When it comes to recommending books as gifts, we like to know as much as possible about the gift recipient. Are they really into sci-fi, or maybe political podcasts? Is their Spotify account all musicals all the time, or do they eschew music for quiet walks in the woods or settling down with an engrossing novel? The perfect gift book isn't the award-winning critic's darling (unless, of course, it is) — it's the one that matches your loved one's silliness, seriousness, humor, and wit; the most perfect of gift books says,
I know you. I know who you are, and what you love, and of the millions of books in the world, I have found the one written just for you. It's a tall order, but with our What I'm Giving list, we've endeavored to do just that: If you need the perfect book for a music lover, foodie, genre fan, literary fiction nut, theatre nerd, political junkie, memoir reader, true crime afficionado, YA fan — in short, if you need a book for anyone — we think you'll find it on this list.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
by Hank Green
To: Vlogbrothers fans who crave more funny, insightful fiction from the Brothers Green.
From: Nerdfighter #1
Be Your Own Bartender
by Carey Jones and John McCarthy
To: Your infographic- and libation-loving sister who likes to play “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.”
From: Kate
Bitter Orange
by Claire Fuller
To: Readers who love Shirley Jackson and want to find their next seductively creepy thrill.
From: Merricat
Cross Her Heart
by Sarah Pinborough
To: My close friend, who can’t get enough of stories about secrets and their consequences.
From: Emmie
Dear Evan Hansen
by Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul
To: My sister, who loves Broadway musicals, Love, Simon, and YA fiction.
From: Madeline
Eliza Hamilton
by Tilar J. Mazzeo
To: My Hamilton-loving cousins who want the full backstory.
From: Tessa
Endurance
by Scott Kelly
To: My uncle Charlie, who is endlessly fascinated with space exploration, and digs absorbing biographies about science and technology.
From: Your favorite stargazing niece
Evening in Paradise
by Lucia Berlin
To: My best friend, who prides herself on her taste in short stories.
From: Tessa
Gone So Long
by Andre Dubus III
To: My dad, who loves haunting, character-driven novels about family.
From: Liz
Heavy
by Kiese Laymon
To: My niece, a Vassar College graduate with a sociology degree.
From: Aunt Kim
Israeli Soul
by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook
To: The man trying to win my heart by mastering the perfect falafel.
From: Shoshanna
Lake Success
by Gary Shteyngart
To: Politicians. All of them.
From: America
Melmoth
by Sarah Perry
To: All the members of my Folktales and Fiction book club! It’s chilling and super powerful!
From: Danny
My Squirrel Days
by Ellie Kemper
To: My Midwestern transplant friends, and anyone who loves humor without sarcasm and rooting for the nice girl!
From: Sarah Jane
The Real Lolita
by Sarah Weinman
To: Anyone obsessed with Serial, My Favorite Murder, and other true crime podcasts.
From: Madeline
Red Moon
by Kim Stanley Robinson
To: My friend who only dabbles in sci-fi, or for fans who are more interested in the characters than the science.
From: Ashleigh
Rose's Baking Basics
by Rose Levy Beranbaum
To: My sister, who’s just learning the love of baking and wants everything to be perfect!
From: Camila
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
by Jane Sherron De Hart
To: Anyone who wants a reminder of how a real Supreme Court Justice acts.
From: RBG Admirer
Sea Prayer
by Khaled Hosseini
To: My friends who loved Exit West, and for those who put immigration rights at the forefront of their activism.
From: Phoebe
She Would Be King
by Wayétu Moore
To: Fans of history, magical realism, and brilliant, strong women.
From: Alicia
The Silence of the Girls
by Pat Barker
To: My good buddy Shawn, who was a total evangelist for Circe by Madeline Miller.
From: Kathi
Sleeping Beauties
by Stephen King and Owen King
To: My aunt, who is a fan of both horror and literary fiction.
From: Tessa
Small Fry
by Lisa Brennan-Jobs
To: My friends who read and liked Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.
From: Kim
Stranger Things
by Gina McIntyre
To: My brother, who will fight the Demogorgon by my side any day of the week.
From: Will
Washington Black
by Esi Edugyan
To: My well-read aunt, who loves traveling, philosophy books, and narratives by distinctive voices.
From: Aubrey
The Winter Soldier
by Daniel Mason
To: My mom, because she loved both The English Patient and All the Light We Cannot See.
From: Kathi