A lot of these bookish gifting lists focus on the big bestsellers of the year, the buzzy seem-to-be-everywhere books. And that’s a great strategy, for many people. But the thing is, if you’re here, you’re trying to give a book to a reader. And that’s a problem, because as any friend-of-a-bookworm knows, it’s impossible to buy us something to read, because you’re never sure what we have or haven’t read. And there is a high likelihood that we’ve already read, or ruled out, those buzzy books. As a result, I find that I only get books as gifts if I ask for them. A lot of people don’t dare buy me books, and will tell me as much. But that’s just unacceptable. Your bookworm friends want books from you! (Frankly, even when I have received duplicate books, it’s always special because someone chose it off a shelf for me.) What a horrifying paradox of nature it is, to love books so much that people shy away from giving you books as gifts. So I want you to buy your bookworm friends books this holiday season. What I’ve done here is gathered some amazing books from this year that are the ideal gift, that are fantastic without being so plastered on the local billboards that there’s no way your reader friend hasn’t already read it. Without further ado, here are the best books to give as gifts this holiday season.
Books to Escape Into
Books to Thrill
Books to Make You Feel
Books to Make You Think
For more advice on bookish gifts for this holiday season, check out: Bookish PJs perfect for the holidays, gifts for the literary foodie in your life, and some wonderfully bookish ornaments.