has ever written. I hesitate to draw this comparison but it has shades of The Da Vinci Code about it because it is a page–turner and you are kept guessing until the end. And believe it or not it’s also a ‘laugh out loud’ book also with sharp wit and humour. It gets a 9 out of 10 for me and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

· Ghosts of Spain by Giles Tremlett is the first piece of non–fiction recommended. Tremlett is the Guardian’s Madrid correspondent and has lived and worked in Spain for 20 years and his inquiry into Spain and the Spaniards is essential for anyone wanting to understand the country and the tensions that exist between its people. Exploring the Civil War and its aftermath, Tremlett looks at real issues facing Spain today, including the development of this young democracy, tourism, the building boom, corruption as well as the tensions that exist between Basques and Spaniards, as well as Catalans and Spaniards. It’s jam–packed full of interesting and relevant information and if you read it more as a reference book than a work of literature, it is really fascinating.

· OK, so here’s the big one; The Battle For Spain by Antony Beevor. Beevor also wrote best—selling historical accounts of the fall of Berlin and the siege of Stalingrad so prepare yourself for some 500 pages of the ‘big’ history of the Civil War. It is incredibly well researched and detailed but is not inaccessible and if you want to be well informed about the single most important phenomenon to have hit Spain then this is the one for you. Certainly one for the students, it is probably best dipped into rather than read from cover to cover and whilst it has now become the standard text on this subject in universities throughout the world, don’t be put off. The Battle For Spain is a must read, is manageable and Beevor is a fine historian and a really good writer.

· In his acclaimed first book, Duende, Jason Webster takes us on a wild journey through Spain in pursuit of flamenco and the spirit of the flamenco people. It is part autobiography, part travelogue and (I suspect) part fiction but it comes together as a compendium of wonderful characters and cracking adventures. Jason Webster is a great writer, youthful and energetic and in his second book, Andalus, he continues his journey through Spain but this time in search of Spain’s hidden Moorish legacy with a young Moroccan companion. It is a fascinating insight into Spain’s paradoxical relationship with its near neighbour to the south and again like his first book Duende, Andalus cleverly illustrates historical and cultural ideas through very modern story telling. I recommend both to you.

Living in Spain amongst Spanish people means that every day we confront issues like Spanish bureaucracy, corruption and arrogance whilst celebrating the kindness, generosity, and fun loving nature of our hosts. These contradictions and many more are a result of the recent history of Spain (most notably the Civil War and the subsequent 40 years of totalitarianism under Franco) and will be better understood and tolerated with a little bit of knowledge of our adopted country. These seven books might just help a bit. They have done so for me.