Books are a reliable option when it comes to gift-giving, but figuring out what book is right for which reader can be tough! That’s why we’re here. We’ve gathered a mix of crowd-pleasing, perennially popular, and under-the-radar books to help you find the right gifts for your friends and family.
Today’s list focuses exclusively on nonfiction titles. My best tip for choosing a book your recipient will love is to follow their interests. If they love stories, take a look at the memoirs and essay collections on this list. If they yearn to spend time outside, dwell on those titles that focus on the natural world. Are they one of those types who love to learn because they’re perpetually curious? We have books for them as well! Plus oodles of archives with even more suggestions.
We can’t promise you won’t come away with a longer holiday wishlist for yourself but we hope this mix of interesting nonfiction, travel guides, cookbooks, and coffee table books will help you finish your holiday shopping all the same.
Interested in fiction picks? I highly recommend checking out our gift-focused episode of What Should I Read Next: Highly giftable picks for your favorite readers, which includes nonfiction, fiction, and some book-related gifts that aren’t books.
15 giftable books for every reader
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I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life
This beautifully presented essay collection was formatted with gift-giving in mind. This book is for those for whom reading isn't just a hobby or a way to pass the time—it's a lifestyle. By turns wistful, funny, inspiring, and entertaining, I wax poetic on the magic of the library next door, bookworm problems, the books that made me fall in love with reading, and an "instructive" piece on how to organize your bookshelves that would fit right in at McSweeney's. More info →
My Reading Life: A Book Journal
Tracking the books you read is one of the best ways to improve your reading life. This journal will help you both articulate your reading taste and broaden your literary horizons, and help you enjoy the process. Bound in a sturdy (and oh so pretty) hardcover, this compact book journal fits right in your tote bag, whether you're going to the library, to school, or to work. And of course, it makes a great gift! More info →
A Ghost in the Throat
"This is a female text." These beginning words are repeated, over and over, throughout. This book is unlike anything I've ever read: part memoir, part meditation on the female creative process, part biography of a long-dead Irish poet, plus a translation of the poet's best-known work. It would make an excellent gift for so many—for artists and writers, students and mothers, for anyone who's been gripped by a surprising passion, or loves untold stories of historical figures, or wishes to read about Ireland. While the paperback is an obvious gift choice, you should know Siobhán McSweeney’s narration for the audiobook version is exceptional. More info →
Also a Poet: Frank O’Hara, My Father, and Me
You'll see this nonfiction work from Why We Can't Sleep author Ada Calhoun on my Best of the Year list—and it was also just named a NYT Notable Book of 2022. Calhoun is the daughter of art critic Peter Schjeldahl, who I've been quoting for YEARS (especially in MMD Book Club) about his approach to works that aren't "immediately hospitable." Her new genre-bending book is a memoir-ish look at their complex relationship—and also a profile-of-sorts about poet Frank O'Hara. This relatively quick (272 page) read could satisfy lovers of family sagas or nonfiction nerds—there's so much appeal here. Fascinating, devastating, vexing, illuminating. More info →
Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make—and Keep—Friends
This relatable, thought-provoking, and ultimately affirming guide is all about making—and keeping—friends. Romantic love gets all the attention, but here psychologist Dr. Marisa G. Franco argues that friendship is every bit as crucial to our well-being, and we need to prioritize it more. By looking at friendship through the lens of attachment theory, she makes the case for the numerous benefits of these relationships, including how they shape us and help us become our healthiest selves. This guide for strengthening and deepening your existing friendships, nurturing new ones, and better managing conflict would make an excellent gift for—you guessed it—your friends, or those you want to get to know better. You'll have so much to talk about! More info →
Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer’s Guide (Atlas Obscura)
This world tour of global cuisine is for anyone interested in explorations of food, history, and culture. It goes beyond traditional cookbook photography with eye-opening shots and unusual vantage points, highlighting hidden gems, unique ingredients, and the many ways that what we eat affects and informs our lives. Will and I have long enjoyed giving The New Food Lover's Companion but felt the need for a fresh option, so we couldn't snatch this up fast enough for some of the lucky readers on our lists after Andrea Jasmine from Main Street Books recommended it in WSIRN episode 355: Highly giftable picks for your favorite readers. More info →
Dahlias: A Little Book of Flowers
If the words "hidden gem" make you sit up and pay attention, this just may be the perfect book for the nature lover on your list! Accompanied by gorgeous illustrations, Tara Austen Weaver has gifted us with a love letter to the dahlia. She shares the history behind this beautiful bloom, advice on growing and propagating, and tips to create the most beautiful arrangements. It’s a must for flower fans. If you wanted to give a lavish gift, pair this with a fresh flower subscription. (Psst—there's also a book about Peonies!) More info →
Lonely Planet Epic Road Trips of the Americas
Lonely Planet has a new collectible series that includes the 50 greatest road trips across North and South America and the Caribbean. Whether you’re ready to plan your next road trip or simply looking for a new local scenic route, you’ll appreciate their insider tips, like challenge level, first person accounts, and travel advice. (Also recommended by Andrea Jasmine from Main Street Books in WSIRN episode 355: Highly giftable picks for your favorite readers—thanks, Andrea!) More info →
Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew
I've been eagerly awaiting more from Twitty ever since I read and loved his debut culinary history The Cooking Gene. In his new 2022 release he explores the intersection of Jewish and African diaspora cuisine in the way only he can, laying out the history and culture of these two food traditions and what they can tell us about memory, meaning-making, and identity. I would read anything by Twitty but I especially appreciated hearing his reflections about being Black and Jewish. Plus, recipes are included! More info →
Inciting Joy: Essays
“What if joy is not only entangled with pain, or suffering, or sorrow, but is also what emerges from how we care for each other through those things?” Gay poses this question in his natural follow up to The Book of Delights, which proves to be another timely, thoughtful read from a wonderful writer. His new essay collection is about the benefits of community and connection and all that we gain when we care for one another. You (or your giftee) could read an essay a day or inhale the whole volume in one go. More info →
Dinner in One: Exceptional & Easy One-Pan Meals: A Cookbook
If you love one pot meals, Melissa Clark’s new cookbook is the one for you. My family subscribes to New York Times Cooking, and I always keep an eye out for Clark's recipes in particular, because they never disappoint. The recipes in this new cookbook (which was originally scheduled to release in the spring, but then there was a little incident at sea) are simple, delicious, and easy—the dependable Melissa Clark recipes so many of us have come to know and love, engineered for busy weeknights. More info →
Hervé Tullet’s Art of Play: Images and Inspirations from a Life of Radical Creativity
If Hervé Tullet's name isn’t immediately recognizable, perhaps you’ll recall the title of his bestselling children's book Press Here. In this gorgeous and substantial (and super browsable) coffee table book for grown-ups, Tullet and Van der Linden blend autobiography with a celebration of creativity, and pack it full of arresting art and full-color photographs. Snag this if you like the sound of an inspirational read for creatives, teachers, artists, or art enthusiasts. More info →
This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories That Make Us
I’ve never encountered a book quite like this debut from the creator of the Black Liturgies Instagram account. Cole Arthur Riley offers reflections about spirituality, healing, and our relationship to our bodies. She shares the lessons imparted to her by her grandmother and father and the impact this had on her life and beliefs. It is at once a call for rest and repair, as well as an invitation to dignity and liberation. Perfect for those on your list who appreciate lyrical prose and contemplative nonfiction. More info →
Smitten Kitchen Keepers: New Classics for Your Forever Files
I always rejoice when a new Smitten Kitchen cookbook hits the shelves! This time around Perelman endeavors to share 100 “keepers”: recipes so good, you’ll make them the rest of your life. Consider my family on board with this plan: I cannot wait to make the family-style crème brûlée, my kids want the apple butterscotch crisp and raspberry frittata, and of course she has a ton of recipes that aren't dessert as well. While we've given Deb's books to lots of appreciative adults, we've also found her friendly and accessible approach to be incredibly popular with teen cooks and aspiring cooks. More info →
Get Outside: A Journal for Refreshing Your Spirit in Nature
A big reason I love this little journal is that I've never seen another like it—which means your giftee won't already have one on their shelves! The thick bound paperback (with beautiful gold accents) is sturdy enough to get tucked in a backpack or duffel for a trip into the great outdoors, and it's compact enough to not weigh you down. The journal allots space to record twenty nature expeditions big or small, with the bulk of its pages allowing for journaling space, with occasional journaling prompts (some of which are written from a Christian perspective) meant to help you pay closer attention to what you notice along the way. More info →
Do you have a suggestion for a crowd-pleasing, giftable book? Let’s help each other build our holiday book shopping list in the comments.
P.S. 16 giftable books for every reader and 20 giftable books for every reader.
9 comments
Here’s my 10 favorite calm + heal + inspire books, gifts I’d buy by the crate!
http://www.lindastoll.net/2021/11/10-exceptional-books-to-calm-heal.html
I recently created a Gift Guide for Babies & Toddlers that includes some of my favorite books for that age range: https://brittanydahl.com/blog/holiday-gift-guide-for-babies-and-toddlers-2022/
And my wish list just got a little longer! I definitely want to snag the Lonely Planet book and the nature journal. Thank you!
Lessons From Plants by Beronda Montgomery: https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Plants-Beronda-L-Montgomery/dp/0674241282/ref=sr_1_1?crid=19LWNZL813LYD&keywords=lessons+from+plants&qid=1669816681&sprefix=lessons+from+plants%2Caps%2C107&sr=8-1
I can’t believe the Griffin and Sabine trilogy is already 31 years old. I was blown away then, and still am now. Is it literature? Art? Whatever it is, it is fantastic gift.
Just a quick “thank you” for whoever contributes the photographic staging for your communications to us! Today’s is a marvelous, simple example: a card catalog with a wreath of fresh greens. They set a perfect stage for your message and the books!
Gift them? I want them!! LOL Thank you for the great list!
So many of the books and authors on this list I read because Anne made them sound so good, and she was right. And Also A Poet, A Ghost In The Throat, Michael Twitty, Ross Gay. These are some of my favorite and most important books and writers. Anne, thank you so much. For the experience of reading these books, but also for the many, many other titles I’ve read only because you recommended them. Your work has added so much beauty, joy, and learning to my life.
I am gifting several copies of Claire Keegan’s books this year. Short and impactful.
And several copies of Sandra Cisneros’s new poetry because my circle can relate to that same stage in life.
Thank you, Anne, for the gift of “a ghost in the throat” I listened to it earlier this year and it changed me and my relationship to poetry. Just can’t thank you enough for that one. It’s around $18 on both Chirp and Audible and would be such a gift to so many friends!
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